Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Tikka T3X vs ?

You old grumpy dudes are a hoot...

PS - you are barking up a tree way over your paygrade.....

Shot all day and am just now dragging ass home.

The Teeker were in tow and shot #1 was at 580yds,to see how Guesstimated DOPE jived. Didn't bother to chronograph the load,as I know/knew ES/SD was gonna be welllllll under control,due load density and quality componentry(Lapooey Virgins,400's,Lever and rech through die 75gr A-Max Smooches). I plugged in a velocity hunch,with the one and only load tried(bumped my tried/true Krunchenticker ASC 75HPBT load a halfa grain,due the increase in COAL latitude inherent the platform in AICS footprinted steel AM 5rd mags). Called it 2900fps and loaded the data to elicit projected DOPE and caught some fair to middlin' weather to boot.

Shot #1 was at 580yds and dead nuts on the money in height. It was shot "up the pipe",less any wind holdoff and the elevation dots were connected.

Shot #2 was at 1030yds and the same thing correlated,so I felt purty good about DOPE. Pard said it best "nowadays you can just throw your [bleep] chronograph away!"...which is a fact.

It got banged around pretty hard,hither and yon',with the 6x MQ doing what they always do. I asked him "would you buy one?" and he replied quickly "I'd rather have a S/S RAR in a Chassis". Be curious to see/hear the thoughts of everyone,after the next pass and some real trigger time. The '06 action is a common complaint amongst others and I mighta noticed that myself,some time ago.(grin)

If Teeker tossed the '06-223 in a plywood handle and it fed from an AICS footprint DBM,they'd have sumptin'. Doubly so,if the receiver was 1913 slotted.

Alas..................(grin)

Where is Big Stick In The Mud for this conversation? Did he hit his 1 post quota for today? It's funny, he's bad mouthed TEEKER for years and now, he's gone and bought one and played with it.

What did I say that was out of context? We are discussing T3's and 700's, I own them both and shoot them both. He is a condescending azzhole.

PS I am not evaluating rifles and scopes for military use Hint. I could care less what works in a sandbox

What did I say that was out of context? We are discussing T3's and 700's, I own them both and shoot them both. He is a condescending azzhole.

PS I am not evaluating rifles and scopes for military use Hint. I could care less what works in a sandbox

Condescending? Not at all. I try to post as bluntly and unemotionally as possible, with the least amount of bias as I can.

I never stated one couldn’t hunt with a 700. You, and a lot of people believe that Remington 700 rifles (and others) are superior designed and better/more reliable/etc. From a mechanical and execution perspective- that’s not the case. Mechanically and executionaly the Tikka trigger, barrel, stock, and action is better.


This has little to do with the “sandbox” and everything to do with lots of rounds and lots of examples of both. In hunting and competition I have personally seen or had happen to me with 700 based guns- frozen triggers and frozen firing pins from both ice/slush and dust/sand. One bolt handle come off as well as a couple of triggers that failed and fired when the safety was taken off. Multiple locked of bolts due to sand/dust, and bolts that could be closed due to same. A T3 isn’t an AI, but side by side they have not suffered the same rate of issues as 700’s.


The Tikka isn’t perfect, but it’s very good.

That Mountain Tactical BM looks to be decent.

Tell me then why does the military insist on using Remington 700's and their clones?
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I’m not Form, but I have laid eyes on internal trade industry memos, not SAAMI or firearms specifically, that MILSPECS are written by and for the benefit of certain companies and trade group members.

The better question is why are our soldiers and Marines given R700 and Leupolds rather than Accuracy International and Nightforce?

I personally have lent a Nightforce to a soldier deploying because the Leupold issued to him did not work correctly. I’ve watched parents buying Nightforces and S&B’s to mail to their deployed sons to replace the garbage Obama gave them.

Don’t even get me going on this subject. Every single Congress member should spend a few weeks with a front line unit, eat what they eat, wear what they wear, carry what they carry, shoot what they shoot, and follow the rules of engagement they follow. Same applies to riding with some patrol officers on an overnight shift for a few weeks.

I’m not Form, but I have laid eyes on internal trade industry memos, not SAAMI or firearms specifically, that MILSPECS are written by and for the benefit of certain companies and trade group members.

The better question is why are our soldiers and Marines given R700 and Leupolds rather than Accuracy International and Nightforce?

I personally have lent a Nightforce to a soldier deploying because the Leupold issued to him did not work correctly. I’ve watched parents buying Nightforces and S&B’s to mail to their deployed sons to replace the garbage Obama gave them.

Don’t even get me going on this subject. Every single Congress member should spend a few weeks with a front line unit, eat what they eat, wear what they wear, carry what they carry, shoot what they shoot, and follow the rules of engagement they follow. Same applies to riding with some patrol officers on an overnight shift for a few weeks.

I’m not making anything up. And no, not all enclosed triggers work the same nor do they all suffer the same issues. The most reliable action and trigger system by far is Accuracy International SWS’s. That has been proven by every single military trail where the rifles were legitimately tested. They have an closed trigger, and have outdone M98’s, M70’s, M700’s, etc. in multiple tests. The next closest guns have been Sako TRG’s (especially their newest 2 stage trigger) which is at worst a sister to the T3. The T3 has been tested by two countries, and is fielded by more entities than most know.

Someone who has shot a gun before can immediately tell the difference between a Tikka and a Remington action. Saying that you can’t is telling on multiple levels.

I had a Tikka. Nice little rifle, accurate, real nice to hunt with. I just couldn't get used to all the plastic, and the long bolt throw on a 223. Sold it to a guy for his kid to deer hunt with, and it's done the job just as it should.

I have 5 Model 700's and 4 Model 7's, a couple old, the rest mostly new. All are every bit as accurate as the Tikka was, and for my hunting and shooting needs, they shoot better than I do. Yeah, the new Remington triggers suck, and those on the Tikka don't. But, you get used to something, as I am the Model 700's and 7's, and it's hard to change. I just happen to prefer the Remington 700, just as a lot of people do. That doesn't mean anything else won't work, and I'd buy another Tikka if the opportunity arose. But, I can guarantee you one thing, I'll always have more Remington's.

I don[t think the Remington is the perfect rifle nor do I think a Tikka for that matter is either. I seriously doubt the Tikkas being evaluated for extreme service are out of the box T3's or T3x that anyone can buy. I have had more failures with a 700 then any other gun I have owned , I had a firing pin freeze up on a montana elk hunt and it was all my fault because I didn't maintain the rifle correctly. I have I have had a 1971 700 25-06 go off when taking off the safety, the gun was pointed in the right direction or I would have had a very dead friend. Yes they have had QC issues and still do but when one finds a good one they can be a good rifle.

Tell me then why does the military insist on using Remington 700's and their clones?

I also apologize for being a bit of an azz and I won't offer any excuses for why I said what i said.

Form, I always enjoy your posts and value your advice. If a guy wanted the ultimate, bombproof rifle, it sounds like an Accuracy International SWS with a Nightforce NXS Milspec scope would be about as close as one could get?

Wow. The Tikkler wolfpack has attacked one of their own.

I have to say that Oldelkhunter and I don't see eye to eye, but if nothing else, he is a fan of the Tikka. I know, because we've argued the merits of the T3 over the years. And he has always defended it.

Seems that his preference of old 700 rifles has struck a nerve.

If there’s another rifle in the Tikka weight class with a reputation for accuracy and a butter smooth bolt throw in stainless and sub $700 in cost I’m all ears. IMO you have to spend $1200-$2000 on a Kimber, Barrett, or Christensen Arms to say you dun better than a Tikka. There’s a few rifles out there with chopped barrels that get close to the Tikka in weight but your giving up performance to get in the low 6’s in weight.

Putting a clubby 34 oz B&C on a Tikka is like smearing chit on your jelly instead of peanut butter.