Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Purchased my first rifle. Tikka t3. Any suggestions?

You're the man Pharm! I'm gonna get around to trying these. I already purchased my Talley scope mounts though, but I have pm'ed 16bore to see if we can work something out. Anything feel different about changing the bolt shroud, other then making it that much more badass?

I plan on just shooting this thing as it, but I have fun thinking about making the rifle just subtly better then it is. Nice stock's by the way! I'm diggin the one you have in the main picture of the thread, the forest camo.

I know you already bought Tally's but would like to add my .02

I bought the same Lite SS 270 Win in 2003. I was not impressed with the stock rings but thot I'd TRY them and see how/if they worked.

I've now hunted the rifle with stock rings for 13 yrs. I have NOT had to RE-adjust the scope or its position.

So I guess I'm still TRYING them.

Also WELCOME to the fire!!

TGLumber - the suggestions made here to improve your T3 are spot on. Original T3 pad comes from the Ruger school aka "Brick" and needs changing. Ring set up, either Talley's, custom from a poster on the 'fire or the factory are personal choice. Depends on your wallet. Last, the bolt shroud i.e. "polymer" or metal can wait. BTW - check on obtaining extra mags. They're pricey so it pays to shop around. My T3 is in 6.5 Swede. Homesteader

Welcome to the 'fire, TG.

My opinion is the same as Homesteader. Changed out the stock rings as they were far too soft. The recoil pad makes no difference to me. I bought a few extra extended mags for the 223 and one for the 25-06. Expensive, but a worthwhile investment.

Tikkas are great shooters. The fit and finish isn't in league with my other favorites, including the Kimber Montana, but it's fine for the price difference.

A coat of paint on the stock will help improve the rather plain looks of the factory setup. I prefer taping off the grip areas for a little extra contrast.

Fancy looking rifle there Tatelaw! Thanks again guys. I love hearing different ideas from experienced hunters/shooters.

And I see exactly what you are saying with the price difference Taz, seems like the tikka is really a great bang for your buck rifle, no pun intended? Oh god, I feel like that has probably already been played out on here.

Seems like for what you pay, you get a lot from the factory. Not that I can compare directly to any previous time frame of rifle production, because I have never shot them.

You guys are all awesome on here, thanks again for the welcome; I'm glad I joined!

Talley rings, limbsaver pad, and krg makes the recoil lug for like $22. Might try bullets in the 150 gr range. At least for my -06 it was Moa with 165-180 but .2 CTC with 150's all day long. Just shoot it and find out what it likes.

I hve reloaded some for my 6.5 Swede in the T3, and I can honestly say that I have yet to find a load that will shoot a group OVER an inch at 100 yards. Load development is as said -- put rounds in magazine, chamber one, squeeze trigger, be happy!

I too just ordered a t3 Lite in 308. I will mount Talley lw rings and go from there. The advice from the fire was what confirmed my own opinions. I have plenty of time to wring it out before next BG season. For those that used the Limbsaver pad did it increase the LOP? I am a no neck and wouldn't want to increase it much. Good luck and enjoy your new rifle.

mike r

I can second the blue box Feds, my new Superlite 270 put them in a half inch. They shot better than Accubonds and Win Supreme BT's, both of which were under an inch.

The Limbsaver did not add much if any lop to mine, Mike. Darn glad I put it on though!

I've had 5 of the Tikklers and they all shot great.

1. The factory rings on my 300 WSM failed. The recoil pin migrated right thru the ring body. The alloy is soft. I would chuck those Tikka rings as far as you can.

2. I like the DNZ mount best (1-pc). Or you can use the modded Talleys (2-pc). The 1-pc is a no-brainer to me on a closed action, but some like the Talleys. I like Talleys on my Kimber (open).

3. Crank the trigger screw out. It won't fall out.

4. Shoot a box of ammo from prone. If it don't bother you, skip the Limbsaver.

5. Never had a problem with the recoil lugs on my 300 WSM, 300 Win, or 300 Win. Yup, had two 300 Wins!

Tikkas are great rifles for the price. The plastic shroud and mag don't bother me. The only issue I have with Tikkas is the gas handling, or lack of. There is nothing to stop hot gasses from going down the left raceway, not even a flange on the shroud to divert them from your face. Wear your safety glasses (as per usual) and if you plan to reload don't go gonzo.

Jason

I'll second the Dnz one piece best price I found was Optics Planet $52.00 delivered. I got the lows.

T3 SL in .223 with Bushnell 10x mil/mil.

Lightened trigger, Limbsaver, aluminum shroud and modded mag for the heavies. Phenomenal shooter. I used the stock rings on this one and my SL in .308 with zero issues. They are ugly so I'll probably get some of the modded Talleys here soon.

Just painted the stock last week. First time for me. I'm going to do the .308 next. Probably do a similar winter scheme on the .308 and might redo the .223 to a desert/sage scheme.

Enjoy your Tikka. They're awesome.

That barrel looks great with the slight amount of camo on it! I don't think I would paint my barrel until down the road if i do. Fits that rifle too well though.

Mojo,

Is that a 10x 3200, mil-mil by any chance?

Jason

The factory rings worked just fine for me. The factory recoil pad should be fine, especially with a .308. I really like my T3 .223; it required no tweaking at all. If .22 rimfire ammo is available in your area get a .22LR to get plenty of low recoil practice.

You can do as much as you want in regard to rings, bolt shroud, recoil pad, stock, recoil lug, bedding, etc, but I've found none of that to be required.

I recommend you mount your scope well, buy three different boxes of ammo with bullets in the appropriate weight and construction that you want to use for the game you hunt and go shoot. At least one of them will shoot very well. Then buy two different boxes of the cheapest ammo you can regularly find (Fed blue box, Win silver box, Rem green box) with the same bullet weight as your expensive hunting ammo and go shoot. Determine the most accurate that hits closest to the POI of your hunting load. You now have a great hunting rifle, a good hunting load and a good practice load without a huge investment.

Expat

It is, indeed. Got it on sale plus a rebate so was a really good deal. Good tracking and more than adequate glass without the bulk of your typical 'tactical' scope. Sure wish others would make more svelte fixed scopes with 1" tubes and normal obj. sizes. Leupy is about your only choice (although their 6x's are awesome choices).

Only caveat on the Bushy is it's limited ER. Definitley wouldn't want it on a kicker...

Add an aluminum or steel bolt shroud
Adjust the trigger
Get a decelerator pad for it if it comes in a heavy cartridge. I am not affected much by recoil but the 308 t3 I had and my previous laminated 270 seemed to magnify recoil.
Get Talley lightweights or DNZ 2 piece rings

Mojo, that is one wicked cool paint job! What kind of pills you shooting out of that 8 twist 223? I just picked up the same gun Friday night. I got to send in a scope to get a CDS knob put on, so I got some time to think about ammo considerations.