Tikka's feed slick and are accurate and in my limited experience, having hunted one season exclusively with one, reliable.
A couple of weeks ago, I pulled my latest '06 Tikka out of the box, installed 16Bore's rings and a 3-9 Conquest and headed to the range. I decided to do the clean and shoot break in method because sometimes I feel it helps a new barrel settle in and start shooting well more quickly. Though, I don't always do it, I don't always trust a barrel is shooting its best until it has 100 rounds or so for this reason. Usually, after 4-10 rounds of shooting using this clean/shoot method, copper fouling will drop dramatically and then I start shooting groups. The drop in fouling is rumored to be because the throat starts smoothing up, but I can't confirm that.
I shot the first shot and cleaned and no copper, second shot and cleaned and no copper and same with the third. I then shot a five shot group, which went 1/2" with a Nosler Partition load worked up for an expensive custom CRF rifle I have been pulling my hair out to get shoot less than 2" with any load.
Downside, I don't like not easily being able to see into the chamber through the small ejection port. Even with a limbsaver pad, I think they recoil hard, but maybe the stocks don't fit me as well as they do some. I don't like the plastic bolt stop, but I have not had one break, which is something I cannot say for three well known, $3,000 custom lightweight rifles built on downsized, custom actions.
