I just went by the warehouse to pick up some bullets, and wandered over to the gun rack. I noticed a Tikka with a fluted barrel and asked to handle it.

Apparently they have an exclusive deal with Tikka to sell this rifle. It's a T3 lite in every other way except the fluted barrel of course. I believe the chamberings were .270, 30-06, and 300 Win. Weight is listed as 5.8 lbs.

Thought I'd pass it along in case anyone is considering pulling the trigger on a Tikka in the near future.

Hi Dave

Are you sure this will be the one-

If the A7 doesnt work out- you should look really hard at the Rem ti in.270.

Good Luck

Rest assured...the A7 is where it's at.

I called the store in Casper and they had a couple of them, wish the made it in 25/06...never happy are we?

Dober

Can anyone tell me about the T3's "fiberglass reinforced copolymer" stock? I sounds better than the Remington tupperware stock but how much better? Do most serious Tikka owners yank off that stock and buy a McMillan?

It is a molded stock no doubt, but I don't care I love it. It is a great design and relatively stiff.

I know a lot of T3 shooters here in Mt and don't know a single person who's restocked them..these guys are too serious of hunters to be farting around with restocking..

Dober

The T3 stock is very stiff if a bit loud when branches rub on it.

BTW, does McMillan even make a stock for the T3?

With the stock mounted recoil lug and all?

No McMillian last I checked but they hinted at plans. Manners makes one.

I know some cowboy out here in Montana who will shoot some foam into that stock..

Is that the same cowboy who has added the redneck palm swell to his rigs with duck tape...

Dober

Also the same one who almost glued a high-dollar trigger group into his rifle with expanding foam..

Friction grip tape Dober, c'mon get with the program buddy.....(grin)


I heard some dumbass used that spray foam on a Sako 85 stock. Apparently it oozed into the trigger housing and made one helluva mess. Damn idiot.....(laughin'!)


Loco beat me to it.

Pretty sure I'll find you a nice 11" goat for bringing this up!

I figured there was a McMillan available, didn't even know that. The stock has some interesting lines and hearing that it works fine is encouraging. So many rifle offerings these days require quite a bit of customizing.

Doh!

This is right from Ryan at McMillan--

The stocks we inlet for the T3 are the sako classic, hunter and varmint, A2, Adj A3-5 and A5.

I'm in for two, and glad. It's about time a quality stock builder started inletting for Tikka's.

i can think of several things that i would do differently if i ran tikka's shop...
but i don't, and it's hard to argue with the way they shoot....

What did the price tag say? (usually one of the first things I look at)

We make stocks for the tikka T3, we can put the T3 into the sako classic, hunter and varmint pattern stocks.

We epoxy in a steel recoil into the stock so you don't need your factory stock one.

I don't particularly care for the pattern of the t3 stock but it is very heavy duty for a factory piece. I would also think it would be nearly impossible to duplicate how tightly and accurately the stock is inletted for the barreled action. that is one of the secrets to why they shoot so well the factory stock fits very very well is pretty darn stiff, the action has a port with no open part across the top.

just checked out a superlite today at sportsmans, it is noticeably lighter than a regular t3, kinda makes buying a crap shoot kimber an unwise idea if you want a light weight rig.

Anyone confirm what calibers they come in?

I'd take 1 Kimber over 2 T3's every day and twice on Sunday.

Any chance you glanced at the price tag?

I THINK it was $679

Hmm, a 'Finnlight' barrel perhaps?

Interesting......perhaps the MOST gun for the money today...

Wow!

I guess I'd get 1 Kimber before I got 1.4 T3's.

I'd take 2 T3's over - 1 kimber a 100 times over.Smoother action by a long shot. Way more likely to be accurate. No need for a base..

I have three Kimbers, and they shoot pretty well with what they like, but the seven T3's I've owned shoot everything well, and what they like exceptionally well.

Yeah, Finnlight barrel is what I thought when I saw it as well.

The Boise store price was $679.

Stainless or blued?

Stainless

my closest sportmans is like 3 hours away. Does anyone have pics of these "sportmans wharehouse tikkas"??

vssb,

They look/are EXACTLY like a standard T3 lite, execpt with a fluted barrel.

Dave

Dave,
I'm waiting on the Tecomate. David Morris claims it will revolutionize deer hunting. I'm moist with anticipation and the idea that I'll instantly be a better deer hunter.*grins*

Scott,

I saw that thing (Tecomate).

As my senile but lovable grandmother used to say about the Enquirer...."They wouldn't write it if it wasn't true". As such, you better make room in your safe by sending a couple more my way to make room for the Tecomate...I'm thinking the .280 KS specifically.

BTW--The A7 was throwing some rather nice groups this morning with 168 TTSXs. It was enough to make a guy forget about the .270 Ti.

Dave

It is on page 2 of the Fall Hunting flyer from Sportsmans Warehouse!
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/documents/Fall%20Insert%20Alaska_FINAL.pdf

Looks like a standard Tikka with a Finnlight barrel.

Calibers listed are .270 Win, 30-06 & 300 Win Mag!

Sale Price $649.00 reg $699

Bumping this back up...

Finnlights have a 20" barrel, looks like the Super Lite has a 22" barrel in the pic???

dogcatcher,

Yeah, my apologies as I didn't know the finnlights were 20". These were definetely 22 at least. Might have been 24", but it's been a while since I saw that first one.

Funnily enough, I ran into a guy in the WILDS of Idaho camped on a remote ledge by himself and he had one of the damn things. He loved it.

Dave

I would like to check one out, but the closest Sportsman's and Cabelas is two hours away...

Depending on the caliber, Finnlights come with either 20 1/4, 22 7/16, or 24 3/8 in. barrels

Thanks, didn't know they changed it in the 85's. My friend has a 270 in a 75, and it has a 20" tube.

Frigg'n Tikka & Sako's.

My 25-06 sako smokes M&M's at 100 yards like I'm shooting a target 22

So, I called Cabelas, and they have a couple priced at $749, and he confirmed it was stainless, fluted, with a camo stock.

Called Sportsmans, and he said they didn't have any Super Lites, at least in camo. Then he said they did have some with fluted barrels, but they had a black stock??? Priced at $679.

I thought the Super Lites only came in camo? Can anyone confirm? the guy at Sportsmans didn't seem real versed on the Tikkas.

thanks.

Yes...we know you don't like Tikka's...

[quote=dogcatcher223]
I thought the Super Lites only came in camo? Can anyone confirm? the guy at Sportsmans didn't seem real versed on the Tikkas.



I just bought one today from sportsmans. 300win mag, has the 22" barrel with a black stock. Its basically a normal T3 with a shorter fluted barrel.....Should kick like a rented mule and provide many laughs letting my friends shoot it.

TFF!

Thanks for the info. I am guessing that the ones Cabelas sell are camo, and the ones that Sporty's sells are black. Makes sense that they would want different versions.

I called Beretta today, and the guy there said he had only "heard" of them, and never got any info on them either. Said they were shipped directly to the stores from the factory.

Correction....The barrel measures 23 7/8's......I had to call the guy at sportsmans and make him measure it.

Are these Superlites still available? Did they ever offer them in a SA like a 7mm-08?

All Tikkas are a standard long action. But getting one in 7mm08 and opening it up to a .280AI sounds beautiful.

hear hear,......:-)

ream it out to 280AI and swap in a 270/30-06 magazine and you're golden....

before anyone asks...no, you can't ream the 7-08 to a standard 280 without at least 3/8" of set back....the 280AI will clean up a 7-08 chamber.

Actually saw a couple at the Bass Pro in Columbia, MO yesterday. Black stock, blued version. I think it was $629, but I could be wrong.

The plastic stocks are plastic. Nothing magical about the fiberlass reinforced polymer.. Fitted the two in the family with a KRG Chassis and a Manners composite. If anyone is looking for an upgrade Tom Manners has been making stocks for the T3 for quite awhile. B&C makes one with an integral recoil lug as well.

I've owned exactly four Tikka T-3s in my life.

Goodness knows how many rounds I shot through the four rifles, but a lot.

I have yet to shoot a five-shot group with any of the four rifles that exceeded one-inch. For my money, the Tikka T-3 Stainless/Synthetic is the smoothest, most accurate rifle out there. And for the money, it is absolutely impossible to beat.

Dang, wouldn't one of the Sportsman's Warehouse "Superlites" in .25-'06 be a winner??? BUT they probably don't make it ... probaably .270 and .30-'06 is the choice.

Still, we can DREAM about one in .25-'06

Blessings,

Steve

Cabelas has it with a camo stock SS. BassProshop has them in Chromemoly black stock and Sportsmens has them in SS with a black stock..They are asking 679 for their version. The one in Columbia SC has a few in stock.

Got one from Sportsmans in .308 haven't shot it yet...soon!

Fairchase,

If yours ends up shooting like mine, you may be "ruined" for other rifles. Mine has become my goto rifle for anything--absolutely love it!