thinking about getting a tikka t3x

[Surtr]

As the title says ive been eyeballing a tikka t3x ctr in 6.5 creedmoor but cant decide which i want to get.

blued or stainless, 20" or 24"?

Ive never done any customizing of bolt rifles before but i kinda want to get a different stock for it after i get it. I tried a friends tikka(not shooting just holding it) and liked everything but the stock. Would something like a manners stock drop right in without much work or would i need to mess with it a lot to get it to fit?

sorry for the noob questions, im not much of a bolt gun guy but i wanted to try to get into them more.

Thanks for any help.

 

[htowncoog]

They are drop in; Same as Cadex, KRG, McRees. Question is are you going to stay with the CTR magazines or switch to AICS type if you go with a different stock?

 

[W54/XM-388]

If you don't need it to be short, get the 24" as you'll get a bit better velocity.
If it's range work, pretty much either finish is fine.
If you will be out hunting with it, the stainless can be nice for if it gets rained on.

Tikka also makes it into a full blown chassis type rifle of the T3X TAC A1

 

[b6graham]

24" stainless

KRG bravo, MPA comp, or any chassis is drop in. Manners stock with a mini chassis is drop in, otherwise will need bedding

 

[Surtr]

24" stainless

KRG bravo, MPA comp, or any chassis is drop in. Manners stock with a mini chassis is drop in, otherwise will need bedding

is there any differences between the blued and stainless other than type of steel used?

Im interested in getting a stock with an adjustable cheek piece and like how the manners look but i dont know anything about them. Can i get a mini chassis for any of the stock models or are there certain ones i have to look for? ive never done rifle bedding and would like to avoid it for now since i have no idea what im doing really.

 

[riverrat13]

I am selling my Tikka Tac A1, it's not a CTR, but seems to fit what you are looking for. The chasis on the Tac A1s are very nice.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...a1-6-5-cm-1-2-moa-rifle.6897245/#post-7207561

Let me know if you would have any interest...

 

[wade2big]

24" stainless

KRG bravo, MPA comp, or any chassis is drop in. Manners stock with a mini chassis is drop in, otherwise will need bedding

Not true. My axiom is in a grayboe stock that is not bedded and shoots as good as anything posted on this site. Bedding isnt always necessary.

 

[SuperSneakySniper]

Hey there! Aside from color there is no difference between blued and stainless in terms of function. Stainless may do slightly better as far as rust prevention in humid areas (Florida, Hawaii etc...) But ive had both and never had my guns rust. I live in CA though so the air is pretty dry. Honestly I would just pick the color you like more lol. Just be sure to take care of it if you shoot in a wet/humid area. Ive had rust develop on one of my custom bolt cocking pieces after a long shoot in florida.

Also, like others have said, i prefer the 24inch. I never felt like a 24 inch barrel was too long. I think its a good all-around length. I only get a shorter barrel if i am specifically going for a "short" style bolt rifle.

As for stocks, the drop-in chassis are great, but if you are looking for a Manners stock in particular, be ready to spend a little more. They offer a Tikka mini chassis that will drop right in, they have tikka specific stocks, and they can also inlet most of their stocks for a tikka. Best bet would be to give them a call! They are easy to contact, and they are very knowledgeable and can talk you through the whole process and answer all of your stock/Tikka questions.
If you are set on a manners stock, then id go ahead and call about their Tikka mini chassis stocks! They just expanded their tikka line earlier this year.

Otherwise, as others have stated, there are lots of chassis manufactures out there like KRG, XLR, MPA, and MDT all of which make excellet chassis for Tikkas.

 

[lawofsavage]

I’ve got a stainless 24” ctr barreled action in 6.5 creedmoor that shoots amazing in either a Mpa chassis or a bedded McMillan A5. I go back and forth on which I prefer but I just bought a bighorn tl-3 build in an mpa so I’ll let my actions do the talking ?.

There is no work other to install either as they both drop right in. The main questions to think about as has been stated above is what kind of mags you want to run (aics or ctr) and make sure whatever you get is compatible with that. Also, if you install a timney 2- stage trigger, the McMillan will need some material removed for it to fit in the safety area.

If you’re not competing or don’t care about your score I’d go 20” but I’d for sure go 24” if you’re going to be doing any comps. I would personally get the stainless as I’ve had both and feel like the stainless actions are a little smoother.

I’m actually about to post all of my tikka stuff for sale as I’m doing some house flips and I’ll be needing the cash so send me a pm if you’re interested.

 

[Surtr]

thanks for the replies. getting closer and closer to figuring out what i want.

I think i might go with the blued and have it cerakoted to a color matching whatever stock i get. Its pretty humid here 24/7 is the only reason i was considering a stainless version.

still debating on the barrel length. Ill be putting a can on the end, its a fairly big one too, feeling that it might make the 24" barrel seem like a musket but id like to get the extra velocity over the 20". dont think ill be competing any time soon.

As for the manners stocks and why i asked about them is...aesthetics lol. i just really like how they look. im sure the others are great and some of them are better but for some reason the manners with adjustable cheek riser really does it for me. Might be stupid but it wouldnt be the first time i did something dumb.

guess ill contact manners and see what they suggest i get.

 

[SuperSneakySniper]

Sounds like a solid plan OP! Definately call Manners and get their take. Make sure to have an idea of which Manners stocks you like best first so you can see if you can get them in the configuration and inlet you want.
As far as getting the barreled action cerakoted, that would be an excellent way to protect it from rust! Just make sure they dont cerakote the inside of the action so you can preserve that iconic tikka smoothness.
If you plan to run a can on the barrel, then a 20" makes sense as well. So at that point either a 24" or 20" is a great choice imo. I still slightly lean towards the 24" but again, that is because i like to compete. A 20" with a supressor may fit the bill perfectly for your needs, and the supressor will add a little bit of velocity anyways to help mitigate the loss of barrel length.

 

[tree man]

thanks for the replies. getting closer and closer to figuring out what i want.

I think i might go with the blued and have it cerakoted to a color matching whatever stock i get. Its pretty humid here 24/7 is the only reason i was considering a stainless version.

still debating on the barrel length. Ill be putting a can on the end, its a fairly big one too, feeling that it might make the 24" barrel seem like a musket but id like to get the extra velocity over the 20". dont think ill be competing any time soon.

As for the manners stocks and why i asked about them is...aesthetics lol. i just really like how they look. im sure the others are great and some of them are better but for some reason the manners with adjustable cheek riser really does it for me. Might be stupid but it wouldnt be the first time i did something dumb.

guess ill contact manners and see what they suggest i get.

I can’t see you going wrong with a 20 inch stainless which is what I have in a manners and another manners on the way for another CTR! I love my 20” barrel for hunting and definitely wouldn’t go over that with a large can. IMO

 

[wade2big]

Op, just make a choice and go with it.

I was shooting my 26” barrel 6.5 creedmoor with a suppressor this weekend. I had no trouble getting out the house with it. I had no trouble strapping it on my 4 wheeler. I had no trouble getting down the road to my range. I didn't stop along the way and clear houses with it so i dont know if a 26” barrel and a 10” suppressor would be ideal for that use.

I also shot through the suppressor with my 20” .308 and it didnt seem as long. That is mainly because it is exactly 6” shorter. Decide what you are actually going to do with the rifle. In your case the length difference is 4”. Not very much. If that little bit doesnt seem to bother you then go for the longer tube.

 

[260284]

Below is my Tikka CTr that started as a 20" 260. I have always run it suppressed and the 20" is handy for hunting. I went with a 24" medium Palma 6.5 Creedmoor when I rebarreled due to the vast availability of factory ammunition over the 260. I hunted with the new barrel last year and it wasn't too bad, but I only hunt about 1/2 mile from the truck. If you are going to shoot matches, weight and velocity are your friend. The German Gun Stock is a great value as it has an aluminum mini-chassis in it and you can use the CTR magazines. If you want to go AICS, look at the KRG Bravo. I have a 20" 6.5 factory barrel that I will switch to for deer season this year, but I wll definately go heavier on my next match rifle. This is 12.5 lbs without a magazine with the 24" barrel, bipod, and suppressor.

 

[Mblackmon4]

I have the CTR in 260 20” blued. I honestly wish I would have gotten the stainless, I don’t have rust issues but I still worry about it. As far as stocks there are lots of good options, I just ordered a KRG Bravo this morning. However I’ve had the gun 2 years and it shot 3/4 Moa right out of the box with factory ammo.

 

[BigTex]

Another option is to buy one of the Tikka T3 Lites on closeout in any caliber with a standard bolt face and send it to a gunsmith for a rebarrel in whatever length/weight you want. You'll have about the same amount in the barreled action as buying a CTR. Then buy whatever stock/chassis you want since you are going to re-stock it anyway. Money will be close to the same and you'll likely have a better gun.

ETA: nothing wrong with the CTR in factory form, but if you are re-stocking anyway this may be a good move.

I have a Tikka action at the gunsmith right now waiting on a Proof barrel to be spun up for it. It will be going in a Manners PRS2 with the mini chassis.

 

[Surtr]

OP here, still havent bought but i found a used tikka t3 tac a1 on the exchange here, working on a deal with the seller now.

 

[260284]

I picked up a closeout T3 that is going to be my next build. $379 for it and I can sell the barrel, stock, bottom plastic, and magazine.

 

[wade2big]

I picked up a closeout T3 that is going to be my next build. $379 for it and I can sell the barrel, stock, bottom plastic, and magazine.

Where did you find one that cheap?

 

[260284]

Where did you find one that cheap?

EuroOptic closed out all of their T3 models. They had some cheaper, but I was late to the game. I picked up a couple of 270 synthetic models. I didnt care what caliber as long as it was a 308 bolt face.

 

[ccoker]

Tikkas are awesome guns.. I have had several and they all shot extremely well out of the box.

I used a 308 T3x as a base for a compact hunting rifle..
chopped to 16", put in a McMillan Game Hunter carbon stock, Mountain Tactical DBM, Steiner T3-15, Crux Nemesis 30

Love it..

 

[Alexander Cain]

I have a CTR 20 inch in a KRG chassis that my wife has stolen from me. Tack driver all day with pretty much what ever you put in it 130gr+.

The wife bought me a Tac A1 24 inch so she could have the CTR (huge weight difference). The Tac A1 is also a tack driver with heavier loads. I previously owned a t3 lite 308 I sold a few years ago to get a Remington AAC-SD, it was also a tack driver. So was the Remington once it was in a chassis but I've had others that were shit. So far all 3 tikkas I've owned and seen friends own have been solid. I like their mags for general use, but way too over priced, iirc you cant use magpul mags in any of the chassis systems for a tikka tho, maybe that was just the KRG.

 

[DXT_Shooter]

I have the CTR 20” Blued 6.5CM in a KRG Bravo and finally got out to shoot it and it’s a tack driver. 5 shot group at 100 after I got it sighted in.

 

[jakelly]

Life is way too short to shoot CM rifles in high humidity areas.

 

[CJS-6.5]

I have the CTR in 260 20” blued. I honestly wish I would have gotten the stainless, I don’t have rust issues but I still worry about it. As far as stocks there are lots of good options, I just ordered a KRG Bravo this morning. However I’ve had the gun 2 years and it shot 3/4 Moa right out of the box with factory ammo.

I have a stainless Tikka for a farm gun. I left it in a tractor for two weeks after a rain and couldn't get to it. The brass was corroded in the magazine and there was a film of white corrosion on the stainless. I wouldn't say stainless id any better at protecting from the elements. Instead I would say it's better at hiding the damage and better at making you neglect your firearm.

 

[wade2big]

Life is way too short to shoot CM rifles in high humidity areas.

I like stainless as well but CM rifles dont just rust away in high humidity. They just benefit a little more from a 10 second remlube wipe down every now and again. I live on the Texas Gulf Coast.

I have a stainless Tikka for a farm gun. I left it in a tractor for two weeks after a rain and couldn't get to it. The brass was corroded in the magazine and there was a film of white corrosion on the stainless. I wouldn't say stainless id any better at protecting from the elements. Instead I would say it's better at hiding the damage and better at making you neglect your firearm.

If I can remember to do it, I will snap a pic of a stainless .17 that rides in the kawasaki mule full time. Never comes inside the house. This rifle gets wiped down once a year and the bore has never been cleaned. It is solid rust. Looks like crap. Stainless is rust “resistant”.