Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Great Deal on a Tikka Varmint Rifle

Tikkas are amazing rigs. They are also the only rifles I own that haven't been modified. Slap a scope on it and shoot.

People crab about them, but they just do that to hear themselves talk. Or maybe it's jealousy. In my opinion, they are the finest production rifle made. I have the baby Tikka, a T3 Lite in 222 Rem, that shoots way out of proportion to its skinny barrel and size. But we both know how well they shoot. Shooters of other brands have to spend money to get their rifles to shoot as well as Tikkas do out of the box.

I asked if anybody used these for hunting in the 'hunting rifle' section , Steve maybe you need more .224 bullets .

$25.17 for 250 bullets

www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item...thp-with-cannelure-250-count?clicks=pak5

Thanks for posting that. I'm sure someone can use them. They will work great in a 223. They are probably too long for the 222, but .223 shooters should jump on those at .10 a bullet!

I received some 222 ammunition this morning. I ordered PP, Igman, Win, S&B cartridges, 2 boxes each except for the PP. I bought 5 boxes of this. I'll run them through both the Tikkas and see which factory stuff each likes. I will also have to do a bunch more reloading for this cartridge. Lots of new bullets to try, although I've no doubt that 40 gr. VMaxes with 4198 will be hard to beat.

Steve,

Why not cut to the chase and boresight at 100 yards from the start?

m

Steve,

I shoot 40 gr bullets exclusively in my 222 and 223's, I did a lot of comparison testing with the Hornady 40 gr versus the Nosler 40 gr ballistic tip.
I only have one rifle in 222 -a Cooper Classic. The other rifles I have done testing with were all chambered in 223 - two Remington 700's - a sporter and a varminter, three Cooper's - one Custom Classic, two different Varminters, and three Tikka T-3's. Twists varied from 1-8 to 1-12's but that did not seem to make any discernible difference, except that my best results were from the 1-10 twist rifle but I only have two of them so maybe just coincidence.
So it was a fairly wide-based test and in every case the Nosler BT's shoot slightly tighter groups than the V-Max's, not by a lot but enough to be noticeable.

I like the V-Max for shooting ground squirrels because they have a thinner jacket and are a bit more explosive on the smaller rodents. But I have gone to the Nosler exclusively because they have a thicker jacket and not only work on ground squirrels but also work great on badgers and coyotes. You may want to give them a try before committing to the V-Max.

I spend enough time in your part of the world to know how outrageous loading supplies are for you, here the V-Max are a bit less expensive than the Nosler but if buying in bulk (1000 ea) the prices are about the same. I watch Cabelas and quite often get the Nosler for around $150 per 1000 on-line, which is pretty cheap shooting, they don't list them in their sale flyers but online you can find them in that quantity.

More than likely someone will chime in with results different from mine.

drover

The individual had no clue about sighting in a scope. It was much easier to show him what to do from 25 yd.

I use rolls of brown paper similar to the ones that shotgunners use to check load/shotgun patterns. It's easier to find bullets at 25 yd on 3'x4' sections of paper.




I've been shooting 222s for about 35 years and always used Remington bulk for hunting, but they do not offer .224 bullets anymore. I still have some left, but they will be gone soon. I have about 1000 50 gr Winchester SPs as well on the shelf in the workshop.. They are for the baby Tikka. I could not make hunting bullets cheaper than what they sold bulk bullets for. That said, I will continue to use what I make, but it's fun to test.

Speer bullets were, and still are, inexpensive as well. They used to go on sale, and were about 10% more than Rem bulk. Their 45 gr. SP shot well in my 788 and the T3 lite. Unfortunately, we don't get the sales or the selection up here from Cabelas or any of the other stores. It's too bad. Not too many years ago, I bought from the US directly, but that's not possible now without an export permit.

For target shooting, I use my own bullets. Part of my workshop is dedicated to bullet making. I learned years ago to make my own. I could not rely on suppliers. I make .224, 6mm, .308 and .313 bullets.

I used to have a set of Corbin dies for forming jackets from fired 22 lr cases, they shot surprisingly well, and of course cost practically nothing to make except for a little time. Not a bad way to spend a long winter day.


drover

That's what I do when it's stormy and cold outside. I spend a few months catching up with various projects in the workshop. I have 6 or 7 buckets of range 22LR cases. Enough for several lifetimes. I get about 40,000 cases from each bucket. I also have boxes of .224 and 6mm J4 and Sierra jackets.



I have three dedicated presses, so the process is fairly quick.



Tonight, I have to mount the Burris scope I ordered for the baby Tikka.

The scope is now installed and boresighted. Out to the range on Monday to finish things. It's so much better than that clunky Nitrex.

I got this in the mail a few days ago. A Tikka single shot follower. It makes load work ups and firing singles so much easier. No need to pop the mag in and out. It fits into any T3 or T3x mag. From Tikka Performance. $19.99

It is. At least up here in Canada.

I wish the .222 and .243 Tikka Varmints were available down here!!

Just saw this and had to object just a bit.

Actually, neither is the case. While I admire the way Tickers shoot and function, they simply don't appeal to me visually. The x-models are better and if they'd make that magazine flush or even go with a blind mag, I'd like them more, maybe enough to buy one. Until then, you're welcome to my share.

'Course, compared to the Smellys you're used to, that mag barely sticks out at all.😛

BTW, I just picked up a Bob's Sled for my CZ Grendel that does the same thing as that yellow thingy you bought. Very slick and handy.

That's alright. You're entitled to your opinion.

I probably would have objected if you had said that Remington 700s were good rifles. They were long ago, but that was still when we were watching B&W television!

Man still dreamed about walking on the moon.
Being gay just meant you were happy.
Back when there was a telephone booth on every corner.
When they still sold leaded gas.
Heck, they still pumped the gas for you!

Jack and Elmer were still verbally sparring.
Elmer had an idea about making a more powerful 44 Special.
Deer were hunted with 30-30s or 300 Savages.
Magnums were just large bottles of wine.
Rifle scopes were unreliable and broke all the time, so few people owned them.

Red plaid was hunter camo.
Tents were only made of canvas.
Everyone drove to their deer camps on bias ply tires.
When Dewey defeated Truman
You could trust your car to the man who wore the star.

Cars that had radios, only had AM ones.
Military surplus firearms were everywhere, and dirt cheap!
Rifles, shotguns and handguns were stocked with wood.
Reloading powder sold for $6 a pound.
Only swanky hotels had air conditioned rooms.

Milk, Coke and medicine came in glass bottles.
Deer didn't wear Kevlar vests.
Hot chocolate was made with real milk and real chocolate.
Firearms companies actually cared about quality.

I probably would have objected if you had said that Remington 700s were good rifles. laugh They were long ago, but that was still when we were watching B&W television!

Not sure that was the case even then. The 720 (last of the Enfield-based Remingtons for the youngsters out there) is the last bolt gun I'd call good. Never seen one.

But then, I always compare everything to M98s, a tough act to follow. Somehow, despite all my pissing and moaning about detachable magazines, I've managed to acquire two rifles that use them in the last few months: the CZ Grendel, and a nice Model Six .30/06. The Grendel scratched a serious itch and the pump provided a graceful exit from an AR I should never have bought.

I can remember when cars were advertised with "Radio and Heater", because both were still options, about $50 IIRC. I don't remember if my Grandfather's '53 Chevy had them or not, but I do know it didn't have a back seat, because he used to throw me back there on the rubber mat to "keep me safe" when we went somewhere.

No wonder I threw up every time I got in a car.😳

I've always been partial to European made rifles - specifically Sako and Tikka.

Of the N. American makers, I think Savage did a great job shaking up the domestic manufacturers with their Accutriggers and better accuracy. There are also the barrels. It would be nice if all rifle companies made actions with screw off barrels that could be as easily removed and installed as Savage. No doubt there would be some resistance to this, but I don't think gunsmiths would see a drop in business over that.

That's why I buy Shilen aftermarket ones.Their Savage drop ins make short work of switching barrels. Not to mention less cost and much less down time for your rifle.

A couple of things. First, I have to correct myself about where Canadians get their Sakos and Tikkas. They are directly imported from Finland.

The second is the 2018 Tikka catalog. I note that they are not offering the 222 Remington this year in Canada.

Tikka in the US has not released their 2018 catalog.

https://www.stoegercanada.ca/wp-con...ada-2018-Spread-Catalogue-02-12-2017.pdf

Oh, man!!

You never know what they'll bring in next year. You can ask them. Try here.

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/service/

This is their regular site.

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/