Tikka T3 Thread

Well I am excited to announce that I've finally jumped into the world of bolt action rifles. I picked up a Tikka T3x CTR 24" 6.5Creedmoor. I took advantage of the Mile High deal on the Razor HD and added a Spuhr 20moa mount (thanks to those that helped me figure out what height). She has an Area 419 Hellfire brake and an SKD tactical Pig stock pack. Just waiting for some cleaning supplies from J Dewey and I'll be taking her to the range for her break in and sight in. Thanks again for all the great knowledge being shared here.

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So I picked up a Tikka T3X Lite S/S in 7mm Rem Mag. The idea was to use it as a backcountry elk rifle, but now I think I want to semi-repurpose it as an infrequent competition/elk-hunting crossover rifle.

I know there is a whole lot going on in that opening sentence, however...

I'd love to hear any thoughts for or against putting the Tikka T3X 7RM action into a Manners T4 Tikka stock for PRS-type competition use. Granted, 7mm Rem Mag is not the ideal competition round, but: 1) I'll probably only shoot 3 matches per year max with this rifle, 2) I'm not going to buy a 6.5CM rifle anytime soon, and 3) I still want to use it to bring home some elk meat.

I don't reload so I'm stuck with factory ammo. Good factory hunting cartridges abound, but not so much on the match side (I will most likely try the HSM 168gr Sierras first).

I've done my research, but I'm not smart enough to figure out if the "Lite" action and barrel is any different from any of the other LA S/S Tikka 7RM actions or barrels. Do you think the Manners stock would help with seeing my misses? That 6.25# rifle gets busy when I squeeze the trigger.

The barrel is getting threaded and will have a Hellfire brake on it by the end of the month. Right now it has a Leupy, but I will get a Razor coming for it if I think I could use it to shoot a few matches.
 

One of my Tikkas has a purpose similar to what you are planning. What I did was to put it on a McMillan Adjustable Game Scout, which I think is in between both worlds having a vertical grip and an adjustable comb riser is good for tactical shooting but still light for hunting

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in theory, if a Tikka is a long action then their bolt would have more mass due to being longer. In turn not as short a bolt throw. Is this true or am I wrong and not seeing this clearly?
 
All T3's are long actions but the bolt travel is shorter on the short action calibers due to a different bolt stop. The bolt throw on the 7 Rem Mag will be longer than on SA calibers. Also Tikka has a 75* bolt lift with one of the smoothest actions in the market.

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I know all the Tikka actions are the same length. I should have phrased my original question differently.

If you own a Remington SA and a Tikka - when working the bolt do you feel the Tikka takes longer or isn't as effficient a movement as the Remington?
 

I have a Tikka T3x CTR and 2 trued Rem 700's, one long and one short action. Since the Tikka uses two different bolt stops, depending on the caliber the rifle is chambered for, the bolt throw will be shorter for a "short" action caliber than a "long" action caliber. My Tikka is a 6.5 cm, and I don't notice a difference in bolt throw or efficiency between it and the short action Remington. I do feel a difference in the smoothness. The Tikka is glass smooth. The Tikka has I believe a 60° bolt throw, which is noticeably shorter than a Rem 700. The Tikka is a sweet action. The factory Tikka trigger is better than any custom Rem trigger I've used, and I've used almost all of them. It's a fantastic trigger and worth the price of admission all by itself. The only real downfall I see to the Tikka, and it can be easily overcome, is the tapered front end of the action. That requires a barrel with a tenon a bit smaller than a Rem. That's not really that big of a deal, and the smith can either turn the barrel shank down a bit to match, or mill off the taper. Either way, it's an additional step or you have an odd looking transition from action to barrel. Given the choice of one or the other, I would take the Tikka over a Rem 700 all day every day, and twice on Sunday, if you look at just the action. If you look at stock and bottom metal compatibility, that could change your position a little, depending on your preferences. Many more choices available for Rem 700 than Tikka, but you do have options for the Tikka. Comparing a custom action (Rem 700 footprint) to a Tikka is a bit more challenging.
 

Not at all, the Tikka has a shorter bolt lift so your not all up against the scope body, and its not gritty like the remington. Honeslty, the best thing to do is get to a cabelas or something and cylcle them both and see what you like.

One advantage of the Tikka action is all rifles will fit in all stocks (as long as the barrel channel matches)

I have to agree with above, All day Every day.
 
So here is why I am asking these questions. I appreciate the input you all have given - especially if you own a Tikka and a Remington et al.

I'm either going to purchase: a) Tikka CTR 24" 6.5 b) Rem 700 Magpul in 260 w/ 22" 5R or c) Bergara B-14 HMR or BMP in 6.5 with 22" and 24" barrels respectively.

Prices range from (before shipping and FFL) $850 to $1250.

I own a Remington SPS TAC in .223 that I like a lot, that shoots well - so I'm familiar with the platform.

I also ask these questions because I'm a student of the gun. I want to know more. The key for me is to ask the questions and look for the common denominators.

Most people love their Tikkas. Most Tikkas (for this discussion CTR rifles) are reported to shoot as well as most custom rifles. I am guessing for example a custom may shoot in the .3's at 100 where the TIkka will shoot in the .4's at 100 for about $3K less. Close?

Most people will say they would take a Tikka over a Remington every time - as stated above. Outside of personal preference - why? Most of the time the answer is a) smooth action b) best factory trigger on the market.

Can't the Remington be made as smooth with a little paste and elbow grease? Replace the x-mark with a Timney is only $110 to $120. Does it not bring them on level playing fields?

Or is the barrel quality on the Tikka that much better than the Remington 5R? I have read before that once you drop a quality barrel on an action truing doesn't matter. I do not know if that is accurate or not. I have also been told that a Tikka action comes true from the factory, and needs little or nothing.

We can't really say the Tikka action is stronger than a Remington - if that were the case the scores of custom actions out there would be constructed differently instead of the Rem foot print.

Has a factory bolt action rifle's action ever failed under normal or even hard use?

Not being argumentative here - just playing the other side of the field to better understand your side.

Thank you

 

I started on Remingtons and I own a custom rifle built around a Surgeon action. I cannot think of a single thing I prefer about a Remington when compared to a Tikka. That said I'm no gunsmith so perhaps others can give you a specific advantage. If I were doing it all over again I'd only run tikka and spend the rest on glass - they are that good.
 
BallisticPrimate,

That's huge right there. Very strong statement - especially since you're comparing a factory rifle to semi-customs and a full custom rifle. It's not like you're saying "I had a Mossberg or Savage Axis."

I appreciate your assessment.
 
I agree with Ballistic Primate. I had a fully built/trued rem 700 with a bartlein chambered in 6.5 creedmoor that I just sold for a stock tikka t3x ctr chambered in 260. The tikka is hands down the best way to go to start. And honestly, I don't miss the semi custom. I am perfectly happy running a stock tikka and spending the rest on range fees and ammo. I don't think you can really beat it. Why spend 1800 for a barreled action when you can get a full gun, with better quality and build, for $750 off the exchange and run that like no tomorrow?
 
Rook, its a little more involved than changing the trigger.

I started with Remingtons, this is before Tikka took off in the market. New stock, new trigger, hundreds of hours and dollars in reloading just to match what I can do with any of my Tikkas right out of the box. What I have found were my two most recent Remingtons were way at the end of headspace tolerance. Not unsafe, but not where it should be. Its almost like Remington QC is stuck in "good enough" mode.

I think the Tikka CTR is a good rifle to start with, because you get a great barrel, removable DBM, decent trigger, easy to manipulate bolt handle and functional stock. You can certainly upgrade any of the components because you want to, not because you "have" to.
 
Neat. Got my 6.5CM 24" CTR in and was able to modify a Pmag I had laying around to fit the stock DBM (took some off the front, rear tab, and feed lips of the mag). Really like this rifle in pretty much every way. If it groups well and the grip is close & vertical enough, I probably won't think about getting a chassis or new stock.
 
I got some Lapua brass for my 22-250 Tikka varmint. I dropped a grain from my original load and worked up again. This is 5 rounds @ 100 yards.....I always seem to pull one. This has become my favorite rifle.

 
For those of you that own a Tikka: blued or stainless?

Aside from the obvious reasons of increased element protection is there any other differences between the two other than color? Thanks
 
Three shots group at 100 yards with factory Hornady 140gr ELD-M.

Tikka T3X
PVA prefit nut barrel, 6.5CM, 24" Medium Palma
Mad Scientist muzzle brake
McM Adjustable A3-5
Vortex Razor AMG 6-24x50
EGW 20 MOA rail
Vortex Precision Match low rings
Lumley Titanium bolt handle with CF bolt knob
Harris BRMS bipod.

This barrel shoots the factory 140gr ELD-M with an average of 2831 fps



 
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I'm finally practicing what I preach. After telling countless people to stop buying Remingtons and buy a Tikka, I finally made the switch. Going to swap it to a KRG Whiskey3 and put a Gen1 Razor on top. Have a yodave trigger spring on its way and am on the waiting list for a sterk bolt knob and bolt shroud. Thankful to finally have something to replace my Ruger Precision.

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Just got done installing a mountain tactical 20MOA rail on my Tikka. For anyone who is wondering, yes they do use green loctite to secure the base to the top of the receiver and they do put some sort of thread locker (I'm assuming JB weld) on the screws themselves. My front screws came out with no problems at all, the rear screws took a little more persuasion. I hit them with a heat gun, which did help separate the rail from the receiver but didn't aid in loosening up the screws. I ended up put a soldering gun on them for 1min and they broke free. I'm sure alot of people already knew this but I thought I'd share my experience incase somewhere out there hasn't read up on it or heard about it.

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6.5 in a GGS Raptor, GGS brake, sterk bolt handle, accu tac bipod, yo Dave trigger spring, tikka performance 20 moa rail, NF NXS 3.5-15 F1. (put the razor on my .300 win mag sendero.)