Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum Left hand Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 338 win mag

I've been looking real hard for a left hand Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 338 win mag. They're in Tikka's catalog but questioning if they were never brought into the US like a few other great versions.

In any case, what are some other ideas for a lightweight stainless/synthetic lefthanded 338 win mag with a solid reputation? I really want to keep the total package weight to 7 lbs or less, so that means similar weight to the T3 Lite.

Thanks

Not a Tikka but I sure like my LH Ruger 338 RCM cheap at CDNN under $500 Blue wood but 6.5 # and sights. Bought a LH and a SS RH both shoot very well under 1" 225 Gr bullet at 2580 FPS.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/338rcm-hm77lrcm-20-wal-sgt.html

No go on the 338 Tikka LH. Beretta chose what they want to import, and screwed us. There are many guns Tikka makes in LH that we will never see.

About $425 would get you a 338 barrel on one though. Something to consider. This is the way I went for a 280 Ackley, as I didn't like the other options in LH in that caliber.

Are you sure you really want it under 7# though for a 338? I put a McMillan mag fill stock on my 300 Win. Mag, and it is right around 8.5# with scope. Sure wouldn't want it any lighter. It is a pleasure to shoot though. No more recoil than the 280, that weighs about 8.

I am very sure I want my next rifle to be 7 lbs or less. I'm a backpack hunter and recently carried a 9 lb 375 for 4 days and looking to lighten my package as much as I can without losing too much power for large moose and a grizzly bear if I see one. Recoil doesn't bother me.

Truth is, I'm still debating among a few 30's, 338's and 358's and the most interesting to me (if the title of this thread isn't available) will require at least a reboring. I've been leaning towards a 338-06 (rebored from 30-06) but I have been looking into just handloading light to moderate 338 win mag loads if I could find such rifle available from the factory.

A few barrel makers make barrels in the Tikka contour, or the factory contour can be duplicated on a blank, and it comes out exactly like the factory barrel.

The Sako barrels Tikka uses are good, but I don't know that they are good enough to go to reboring vs. rebarreling. The factory barrels sell quite easily, so that gets some of the cost down.

Try contacting euro optics. They have been helpful to me when I ordered a LH Sako a couple of years ago.
Worth a shot.

Their catalog also says they make a 9.3 x 62, but ...

I actually called the Tikka stocking dealer in Stockholm and asked if they had a LH T3 in 9,.3 x 62. They said they'd never seen one.

Stockholm airfare is stupid cheap in the winter.

I've decided to take advantage of the EuroOptics sale and get a little gunsmith work done. I'll take the barrel off a right handed t3 338 win mag coming, next I'll shop for a left handed t3x, then I'll have a good gunsmith swap the barrels and sell the right handed t3.

After all is done, I should be out about $8-900 for a left handed T3x in 338 win mag.

I'll be loading light to medium loads for a while and like the idea of being able to go up to full 338 win mag loads if I ever want to.

Thanks for the help folks,

I have considered doing the same/similar to get a LH T3 SL .223 with 1:8" twist barrel. ended up finding a LH T3 Lite with 1:8" twist and called it a day.

If you had a reasonable deal lined up to move the Right Hander on the front end, would be mo' betta..

Interesting data point. I always wondered if it was just a matter of getting Beretta USA to put forth the effort to import them ? Or, were all of the lefty's truly just "hens teeth" ?



Yes, airfares on the "continent" can be interesting...

I see the EuroOptics has Left handed Tikka's in 7mmRM, that would be a great choice since there would be no bolt/extractor modifications needed to go to the 338..

Would that also be true with a 300 win mag?

Yes, same case head.

TSS had a great closeout sale as well but their site is down for maintenance, so cant check inventory

I'm thinking that would kick like a mofo.... I'd be leaning toward a 7mm rem mag at the biggest... My 338 weighs in at 7 3/4 pounds and it's manageable, but at 7 pounds and with a different stock profile, it might be a nighmare... I'm also thinking along the same lines for a left hand Tikka lite stainless, but probably going to go 7mm rem mag or good ol 30-06. I actually handled a 30-06 lefty Tikka the other day. Pretty slick piece of machinery...

I like your idea on re-boring a 30-06 to a 338-06. Send it to JES and they can do it for something like $250.00. Might be a better option than re-barreling. Plus, it would recoil less (than a 338 win mag) and hit like a sledge hammer...

I've got a rem 700 in 7 mag that weighs 7lb 4'oz slung scoped and loaded with 2x7'compact leup atop it

Also have a stock 700 in .338 with an old leupold 1.75x6x36mm on it

Recoil is,comparable between the two

I did put a McMillan stock on the .338 and am very pleased with it as it reduced felt recoil appreciably

If I was going to run a lw.338 I'd be inclined to look for a McMillan stock that fits it

Not sure if they make one for tikkas

My son has the t-3 in .30-06

Was sorely tempted to buy one they had in lh for a bit

Those are danged nice lil rifles

I am considering doing the same thing you did, swap barrels with a 7mm and 338 to come out with a left hand tikka 338. How did it end up working out for you?

I was about to do the barrel swap route but the gunsmiths that I checked with gave some caution to the idea. One said it was 50/50 on successfully unthreading the stainless barrels. In hindsight, I now know there are ways to ensure a safe unthreading. But at the time having a 7 mag rebored by JES sounded more reliable so I went that way. Glad I did. It wasn't too expensive and it was a quick turnaround. I put in a Mesa Precision Altitude stock (without bedding as they advertised it wasn't necessary) but I was having accuracy issues. I also found that I wasn't cleaning the bore enough so I went to town with some decoppering solvent. Around this time I grew to like suppressors and thought what the heck, and I shipped it off to ADCO firearms to chop it down to 20" and thread it with a flared attachment for proper shoulder. I also put it back into the original OEM stock and it's now my most favorite and trusted set up. I first wanted the 225 TTSX to shoot but I couldn't but the 210 TTSX shoot very well in it, usually less than 1 MOA. I took a large bull moose last Fall at ~425 yards. First shot put him immediately swaying back and forth and headed down but I put another one into him to make sure. The two holes were only a few inches apart and detached the heart at the atrium.

Great feedback and appreciate it. Not easy making a lightweight lefty 338 happen and glad there is someone out there who has been there, done that. Sounds like you have a great set up and glad it ended up working out!