Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles T3 243 Range Report

Warning: This is another report on the boringly accurate nature of the Tikka T3 rifle. Paper and steel pictures with small groups will follow.

Bullet #1: 87 VMax. 600 Yard Gong.

Two Groups on steel. Group #1 is at the 2 o'clock position. Yes, thats two of the three almost on top of each other. When Group #2 at the 3 o'clock position only rang home two out of three, I knew it was time to adjust for wind.



Adjusted for wind and shot again. 600 Yard Gong.



Bullet #2: 95 BTip. 100 Yard Paper.



Load development for both consisted of choosing a book recipe, using virgin Winchester Brass, Fed 210 primers, and COAL's that I collected from posters here. If fit in the mag and chambered with ease, I went with it. The 87's went 2.71 and the 95s went 2.75.

I think Tikka's marketing slogan should be: "T3 - We make reloading really, really boring."

I like it! Very true too.

Tikka strikes again.

Love those tikka rifles

Too bad the bolt throw is twice the length of the cartridge.

What powder with the 95's?

IMR 4831.
42 gr
Fed 210
Winchester brass
2.75 COAL

Ringworm, I've seen you badmouth Remington and now Tikka. I'm curious as to what you prefer? I've tried finding that perfect factory action and accurate barrel and they all have their nuances.

I think he has a Steyr tattoo.

I've never killed anything and thought damn I wish I would have had a different action length.

I have T3's in .30-06 and .223...Accuracy just stupid for what was paid.The reloading is fun but no real load development or tinkering at all.Next week I will be getting a .243 ordered up cuz all the guys that have the .243 at my range seem way happy with em..50years old never thought I needed a .24cal cuz I'm a diehard .25cal shooter...GLAD they let me take some pokes farther than 100yds...ScottyO.

Don't know why, with the tikka being so good on all fronts, have they refused to make a proper SA?
Great rifles. Accurate, cheap...but long bolt throws and 2.75" cartridges? It's like the 110.
A pain.

So,

what rifle do you prefer?

If that bothers you, you need to take up a different hobby.

Obviously you've spent a lot of time with Tikkas there Ringpiece...... the bolt throw is still only 2.8" on the short actions.... thanks to the magic of that new fangled bolt stop thingy. Action length is still long.... but at about a 1/2 lb lighter than Rem/Win "short action rifles".... I don't see what the f'n gripe is about.

I also don't hear anybody all up in arms with their '06 in a Rem "long" action..... seems the bolt throw on one'a those babies is about a half inch too long.

Or how in the world can anybody run a .223 in a short action.... WAY too much bolt throw lengh there.... fhugking Chuck Knoblauch kinda overthrow....

Ag.....
I've shot a few 87s outta a T3 Lite .243.... it's about as good as it gets in a 1:10....

It was your reports of the 87s that had me trying them. Great suggestion!

It was introduced as an economy gun
you dummy

Ag, you think you might give up your Montanas for more T3s?

My 270 84L Montana has some real good juju from Brad. It was a successful mountain elk rifle for him. Its shown me that it has a great barrel, great trigger, and cycles right every time. I love the Montana stock.

As a light beat-em-up mountain rifle goes, if you have a clean Kimber that you are confident in, I don't think it gets much better. That Montana will stay.

I think the better question is... will I buy more Montana's or more T3s?

When its 2 for the price of 1 plus all the stupid good accuracy of the Tikka... realistically, my Montana buying days are probably over.

Boring is a word that comes to mind when I think of Tikka.