Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Using a Tikka Action for a Build

Anybody think there will be a future increase of rifle builds based off a Tikka action? I’ve seen a few, here and there. I only own one Tikka and I enjoy it a lot.

Especially, with it’s outta the box slickness and easily adjusted trigger. I imagine we’re a ways out on seeing the Tikka rise to the level of a Rem 700 with all the cloned actions based off of it...

Anyone have or doing a build with a Tikka?

Stock selection and ready to ship furniture is limited, It seems...Wait times for a custom build would allow for that perfect stock to be finished and shipped. But, a guy doing a basement build may have to settle on a stock versus waiting for Manners or MCM to make one.

Long way of saying...Is a Tikka the future on fast builds? 😎

I believe that Tikka is the future of fast builds because it already has most of the upgrades that people usually do to a Remington like triggers, bolt handles, barrels, and extractors. A Remington may need to have the action trued. A Tikka probably won’t. Tikka factory stocks are already pretty good, so upgrading that doesn’t get you much beyond bragging rights. If you want go to to a chassis, there are plenty for either one with the same magazine options, or you can buy a Tikka CTR.

There are enough really good factory cartridges that you don't need to rebarrel a Tikka unless you want a wildcat or a less-common cartridge like the 8mm Mauser or 257 Roberts.

Based on the features, I’m not sure that a 700 makes sense unless you don’t like something about the Tikka that can’t be changed, like the fact that it can’t be retrofitted to use a fixed box magazine.


Okie John

Seems to me there would probably be a very minimal increase in performance by going this route. The Tikkas I've loaded for over the past 20 years have proven so accurate I just don't see the advantage/return on investment over the stock Tikkas.

Johnny, true...

But, in the spirit of wanting to build something, and I ain’t shy in the rifle build department with a collection of them, and 2 going on right now.

If someone wanted to do a quick build, and not spend $1300 or more for an action. I think a guy would have a great donor action using a Tikka...Like OkieJ suggested due to their strength, good triggers and slippery bolts.

I bet as as time goes on we’re gonna see more rifles built off donor Tikka's and fewer Remington 700’s.

To your point Johnny, and I’ve said it several times. Turn back the clock 15 years, and I would probably own every chambering offered by Tikka and be completely happy.

😎

Hey Mark - great minds think alike I'm actually kicking around a build right now using a Proof carbon barrel and have been contemplated what action to use. And I keep thinking why not a Tikka action for the reasons you and others have mentioned. If you bought a Tikka T3x and sold off some of the parts you could be into just the action for maybe $500 +/- so a pretty good deal to start with. I'd probably drop the whole thing into a Classic Edge stock if they will inlet it for a Tikka and be pretty happy when its all done.

Oh and I'll give you 7-8 guesses on what caliber I'd build

Gotcha Beaver. If I were really wanting to build something, yes I would definitely use the Tikka action, especially after Hill Country Rilfes told me they had to go through 10 different 700 actions to get one example they thought they could work with. Some of the things the naysayers like to gripe about are really great reasons why the Tikka action is so rigid and strong, primarily the smaller ejection port.

7mm-08. Laffin...Too easy. 😂😎

Build it with a Proof barrel...You’ll love yourself for doing it.

Well yes what else is there, and now I have to since its officially been Beaver approved:)

I’ve half thought about getting a 7 Rem, 300 Win, ETC and putting a 6.5 PRC Proof barrel on it. For all the reasons you all mentioned, good trigger, a Magnum mag would leave a bunch of room in it for a PRC and chances are it wouldn’t need much trueing.

I put my 6.5 CM in a Sako Classic EDGE fill stock and love it. Really got me thinking.

The worst part is I am a M70 guy thru and thru and I believe the Tikkas are a good bang for the buck.

I took a T3 and had it rebarreled to 257 Roberts. Jim Kobe did the work. He gritted about it due to the metric threads but it's really nice.

I’ve read 1”-16tpi threads work on Tikkas, so I’ve been under the impression they’re pretty easy to rebarrel

A pard txt’d me the same thing....A lot of Smith’s don’t want or enjoy dealing with them due to metrics involved. 😎

I have buddy who specializes in barreling 600 & 1000 yards bench rest competition guns as well as PRS outfits. He really knows his way around Remingtons and their clones. On any given day you will find every custom action in his shop. He has barreled quite a few Tikka T3’s and says they need nothing done to the actions, zero. They shoot as well as anything plus have centerline feed clips which are super.

Look at Echols blog post about fitting a set of mounts to learn about those “wonderful” M70’s ...no thanks.

I'll use the T3 again for rebarrel jobs.

Yeah but Stick hates them something about OAL and latitudes afforded

Must be tough for a really good gunsmith to master metrics or maybe they don't want to spend the coin to add that feature to their lathe.

I have done a few Tikkas for competition , banging steel and hunting.

Benchmark 5R barrels are used in 6 Dasher (2) one 7.7T and 8T cut to 26" in #5 & #6 contour in bedded factory stocks, 260 Rem cut 26" 8T Tikka Varmint profile Benchmark 5R barrel in a Boyds Varmint stock, and a 280AI cut 23" 5R 8T Benchmark barrel #3 profile also in a factory bedded stock.

Also, a 300 Win Mag Tactical, stock barrelled action in a McMillan A3-5 stock.

The 8T Dasher was built for club sporter and hunter classes at 1000 yards, it will run as low as 5 1/16" 5 shot group at 1000 yds on a good day. This is a bedded factory stock muzzle <0.750 and < 10.5#.

The 7.7 T Dasher is in a bedded Tikka Tactical stock and is braked, its a 9" rifle at 1000, 5 shots.

The 280AI is factory stocked and bedded, get 50% hits on an IPSC target at 1160 yards with a 10X scope.

The 260 is new and I am still fireforming brass.

The Tikka 300 mag has gone to 4.00" 5 shot groups at 1000 yards, that was done before the Mcmillan was installed....a stock rifle in all respects.

These rifles require very little to make them shoot, bedding is good for a 1/4 moa across the board, a YoDave spring brings the trigger competition standards. I use Talley pic rails and Burris Signature Zee rings on all of them and SWFA 10X , 20X scopes, 6x24 Sightron and a 4x16 Vortex PST.

In the scheme of things these are budget set ups that have proven competitive.

And, the bonus is no truing of actions, no aftermarket triggers, no BS, this saves 100's on a build.

If a fella bulks about changing the gears in the headstock to build my Tikka, someone else will get the job. The lathes I've been around are a simple gear change. Takes a couple minutes tops.

Not shocked by this.....😎

Built a couple of target rifles on Tikka actions about 35 years ago. They worked OK. No better, no worse than most everything else. All in all, the Tikka is every bit as good as a Howa or similar action. GD