I'm no Tikka basher. I like the rifles and they've all shot well for me out of the box. I don't consider their price point to be in the budget category.
But to say they need nothing out of the box is a stretch....
I've owned 5 of the stainless T3 Lite's. I didn't put 1 to a fair test, but the other 4 walked when the barrel heated up. The culprit in all 4 were the pressure points located 4 inches or so in front of the receiver. They all shot better when hot after the pressure points were removed.
The best shooting Tikka I've ever seen was a 7-08 Eddie F bedded for me in a B&C stock. The same rifle shot well in the factory stock after the pressure points were removed. The rifle shot exceptionally well after the stock switch and the bedding....
This is an accurate assessment.
The fact that you can take an ADL and glass bed it into a Medalist, and still be under the price of a factory Tikka sporting Tupperware, is one that should not go overlooked IMO......
According to your math..... RARs, Vanguards, X7s, and Walmart 700s should all cost somewhere south of $250..... because the Tikka is "$250 more money for nothing" compared to all the above mentioned sticks. Inflating the Tikka street price by 15% just to make an argument seem like a woman at best.... or a Democrat. Let's talk real prices on the rifles.... then the "value" can truly be evident.
Sportsmans sells T3s on sale for $475 a couple times a year..... where can I get a Rem. 700, a trigger, a B&C Stock, some bedding material, and two hours of labor for $475? Even if I could..... I'd still have a grimmy action on a rifle that weighed 15% more that's half as accurate.... brilliant if I inderstand it correctly.
I've had to bed a Tikka or two because of 'lug issues'.... but I've had to bed EVERY Remington I've ever owned... and a couple needed the barrel removed and the factory lug indexed properly. Value is perceived, not factually based, for me..... there's tremendous value in the Tikka at sub-$550 or so. Remington's have been letting me down in the fit/finish/accuracy department over the past few years.... their 'value' has declined in my eyes.
