1911NM,
Enjoy your new Tikka T3. They are great rifles.
I have 4 Tikka T3 Stainless rifles.
Two are calibered in .30-06, the third one is a Stainless Varmint Heavy Barrel in .308 Win. and the fourth one is in .223 Rem. All bear Leupold 3x9-40mm optics. The bolts on all four move as smoothly as if they were on teflon coated roller bearings. Add a drop or two of your favorite lubricant and the bolt seems to float.
The two .30-06's are more accurate than I can shoot and both triggers break cleanly/crisply at just under two pounds. I have taken elk, white-tail deer and black bear (and one very ill-tempered
badger) with them at various ranges and under some pretty severe conditions. They are about as "dishwasher safe" as rifles come and cleanup with very little effort.
The .308 Stainless Heavy Varmint/Synthetic is used for both target/competition as well as prairie dog hunting when I go to Montana. Wickedly accurate, silky smooth to operate and this "heavy barrel" rifle with a 3x9-40 Leupold scope weighs no more than a standard weight hunting rifle (a shade less than 8 pounds, unloaded) yet it has a heavy barrel and is a joy to carry compared to the usual target rifles that I have had that push 10-11 pounds before optics are mounted. The trigger breaks nicely at 1.75 pounds at it's lowest adjusted setting. I have yet to push it into service as a big game hunting rifle, but that may change soon as I have boked another Black Bear for this September ('08) and may use the rifle on that hunt.
I actually got rid of a Remington 40-XBBR set in a H/S Precision full length aluminum block bedded stock in the same caliber in favor of the T3 in Varmint Stainless .308. It is more accurate than the 40X and more comfortable to shoot and transport than the 40X could ever hope to be.
The stainless T3 in .223 Rem. is also quite accurate and a first rate performer. I shoot it when the .308 is cooling off during prairie dog hunting. The trigger breaks nicely at 2 1/4 pounds and with the correct ammunition, no prairie dog is safe out to the 400 yard marker. Had another Remington 40X in .223 that I got rid of after acquiring the T3 because after I got the T3, I never wanted to shoot the 40X again.
Get yourself a couple of the extended capacity magazines if you can as they make shooting varmints more enjoyable as you'll do a bit less loading. The mags tend to be a bit pricey in realtion to the gun, but with a little shopping around you can find some price reduction.
The T3 is about as "user-friendly" as a rifle can be. The trigger group is easily adjustable with a simple Allen hex wrench, the rings attach and detach with excellent "return to zero" on an integral reciever rail (no base screws to strip, overtighten or break) and they almost qualify as an "ultralight" at 6 lbs. 3 oz. for the standard T3 and 6 lbs. 10 oz. for the Varmint Stainless T3.
The only negative that I can come up with is, that bolt disassembly/reassemby for cleaning and maintenance is a bit of a pain in the ass, but it is a minor inconvenience that I am willing to overlook given that the disassembly of the Remington 40X/700 series bolts requires three hands, a coin (to hold the firing pin in its retracted position), a vast knowledge of profanity (preferably in three languages
) and the patience of a saint.
Overall, the T3's are great rifles at an affordable price.
Have fun!
G/S
