Can you get a Tikka T3 lite in 260Rem?

check out www.tikka.fi

It seems as though you may be out of luck. 6.5x55SE is the closest unless you have tons of money to spend having one rebarreled.

If I were you and wanted one in 260Rem I'd get the 7mm-08Rem. Its pretty close.

I have one in 308Win and absolutely love it.

Fumbler, how accurate is the T3? Also do you think it is the best rifle in its price range?

I am also looking at the Ruger m77 in 260, will the tikka be alot more accurate than the m77. Mostly it will be a whitetail rifle.

Many accuracy reports of M77's that I have seen show accuracy around 1.5MOA from the factory.
That is not bad and perfectly fine for most realistic whitetail hunts (you always get those guys who say they take 600 yard shots at deer).

Tikka guarantees 1MOA from the factory.
I regularly shoot 0.5MOA with factory match ammo and 0.75MOA with any premium hunting ammo I've tried. Federal Premium with 150 gr Nosler Ballistic tips and Winchester 165gr Ballistic Silvertips (basically a moly coated Nosler) will shoot 0.5MOA in my T3.

I definately think they are the best in their price range.
Try finding one to handle. You'll be amazed by their quality compared to any similarly priced rifle.
My T3 Lite blued (synthetic) cost me about $25 more than a synthetic blued Remington 700 ADL or similar Win M70. It costs about the same as comparable M77s around here.

If you find a good deal on an M77 or have to have a 260rem then you won't be dissapointed with the M77 as a deer gun. Any gun from any reputable manufacturer will make a decent hunting rifle...but Tikka does it with style and refinement (compared to similar guns)

if your wanting a good deer rifle in a short action go with the 7mm-08 or 308. cannot go wrong

Thought I'd add a pic of a typical 100 yard group.
This is with .308Win Black Hills 168gr BTHP Match.
Groups get better than this, but not by much.

I LOVE MY T3.

I will absolutely never own a ruger m77 again. The owner of the company feels 3 MOA is acceptable (his words to more than 1 person I have talked to). Are there really people out there that accept products from a company with such phelociphy? There have been some tremendously accurate rugers though. The varmint sieries on average has been great. But for crying out loud, unless a company prioritizes accuracy at the same level as reliability, I have a tremendously hard time understanding how they sell so many rifles. I don't know if it was such a great idea for them to start making their own barrels. With some of the older Rugers with barrels from certain manufacturers, you could get absolutely outstanding accuracy. With the new rugers, I have had nothing but bad luck.

Sako and Tikka rifles on the other hand are tremendously accurate reliable rifles. The Tikka, which is no doubt the economy model, is a steal of a deal and very well made, just Plain-Jain. Go with the Tikka.

I have spent hours of reloading time on rugers and I won't do it again. The mechanical reliability of ruger is decieving in most cases.

I was fondling my new T-3 last night, getting a new
Mueller Scope mounted to my satisfaction. For the
money, these are hard to beat, and easy to look at.
I also have a Tikka M695(Whitetail Hunter), in stainless/
laminate, chambered in .25-06 Rem. Again for the
money, this is probably the best rifle purchase I have
ever made. The current load I am developing for it,
is a 85 gr. Combined Tech. Ballistic Tip, and the last
three shot group was at .4 MOA. I think there is even a
bit more I can do to tighten these groups up even more.
I get .6 MOA on 100 gr. Barnes TSX bullets, and
that was with the first powder I tried, to there is more
potential there, too. The new T-3 looks as promising
as the M695, even though I have only fired a few
break-in/scope zeroing rounds down the barrel.

I own a couple of Savages, and I don't think I would
bet one against the other, accuracy wise, but the
Tikkas are sure easier to look at, and feel smoother
at the action. The T-3 Lite, that I just purchased,
in .223 Rem, was about $50 more that the Savage 16,
in .22-250 Rem, and I would give that just to have
the quality synthetic stock on the Tikka versus the
rough synthetic stock on the Savage.

I will buy more Tikkas, given that Beretta doesn't
price these rifles out of this price point. This last
T-3 was purchased because the gun shop manager,
told me their cost on new T-3s would be more
than the shelf price on this last one on the rack.
I had been eyeing this one up every time I went
in the shop, so that was all the excuse I needed
to take it home with me...But Dear, I saved 20%!
How come that doesn't work for me like it does for
her? Oh well, me and my new Tikka like it just fine in
the "dog house".

Squeeze

Hey Squeeze, since you own both a 695 and a T3 can you tell us how similar the reciever dimensions are?

It seems as though they may be exactly the same except the T3 doesn't have the bolt bushing and has an enclosed reciever.

I have 3 T3 Lites. Can't find a better rifle for what you pay IMHO. The biggest complaint I have is they take the fun out of handloading. Almost evrything I feed them is accurate enough to stop developement unless the velocity is too slow. The one I bought my ol'man a year ago has only had two loads ever loaded for it. Both are .5 groupes and some days better.

I never paid much mind to the T3 until this thread started and then I did some research on them. I really like the Battue Lite, anybody have any experience with this model? Are they available in North America? I would definitely be interested in one in 7mm-08.

doesn't the tikka only come in one action length, if so the only advantage the 260 has is it fits better in a short action with the tikka and its long action its a mute issue

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:
I never paid much mind to the T3 until this thread started and then I did some research on them. I really like the Battue Lite, anybody have any experience with this model? Are they available in North America? I would definitely be interested in one in 7mm-08.

there is a battue lite in Kamloops BC right now I was looking at it the other day.

quote:

Originally posted by ruttinbuck:

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:
I never paid much mind to the T3 until this thread started and then I did some research on them. I really like the Battue Lite, anybody have any experience with this model? Are they available in North America? I would definitely be interested in one in 7mm-08.

there is a battue lite in Kamloops BC right now I was looking at it the other day.

Was it at a gunshop? How much were they asking and what were your impressions from handling it?

only thing i dont like about the T3 is that the safety has to be in the fire position to cycle the bolt. Just my opinion, other than that a great rifle at a great price.

I'm a dyed in the wool Ruger fan. Don't believe all that hooey about 3MOA. Most Rugers will shoot, some just take a bit of work. I believe Ruger is making some fine barrels right now and would stack them up against anything some of the others are putting out.

Having said all that, I also didn't pay much attention to the Tikka rifles for a while. My shooting partner kept bragging on how well his 695 in 25/06 would shoot. Well to make a long story short, between us and our gun trading fetish, we've gone through Tikka 595/695's in 25-06, 223, 22/250, 7mm-08 and 270. Every single one of them was a tack driver. I don't mean accurate, I mean super accurate. The ONLY thing I will fault the 595/695 for is weight, they weigh slightly more than most standard rifles, even when they're fitted with synthetic stocks. Sooooo, I went to the T3, and now have a new 25-06 to try out. I expect it will shoot like the rest. I've also got the local shop hunting for a stainless 270 T3. I'd say I like 'em. The only things to criticize about the T3 is there's only one action length, so you might as well get a long action caliber. In my mind, why carry a long action and not use it. But that's just me. The T3 in 7mm-08 is probably still lighter than most mountain rifles. I wasn't crazy about clips either. I'm from the Elmer Keith school of thought that when you have your rifle you have all of it, unless of course it takes a clip, which is something else to remember or lose. But they work so well in all of the Tikkas, that they're hard not to like, and let's face it they're handy as all get out.

So, yes I'd say Tikka's are impressive, and I like the T3's even better. Now if only they'd make a true short action T3......

I hit the post button before I finished.


As far as the .260 goes, I love it, in any gun. But, sadly it ain't in the T3. As said earlier the 6.5X55 is the ballistic twin to the .260, so that's the route to go. But, I'd still go 25-06,...oh, yeah, I already did that didn't I.

No offense Bobby. I have just never had great luck with Ruger, and neither had the people who called the owner of Ruger.

As for the long action. That is a big reason I bought the tikka. I have a 300WSM. I cut back the bolt stop (I have access to a great precision metal saw) and took an exacto knife to the magazine spacer to make it a long action. The magazine took some time but now feeds the shells flawlessly and I can seat the longer bullets to the lands and have lots of case capacity.

Not trying to turn this into a debate with Ruger haters, but I own four of them in 223, 243, 25-06 and 338win, and they all shoot great. I have no problems with them.

The main difference I find between the Tikka and the Ruger is the Ruger is controlled feed and seems very stout. I always thought of Ruger as a working man's rifle. Tikkas feel too tinny and toy gun feeling for my like. They may shoot good, but in my opinion all factory barrels suck compared to an aftermarket anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:

quote:

Originally posted by ruttinbuck:

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:
I never paid much mind to the T3 until this thread started and then I did some research on them. I really like the Battue Lite, anybody have any experience with this model? Are they available in North America? I would definitely be interested in one in 7mm-08.

there is a battue lite in Kamloops BC right now I was looking at it the other day.

Was it at a gunshop? How much were they asking and what were your impressions from handling it?

yes the Battue was in a shop called the Powderkeg.I did'nt handle it as I was looking at a 22-250.I thought it was just another T3 lite until I saw the raised cheekpiece and realized it was different and figured it was a battue.RB

quote:

Originally posted by cummins cowboy:
doesn't the tikka only come in one action length, if so the only advantage the 260 has is it fits better in a short action with the tikka and its long action its a mute issue

All T3s have the same action length, but bolt throw distance is controlled by the bolt stop (like shilen 30 talked about).
If you want a short action caliber, get a short action caliber. If you want a long action caliber, get a long action caliber. That 1/2 inch of reciever metal you will save in other short actions is a moot point as well as the few tenthousandths of a second you'd gain in second shot times for a short action. So, get whatever caliber you like, don't let the gun influence your decision. The gun is so compact and light for a standard sprter to begin with anyway, I don't see how three ounces of weight and half an inch of length would make its handling significantly better.

quote:

only thing i dont like about the T3 is that the safety has to be in the fire position to cycle the bolt. Just my opinion, other than that a great rifle at a great price.

That's no different than the majority of modern bolt actions on the market. I like Winchester's 3 position, but the T3's is fine.

Well I have decided to go with the tikka in either 25-06 or 7mm-08. I havent decided to go with the blue barrel or stainless barrel yet. Do you think the stainless tikka would look good with stainless rings and a black scope? Also, my longest shot will be 300yds but mainly 100 to 200, so do you think the 7mm-08 or the 25-06 will be better suited for those ranges. Thanks for all your replies.

Rash,

I have a Tikka Whitetail Hunter, in stainless/laminate,
that has stainless Millet AngleLoc rings, with a matte
Nikon Monarch scope on it, and I think she is beautiful

I wish I would have time to take a picture and post it.
I have been meaning to do those receiver measurements
Fumbler asked for, too. I am in the process of building
a new home, and renovating the current one, and
time has been so precious that I doubt if I will have time
to any gun fun stuff for a while.

I have one stainless/synthetic(Savage 16), and this
Tikka WH stainless gun, that have matte scopes
on them. I started out trying to put silver scopes on
stainless guns, but the selection sucks, and the
reason I buy stainless is not for the looks, but for
the resistance to rust. I hunt in some nasty weather,
and although I am pretty anal about gun cleaning,
stainless just is more forgiving. As for the scopes,
they are aluminum, so there is no issue with rust,
or corrosion, so they can be what ever finish one
prefers. So durability aside, it comes down to
what you see as beauty. I see stainless guns, with
matte scopes as easy on the eyes, so that is the way
I go.

Squeeze

quote:

Originally posted by Rash:
Well I have decided to go with the tikka in either 25-06 or 7mm-08. I havent decided to go with the blue barrel or stainless barrel yet. Do you think the stainless tikka would look good with stainless rings and a black scope? Also, my longest shot will be 300yds but mainly 100 to 200, so do you think the 7mm-08 or the 25-06 will be better suited for those ranges. Thanks for all your replies.

Hi Rash, from my own experience I can recommend the 7mm-08. I have used one in a Savage Sierra since they came out and use it for the same distances that you do. It is usually an underestimated cartridge but it gets the job done consistently. In fact my son got his elk last year using that rifle with 140 grain FailSafes. Distance - 240 yards.

If you are hardcore into hunting then a stainless gun is the only way to go! I will never buy another blued gun for hunting. And...to answer your question, I think silver scopes are UgLy. I bought one for a stainless gun that I had and even though it was a good scope, i sold it because it was so ugly that it drove me crazy.

There's nothing wrong with blueing in a hunting gun. If you're hardcore into hunting you'd take care of your equipment and you'd have no problems attributed to finish.

Tell that to the guys that hunt in Alaska or any other wet area. I had friends go to Alaska and they told me that even trying to dry their guns out and oiling, they still rusted. They all bought stainless for their next trip. Hell, even bringing a cold gun into a warm house requires you oil it down. Are you going to pull the action out of the stock and oil it every night?

So you can only be "hardcore into hunting" if you live in Alaska?

The great majority of us, hardcore hunters or not, don't live in a place that harsh.
I suggest they get a different oil.

Fumbler-

For those of us that do live in alaska or several other harsh environments stainless is nicer. You WILL have bluing wear on a blued rifle. A 2 week plus hunt up here can leave you as wet as if you were treading water with all your gear on. Hard to wipe down a rifle when everything you have including cleaning patches. Most rifles that have been taken on a few hunts up here show a lot of blueing wear, my buddies 300 WM doens't have hardly any blueing left. The amount of rust and wear goes up exponentially when hunting around the salt. Buzzing around on a smaller boat hunting beaches with the salt spray is very hard on metal and stocks both. Stainless is best, chrome molly with teflon or black T is second best, and even most wood stocks could use a good coating with spray on bedliner. That spray on bedliner makes a great durable coating for your stock. A couple good coats of krylon is a lot better than nothing, and usually works good enough on shorter trips but you will still generally have some rusting on internal parts that you need to give a good cleaning when you get home.

I'm sure there are hardcore hunters in the lower also but hunting up here does take it to another level.

I have recently been on the move to switch over to all stainless rifles and handguns. I got tired of scratching rust off my blued guns. I had to have my whelen reblued after only two years. Then after watching that second bluing starting to wear out switched to a couple coats of flat black spray paint. It was a lot cheaper and worked just about as well as some of the protective coatings.

Here are my two hunting rifles. A marlin stainless Guide Gun in 45/70 with ghost rings and scout mount with 2.5 leupold IER scope, and a Tikka T3 338 win mag with Laminated stock and burris Black diamond 3-12x50 ballistic plex. I had a muzzle break put on the tikka due to excessive recoil of a heavy load in a 7.5lb 338. I'm sure that within a few years when the pretty wood is all banged up and destroyed I'll refinnish the wood with spray on bedliner.

So, who has the best prices and selection on T3's? I'm salivating.
Peter.

Peter,

I was very, very lucky and found my stainless synthetic Tikka T3 in 300 WSM for $510. Yes, $510! Great deal, and by far the most accurate off the shelf rifle I have ever seen. First day out went 0.6" 5 shot group without hardly trying.

Thebear, your pic didnt work for me, can you try again. Thanks.

Ok sorry thebear i got it to load.

Is the stainless steel on the tikka shiney like a ruger m77 or more of a dull stainless?

The owner of Ruger? hmm. Seeing as Ruger is a publicly traded company and you can buy stock in it just like Ford or Intel, there is no one Owner per say. At least as a shareholder no one called my father.

I like Tikkas and they seem to shoot well for all that own them but I wouldn't say all else is trash.

OK loonie, the head of Ruger. Yes, this is second hand knowledge, but it is from more than 1 person. Take it for what it is worth. The same people say Ruger has great customer service when it comes to fixing things other than accuracy.

I didn't mean to start a war. I know some Rugers are problem children, but in my mind for the most part they shoot darn fine.
The Tikka is a far more refined, sleek, futuristic design. It took me a while to cozy up to it, but once you shoot a good one, it's hard not to like them. If you go from a 695 synthetic to a T3 synthetic, there's a huge weight difference, maybe too much of a good thing, but man do they feel good and shoot good. I won't walk away from the classic design of the Ruger, but I'll be dragging a Tikka T3 in the woods next deer season, Lord willin.

quote:

Originally posted by Rash:
Is the stainless steel on the tikka shiney like a ruger m77 or more of a dull stainless?

It is a bead blasted finish, not shiney.
If you want it shiney then all thats needed is a little elbow grease, attention to detail, and some sandpaper.