New "used" rifle ... Tikka TAC NS .300 Win Mag

[MCMXI]

A friend has had a Tikka TAC NS .300 Win Mag on Gunbroker for a few weeks with plenty of interest but no bids. I was at his house yesterday and decided that I should buy it. He bought the rifle new and only shot one 20 round box when he first bought it, and since he's not a reloader decided that he couldn't afford to shoot it regularly so it sat in his safe for a few years. It's in 100% condition, comes with two magazines and a Picatinny rail (0 MOA?) installed, weighs 8-1/2 lb unloaded, has a 23.7" barrel and seems to have every feature that's important to me in a bolt action rifle, sans a two-stage trigger. It feels very solid with a very nice injection molded stock with various sling mount options.

I asked him what he'd be comfortable with in terms of sale price and $1,200 worked for him. I have a NF NXS 3-15x50mm FFP laying around as well as an ADM QD mount so they went on this morning. I've thought about buying a Tikka many times over the years, I've always been a fan of the .300 Win Mag having an Accuracy International AWM and Kimber 8400 chambered for that cartridge. I used to have a Remington 700 with a Krieger barrel and AICS stock chambered in .300 Win Mag but sold it once I bought the AI. My friend mentioned that this Tikka was very accurate out of the box with 3-shot groups in the 1/2 moa range at 100 yards shooting SIG 190gr Elite Match ammunition so I'm sure I'll be more than happy with the performance.

This isn't a light rifle but it's about half the weight of the Accuracy International AWM so I like the idea of having a "light weight" tactical option that could be used for hunting or just about anything. Due to the M18x1 thread pitch on the muzzle I'll need to order another Hellfire universal adapter from AREA 419 and probably a Dead Air Armament KeyMount muzzle brake for the SANDMAN-S and -L suppressors. All in all I think that this was a good purchase.

As purchased


With NF NXS 3-15x50mm FFP scope and ADM QD mount

 

[MCMXI]

I already have an update! The ADM mount won't work. The rifle feeds rounds out of the mag as smooth as can be but the ADM mount adversely affects extraction of the case since the case hits the mount and hangs up. Rats!! I like the combination of the ADM mount and NF but will have to use standard rings instead. Oh well ... live and learn! I was hoping to use what I had but will have to go to plan B. Also, I'll most likely order a Picatinny rail with 20 MOA or greater cant.

 

[jmr40]

Everything Tikka has always impressed me. I've owned and shot several and they have all shot well. Currently have 2, a CTR in 308 and a T1x in 22 LR. I think you'll be happy with that rig once you get the mounts figured out.

 

[marksman13]

Very nice. I’d have to buy that rifle had i been in your position.

 

[MCMXI]

Everything Tikka has always impressed me. I've owned and shot several and they have all shot well. Currently have 2, a CTR in 308 and a T1x in 22 LR. I think you'll be happy with that rig once you get the mounts figured out.

I've handled a number of Tikka and Sako rifles and have always been impressed with how they feel. This one feeds rounds from the magazine as smooth as any I've encountered. I would most likely have bought a hunting weight Tikka but this rifle was too good to pass up. I don't need another rifle but since I start a new job with Ruger tomorrow and will have to relocate to AZ in the new year figured that I would buy this one since I plan on keeping my house in Montana and possibly buying/renting another in Prescott so will need firearms at both locations.

I ordered a Hellfire universal adapter this afternoon and will order some Nightforce rings tomorrow along with a 20 or 30 MOA Picatinny rail.

 

[Reloadron]

Enjoy it and may it bring you many years of happy shooting. I always liked the 300 Win Mag and 7mm Rem Mag but with age my light frame shoulder simply no longer likes those calibers.

Ron

 

[MCMXI]

Enjoy it and may it bring you many years of happy shooting. I always liked the 300 Win Mag and 7mm Rem Mag but with age my light frame shoulder simply no longer likes those calibers.

I try to shoot suppressed as much as possible so that helps to tame some of the recoil. A good brake is most effective, but a good suppressor certainly helps.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Load 178 gr ELD-X and kill all you shoot at!!!!!

 

[edwardware]

. . . since I start a new job with Ruger tomorrow and will have to relocate to AZ in the new year. . .

Let me be the first (here) to say congratulations.

I'm not sure I'd leave Montana for Arizona these days, but I'm sure Ruger will be fortunate to have you.

 

[horsemen61]

@MCMXI

congrats on the new Job!


Also congrats on the new gun!

 

[marksman13]

Glad to hear Ruger is adding one of the good guys. Congrats on the new gig!

 

[MCMXI]

Let me be the first (here) to say congratulations.

I'm not sure I'd leave Montana for Arizona these days, but I'm sure Ruger will be fortunate to have you.

Prescott at 5,500 feet elevation sure beats Troy, AL at any elevation! I would prefer to stay up here in NW MT but Kimber wanted me to move to Troy, AL but I told them that I wouldn't move so my job ended with Kimber on 4/30 after 6-1/2 years. I've had two years with Remington, followed by 6-1/2 years with Kimber and now on to Ruger where I hope I can remain until I retire. I'm not sure what I'll be working on but I like Ruger products having owned them since '92 and anyone who reads the revolver section will know that I'm a big fan of pretty much all Ruger revolvers. The only Ruger rifle I've owned is a Mini-14 but I'll probably buy a Scout Rifle, a few of those cool 77 series pistol caliber models and a couple of Ranch rifles before I'm done.

 

[MCMXI]

@horsemen61 & @marksman13, thanks for the kind words. I don't officially start until tomorrow so I can't be breaking any Ruger policies re social media .... yet. If it gets really quiet on my end it might be due to the onboarding documentation I'll be signing over the next few days. In all honesty though, I liked Kimber products before I started at Kimber, and looking back at any of my Ruger related posts over the years it's clear that I've been a fan of their products for many years. Ruger is certainly one of the better firearms companies at present and I like that they take risks, introduce interesting products and tend to be leaders rather than followers. I just hope that I can contribute in some way to their continued success.

 

[marksman13]

@horsemen61 & @marksman13, thanks for the kind words. I don't officially start until tomorrow so I can't be breaking any Ruger policies re social media .... yet. If it gets really quiet on my end it might be due to the onboarding documentation I'll be signing over the next few days. In all honesty though, I liked Kimber products before I started at Kimber, and looking back at any of my Ruger related posts over the years it's clear that I've been a fan of their products for many years. Ruger is certainly one of the better firearms companies at present and I like that they take risks, introduce interesting products and tend to be leaders rather than followers. I just hope that I can contribute in some way to their continued success.

I’m gonna need you to help guide Ruger in introducing some new chamberings for the No. 1 now that I’m starting to collect them. I honestly considered myself something of a Ruger detractor until I started looking in my safe. I guess I’ve got more Rugers than any other brand at this point. I really like the feel of an M77 and the No. 1 is just a super classy rifle. I just hate their semi-auto pistols. Their customer service is second to none though. Good luck in your new venture. I have no doubt you’ll help improve an already great company.

 

[marksman13]

@MCMXI, I’m gonna need you to talk somebody at Ruger into building some “all-weather” No. 1s in 308, 7mm-08 or something similar. I saw something on Gunbroker earlier this year that really stoked a fire inside my soul, but duplicating it is going to be time consuming and expensive unless Ruger offers it in a factory rifle. Then, it will just be expensive. Lol

 

[MCMXI]

@marksman13, I don't even know what I'm going to be working on but if I get a chance to influence anyone in rifles I'll send them your way.

 

[marksman13]

@marksman13, I don't even know what I'm going to be working on but if I get a chance to influence anyone in rifles I'll send them your way.

Muchos gracias, amigo. I don’t see how it’s possible not to sell a ton of these in 308.

 

[MCMXI]

Back to the Tikka, I'll be ordering rings from NF and a Picatinny rail from EGW. Once I have those I'll be getting the scope dialed in with my favorite factory hunting load which is Federal Premium Vital-Shok Trophy Copper. I'll be shooting the 180gr variant and most likely won't be working up a handload until I'm down in AZ. I have to say, this Tikka is one smooth feeding rifle. The magazine holds 4 rounds and I ran a couple of tests using 4+1 and it's glassy smooth to strip a round from the mag and drive it into the chamber ... and that's with a bone dry bolt.

 

[Gordon]

You will love the Prescott area, it is great climate and literally the "gun valley" of the USA . Get Ruger to tighten the drop in Glock Magwell on their PCC 9mm (charger) ! It is a wonderful rifle and the forward and back loosey goosey Glock magwell spoils a super new Ruger. The piece that drops in needs reengineering to hold firmly and tell me when I can buy one. The one that firs the Ruger mag it comes with doesn't have that problem, but you know Glock has 33 round mags and they are common. I have some contacts around there at Gunsite and other .when you are ready. I bought a little solar cement cabin up the hill in Paulding in 2011 or twelve expecting to retire there. My wife didn't like it tho so I ended up retiring to Oregon and keeping the California family place for the winter months . You will really like the people in Prescott , they are very much like those in Montana . The Tikka is kewl, I don't know about the 30MOA ramped Pic rail on a hunting rifle. Hunting shots should not be over 600 yards, zero will work nicely with that Nightforce, which is same one I have. Tikkas are ver nice in the tactical series. You will find it is perfect for Az.Elk hunting

 

[marksman13]

Back to the Tikka, I'll be ordering rings from NF and a Picatinny rail from EGW. Once I have those I'll be getting the scope dialed in with my favorite factory hunting load which is Federal Premium Vital-Shok Trophy Copper. I'll be shooting the 180gr variant and most likely won't be working up a handload until I'm down in AZ. I have to say, this Tikka is one smooth feeding rifle. The magazine holds 4 rounds and I ran a couple of tests using 4+1 and it's glassy smooth to strip a round from the mag and drive it into the chamber ... and that's with a bone dry bolt.

yep. That Tikka action is about as smooth as you will find in a factory rifle and I have never, ever seen a Tikka that wouldn’t shoot. I’ve got a buddy with a 300 WM identical to the one you just bought. I went with Bergara because they offered all the options I was looking for. Really looking forward to putting those two rifles together on the range soon.

 

[MCMXI]

@Gordon, thanks for the info re Prescott.

The Tikka is kewl, I don't know about the 30MOA ramped Pic rail on a hunting rifle. Hunting shots should not be over 600 yards, zero will work nicely with that Nightforce, which is same one I have. Tikkas are ver nice in the tactical series. You will find it is perfect for Az.Elk hunting

The NF NXS 3-15x50mm F1 scope has about 22 milrad of vertical adjustment so the 0 MOA Picatinny rail would probably be ok to ring steel out to 1,000 yards with most decent BC bullets. There's no way I'm shooting at a game animal that far out but I like to have more vertical adjustment than less so if I can have a 100 yard zero with 15 milrad of up then I'm a happy camper. Most bullets from the .300 Win Mag will be transonic around 1,300 yards so I'd like to get there with dialing. Given the reasonable cost of an EGW rail it's worth it to me to upgrade to a 20 MOA model.

 

[Nature Boy]

My SIL and BIL live in Prescott (pro tip: make sure you pronounce it correctly, it's press-CUT, not press-COT)

We see them roughly every year. Maybe we could get together on the next trip

And, nice addition on the Tikka. I've never seen a complaint from anyone that's owned one.

 

[MCMXI]

We see them roughly every year. Maybe we could get together on the next trip

That would be great! I don't know about Ruger policies re visitors and tours but if that's a thing I'll be sure to let you know. I won't be down there "permanently" until next year though but will most likely make a few trips down to Prescott once COVID-19 has abated.

 

[MCMXI]

Update: I have an EGW HD 20 MOA rail, Nightforce medium Ultralite rings and AREA 419 Hellfire universal adapter (for 1.375-24 interface) arriving this week/weekend. I removed the factory 0 MOA rail that is pinned, screwed and glued in place! It was a struggle getting the rail off! I installed the supplied "military" sling studs on the left side of the stock and they work great with an Accuracy International sling. I'm going to look at some other upgrades for this rifle such as a metal bolt shroud, a different bolt handle and metal bottom metal to replace the plastic piece. These aren't important things but they could be nice to have. I should be able to shoot a few groups this weekend and see how this rifle performs with good factory ammunition.

Added in edit: I ordered aluminum bottom metal, an aluminum bolt shroud and a stainless steel recoil lug from Mountain Tactical here in Montana. I like the factory bolt handle so will leave that alone. All in all this will be a nice rifle once it's complete. The last consideration is possibly having the barreled action Cerakoted over the parkerized finish. I can do that myself if necessary so maybe a reverse Accuracy International color scheme with an olive drab barreled action and black stock.

 

[MCMXI]

Update: The EGW 20 MOA rail arrived yesterday along with the Hellfire adapter and Nightforce Ultralight rings. I used the factory rail as a template to drill and ream two holes for the hardened steel pins that are pressed into the receiver. It went well with a nice snug fit over the pins such that the #6 screws are there mostly for clamping force with the pins helping to resist any shearing forces. I got everything installed this morning and was reminded once again why I love these Nightforce rings. The scope would easily rotate and slide fore/aft in the lower rings after the 1/2" nuts were torqued to 65 in-lb. This indicates that the rings, rail and scope are in good alignment. I screwed on a SilencerCo Harvester with the plan to bore sight and shoot a group. I ordered factory aluminum bottom metal (uses factory magazine), an aluminum bolt shroud and a stainless steel recoil lug from Mountain Tactical last week with the bottom metal and recoil lug arriving this coming week. This rifle deserves those upgrades.



I have to say I'm incredibly impressed with this rifle. It feeds rounds from the magazine so smoothly, extracts and ejects without issue and I couldn't be happier with accuracy/precision. Another thing I discovered is that it's a pussy cat to shoot with very soft recoil for a .300 Win Mag. The weight of the rifle/scope and recoil reduction from the suppressor obviously help but I could honestly shoot this rifle all day long.

I have 10 or so boxes of Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Copper 180gr ammunition and hoped that it would shoot well enough such that I don't need to work up a load for this rifle for a while. I thoroughly cleaned the barrel a couple of days ago and could tell from the feel of the patches that this is a quality barrel. After bore sighting at 100 yards I sent two rounds downrange from a cold, clean bore. Not bad for bore sighting and no major difference in impact with the second shot about 3/4" below the first shot.



After adjusting the elevation and windage I shot a 5-round group .... HELLO! I don't think I've ever had a better new rifle experience at this price point. Velocity average was 2,975 fps for seven shots with an ES of 30 fps. As shown below, the 5-shot group measured 0.649 moa which is excellent for factory hunting ammunition. The EGW rail allows for a whopping 22.5 milrad of vertical adjustment which means that I could dial out to the transonic limit of the 180gr Trophy Copper load i.e. around 1,700 yards. At this stage I couldn't be happier with this purchase. Once I've swapped out the parts mentioned above I think the only thing left to do is to consider a Cerakote finish on the barreled action and bolt to offer increased protection from the elements. Any suggestions on color would be appreciated.