Tikka T1x Rimfire

I’m with Skylerbone and will wait and see. If the Tikka rimfire is up to the usual Tikka standard it no doubt will be an excellent firearm. From a quality standpoint I expect it will be above Remington, Savage and Ruger. I expect it will be on par with a CZ. Assuming it will be better than a CZ is going too far.

One component I know for sure is the same on Tikka and Sako is the barrel. When you get away from the barrel, a Tikka action is slick but a Sako action is slicker. Tikka stocks are good but Sako stocks are better.

Many times the infatuation with a new firearm is like having a few (or more than a few) drinks at the local watering hole and taking home that lovely girl. Next morning your perspective may have changed significantly

I’m gonna wait to see it in the light of day

Looks promising, need to buy a rifle for my 9 month old son. This Tikka might be the ticket if it has a decent amount of adjustment to length of pull.

Hope a version with iron sights is offered. I’d prefer to start the little guy out in iron sights when he gets old enough to start.

cdb1 said:

I’m with Skylerbone and will wait and see. If the Tikka rimfire is up to the usual Tikka standard it no doubt will be an excellent firearm. From a quality standpoint I expect it will be above Remington, Savage and Ruger. I expect it will be on par with a CZ. Assuming it will be better than a CZ is going too far.

One component I know for sure is the same on Tikka and Sako is the barrel. When you get away from the barrel, a Tikka action is slick but a Sako action is slicker. Tikka stocks are good but Sako stocks are better.

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From the photographs I have seen, the bolt handle, shroud and body appear very much like my Sako P04 (Finfire II). If the street price is in the $400 neighborhood, I just might have to get me one....

I have a Sako M85 in 6.5x55 and also a Tikka in 6.5x55. Believe it or not, the Tikka shoots just a tich better than the Sako, but the Sako is a much prettier rifle. My brother says it's downright sexy!

The SAKO barrels they screw into the actions on Tikka rifles don’t care what the roll mark on the barrels or actions say. They’re SAKO barrels. They all get cold hammer forged on the same machines from the same blanks using the same excellent steel, with the same excellent quality control.

It seems to do a lot right but I’m sitting pretty flush with rimfire rifles. It will need to do very well to be a better buy than a CZ455. I think that comparison is going to get made rather frequently.

benzy2 said:

It seems to do a lot right but I’m sitting pretty flush with rimfire rifles. It will need to do very well to be a better buy than a CZ455. I think that comparison is going to get made rather frequently.

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All else being equal, the composite stock on the Tikka will be a giant shove over the cliff of success. Obviously that's subjective, but to those of us who won't own a wood-stocked long gun...

In the price range of the Tikka or CZ, I’d probably rather have a composite stock. For $400-$500 you’re not getting the greatest wood, glass bedding etc. I have one walnut stock on a Kimber 82 Govt’ Target, a laminate on my Cooper M57 and composite stocks on everything else. We’ve reached a point where it makes less sense to bolt a dead tree onto our guns to use as a handle. At least a dead tree with nothing but some oil rubbed on for a finish.

Coal Dragger said:

We’ve reached a point where it makes less sense to bolt a dead tree onto our guns to use as a handle. At least a dead tree with nothing but some oil rubbed on for a finish.

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The other part of it is that composite stocks are only getting better, and Tikka arguably offers the best composite stocks of anyone within several hundred dollars of their price point.

Like you said, if we’re talking about a fine rifle with beautiful wood that’s properly treated, that’s one thing. But for an inexpensive, purely practical rifle, I don’t see ever buying a wood stock option again. Currently don’t own a single firearm with wood furniture.

All else being equal, the composite stock on the Tikka will be a giant shove over the cliff of success. Obviously that's subjective, but to those of us who won't own a wood-stocked long gun...

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Personally there is already way too much plastic in my life. As long as they shoot good (and all of my CZ rimfires do and then some), I'll take a nice piece of walnut any day, especially on a 22. It's not like I'm sitting in a drizzle all day waiting for a chance to shoot a squirrel. The two most accurate rifles I've ever owned were both wood stocked, albeit glass bedded. I've actually had to replace more plastic stocks that were flimsy junk on my rifles then wood stocks that warped or wouldn't hold a zero... Besides, it's not like these are the rifles I'm going to choose to take out in a rain storm anyway... I have beaters for that...

We’ve reached a point where it makes less sense to bolt a dead tree onto our guns to use as a handle. At least a dead tree with nothing but some oil rubbed on for a finish.

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Ah, dead walnut, I do love it so....

I’m just not demanding enough on hunting style 22lr rifles to see a difference from an average solid wood stock to a great synthetic stock. I have no experience with Tikka synthetic stocks and if they are solid, it’s a functionally good choice. I have had too many crap plastic stocks that flex just looking at them. A little warp in a wood stock seems less offensive than the significant flex of a plastic stock. Good synthetic stocks seem to run as much or more than this complete rifle, though I’ll give Tikka the benefit of the doubt until it’s in people’s hands.

And even an average figured wood stock is more visually appealing to me than the best made synthetic stock. Tree carcass vs Decayed Dino, neither sound appealing.

I don't like the look of a plastic stock, but even more I don't like the feel and sound of a plastic stock

Thanks for all of the votes for a wood stock. I was beginning to wonder if I was way off base in wanting to wait for a nicely figured stock. That is what completes the rifle for me. YMMV

While I'd like to have one of each the frugal part of me will make do with an old Remington 541T HB. I'd have liked to have found something better but it fell into my lap.

I need another .22 LR like another hole in the head; however, the Tikka looks nice, especially with the 20" barrel. I don't need a can on my .22LR rifles, but it would be nice to have the option, I suppose. If they test out shooting 1/2" groups or better at 50 yards, it may be hard to resist buying one.

1MoreFord said:

While I'd like to have one of each the frugal part of me will make do with an old Remington 541T HB. I'd have liked to have found something better but it fell into my lap.

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I had a 541 THB factory barrel on my 581, but it didn't give the accuracy that I wanted. I got lucky to find a new Lilja benchrest-quality "take-off" barrel that my gunsmith thought wasn't good enough for his 40x BR rifle. He turned it down to sporter contour and chambered/shanked it to fit my rifle. The rifle now shoots groups better than half the size of the factory THB barrel.

Recently, a neighbor asked me to do something on her Savage .22LR rifle and after I was done, cleaned the bore. I couldn't believe how rough it was! The bronze brush made noise I'd never heard when going through the bore! Carefully examine the bore of any Savage rimfire before buying!!!

Picher said:

couldn't believe how rough it was! The bronze brush made noise I'd never heard when going through the bore! Carefully examine the bore of any Savage rimfire before buying!!!

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That’s alarming news! I have a number of Savage rimfires, all good shooters for what they are with only the typical “off the rack” roughness. Hope Savage isn’t letting things slip after a decade of re-establishing themselves.

Plastic stocks can be "fixed" to be stiffer in the forend and reduced noise from the buttstock when going through the woods. It takes a bit of epoxy for the forend and foam filler in the buttstock, but it helps a lot.

cdb1 said:

I’m with Skylerbone and will wait and see. If the Tikka rimfire is up to the usual Tikka standard it no doubt will be an excellent firearm. From a quality standpoint I expect it will be above Remington, Savage and Ruger. I expect it will be on par with a CZ. Assuming it will be better than a CZ is going too far.

One component I know for sure is the same on Tikka and Sako is the barrel. When you get away from the barrel, a Tikka action is slick but a Sako action is slicker. Tikka stocks are good but Sako stocks are better.

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I've slicked up many rifle actions that were kinda rough from the factory. Almost every "factory" rifle these days needs a little "tweaking" to make it your own.

Coal Dragger said:

The SAKO barrels they screw into the actions on Tikka rifles don’t care what the roll mark on the barrels or actions say. They’re SAKO barrels. They all get cold hammer forged on the same machines from the same blanks using the same excellent steel, with the same excellent quality control.

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Except the SAKO's come with a 5 shot MOA guarantee and the Tikka's come with a 3 shot MOA. Could be refinement in other areas on the rifle or they could be segregating off barrels of looser tolerances or that don't pass a visual inspection for the Tikka line. I'm just hypothesizing here so don't take it the wrong way, just pointing out a simple fact that there is a perceived difference when it comes to them standing behind their rifles accuracy.

Alternatively they’re willing to guarantee that two extra shots on the more expensive rifle because they know there are fewer of them sold and the failure rate is low.

I doubt they’re individually air gauging barrels or down by other grading on them.

If a rifle will shoot three shots under 1" MOA, it will probably shoot 5 under 1" MOA. Seems like an advertising gimmick. Don't underestimate the power of advertising to sell more expensive items. "Oh, you're such an expert rifleman, you don't want the cheaper rifle that may not shoot as well as our "Premier" model." That's like Remington 588s vs Rem 700s. Obviously, the 700 is a nicer rifle, but the 788s shot so well that many benchrest rifles used that action instead.

Well at least when Remington used to make a rifle worth buying. I wouldn’t touch a current production 700.

Coal Dragger said:

Well at least when Remington used to make a rifle worth buying. I wouldn’t touch a current production 700.

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I really like my two-year old Rem 700 CDL Stainless Fluted, but replaced the trigger with a Timney and put the action in an after-market Stocky's Ultra-Walnut. One of the nicest rifles I've ever fired. NOTE: Stainless rifles are great for hunting, but if you shoot a lot, blued models hold up better.

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