Tikka Bolt Actions - How Are They ???

[FMJMIKE]

I am considering buying a Tikka bolt action rifle in .223 Remington. Can you tell me more about them. Post some photos too if you don't mind. Thanks...

 

[jmr40]

They are great shooters. Light weight, great triggers and smooth actions. I had one in 30-06 for a while. Wanted something lighter and sold it to finance a Kimber.

My brother has one in 223 and it is amazingly accurate. I think they are the most accuracy you can get for the money.

If you like to tinker they are not for you. No aftermaket parts available, or needed. Just mount a scope with the supplied rings and go shooting.

Downsides:

Unconventional looks turn some people off.

I ended up replacing the screws in the factory ringmounts. I found they were soft and hex wrenches were slipping when I tried to tighten them. Total cost was under $3.00. A lot of people recommend replacing them with better rings, but I found the $3 I spent on screws made them fine.

Replacement magazines are too expensive ($60-$75) and are hard to find. My brother bought an extended 6 round mag that protrudes about an inch below the stock.

 

[janobles14]

top end tikka rifles are about as good as you get out of the box. i know a small few guys with them and they are excellent rifles. i assume the mid to lower end selections are also pretty darn good too.

 

[Tuckerp229]

I have a Tikka Hunter in the 6.5x55 Swede. Obviously not your caliber but I can give a resounding positive recommendation none the less. They are very accurate out of the box, (I am getting 5/8 to 3/4 inch groups out of mine with reloads). and at least the Hunter is very low priced for what one receives. I did a bit of research and found tat the barrels are identical to the Sako's made right along side in the same factory. The Hunter version is less money by virtue of marketing design. They wanted a price point so they streamlined production and cheapened a few things to hit that lower number. For instance the Hunter has a polymer mag instead of steel. Also they use a tube-drilled receiver instead of the traditional machined received. This is much less costly to make but is something of a frustration to try to single load through the resulting smaller ejection port. Maybe this will mean nothing to you for your use but it is best to know it before you buy.

Buy with confidence.

 

[brianr23]

Nothing but high marks for my T3 lite stainless in .270. .750" 3-shot group at 100yds out of the box with hornady ammo. Can't ask for more. It's only missed once and it wasn't the rifles fault.

 

[MIL-DOT]

I have a T3 lite stainless in .308. and I REALLY lke this rifle. Using Federal Gold Medal Match, this rifle will split hairs.

 

[Charles S]

I love my T3 Lite Stainless in 270. Will shoot almost any ammo into less than inch for 5 shots consistently. Light and easy to carry.

 

[30-06 lover]

For the price, Great Rifle! Very accurate! I love mine!

Like stated before, not a tinkering mans rifle as there is very little aftermarket, but not much to modify if you are looking for a informal range gun or a hunting rifle. Some people get into a twist about the use of plastic for the magazine and trigger guard, but for normal use it will be more than adequate.

I would recommend stainless over the blued...mine is blued and due to the fact mine is a field rifle, it gets wet and seems to rust faster than my other blued guns.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

A+ on the Tikkas, if I needed another bolt action rifle, I would take the Tikka without thought of another make or model. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with my own.

 

[Buzzard]

Got a Lite Stainless in 6.5x55 on my list. They typically cost around $550 or so, and they're worth double that. A real-live "light-weight" rifle (7.5lbs scoped) that you won't pay college tuition for or have to wait a year to get. Beats the Remchesters hands down in the trigger and accuracy departments, too. T3s are rifles that people love to harp on, but can't really complain about. It ain't US made, the stock is plastic, the bolt is 2-piece; phooey! It'll shoot beautiful groups all day long using a mixed magazine of ammo, and it will not kick the hell out of you in the process despite the low weight. Even Savage can't beat that.

Stop dawdling; buy one!

 

[DIM]

They are great, but there is one draw back, they luck aftermarket parts, things you can add to them, only few replacement stocks for 500 bucks or more, bedding one is another issue no gunsmith around me would take upon it. They remind me TC which are great but there are no one who sells say triggers like jewel or timney so I'm stock with factory trigger with 3.5lb pull... So when you buy one its how its going to be, some people like it this way, but I like to tweak my rifles.

 

[Balrog]

They are pretty good rifles for the money but have a couple of drawbacks.

First, they are all built on long actions. I find it cheesy to put a short action round in a long action rifle.

Second, magazine are expensive, hard to find, and feel and look cheap.

Other than these two things, the ones I have shot are very nice.

 

[stinger 327]

Got the Tikka 3 light in 30.06 right out of the box with the right scope and it does what it advertises 3 inch groups at 100 yards or even better. I have shot 125 grain, 150 grain, 165, 180, and 220 grain Remington Core Loks. Doesn't make a difference they all kick like hell but the sight adjustment is such that I can use any of the above bullets in different weights and still put it in the 3 inch circle at 100 yards.

 

[skoro]

Bring the heat, guys...

I'll cast the dissenting vote here.

A couple of years ago, I was looking at getting a bolt action centerfire and I'd read all the good things about the Tikka, so was intrigued. Went to the local gunshops and handled a couple. The actions were smooth, it's true. But the overall impression I got was that the T3 is a gun that Tikka/Sako cut every possible corner on in terms of materials and production. It just looked and felt cheap. That was my take. I know T3 owners report very good accuracy and seem to be pleased with their rifles. It just didn't resonate with me, is all.

I went with a Weatherby Vanguard instead. No regrets.

 

[willymike]

I voted my money on the Tikka T3 three times, and a Tikka White Tail Hunter once. All my T3s are the wood stocked Hunter model. These rifles shoot with superb accuracy. They also handle better for me than almost anything else out there.

 

[natman]

I'll cast the dissenting vote here.

A couple of years ago, I was looking at getting a bolt action centerfire and I'd read all the good things about the Tikka, so was intrigued. Went to the local gunshops and handled a couple. The actions were smooth, it's true. But the overall impression I got was that the T3 is a gun that Tikka/Sako cut every possible corner on in terms of materials and production. It just looked and felt cheap. That was my take. I know T3 owners report very good accuracy and seem to be pleased with their rifles. It just didn't resonate with me, is all.

I went with a Weatherby Vanguard instead. No regrets.

You're right. The Tikka IS a gun that Sako cut costs on. That's why you can get a rifle with the same barrels that go on Sakos for hundreds of dollars less.

Sure they could have used fancier parts, better wood, etc, but then guess what? - it would cost as much as a Sako.

 

[Horsemany]

I preferred the T3 to the Sako 85 for a number of reasons. My Sakos have gone down the road in favor of T3's and Browning X-Bolts.

 

[ArtP]

I have a Tikka T3 in .243 and love mine. I'm the kind of guy to second guess buying decisions, and this is one I haven't second guessed. I am using the factory rings with a fine scope and no trouble.

I'll also say with handloads I can get 1/2 inch groups, 1 inch groups with factory stuff. It has an awesome trigger that needs no adjustment and the bolt is silky smooth. I too heavily considered the Vanguard, but ruled it out after the creepy trigger. I also considered a CZ but the weight of the 550 in a 243 didn't make sense.

My only dislike is the small ejection port which too small to load a single round by hand without gravity helping out and also too small to stick a finger in the throat for a "feel check" to make sure the rifle is empty. Maybe it's just me, but I double check, to verify the rifle is indeed unloaded - visual, then stick a finger down the throat. However, I think the small ejection ports adds to the regidity of the action, helping accuracy.

I'll add one other thing. Perhaps it's luck, but both scopes I've had mounted needed no windage adjustment from their centers. Meaning the scope mounting holes lined up perfect with the barrel. Never seen that before.

 

[mshootnit]

I don't have a Tikka but my friend has a tikki torch and it does work pretty good.

 

[stinger 327]

I have a Tikka T3 in .243 and love mine. I'm the kind of guy to second guess buying decisions, and this is one I haven't second guessed. I am using the factory rings with a fine scope and no trouble.

I'll also say with handloads I can get 1/2 inch groups, 1 inch groups with factory stuff. It has an awesome trigger that needs no adjustment and the bolt is silky smooth. I too heavily considered the Vanguard, but ruled it out after the creepy trigger. I also considered a CZ but the weight of the 550 in a 243 didn't make sense.

My only dislike is the small ejection port which too small to load a single round by hand without gravity helping out and also too small to stick a finger in the throat for a "feel check" to make sure the rifle is empty. Maybe it's just me, but I double check, to verify the rifle is indeed unloaded - visual, then stick a finger down the throat. However, I think the small ejection ports adds to the regidity of the action, helping accuracy.

I'll add one other thing. Perhaps it's luck, but both scopes I've had mounted needed no windage adjustment from their centers. Meaning the scope mounting holes lined up perfect with the barrel. Never seen that before.

In my search I compared the CZ-550, Vanguard, lower cost models like the Savage and Remington that already had scopes included in purchase. The Tikka 3 Lite had the smoothest action felt the best with ease of handling and was the lightest
in 30.06 caliber.

 

[sleepyone]

Very accurate rifles and a great value, but they have too much plastic and no soul. +1 on the parts and magazines being expensive and hard to find. I don't want any deer rifle that uses magazines. You lose it or it breaks in the field and you are down to a single shot rifle.

 

[stinger 327]

Very accurate rifles and a great value, but they have too much plastic and no soul. +1 on the parts and magazines being expensive and hard to find. I don't want any deer rifle that uses magazines. You lose it or it breaks in the field and you are down to a single shot rifle.

In 30.06 each 5 shot mag if I remember correctly cost $69.95

 

[stinger 327]

One thing I like about the Mauser design over these pushers is the control you have over the cartridge and ejection.
With the Tikka being a pusher type if you go against the law of gravity in a funny shooting position the cartridge will fall out of the loading port.

The Mauser grabbed the cartridge so this wouldn't happen. Something that was considered in the military.

 

[psyopspec]

I've been hunting and target shooting with my T3 in .243 for about 16 years now. Dad bought it as a deer rifle, and when I started shooting it as a kid I just had to make it my own.

Smooth action. I can't speak to MOA, but I've hit quarters at the 200 yard range with it. This was when I was ~15-16, ammo was cheap, and I was going to the range 3x per week for a couple hours after school. Christ, those were the days...

 

[Fumbler]

the overall impression I got was that the T3 is a gun that Tikka/Sako cut every possible corner on in terms of materials and production

You're right. The Tikka IS a gun that Sako cut costs on. That's why you can get a rifle with the same barrels that go on Sakos for hundreds of dollars less.

Sure they could have used fancier parts, better wood, etc, but then guess what? - it would cost as much as a Sako.

That's exactly it. They put the money you pay into the parts that count.
A great barrel with a well fitted bolt and a pretty darn good trigger. That's all you get.
There's no soul, just pure performance.
People can talk all the junk they want about the plastic, but it works. No one's ever heard of the plastic breaking or the mags misfeeding.

It's a low cost bolt action. When you have limited funds you can't gripe too much.
If you buy a 700 because it feels and looks good then don't complain if it doesn't shoot well.
If you buy a T3 because you want an accurate gun then don't complain if it feels cheap.

I personally like the styling and don't mind the plastic.
I wanted an accurate lightweight gun but can't spend the extra $2-300, so I got a T3.
It's a great gun that, with scope, weighs in less than a regular model 700 without a scope. It also shoots 1MOA or better with any premium factory ammo I've tried and comes close with cheap factory ammo. The first time I loaded some SMKs over a starting load of Varget I shot a 0.75MOA 5 shot group.

It is what it is. It's ok if someone doesn't like the T3 because they prefer the feel of a heavier gun with a blind magazine, but people cannot honestly say a T3 isn't worth what you pay for it.