Tikka T3 super lite flutted.....

At a weight of 5.8 pounds this very affordable rifle is tempting. I did notive it had a dovetail bolt handle and plastic parts such as bolt shroud and magazine. This would make me concerned about durability. As they sometimes say, "You get what you pay for".

Anyone have experience with this rifle? Any bad stories about breakage?

I hate plastic guns !!

quote:

Originally posted by Heavy Barrel:
I hate plastic guns !!

Can't blame you Bill. But they sure are supposed to be accurate and very inexpensive. I've dumped so much into African rifles lately I was trying to come up with a passable inexpensive mountain rifle for a sheep hunt in 2013

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Tikka T3 super lite flutted.....

At a weight of 5.8 pounds this very affordable rifle is tempting. I did notive it had a dovetail bolt handle and plastic parts such as bolt shroud and magazine. This would make me concerned about durability. As they sometimes say, "You get what you pay for".

Anyone have experience with this rifle? Any bad stories about breakage?

It's a fine budget rifle.

It has a sako barrel, a good trigger and a well designed stock.

The plastic parts don't seem to break and the dovetail bolt handle is tougher IMO than a brazed on Remington in any event.

Nothing wrong with it at all.

I have a Tikka T3 Varmint in 30-06. Well at least it started out life as a 30-06, now it is a 6.5x47 Lapua (Barrel is a Krieger 1 in 8), bedded into a Manners T-4 stock.

I replaced the bolt handle and plastic shroud with an aluminum one when the shroud broke. The bolt handle is fine the way it is, I just wanted something with more purchase since I shoot it in tactical shoots and f-class.

I shot 500 rounds through the barrel before we put the new one on. Not because it is worn out but because the 6.5x47 handles the wind better than the 30-06 does at 1000 yards. And the 1 in 11 barrel that Sako/Tikka screws into these guns doesn't like 200-230 grain Sierra Match Kings, 190s worked ok though. Mostly the 30-06 kicks too much in a rifle that weight for F-Class.

The trigger is exceptional, I adjusted mine to the point of slam fire then backed it off until it worked properly. It's in the 1.7 pound range, not good enough for F-Class but great for hunting.

As stated before the synethetic stocks suck, but they are fairly stiff. Bell and Carlson makes a replacement for about $200. I would do this if I wanted a light weight rifle.

I shot 1000 yard competition with this rifle as a complete stock factory rifle, and it pretty much ran the middle of the pack. I never had any big wins, but I was able to keep pace with folks shooting guns costing $5000. Everyone in this sport shoots a Barnard, Lawton, Stiller, Nesika, or a sleaved Remington M700.

My average group with the factory barrel and stock was .4 with the 165 Nosler Accubond and the 168 Berger, measuring 5 shot groups at 100 yards. This was a load I worked up using ADI 2209 powder, and a lot of time behind the bech tuning the load, I also worked up loads with ADI 2208 and another one called Short Cut.

The floor plate is made out of plastic, but it's fairly stiff. The magazine is also plastic, and well let's just say I wouldn't drop them on a concrete floor. Pete Lincoln in Germany makes a alumunim replacement, and there are others in the states that make an Accuracy International bottom metal adapter, so you can use AI magazines.

A lot of misinformed people consider Tikkas to be inferior Sakos. Personally to me the Sako has a better magazine, both have shit stocks excepting the Tikka and Sako Grey Wolf, and more of the Sako is made out of aluminum or steel. The Sako in America is about twice as expensive as the Tikka is.

According to google http://www.google.com/products?q=tikka+t3&hl=en for the Tikka and http://www.google.com/search?q...&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f for the Sako

The Tikka T3 Light is $606 and the Tikka Finlight is $1559.

For $1005 you could do the following to a T3.

KRG has a lot of Tikka parts http://www.kineticresearchgrou...m/products/hssbs.php

HSS has shrouds and bolt handles http://www.hss.net.au/index.php?cPath=118

Robertson makes a Tactical T3 Stock and a couple others. http://www.robertsoncomposites.com/

Pete Lincoln makes triggers, shrouds, magazine systems and a whole host of other Tikka products.
http://www.webshop.roedale.de/...t.php?keywords=tikka

PSE makes stocks http://www.pse-composites.com/ In Ireland.

Manners makes stocks and that is what I have on my rifle. http://mannerstocks.com/ http://mannerstocks.com/tikka-t3-sako-q22/

Hakan Spuhr makes a wonderful mount for the Tikka T3 and Sako TRG. Spurh considers the Tikka to be the equal if not better than the TRG when both are in a quality stock. http://www.spuhr.com/ISMS.html

GRS Grodas Riflestocks in Norway, makes an exceptional laminate stock for the Tikka T3, Rem 700, Sauer 202, R93, and a whole bunch of other guns. http://grsriflestocks.com/







In the end individual taste has a lot to do with personal rifle selection. I love my Tikka and I'll use the Tikka T3 action to build more rifles. Pete Lincoln has built 338 Lapua rifles on the T3, I don't think I would do that, but he also considers a gunsmithed T3 to be more rifle than the TRG is as well.

hinterland shooting supplies in australia make replacment bolt handles and bolt shrouds etc for the t3`s
www.hss.net.au

I hunted one for three or four years up here and sold it when it started to fall apart. The plastic parts did all break and the laminate stock had started to crack.

With this said, it was a great shooter - no complaints on that end.

Jim,

You should look into that Mountain ascent rifle by Kimber....heck order it now, and it will be here for your 2013 hunt. I know the wait is gonna be pretty long on these.

Chuck

I can't say it's inexpensive but this would be my vote:
http://www.blaser-usa.com/R-93...fessional.123.0.html

quote:

Originally posted by AKsheephunter:
Jim,

You should look into that Mountain ascent rifle by Kimber....heck order it now, and it will be here for your 2013 hunt. I know the wait is gonna be pretty long on these.

Chuck

No flies on the Tikka light for the money, but as Chuck said the Kimber Mountain Ascent in .280 Ackley Improved would be good.

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by AKsheephunter:
Jim,

You should look into that Mountain ascent rifle by Kimber....heck order it now, and it will be here for your 2013 hunt. I know the wait is gonna be pretty long on these.

Chuck

Thanks for the suggestion Chuck. I'll weight the difference in price with the difference in weight. I have a fair amount of other light weight gear I need to throw some money at as well.

Cheers
Jim

My main complaint with the tikka is the fact that they are sold by berretta USA. Second complaint is the ridiculous excuse of a recoil lug.

I had a tikka t3 laminate in 338 WIn. It was pretty accurate but kicked worse than any of my big bore rifles. The stock design didn't lend it to heavy recoil. The stock developed a crack after less than 100 rounds thru this gun. My guess is it had something to do with that stupid ill fitting recoil lug design. As a matter of fact out of the 7-8 tikka laminate 338s I have personally seen all but one had a crack in the stock, generally running between glue lines of the laminate starting at the front action screw.

Berreta USA initially discusted me with the way they tried to cover up the recall on stainless tikka and sako rifles. The recall on rifles that were blowing up due to poor steel on a batch of stainless barrels.

Their customer service also left a lot to be desired when they refused to warrantee my cracked stock because by installing a muzzle brake I had changed the rifle from its original configuration voiding any warrantee. I have my doubts that a muzzle brake could cause a stock to crack

They do have a decent trigger and all of the ones I have seen were fairly accurate. If they installed a decent recoil lug and got rid of the tuperware magazines it would be a big step forward. The aluminum after market parts look pretty nice too. Plastic parts break, especially when its really cold out, and solvents can be pretty hard on plastic magazines.

I've been using a tikka t3 .300wsm for years now. It has traveled to Africa with me and was all one shot kills. This rifle has more kills to it then I can count. I treat it like crap and it keeps shooting. I did break the stock (atv accident), but fiberglassed it up and it has been fine. I am buying a new stock for it as bell and carlson make one now. For the $$, you can't go wrong. And I have never understood all these "odd" ball calibers people want. Find a rifle that you can get the ammo off the shelf. I reload also, but never made much sense to me to buy wild cat cartridges. They simply aren't any better than a "common" load.

Tikka T-3 Super lite in 7 mm mag, Talley alloy one piece base/rings, and Swarovski Z3 3-10 x 42 ended up weighing in today at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. That should work!!

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Tikka T-3 Super lite in 7 mm mag, Talley alloy one piece base/rings, and Swarovski Z3 3-10 x 42 ended up weighing in today at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. That should work!!

.....indeed.......now to see if I can get "uncle Jim" within shooting distance of a sheep next year......

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Tikka T-3 Super lite in 7 mm mag, Talley alloy one piece base/rings, and Swarovski Z3 3-10 x 42 ended up weighing in today at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. That should work!!

.....indeed.......now to see if I can get "uncle Jim" within shooting distance of a sheep next year......

Brett

"Uncle Jim", eh youngin'!! Oh that was low!! Gonna be a sudden Scotch shortage at the house on your next visit Nephew!!

I have had many Tikka rifles and LOVE them. The only thing that I have had trouble with is the trigger guard, so I have taken to having an extra with me in my pack and then I have also had an aluminum guard built. Cost me about $150

They are not a good looking rifle. And all those plastic parts, etc. But they are reasonably priced and everyone I have talked to that owned one said they were very accurate. I gave in and just bought one in .270. I expect it will be an accurate, light weight hunting tool.

The plastic parts do suck, but lots of after market replacements. Of course at the end of the day you can upgrade it but you might spend more than for a Sako 85 if you do.

I personally like them more than Sako 85s, excepting the magazine. The magazine seating depth is too short and not very tough.

T3 .....Budget rifle, built from budget parts.

Designed when Beretta took over in order to increase the gap between Tikka and Sako rifles as far as quality was concerned. Sure it has a Sako barrell and they tend to be resonably accurate out of the box. But they fall apart! The plastic stock is crap, the bolt shroud breaks, the recoil lug is simply awefull, and the bolt is of an of inferior design especically if you shoot in cold or wet weather. Floor plate and magazine are plastic and we know what happens to plastic.
By the time you have rectified all of these problem areas you're back to Sako prices.

You might want to look at the Remington XCR II. Mine in 375 H&H weighed in on a postal type scale at 6 1/2 lbs naked. Very rust resistant TriNyte coatig, very accurate, and the stock soaks up recoil.

Mine in 22-250 has been ran through hell and back, has been my "truck gun" for 6 years and it still shoots great , no problems with anything except the magazine which i keep loosing and they are like 70 bucks.....

I would buy another one without hesitation...