Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tikka Experience

I bought a Tikka combo that included a Burris FFII 3-9. It was $499 with a sale that took another 20% off. I grabbed it and found out when I got home that Beretta had a deal in which if you purchased a new Tikka, you got 150 beretta bucks. I then used that for an extra magazine and x-mas presents for family.

I was astounded when I took it to the range. Everything I tried, factory, handloads from other rifles made itty bitty groups. I took it hunting and killed a whopper buck with it.

Recently bought a 222 with the hunter wood stock, it was like deja vu all over again, itty bitty groups, lots of dead woodchucks, no tweaking, just mount a scope.

Yup. If it was all that big of a deal, everybody'd get all anal over .223s in short actions. We''d all have to have Sako Vixens.

I've owned several Tikka T-3 SS/Synthetic rifles and they've each given me spectacular accuracy. Plus, I've killed some dandy bucks and bulls with them.

At the same time, I continue to own and shoot a stable of finest quality custom rifles; Gordy Gritter guns, Clay Spencer rifles and such.

Frankly, the Tikkas shoot as well, and maybe finer across the board, as my custom rifles ... Krieger barrels and all.

Forgetting the bullshit elitism, it is damned hard to beat the Tikka T3s. Given a rifle to grab, go out the back door and kill sumpin' with, it would be a Tikka T-3.

I don't have any of the new T-3X rifles, but they can only be equal or better.

Tikkas are just plain excellent rifles and surely the best-of-breed of off-the-rack rifles.

Good enough for this pilgrim, for sure.

kd

2muchgun...

It's blatantly obvious you don't like Tikka's but let me ask you this.....

How many Remington 700s, Savages, Rugers, & Vanguards have you and other people bought that they've had to change out triggers, stocks and even barrels to get them to function or shoot decent? I sure have and so have lots of others.

Lets talk about quality and materials on one of the most popular bolt action rifles sold, the Remington 700, which on average costs more than a T3.

Have you bore scoped many Remington 700 barrels in the past 15 years or so? Check bolt timing? Check receivers for true and checked bolt lugs for engagement? When you have please try again to convince us how superior they are in design and materials. There is a reason 700's are one of the most customized rifles in existence...they require it.

I agree with Col. Whelen....only accurate rifles are interesting. I'd rather have a T3 that functions properly, doesn't need an aftermarket trigger or stock and shoots accurately OUT OF THE BOX (design flaws and all) than many domestic brand rifles.

your mileage may vary...

Hey Rooms,

This here Tikka .260 is scheduled for some hard hunting this fall. It went some last fall, but Eileen and I had put 10 big game animals in our freezers in 2014, so weren't going to shoot anything unless it was an exceptional trophy. (Saw some nice ones though not THE ones!) But this year we're sort of in between: Could use some meat, thanks to Eileen using quite bit while writing her latest cookbook, but not so much I can't afford to look for a good mule deer--and maybe run into a cow elk along the way.

The .260 will be the No. 1 rifle, even though I haven't touched the trigger (it broke very cleanly at 2.5 pounds right out of the box), and the 6x scope is even in the factory rings. The zero hasn't shifted during considerable load tweaking and longer-range testing, so am guessing it just might work. :-)

Best to you and Karen,

I'm encouraged by this! I have a SS Swede lite that I just put in a McMillan Edge from Rick, ordered new bottom metal that's actually metal and plan to use it this year. Not as svelt as a Kimber, but still really nice. The trigger adjusted down and no creap.

All in all I'm pleased with it and I trust it shoot as advertised.

I've hunted my Tikka 595 .243 for 16 years without any problems. Only rifle I own that didn't need a thing out of the box. Mount a scope and go shoot period. Trigger was perfect out of the box. Groups loads it likes into the .4's and .5's and damn near everything under an inch, including several cheap factory loads. In regards to the "cheap plastic" parts, I unwittingly left a fully loaded magazine on the roof of my buddies truck after a hunt last season. Amazingly got going 60 mph down the road before I heard a zzzzip across the roof. Looked out the back window to see my magazine cartwheeling down the tarmack at 60 mph, shells flying out and going every which way. Turned around and went back to retrieve it. Aside from a bit of road rash and a few pock marks no structural damage and the mag still functions perfectly. Except for the spring, the 595 mags are made entirely of that "cheap plastic".

Very pleased with my synthetic T3.

Hey, my good friend, life is great here.

Sawbones dicked a lot with my left knee and it's now in really great shape. Beyond belief, actually.

Loved your "Five Years" book (thank you again) and we dwelt on every single word. E is one hell of a writer and incredibly funny ... you are really GREAT, too :-).

We'll be in Portugal for a couple of weeks in April and will try our very best to find you guys a cook book on Portugee food while we are there (It's different and unreal good).

New dog is settling in and she is probably the finest we've ever found.

Hugs to both of you,

kd and k

Nice, interested that you are using the factory rings, I have always tossed them.
What scope are you using?

Also what brass are you using
I was wondering if Lapua 308 necked down would have any problems as it is heaps cheaper and more available than 260

And sorry but I have to ask one more question
It seems the Tikka is far more popular in 6.5x55, any reason you chose the 260 over the swede?

Steve,

That's good news on the knee! I am sure Eileen could have fun with some Portuguese recipes; we have experienced some here and there in our travels.

Glad you like Five Years of RLN, and even more glad your new dog is great. It is very hard to lose old 4-legged friends, but it's also very good to make new ones. We lost our two old dogs within less than a year about three years ago, but now we have two others who are wonderful too!

Castle Rock,

Am using a 6x38 Weaver, one of the best bargains in "affordable" scopes around.

One thing I've noticed about scope rings is many people somehow place more faith in rings attached to bases connected to the action with tiny screws, rather than rings connecting directly (and with far more contact) to the action. This doesn't just apply to Tikkas but several other brands. Have had excellent luck with direct-connecting rings on Brnos, CZ's, Rugers and several other rifles I'm forgetting right now.

I chose a .260 because of not shooting one for a while, and already having a couple of 6.5x55's. Because of my job, I must periodically retry various cartridges because of new bullets and, especially, powders, and I hadn't fooled with a .260 in several years. (There are several other 6.5's in the house, ranging from a 6.5 Mannlicher-Schoenauer to a 26 Nosler.)

Can't remember exactly where I ordered it now, but got 100 Lapua cases for a very decent price. Am sure Lapua .308's would work, though you might (but probably not) have to outside-turn the necks a little. I used Lapua .243 brass in my first .260, many years ago, but Lapua didn't offer .260's back then.

Not hardly. I am not the one here who got butt hurt and called someone a dumbass because their opinion differed from mine.

And in regards to your other comment, of course I do not have the Tikka experience of JGR. What part about I do not like/use them did you fail to pick up on? However, I do feel I clearly expressed that I may just have a clue as to what is under the hood, and why I don't like it.

The first time I picked up a Tikka, we took the stock off. The recoil lug fell on the ground. Something I have never experienced before or after with any other rifle brand.

I don't need to drive a Yugo until it breaks down to figure out it is a Yugo. It may in fact never break down, but that isn't the point. I just may not like what I see. Or feel it a solid value. But rest assured, it is an educated opinion. I have done my homework. I have owned 100s of rifles. I just may have a clue as to what makes them tick and what I like and dislike and why. I have been tinkering with guns for over 30 years. There is never not something tore apart lying on my bench waiting for attention.

Which I clearly laid out in no uncertain terms. Facts of the rifle, not opinions. We can all draw our own conclusions as to likes/dislikes from said facts. Not everyone requires the same in a rifle. I get that. But some here don't. Because it works both ways. The OP may or may not like what he sees, once all the facts are presented.......

Some pics for the guys who don't care about little cartridges in long actions:





3 Action lengths, same little round.

As seen, as action size increases, the little round gets lost in the pictures. Now I realize some just don't care. And that's fine by me. But I find the little mini length Sako and CZ actions pictured to be wonderful things. They make up for light, slick handling, shorter little rifles ( given same barrel length) with stiff actions.What is not to like? I absolutely love them, and cannot think of one good reason why I would want either to be longer. They are made like rifles should be made, IMO.

Like I've said, we all have different tastes and don't all require the same of our rifles. But I hope I am not cosidered a rifle snob for liking a bit more "refinement" than a T3 has to offer......

I am thinking along the same lines.I have had Boyds Prairie Hunter on a couple rifles and really like it.

My mileage has varied. The last 3 700s I bought all shot great OTB. Still do.

They also came with metal magazines, metal shrouds, one piece bolts, steel recoil lugs, short actions, better recoil pads, and stocks at least the equal of a Tikka.

None cost more than a comparable Tikka.

I see Tikkas here all the time with aftermarket rings, recoil pads, shrouds, and stocks. But I think you can say that about pretty much any newer bolt gun....

Need to add one more thing about the Tikka experience:

They are very polarizing...

does it warrant a 'hate' thread?