Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Another Tikka T3 Question

Lately there have been lots of Tikka T3 threads about the great accuracy you can expect from these rifles with little or no fuss even with factory ammo.

I'm a big Remington fan but looked at the T3 this week and do like them a lot. Especially for the price of one.

My question is - do any of the calibers tend to be more accurate then others??

Seems the .243's shoot just about ammo well, so do the .308's from what I've seen posted. I'm a big fan of the .243 but found a 7MM-08 for a great price so wondering do the 7MM-08 tend to shoot as well as the others?

I've got several 7MM-08's already but can always like one more:)
Thanks
Frank

Others may differ, but, IMO, any cartridge based on a 308 case is capable of exceptional accuracy in a proper rifle. Maybe not quite PPC level accuracy, but close. Buy the 7/08.

I love my tikka t-3s. If I wanted to make a perfect tikka I would grab the 7-08, replace the bolt latch and ream it out to .280AI. If you have to have a long action I would make the most of it.

For what its worth I run a .270 tikka and love it.

Frank -

I only have a 270 W but it likes WW factory and the only 2 handloads I HAVE FED it.

I haven't tried many different loads because it likes the ones I like.

Like you I read too many others to worry about Tikka's accuracy.

Sure would like to find a stainless .243 - but the 7MM-08 is never a bad choice.

I've owned 6 of them. 22/250,25/06,30/06,300 WSM,7 Rem mag,and 338 Win mag. I handload for a friend who has a 308. The most accurate of them all has been my 7 Rem mag. With the 308 nipping at it'a heels. The 30/06 was next in the grouping dept. All were good and well under MOA with handloads. I'd have to put the 300 WSM in last place. It was finicky and sensitive chamber pressure wise. The 7 mag,308,and 30/06 were a joy to load for.

What everyone else has said...


Load development in a Tikka consists of putting cartridges in the magazine and pulling the trigger...

Sure wish they twisted their .243's and two-fiddys properly...

Seriously contemplating grabbing another SL in .223 and replacing bolt, mag and punching it out to .22-250 AI...

I thought the same thing regarding their .243 which is a 1-10" twist but since I usually shoot 95 grain for hunting purposes it seems to shoot them well - not sure if you saw the post from EricM but his was shooting unreal groups with 95 grain Fusion ammo, which got me wanting one of these since I don't handload.

Sounds like a hell of an idea.

Until you price the replacement bolt...ouch.

Did a cursory Google on that and found nothing...

Given the price of replacement mags it's probably scary!

Still gotta be cheaper than rebarreling and you KNOW you're getting an awesome barrel and setup...

brace yourself:

http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=tikka+t3+bolt+body&ksubmit=y

Well that took the fun right out of that project. Sheese! Any used beater T3s lying around as parts donors?

Damn!

What was I saying about rebarreling??

I remember Brownells coming up but it only showed the bolt stop...my Google Fu must have been depleted.

Not a gunsmith but I assume the bolt face could be opened up as on the 700, etc?

Frank,

I have had two .270's and a .223 in the T3. All have been accurate. I had one of the .270s surgically altered to a 280AI and was the most accurate rifle I ever owned. Somebody on the fire has it now. The only one I still have is the .223 which I have cut the stock down for my daughter to use.

I think they are fantastic for out of the box accuracy and although their durability is always questioned nobody seems to have any real issues. The plastic bold shroud can and will break and it happened to one of mine. You could spend a lot of money trying to come up with a lighter and more accurate package!

With that being said I still prefer my Model 70 Featherweight. No good reason just personal preference. The Tikka is starting to creep into the HOLY [bleep] price range. I think they were a good value for the first few years they came out.

Andy

Berettas distribution and parts chain is the only thing holding the tikka back at all. If we could get $20 magazines or reasonable replacement parts they would even be more popular. Almost $400 for a bolt body is beyond ridiculous. IRRC I looked at their OEM varmint stock to put on a regular T3 and I think they wanted $500 for it.....

I had a T3 7mm-08 that was easily the most accurate off the shelf rifle that I have ever owned. Fantastic trigger. I REALLY liked that rifle but it went to a very deserving young man on his 16th birthday.

Dave

They were cheap when they came out 6-7 years ago

So after trying to find a dumb blacktail this morning - didn't find one by the way.

Anyway, I stopped at the local Sportsmans Warehouse and checked out their Sportsmans Special - I think its the T3 Super Lite maybe?? Its a stainless rifle with a fluted barrel, dang nice rifle. They had a .308 and a .22-250 left. Might need to look for one of those, they did have a regular T3 Lite stainless 7MM-08 that was sure tempting!!