Recommend a Tikka T3

N0mad

N0mad

Straight Shooter
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 26, 2010
125
8
Converse, Texas
#1
I have some spare change after paying the tax man and would like to get an entry level nice rifle. I currently have a CZ 452 Varmint in .22 LR and an AR 15 M4 style in .223/556.

This rifle will be punching paper only at our local range which is 200 yards max my goal is to make some tight groups and have fun. I won’t be hand loading any rounds, although I used to load all my own 9mm and .45 ACP pistol ammo I no longer have time between the kids and work and I would like to keep my initial investment at no more than $700 - $800 for the rifle and $300 - $400 for the glass.

The areas I’m just not sure about is the choice of caliber, lite or Varmint profile and Stainless Steel or Blued finish.

Additionally is there an advantage in the Stainless Steel over the Blued finish as they seem to be about $100 more than the blued.

Gentlemen, thank you in advance.
 
#2
I have several stock T3's in differant calibers. They always amaze me for out of the box accuracy. Last week I bought my 1st "blued" in a .223 but haven't shot it yet. Cabelas had a nice sale on these and I had a bunch of points to use. Im just an elk and coyote hunter and they serve me well. Mine are all the "lites". The 300 WSM and 22-250 have lots of miles on em. They have served me well.
 
#4
Get a T3 in 260 Rem, Varmint contour barrel. I'd say get the spotter, but that is the priciest one. I've seen some nice used 595s advertised for sale for around $600. Used might be a good option.
 
#7
I love my Tikka T3 CTR, it is a 20" Heavy Barreled 308. Very smooth action, better than both a Savage OR Remington. Killed my first elk with it this year and it shoots my match reloads very well. Problem is, the varmints and CTR's (heavy barreled) are no longer imported in 308 or 243 or .260 by Beretta, who owns Tikka.

So in a 308 or 243, you have to do the T3 Lite in your price range. Even those should shoot 1 MOA or better with match ammo, and are great hunting rifles, but at the range on a bench they will kick a bit because of the light weight (especially 308) and the thin barrel might change point of impact after more than 3-5 rounds. You can still get a 22-250 Varmint at Eurooptic, and that would be a nice shooter but don't know about "match" loads in that caliber.

For $20 a box you can get M118 LR duplicate loads and that is great. You could always get a T3 lite in 308 and if you find it doesn't fit your needs get it re-barreled with a Krieger or any premium tube at a gunsmith's and throw it in a Chassis and have a sweet "comp" rifle. Uprgrade a piece at a time, maybe next tax season.
 
#10
Triggerf16 said:
Get a T3 in 260 Rem, Varmint contour barrel. I'd say get the spotter, but that is the priciest one. I've seen some nice used 595s advertised for sale for around $600. Used might be a good option.
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The .260 Rem was my first choice of caliber but the Sporter is out of the question for my budget although I would love to own it. Used is an option I don't have to buy new.

Idaho Savage said:
Having shot both, I chose a Savage (obviously). Tikkas are AWESOME mountain hunting rifles and everything about them is unbelievable relative to the price. That said, for the same amount you can buy a Savage 10 that would make a much more enjoyable range rifle.
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Might be hard for me to switch horses in the middle of the road. I did consider the Savage but you know how a fella gets when he's zeroed in on a new gun.

verdugo60 said:
I love my Tikka T3 CTR, it is a 20" Heavy Barreled 308. Very smooth action, better than both a Savage OR Remington. Killed my first elk with it this year and it shoots my match reloads very well. Problem is, the varmints and CTR's (heavy barreled) are no longer imported in 308 or 243 or .260 by Beretta, who owns Tikka.
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I know! Go figure just when this guy decides he wants one they are no longer available. :(

verdugo60 said:
So in a 308 or 243, you have to do the T3 Lite in your price range. Even those should shoot 1 MOA or better with match ammo, and are great hunting rifles, but at the range on a bench they will kick a bit because of the light weight (especially 308) and the thin barrel might change point of impact after more than 3-5 rounds. You can still get a 22-250 Varmint at Eurooptic, and that would be a nice shooter but don't know about "match" loads in that caliber.
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I looked at ammo availability in 223, 243, and 308 but I did not consider the 22-250 as I’d like to be able to purchase ammo at a reasonable price and have good availability of different loads keeping in mind I don’t hand load sold all of my RCBS equipment years ago.

verdugo60 said:
For $20 a box you can get M118 LR duplicate loads and that is great. You could always get a T3 lite in 308 and if you find it doesn't fit your needs get it re-barreled with a Krieger or any premium tube at a gunsmith's and throw it in a Chassis and have a sweet "comp" rifle. Uprgrade a piece at a time, maybe next tax season.
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If I went with the T3 lite in 308 what finish would you recommend Blue or Stainless?

Bradaus said:
New for this year: Tikka T3 CTR
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Is Beretta going to bring these in? I did find a Varmint in 223 but there seems to be some disappointment with the 1/10 twist rate vs 1/8 (I think this is correct)
 
#13
Blue or stainless really comes down to preference IMHO. If you are worried about rust, cerakote or spray paint will protect the gun better than either factory finish. I do blued on my guns, especially if there is a price difference. Either one will rust if exposed to wet weather long term without proper maintenance(blued probably a bit faster).

As for .223, yeah I would not do one in 223 especially with the 1/10 twist. For a bolt .223 it would be better to run heavy 77 grainers, and 1/10 is not right for that. Also, you have an AR already.

Match loads for 243 are probably going to run you more than match loads for 308. I much prefer the Tikka action, but you might look for a Rem 700 5R used. Would probably be in your price range and the action won't be as smooth as a Tikka, but aftermarket is great. A 5R (specifically) will be accurate right out the box most likely. Then you could drop it in a KRG X-ray Chassis for $550 eventually and you would have the ability to feed quality AICS 10 round mags and have a fully adjustable chassis that is going to get the most accuracy out of the gun.

You could do the same with a stock Tikka T3 Lite too, but again, the barrel might be a little light for sustained fire.

Other option would be to wait on Beretta and see if the new T3 CTR comes in stock, but again, that is a crap shoot at this point.



N0mad said:
I'm leaning in that direction... Blue or Stainless?
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#14
That’s a shame about the 223 twist rate which I initially would have purchased. I shoot out a Camp Bullis and it seems a lot of shooters have access to the heavier 223 rounds. I do keep a few boxes of the Black Hills 77 grain SMK on hand although at $1:00 per round I don’t shoot a lot of them.

I think what attracted me to this weapon was the high rate of satisfaction all the owners seem to have with them.
 
#15
My boy has a T3 Lite stainless 30-06 and I have a T3 Litestainless 6.5x55 Swiss. If you go stainless, you will still need to protect the barrel with oil or carnauba wax as the ss will rust. Found out after a wet hunt.

For a non reloader 30-06 can be a good choice as there is a ton of different 30-06 out there. You just need a good recoil pad unless you use the light/reduced loads.

My 6.5 Swiss is not fussy about what I feed it, its very accurate and there is little recoil compared to the 30-06. Ammo may not be found at the X-Marts.

I you want to spend about $1000 for the just the rifle, look at the Tikka JRTF322 T3 Varmint Stainless .204 Ruger Rifle. It might do you well with your 200 yrd limit range. Next time I have a spare $1000 , the 204 will be mine. You may want to look into that option and just buy a cheap or used scope. I have a cheap scope (Osprey) on my 6.5x55 and it still shoots great.

http://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3-rifles.aspx
Eurooptic's has a selection of T3's if you havent checked them out yet.
 

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#16
I have the Tikka T3 hunter in 7mm-08 and an awesome entry level rifle - great accuracy out of the box with a nice trigger. I liked the blued barrel because it requires less maintenance. For an entry level scope for it for your price range - Nikon Buckmasters gives you plenty of scope/magnification that keeps a zero pretty well
 
#17
I have a .243 and recently got a 7mm08. Both shoot great. The tikka .243 twist limits your bullet weight to ~100 gr, but there are still good bullets like nosler BTs.
The 7mm08 is a great caliber. I am looking to put mine in a krg X-ray which will allow allow longer bullets with an AICS mag and modified bolt stop. If you're not going to hand load a .308 might be the best way to go for accurate ammo.
Whatever you do get the stainless, it's much nicer IMO and worth the extra $.
You might be able to get a 6.5x55 but probably not until August, no one has them in stock now. Beretta is fully retarded.
 
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#18
First a big thank you to everyone on this forum that contribute your advice and knowledge while refraining from negative and condescending remarks even though all of us newbies ask a lot of the same questions.
--
I called and spoke with the guys at EuroOptic a couple of weeks ago regarding the .223 varmint 1:10 twist rate and they stated they had placed an order for some with the 1:8 twist and they should be available fall of 2014.
 
#19
I've got both a 300wsm & .308 t3.
the 300wsm is a T3 lite with a Bell & Carlson's Medalist stock, 4-16x50 Swar on it. Shoots <.7 with HSM factory ammo
the .308 is a stainless varmint with egw 20mm base, nightforce rings & a cheap 2.5-10x56mm nikon. I just got it, taking it to the range this weekend.
I had a Rem. 300R5 before both of these & sold it as soon as i could, didn't fit me.
I use all mine for hunting from 100-500yrds.

For what you want i'd go with a .308 lite replace the stock with whatever type you like.
 
#21
Captramrod01 said:
No connection to this seller but if I were wanting a 200 yard target gun I'd jump on this 223 scout with 1-8.

Tikka T3 Sako Beretta Scout 223 No Reserve : Bolt Action Rifles at GunBroker.com
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Great find... Thank you... I set up an account and contacted the seller as I had a couple of questions still waiting to hear back... I've purchased many firearms over the years and have a local FFL already established but I'm new to the GunBroker process. His auction seems to be going very well so he may not bother replying to my questions. On the plus side he's only about three hours north of me. :)
 
#24
I would think the CTR should be released here because it has standard 5/8x24 threading instead of metric suggesting its heading for this side of the pond. Who knows though I just wish someone could confirm it one way or the other.
 
#25
Captramrod01 said:
No connection to this seller but if I were wanting a 200 yard target gun I'd jump on this 223 scout with 1-8.
Tikka T3 Sako Beretta Scout 223 No Reserve : Bolt Action Rifles at GunBroker.com
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Capt. Ramrod, you are correct this is nothing more than a 100 >> 200 yard afternoon at the range paper puncher fun gun for my 19 year old son and I to enjoy; so the caliber .308 vs .223 I'm not sure how important that should be. From the information I've gathered in this post the barrel contour heavy vs lite is important. Although I've never fired a rifle chambered in .308 I would expect the recoil and noise to be more substantial than the .223. Note: (Provided the twist rate is 1:8 on the .223)
 
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#26
Nobody has really mentioned anything about glass, but if your main function is mainly shooting groups @ 100-200 yds, you are going to want more magnification than 10x. I think SWFA makes a fixed power 20x that is in your budget, but I'm not as familiar with the current market offerings as a lot of these other guys.
 
#28
I highly recommend the Tikka, I have a tikka sporter in 260, and it shoots right there with my GAP.

For 200 yards, any caliber should work, but a 1:8 twist would be preferable in 223.
 
#31
woojos said:
Nobody has really mentioned anything about glass, but if your main function is mainly shooting groups @ 100-200 yds, you are going to want more magnification than 10x. I think SWFA makes a fixed power 20x that is in your budget, but I'm not as familiar with the current market offerings as a lot of these other guys.
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I have a spare Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 I was going to throw on it initially but was also looking at getting a fixed power Bushnell Elite 10x40; for a $200 scope it gets great reviews.
 
#32
Man that CTR looks nice, you can tell they did their homework. Offering pretty much all the mods guys get on a dual purpose rifle. Alu DBM, threaded, short bbl and with a 1:11 or 260 1:8 twist all @ 7.5 lbs. Also looks like it has an integral pic rail.

Its a precision type rifle that weighs as much as a hunting rifle.

Wonder if Alex at Eurooptic has a bead on these rifles yet.
 
#33
As a bona fide Tikka lover, that CTR makes me wet.

NO idea on the price but I assume it will be sub $1500? Maybe $1k ish?

Take that rifle, drop into a WC3 or the newer $500 KRG stock and that is one HELL of a rifle for the money.

IME the T3 factory rifle/barrel combos shoot as good as most custom guns. Factory twists are the only real limitation.

Beretta could own the tactical market if they actualy imported what Sako/Tikka makes , not just what they sell.

$800 T3 Varmits in .308/.260/.243/6.5sw would be market dominators.
 
#34
roggom said:
Man that CTR looks nice, you can tell they did their homework. Offering pretty much all the mods guys get on a dual purpose rifle. Alu DBM, threaded, short bbl and with a 1:11 or 260 1:8 twist all @ 7.5 lbs. Also looks like it has an integral pic rail.

Its a precision type rifle that weighs as much as a hunting rifle.

Wonder if Alex at Eurooptic has a bead on these rifles yet.
Click to expand...

Called and asked. They haven't heard anything and there is no idea if they plan to import them.

I really don't understand beretta. What is the point of owning/distributing these rifles if they don't sell the most desirable ones? Do they think it will cut into TRG sales?

Reasonably priced, high quality rifles with the features shooters want, in a ready to shoot configuration is a no brainer. For less than 2K you could have a complete rig that is ready to shoot from day one, not some cobbled together, shitty material, shitty QC remington/savage that need massive gunsmithing and machining to fix factory deficencies.
 
#36
Cobracutter said:
Called and asked. They haven't heard anything and there is no idea if they plan to import them.

I really don't understand beretta. What is the point of owning/distributing these rifles if they don't sell the most desirable ones? Do they think it will cut into TRG sales?

Reasonably priced, high quality rifles with the features shooters want, in a ready to shoot configuration is a no brainer. For less than 2K you could have a complete rig that is ready to shoot from day one, not some cobbled together, shitty material, shitty QC remington/savage that need massive gunsmithing and machining to fix factory deficencies.
Click to expand...

I called them and asked about the CTR today too. The guy that I talked to said not this year, maybe next year.
 
#37
#38
I've had my Tikka T3 Varmint stainless in .223 for about a year and it is the most accurate shooting rifle out-of-the-box I have ever owned...by far. It even sports the original Tikka stock. It shoots so well I moved a Swarovski Z5 5-25x52 to it and now it is a classy varminter for sure. Got it from Europtics for about $950.
 
#39
I was curious also of the CTR so I called like others have and the gentleman that I spoke to said it would be stateside 2nd or 3rd quarter. Don't know if it will but it seems like its a crapshoot when you call.
 
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