“Pre-war Tikka”
We’re gonna start seeing that on Gunbroker right after “rare”.
We’re gonna start seeing that on Gunbroker right after “rare”.
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Tikka current quality, in light of war in Ukraine?
- Thread starter yosemite_sam
- Start date
Thanks for a helpful answer! I'm fine buying a "post war" Tikka if it sounds like there haven't been any effects yet. I plan on installing a prefit and LRI bolt in the future once I wear out the Tikka factory stuff.
The Tikka CTR gets a lot of praise here. It would be my factory recommendation for someone not interested in building from action up or stepping to a higher tier
Mine wears a KRG Bravo. The factory stock is ok but does have some flex to it. It does have adjustable LOP and grip. I actually pulled the lop spacer and pad as well as the vertical grip from my factory ctr stock and put those on my T1X stock
If you plan install a prefit barrel look into some of the aftermarket actions as well. Since you’re adding the cost of the barrel either way. And will be purchasing needed tools and gauges already. Especially if you think you’ll upgrade the stock.
For a touch more $$ you can get a bighorn origin and krg bravo or something similar. Then add your barrel your purchasing already, trigger and stock
I like the short bolt throw on the AI and Tikka I own vs the 90° on my Bergara/savage/stiller etc
I’ll only swap in a prefit when the current barrel is shot out. But maybe by then I’ll want to buy a custom action as well.
The CTR and KRG seem to be THE move for a nice rifle under 1500. I love the looks of the McMillan stocks and the Bravo is certainly a nod to the A4.
I really like mine. I’ve had a few krg chassis. The bravo fits very well and can be customized to whatever you want for fit and bipod/tripod mounting etc. they are reasonably lightweight. I wasn’t concerned about weigh though
The ctr 10 round mags are very nice compared to the plastic mag on my T3X in 300 WM
I consider mine the poor man’s Sako TRG
Don't sweat it man! This forum's good for thickening your skin!
And BTW, I would attest that getting angry over someone asking a question is WAY more "snowflake"... Just saying
I ask "stupid" questions frequently. Only problem is, they're NOT stupid to me! I'm learning, just like you. And if I can't find answers through the search function, I ask.
The hell with anyone who gets butt hurt by me asking questions! Plenty of good people willing to help on here.
Why would a rifle not produced in Ukraine or any country that has anything to do with the war, and a rifle thats certainly not being pumped out the doors to supply the war suffer any sort of QC issues because of the war? If anything played a role in their quality possibly degrading it would have been covid because quality on a lot of consumer goods suffered and continues to suffer.
There's certainly evidence based on rifles people have received that Tikkas QC may not be as good as it once was, I've read of people getting rifles recently that weren't shooters, not as smooth out of the box and so forth, but it's hard to say the percentage now vs years ago if its even different.
I still wouldn't hesitate to buy a new Tikka though, even with their shitty CS. They're great budget rifles and its highly unlikely you're going to get a bad one.
With that said, I'd spend the extra $$ and get a Seekins Havak. That's by far the best value out of the box rifle money can buy for what you're getting.
There's certainly evidence based on rifles people have received that Tikkas QC may not be as good as it once was, I've read of people getting rifles recently that weren't shooters, not as smooth out of the box and so forth, but it's hard to say the percentage now vs years ago if its even different.
I still wouldn't hesitate to buy a new Tikka though, even with their shitty CS. They're great budget rifles and its highly unlikely you're going to get a bad one.
With that said, I'd spend the extra $$ and get a Seekins Havak. That's by far the best value out of the box rifle money can buy for what you're getting.
My buddy picked up a Super Varmint not too long ago and dropped it into a MDT chassis. I'd say the MDT chassis was of lower quality(the forearm fitment wasn't good/centered and the folding stock mechanism had a pretty large nick from the factory). As far as accuracy goes, he's struggling to get it dialed in as my T3X in a Bravo chassis with a Superlite barrel shoots the same ammo in a much tighter group than his rifle(6.5PRC Norma Golden Target; my rifle averages about 1/2" MOA while his is closer to 1-MOA).
It would be interesting to know if Tikka is supplying any rifles to Ukranian military. Remington 700s, Savage 110s ( Precision and regular bolt actions ), Accuracy Internationals and probably others have all been in service with Ukranian snipers and special operations.
Who ever thought we’d see the day where Savage is officially an in service military sniper rifle!
Don't think you're going to wear anything out anytime soon. One of my Tikka's is on it's third barrel, bolt and trigger are doing just fine. If you're looking at a 6.5 CM I wouldn't worry about a barrel until at least 2500 rounds unless you just want something different. Unless you're shooting a lot that takes awhile.
I have thick skin
I’ve been a paramedic in an urban area for 10 years. I take my guard down when I’m not at work. I just thought this place would be a relief from assholes but I guess I was mistaken hahah. There are mostly cool people here, thanks for your help Brad.
I actually was super close to doing that build! I bought one.
I couldn’t find anyone to install an external safety on a Howa. It’s a feature that I want…I know that the pins in the Tikka stops have been known to snap but it’s less than $20 for a new pin and spring and that’s something I’ll keep in my stock bag.
What do you mean by “external safety?”
My Howa barreled action has a three position safety and I would call it external.
What am I missing?
-Stan
I haven't heard of the bolt stop pins breaking in quite awhile, which leads me to think they fixed this issue. Maybe someone else can pipe in if they've heard of additional problems with Tikka bolt stop pins.
That being said, I've never sheared one on any of the Tikka rifles I own.
I explained my rationale of why the rifles may have a decrease in quality in the opening post.
dang that’s a brain fart haha. My bad! I meant to say external bolt stop/catch/release
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My bad! That’s a brain fart. I meant to say external bolt stop
True, but they`ve always been pretty good in the accuracy department. Interesting reading by googling " Savage rifles in Ukraine ". I can see 110 actions being utilized but apparently Axis have even been seen as well. They have also developed something called an Alligator which is being touted as a super sniper rifle.
Yes, they have also been seen as well. I couldn`t remember all of the brands that have been observed.
can't afford tikka? howa,savage or begara if in your budget. never had a savage or howa that wouldn't shoot. not as refined as tikka but howas are close IMHO. and,beretta usa sucks for about anything except (unfortunately) the guns they sell. euro optic for tikka. ky gun for savage. howa has not been big in US but is gaining some respect lately.
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You said it better than I would have said it. Let the insults and ribbing roll on and learn stuff.
I asked myself if I had words with the guy and I was trying to describe the disagreement, I would have to explain that I was upset or arguing with a guy who actually calls himself some of the crazy names I see here.
We learn what we can learn. Are some people cantankerous? Salty? Sure. And a big who cares to that? If someone wants to insult and berate me, first off, I have been called worse by people closer to me.
Second, so what? I am big and tall and have uncommon strength. It is easy for me to be the bigger guy, pun intended.
I think Howa isn't as popular just because Tikkas and Bergaras are considered better value-buys. A lot of guys that hunt like the Tikkas since they're light and shoot very well. The PRS/bench guys will gravitate more towards Bergaras due to them being R700 patterned. What makes it worse for Howa, now, is the Ruger American is pretty well regarded as a budget rifle and there's already an aftermarket popping up for them. With Savage Axis/110, that category is getting pretty crowded.
And yes, Beretta sucks.
If you do go with Tikka, I highly recommend a trigger spring. Got mine from mountain tactical, but I'm pretty sure they're all the same.
The factory trigger is awesome and the spring brings it down to about 1lb.
I also invested in an Anarchy outdoors angled bold handle which is pretty nice as well.
The factory trigger is awesome and the spring brings it down to about 1lb.
I also invested in an Anarchy outdoors angled bold handle which is pretty nice as well.
Improvement is not worth the extra $$$. Also, beretta did not bring in the T3X sporter version.
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