I’ve been looking for a stainless Varmint in .223 for quite awhile and I finally found one (thanks Brian421). The seller said he hadn’t fired it and the guy he bought it from claimed that it was only proof fired at the factory. Sure, whatever, the price was right.

The seller looks to be correct! I picker her up yesterday and either someone went to a lot of trouble to clean her up or she’s NOS (new old stock).



Bolt face looks new.

I installed a Limbsaver pad, only because all of my Tikkas wear them, and a Yo Dave trigger spring to lighten the pull. Warne rings and a Leupold FX3 12x40mm AO Target scope and I’m ready for load development. She’s a 1-8” so I hope my current 75 grain ELDM load (Carlos) shoots as well as it does in my blued T3x Varmint.







Merry Christmas to me!



P

Nice. Aftermarket shroud, too.

Nice catch, I forgot that.

Looks sweet now all you need is a pile of ammo and a hot dog town...mb

Looks sweet now all you need is a pile of ammo and a hot dog town...mb

That's a super sweet rig Pharm. Congrats on a dandy. Keep us posted as to how it shoots, as if it's any big mystery.....

Can't help but like that one!

That is a really nice set-up Pharm I'm sure it will be a shooter!! I've got an extra set of new 1" Sportsmatch rings in medium if you ever want to use some good Tikka rings

I had it's light weight (sporter) brother and like a dumb butt sold it.
Hope she shoots as good as she looks.

Pharmseller: That Tikka not only looks "new" - it looks great!
I hope it shoots as well as it looks - be sure to let us know.
Now for this - and I am NOT being critical what so ever - I am wondering why you did NOT move the rear rings back 1/2" or so and the front rings further forward an inch or so?
I have always been told it is "best" to have the rings set as far apart on the body of a scope as possible so as to aid in stability/rigidness/better click adjustments - that scope looks nice there but it also looks like a wider ring setting is easily obtainable.
Again enjoy that handsome rig and let us know your results and thoughts on ring distancing.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I never paid much attention to ring spacing. The front mounts have a recoil pin that fits into a hole in the receiver, but I could move the rear mount back a bit.

All of our (mine and my brother’s) Tikkas will chamber the same brass, so all I have to do is neck size. I just ran a bunch of loaded rounds into the new Varmint and they chamber without issue. I hope the fired cases will chamber in the other Tikkas.

Looking at tomorrow for a range day.



P

Well, she’s a shooter. I started off with Pest Control, my 50 grain Ballistic Tip Varmint load.




Three shots on the left are the first three at 100 yards after getting on paper. Two clicks right are the two holes (three shots) just left of the red dot.
One more click right and the bull was gone.

Disappointed, though, that she didn’t like the 75 grain ELDM load. The good news is, I get to work up a load. That’s always fun.

Next up is to chrono Pest Control. I’m expecting 3400 fps.




P

Got to love that

Congrats Pharm!

Another boring Tikka......nice shooting Pharm.

Oh, and the empties chamber easily into my other Tikka, so it looks like I can combine the brass for neck sizing only.



P

Amen brother.....

Glad it worked out for you
Brian

Nice, got one in 22-250, shoots real well

Congrats on a fine rifle . I have the blued version , I think I need one in SS now that I have seen your rifle .

Start looking now. I know Tikka makes a stainless T3x but I’ve never seen one. Mine is a T3. It took forever to find and I got really lucky on the condition.




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Chronoed Pest Control today. Only four shots. 50 grain BT Varmint, 26.5 grains Benchmark (safe in my rifle, work up to it), average 3421. High 3450, ES 46. Kinda surprised by the ES being that high but this load chronoes 3400 in three other rifles. Pretty pleased so far.




P

If you're looking for stainless Tikkas Sportsman's Warehouse has 2 versions, a light with standard bbl and a super light with fluted bbl. I have an older T3 light stainless in 30-06 and it is the best rifle I've ever shot.

I have a stainless T3 1-10” named Blue Lightning.




Shoots like you’d expect.





Had a stainless Superlight but sold it. Too light to see bullet impacts.







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Next stop, finding a replacement 75 grain ELDM load. I measured distance to the lands at 1.940”. I started there, then moved in to 1.900”, then in one more time to 1.875”. I already know that 25.0 grains at 1.915” is a no-go.

Two charge weights of Varget, 25.0 grains and 25.5 grains. Five rounds each at each charge weight and seating depth for 30 total rounds.




The middle depth, 1.900” at 25.5 grains Varget, is the deal. Four shots under .4”. I held one back to help make more. Need to chronograph next.



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Pharm,

Impressive. I'm looking at the T3X .223 right to either replace or augment the RAR I have now.

Question on the Mountain Tactical magazines.... is the SA mag a "do all" - will it work with .223 and up through the .308 based rounds? I couldn't find any .223 specific magazine.

Sportsmans has the T3X SL on sale for $699.... .223 1:8.
I just looked and they don't have the .223 in house but do have them available in the warehouse.

The MT mags are .223 specific. I’m pretty sure the Tikka mags are too, but I can’t claim surety.

I sold my Superlite because it was so light I lost the sight picture when I touched it off. Crazy accurate but I love watching prairie dogs blow up.




P

OK, thanks.
When I buy mags I’ll call them and make sure I’m getting the right ones….

Sportsman’s was all sold out! Even made them call their warehouse to make sure - so now the hunt for one is on.

Find a Varmint, unless you plan to carry it very far.

She’s a heavy girl.



P

Yeah, that won't work for me. Too many different chores for it to do and it'll get carried a lot.
This actually gives me time to look and feel up the offerings and make up my mind.
In the meantime, the RAR isn't broken....

I was shooting the RAR on my steel range the other day - at 300, the little 60 gr Hornady sp's were taking a hike in the wind. Bigger bores were having a hay day on the plates. I shot some 68 gr BTHP yesterday and they grouped well in the Ruger and the modified magazine I have for it. Anything longer would have to be single loaded.

After market magazines for the T3X look like they'll allow me to load long and the 1:8 will spin pretty much everything - so that's the direction I'm looking in.

The Mountain Tactical mags let me load farther than the lands allow. They’re not cheap, though.

That's what I'm after.... I saw the asking price. I don't need more than one or two and I don't mind paying for quality. Buy once, cry once...... lol.

Pharm, I'm south of you along the I5 border and will be looking close to home and in the Portland area soon. If you stumble across a SS T3X or SL in your area, toss me a PM please !

Have a Merry Christmas!

Sportsmans has them onsale for 699.00 right now I think.

Will do. A used stainless T3 1-8” would be best IMO.

And on sale doesn’t mean available.



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Yes they do - I ordered one yesterday online and got through the entire process and THEN it told me they were out of stock...! The guy behind the counter had assured me that they had them, so I asked him to call the warehouse and see what's going on....Warehouse says that for some reason the web page isn't reflecting the fact that they're out and don't know when they will be getting more in. They're supposed to notify me when there's more in hand. Meanwhile, I'll be looking on my own to see what I can find.

I sold mine to a buddy 8 years ago. Found it at sportsmen's warehouse. wonderful shooter.


oh well, just ordered the super lite in .223

MT mags are fhuqking Dog Schit,VarGay sucks ass,ring spacing is a scope's BEST friend,the 12x Reupold's are HILARIOUSLY schitty,50's at 3400fps continue the theme,1-10" is a bane and 75 ELD's are simply without peer in a 8" Teeker 223. Hint.

An AICS DBM has NO equal,a 6x MQ offers more on the reticle alone than a Reupold 12x does "all in",Lever' will grant 2900fps+ with a 75 ELD Smooch in the .4's(Lapooey brass of course),40MOA 1913 is a nice start. Hint.

Pardon my simply shooting it all and then some. Hint....................

(My bad,I forgot pics for the Drooling CLUELESS Fhuqks). Hint.









Though the 1-8" 22-250 "stumped" me. Fhuqking LAUGHING! Hint.






Oooopsie....................

Musta been balls cold up there. Bet you are happy for a little reprieve!

Only -41 ambient,when I peeled yesterday and the 100+ degree increase of home,don't suck. Hint.

Luckily,I don't factor the -65 windchill in the equation...though I left on the last flight........................(grin)

Hey, Stinky, nobody cares about your rusted chit.

I REALLY "believe" you. Hint.

LAUGHING!.............

Hit the range today with more choices. I brought some 1.900” as well as 1.895” and 1.905,” looking for a little tighter performance. My timing sucked, however, as the wind was blowing pretty hard. Oh well.

The 1.905” loads weren’t as good, but the 1.900” load was a bit over .4” in the wind. The 1.895” did just a hair under .5”. I didn’t shoot much.

Quarter-inch squares, 1” sticker.

1.900”




1.895”




I chronoed both loads. 1.900” averaged 2924 fps with an extreme spread of 42. 1.895” averaged 2896 with an ES of 5. Not too shabby for just the second outing.




P

If’n your not careful, that thing is gonna be a real killer this spring!

No doubt. I need me some sage rat killing.