I recently bought a stainless laminated T3x from Whittakers in 308. Figured it was a safe bet to be a decent shooter.

So far with 3 different factory loads I have yet to shoot a group approaching MOA. I might pull the brand new scope and put a known good scope just to check but this is really frustrating.

Anyone else run into a dog of a Tikka? Do they claim any expected accuracy standard?

I suppose it can happen to any rifle, the ones I've owned have shot MOA or better with most loads. I would check the scope and mounts before giving up.

Dennis,

Try Hornady 168 AMAX match. It's been a one holer at 100 yards in three 308 Tikkas I've owned.

If you still can't get it to shoot, try 45.5 Varget under a 155 Secnar.

If that fails too, send the rifle to me and I'll shoot it a while and get back to you.

I'd swap out the scope first.. Been there, done that.

Ha! I thought from the title this was going to be another one of those "My Kimber wont shoot" threads with pictures of MOA groups. the Kimber guys love to post these ( They seem to think its some great feat that their rifle will actually shoot decent, lol )......We seem to take for granted that Tikka rifles will shoot good right out of the box with any factory load we try. I have owned a pile of Tikka T3/T3X rifles and have yet to find one that didnt shoot MOA right out of the box, but they are man made like all rifles are and you are apt to run across a dog from time to time in any brand...If that rifle dont shoot like you think it should I would send it back to Beretta and see what happens, you got nothin to lose.......Good luck.....Hb

Give them a call.......

Have a buddy that has a 243 win that shoots patterns!

Change the scope and find out if it does or doesn't...

Of course then the subject line of your next post will have to be either boring or even more dramatic.

This would be a first. Most likely the scope

dennis,

One of the basic rules of rifles is NOT to put a brand-new scope on a brand-new rifle, because if accuracy isn't good you can't tell which one is the problem. Please don't ask how I learned this....

But even supposedly proven scopes can also choose inopportune times to go bad. I got a .260 Remington Tikka from Whittaker Guns in 2015. Put a proven scope on it and the first 3-shot group, shot with the 140-grain Remington Core-Lokt factory load, measured .44 inch.

I thought, "Wow, this is gonna be easy!" I then shot up about 100 rounds of handloads with suck results. After a while I realized the scope just MIGHT be the problem, because I'd previously had it on a .300 Winchester magnum for a while. Put another scope on the .260 and it started shooting like a Tikka should.

Sent the scope back to the factory and they immediately sent me a new one. Am guessing the .300 had just about baked it, and the first group with the .260 Remington was the scope's last gasp before going belly-up.

Check the scope and mounts as others have suggested. Also try Hornady American Gunner 155-grain ammo. Mine regularly puts three shots touching at 200 yards with this load.


Okie John

Take the barrel and action out re torque the screws and then try another scope. Also are you using the rings that come with it I don't like them get you some Talley rings

Tikkas come with a 1 moa guarantee from the factory...probably not the gun.

I'd bet money it ain't the gun...

I have a ? for you. Have you used or tried the Tikka rings?
I bought a T 3, 270 W in 2003. I wasn't impressed with the rings either BUT, I thot I'd give them a try.

This past season I shot this doe at 150 yds.



This makes FOURTEEN (14) seasons, with the SAME scope. I'm still trying them out.



They work better than some think.

Jerry

I've had some weird results with a couple of T3s. If someone told me their rifle did the same, I'd probably call BS, but it is what it is. The weird part is both problem rifles eventually shot sub-moa without having anything done at all. Still scratching my head on that one, I've had rifles shoot a bit better with time, but never a drastic change. Heck, one of them(338 Fed) shot 3"+ patterns with factory ammo on the first outing. Hand loads were better at around 1.25-1.5, then as development went on down to just below 1in, so the rifle was a keeper. The shocker was I still had some of the original lot # factory ammo that shot so poorly and when firing it to recycle the brass I achieved submoa. Never seen that before. The other poor shooter was in the 1.5moa range with loads it preferred, not what I expected out of a Tikka. It too started shooting submoa with handloads, but it was not a apples to apple comparison to the 338 fed.

The other two T3s I own shot great out of the gate.

Maybe there's hope yet for yours.

loder

Lug not seated will monkey with stuff

I agree with the others: try a trusted scope. I'll also add check the scope's mounts.

That said, you can get a lemon in any mass produced rifle. I had a T3 in 7-08 that was just a 1.75" rifle at 100 yards, and I tried a number of loads and several scopes.

I still killed a lot of hogs and deer with it, but it never sat right with me so I traded it off.

Last fall I picked up a T3x from Whittker's in 7-08. I haven't shot many different loads through it so far, but all of the groups I have shot are well under an inch for four shots.

Of th 8 T3s I've had / have,the lot have run from one holers to 3/4" guns. The most challenging was a 338 Win mag. Could just be because it kicked like two sons a bitches. The two best have both been 7 Rem mags. 22/250,25/06,243,30/06,300 WSM,338 Win mag and 7 Rem mag. Tika rings,Talley rings,Burris Signatures on a rail. Walnut stocks,laminated stocks,factory synthetic and Bell + Carlson. Pretty well did the T3 thing.

Mount up a proven scope.

Make certain the recoil lug is properly nested.

A good bench,front rest / bags would be a big help. If you don't have a good back bag borrow or buy one. Money well spent. I use my old Bald Eagle brand rear bag. A left over from my BR days. Protector Model can hook you up with the proper bag for your needs. Very helpful folks.

I saw a post on another message board where a guy had a T3 in '06 that wouldn't shoot so 2 in one day is really out there.

I've seen scope screws that hit the bolt and caused all kinds of goofiness.

Friend of mine had a 223 that shot poorly. After checking everything numerous times he sold the rifle and bought a Musgrave that did what the Tikka was supposed to. I know 100 guys will say it was shooter error or something he missed as they just don't want to believe Tikkas can also be inaccurate.

I agree folks can have trouble seeing past the brand. Unfortunately there are usually a lot of blanks left unfilled in these stories. I read a page and a half on another forum about a rifle not living up to the shooters expectations. All the usual remedies were offered. No dice. Turns out the feller was trying to work up loads off of a cordura Wally World front bag,and no back bag at all. Now I have done some decent shooting with my fist under the toe of the stock,but if not I wouldn't blame the rifle. Yes,some rifles are duds. And,unfortunately some folks just dont shoot well either. Until all the "T"s are crossed,and the "I"s are dotted,there is no way you can draw a valid conclusion.

I have Talley rings. I machined them so that they cover then dovetail like we have seen done here. As note, it's a brand new scope from Doug. I will shoot it tomorrow and then switch to a known 15x target scope and see if it changes anything. Really bums me though.

I am using Fed gold medal match ammo as my test ammo as well as some cheaper stuff like Rem corelokts and Hornandy softpoint ammo. Have not shot any handloads in it.

Check those base screws for contact. Might even see some marks on the bolt head.

I own two T-3's. Almost dead-on right out of the box. That being said I went through a lot of scopes on my previous rifles until I found out that the most expensive were not the most repeatable. I bought a Vortex and it stays where you put it. Also buy a torque wrench so you are getting the amount of torque that the ringmaker suggests. I doubt if the T-3 is the problem.

I bought a stainless 30-06 Ruger 77 MarkII which grouped about 5 or 6 inches (seriously) at 100 yards with any-and-all bullet/load/scope/ring/stock-bedding-combinations I tried. (only gun I've ever owned that did that)

I liked the action so much that I just put a new barrel from Benchmark on it, and that solved all problems on all combinations of loads... sometimes, a lemon just happens.

By the way, after I tried all combos of different variables, Ruger just commented that the gun was "shooting to their factory specs".... too funny. I have bought other Rugers since their silly comment, because even a good company sometimes throws out a brick.... Ruger, Tikka, or anyone.

I don't own a Tikka, but after reading all the good reviews here when a friend asked me what rifle he should buy last year I recommended a tikka. He likes it and a guy he knows said it shot so well he went and bought he and his son one, no problems. Another friend who is a very capable shooter was looking for another rifle, I told him of the previous story and he bought a new, old model t3 30-06. Won't shoot worth a dam. He bedded the stock, had to float the barrel and worked up some hand loads, it will now shoot 3/4 to 1" .

I think that Dennis's post was mostly expressing disappointment and perhaps some disbelief. I have not done a search, but I am convinced that you would be hard put to find a post about Tikkas here on the campfire in which someone said that they had a Tikka that did not shoot sub-moa right out of the box.

With my luck, I am also reasonably certain that if I bought a Tikka, it would shoot patterns instead of groups, too. Dennis has my sympathy.

I am disappointed. Maybe I have a bum scope. Hope to find out in the morning. It has been my experience with 308s that if they won't shoot Federal Gold Medal Match 168s, they won't shoot.

My neighbor down the street has a CTR and it has never shot a group over 3/4", most 1/2". It is a 308 too. One of the reasons I bought this one.

I've spent the last couple weeks working with a SS T3X in 30-06. Federal Fusions are 1.5-1.75". I have found a nodule with 165 Accubonds and 4350 that routinely shoot an inch or less (some substantially so). Also found a load with the same powder and SST that shoot into an inch. I like the rifle and am glad I purchased it. However, I wouldn't say it's been easier than a dozen other rifles(Rugers, Winchesters, Remington's, Weatherbys) I've loaded for over the years to get to shoot well. I do have a Sako 85 in 7STW that shoots into 1" with just about every handload I've tried. My Tikka is a nice rifle....but not magic.

Base screws are fine. I had to shorten only one of them. I have a brand new Meopta scope on it -I have no idea if the scope is good or not. One would think that it was last 10 rounds,No?

I shoot off a benchrest pedestal, concrete bench, berms on both side and wind flags. Wind was pretty much non-existent in this case. I have the whole range to myself with no distractions etc. I can walk down range and check my targets whenever I want and am careful about cooling the barrel etc.

I have shot many thousands of groups, many of them off this bench. Trigger is decent and not part of the problem in this case. I didn't tear the rifle apart and "check the bedding" etc. I just cleaned it thoroughly, mounted a scope and shot a few groups with factory ammo so I could get an idea of where it was.

I will go in the morning, take another scope and try it again.

Hey Dennis long time no see. As SOP for me and a new or new to me rifle, I too shoot factory ammo just to disprove or eliminate my handloads. Have you tried Federal Fusions?

I've found them to be as close to my handloads in accuracy then any other brand I've tried (note: no I have not tried all brands).

Sounds to me you've done what's reasonable. I guess it's possible for a rifle to not like Federal GMM, but that would be the exception. I would take the stock off and reassemble just to eliminate any simple things. Does a cleaning patch go through evenly? No weird barrel issues?

Wife's T-3X Superlite in 7-08 is not "wowing" me either. Two close, one out has been the story. A few good 3 shot groups but some 2-3" as well. Just gonna keep plugging with it, but this is my first Tikka and altho there are a lot of things to like about it, it has to improve.

This is where I start with everything. Completely dissassemble, paying attention to the bits and pieces, reassemble and see WTF....

I won't mention a finger tight rear scope base that sent me for a loop once.

It happens.

I've had good luck with a couple of Tikka rifles, but still, you must live in a really small world and don't get out and about much.

I have had 3 of them and probably have owned a dozen Sakos. I now own a T3x in 30-06 which I have not fired, when I do I expect it to shoot exactly the same as the other t3's. AH the beauty of 24hr, getting insulted by pissants who don't agree with what their experiences are. GFY azzhole congrats you are now on ignore

LOL!!!! I'm surprised and crushed at the same time.

I went to the range today with Dennis... I'll let him report the results. Maybe he'll post some pictures ?

I did give him 6 of these from my stash to try out...

OK, I cleaned good, used same scope and tried some more. Most stuff shot so-so but the one load that I wasn't expecting shot pretty good.

200 grain Partitions loaded over 42 grains of Varget shot into .122"




This was the best group with 150 grain Accu bombs that I had.

The Federal Gold Medal match settled down finally.

Here was the Lake City stuff. Ho-hum


I even switched scopes and put my 15x target scope on that I use for stuff like this.



I ended up switching back and leaving the Meopta on it. I guess I'll load up all my 200 grain Partitions, take a couple of boxes of 180 Normas and call it good. Still very disappointing after all the accolades I have seen about Tikkas.

My hunch is it might do better with lighter, mono bullets like 150-168 gn.

Why??

How can you possibly be disappointed with two loads that go under .5" ???? You haven't even got started good.

One is a target load and one is a 200 grain load. Nothing else shoots worth beans. How many people are restricted to using a 200 grain Partition as their only load in a 308? It would be nice to have some options. In this rifle I really don't. I have to load all the 200 grain Partitions I have today and that is what I am stuck with for the next 6 months. I was hoping for some 150-165 grain load for use on wolves but I suppose a 200 grain will kill them.

Still blows me away that it's not stacking everything that fits in the chamber.

A 200-grain Partition would certainly be a ways down my list for an all-around bullet in a .308. But you are going to be in Alaska, and if anybody can make it work, you can.

I would agree with this too. In all honesty I wouldn't be happy about it either.

BTW, I have a full box and another with 38 remaining that I can send your way if you need more.

Run some Tubbs Final Finish through it. I did that, along with bedding, on a Howa Mountain Rifle and it improved significantly. You have nothing to lose.

Make sure the lugs engage somewhat evenly too.

To this point in time, I have enjoyed phenomenal out-of-the-box performance from all of the Tikkas I have owned and been around. However, from a number of other firearm forums, there are numerous accounts of the T3x not performing as well as the T3. I have no idea if these accounts are statistically significant or just an over representation of normal production anomalies found in all products. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to follow this saga and learn if Will Rogers was right again-"if ain't broke don't fix it". CP.

Is it possible the front action screw is hitting the bolt? I had that happen on a M70 before.


I guess there's always going to be bad apple in the bunch. Buying a 308 to me means I have the widest range of ammo available. Buying a Tikka 308 would mean it shoots it all. My 30-06 didn't care what went down the tube.


Bummer...

Not that I can feel with my finger and some stuff shoots good. A screw hitting the bolt would probably screw up everything (pun intended),not just most stuff.


I loaded up 60 rounds of 200 grain Partitions. The 180 Normas are shooting good enough to hunt with so I will make the 2 of them do.


I am not dogging Tikkas but I am disappointed that it has taken so much to get this one to shoot like most people claim that theirs do.

I bought a new T3 SS in .260 and was pretty jacked because of the Tikka's cred but it shot ho-hum.
Did some checking and found some contact between stock and barrel. Fixed it.
Noticed some scarring on the aluminum recoil lug. Installed a titanium aftermarket lug.
Found that my mag length wouldn't let me seat VLD bullets very close to the lands. Modified the bolt stop and the magazine to allow a longer OAL.
And now it shoots like I expected. Maybe even better.

Maybe the T-3X "improvements" have introduced some unintended issues that are negatively impacting accuracy. I know mine is not impressing me at all right now.

Perhaps some Rem Core-Lokt, Federal Power Shok, Winchester Power Point?

Dennis,

Sorry to hear the .308 is finicky.

I wonder if the throat may be long/and or oversize. Have you measured how much bullets are having to jump?

For a 162 Amax to kiss the lands on the T3 I had, it required seating the bullet a full quarter of an inch longer than mag length would allow.

Where did you score the Ti recoil lug?

CHECK with Lumley arms , they sell them and they are extreme high quality.

There has not been enough change to the action to make it shoot any better or worse. The recoil lug and bolt shroud replacements have been done on thousands of T3's with no incidence.

The 308 I had beat a custom built 700 very badly right out of the box. I used Federal blu box 150's vs handloads with sierra game kings in the remington.

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for; Ti recoil lug and bolt shroud, thanks Ed.

Send it back to me and I'll send you another!

You are quite welcome

Now that is how it should be done. Kudos Sir

My offer to shoot it for you for a year/ deer season and wring it out still stands!

I've had super customers service from Whittaker's, and, there it is again!

DennisinAZ, Run, don't walk, to the post office with that thing boxed up!

And one more example of why my last two rifles were purchased through SAS.

Yup, Lumley.

I try some Barnes tsx/tsx or hornady gmx out of it. My wife's 7-08 in a tikka shoots 140gr partition good but shoots the 139 gmx better. I found that tikka uses a lot of freebore on there rifles that's why monos tend to shoot better cause they like a lot of jump.

Your going to feel like an arse if you ship that rifle back and it turns out it was the scope.

Swap the scopes first to Check that "brand new scope"

Skip a few posts?

Hey SAS your customer service is way above n beyond the call of duty!!! From now on,whenever possible I will purchase all of my firearms from you...When people love what they do it shows.I like the way ya take care of customers even after the sale,make things right when needed!!!Well done SIR...ScottyO.

I thought I read through it pretty carefully, I guess I skipped that one..

Good enough

I know you would but I don't have time. I am taking a summer job in Alaska and leave Sunday. I have no way to receive it where I am going. It will work for what I need right now with the one load and one factory choice that it shoots good enough. Maybe I'll buy another one when I get back and see if it shoots the lighter stuff.

It's not the scope. I shot two good groups with the original and two bad ones with the 15X target scope. I shot a good group with the target scope and bad groups with the 10x scope. It is just not a rifle that likes everything. Not sure why.

I suppose 200 grain Partitions are not the worst bullet I could be stuck with!

Shot a new 260 tikka I just bought from the classifieds last night. First load of 42gr. H4350 and 140 hornady sst's were close to .5 inch for a three shot group. I'll tinker some more but i really don't expect that I can shoot it much better.

The funny thing is if those groups had come from a Remington, I'd sigh with relief. Beings as there's sooooo many reports of stellar Tikka's, I'd imagine there's quite a few that would love to get their hands on that rifle just to see what the scoop is.

Fixed it for ya.

Ha! That too....

Absolutely, aluminum costs more than steel yet many were convinced Tikka was somehow trying to save money? You will never find a steel recoil lug in any of my tikka's.

In the future the original tikka action with the small ejection port is going to be sought after by those interested in building a gun that will stack em.

I very seriously doubt that the new designed T3X that is a result of consumer request will ever shoot as well as the original. I fully expect to see a long list of complaints in the future.

A person could always install an aluminum recoil lug but you will still have the compromised action.



Trystan

Holy schit...

+1 million

Serious question, why would a widened ejection port effect accuracy? Winchester, savage Remington all have wider ejection ports still. Plenty of customs built off those?

Because trystan said so. Customers wanted to be able to get their chubby toad squeezers in the port so Tikka said yes.

The general consensus is the smaller the port,the more rigid the action will be. Making it less susceptible to torque and bedding problems. Promoting accuracy / consistency. You can in fact tweak the chit out of a M700 action with the action screws. The same apples to the blind magazine stocks as well.

Only problem is the new Tikka T3x port is minimally larger then the original T3. That said I am running out and buying up a bunch of NIB old T3's so I can save them as an investment.

Do people really think the slightly larger ejection port on the T3X is causing accuracy problems due to the rigidity of the action? Or a steel vs aluminum recoil lug? Quick, someone alert 90% of other manufacturers that their guns won't shoot beacuse of their large ejection ports.

I own three of the new T3x's and buddies own 10-15 more. Every T3x I own is a tack driver, as are theirs. In fact, local guys have been buying the new Tikka's faster than any other rifle in the store. The T3x is our top seller so far in 2017. Most of these guys are Remington 700 converts and rave about the accuracy. The majority are now buying a second and a third.

The issue Dennis is having with accuracy is the exception, not the norm. This conclusion is drawn from hundreds and hundreds of samples that have passed through our doors. Although the new ejection port is minimally larger, I don't put any stock in the assumption that it's creating accuracy issues. I've see too many clover leaf groups with the T3x's to buy into the theory.

I have purchased 3 NIB T3X's all in .300 Win and they are all outstanding sub MOA shooters, fit and function has also been perfect....The minor tweaks Tikka made on the X has only improved an already great rifle........Hb

This is not possible you must have replaced the steel lug with an aluminum lug

If anyone knows about T3x's, it's SAS. Hands down. And you know damn well that as many that have been through his shop, he's the first to know when something is amiss.

I'm wondering if the laminated stock might have something to do with it? Maybe some sawdust in the lug recess? Or termites? Or carpenter bees?

"Accuracy theory" threads are always some of the most entertaining on the Campfire.

Come on now, you know you've got a theory. You went there!

This is nothing. Go hang out with the BR crowd for a couple years. They have even taken to epoxying the internals of perfectly good scopes. Aint nuttin going on on the fire that those boys haven't already taken too far,lol.

Hmmm that's a thought perhaps they got a bad shipment of wood from China that isn't dense enough for good accuracy?

The Extra Ultra Superlite is made from balsa.

That would explain these reports of inaccuracy for sure

I picked up a T3x in 30-06 a few weeks ago. It averages ~1.5 MOA with the few Federal factory loads that I’ve tested. I haven’t done much load development yet, but it shoots sub-MOA with 165-grain Partitions at close to 2,800 fps over IMR 4350. I’ve got 180-grain Partitions doing 2,760 fps and 1.5 MOA, and I can probably shrink that by fiddling with seating depth and learning how to shoot better.

I also have a T3 in 308 that averages under 1 MOA with Hornady 155-grain American Gunner, and will often put three shots touching at 200 yards. It shoots ~1.25 MOA with the factory loads it prefers and ~1.5 MOA with most other factory loads. It shoots ~1.3 MOA with milspec ammo and ~1.75 MOA with the rest.

If someone who knew how to shoot got hold of these rifles, they would probably do even better.


Okie John

This is the reason i bought one. I really wish i had time to wring itout or trade it but i am on the road now and won't have even internet after tuesday next week

Ha! Thats correct because aluminum is actually more expensive thus superior for recoil lugs.......Hb

Hmmmm.....here's a factory barrel and possibly one of those 'compromised' actions from a Remington M700. All I did was bed the action and install a Timney trigger! And this isn't the first time this rifle has done this for me!

Ten rounds from 900 yards.

308 Win/Remington M700 factory barrel/action by Sharps Man, on Flickr

.308 Rem M700 VS by Sharps Man, on Flickr

Just give me a shout when you get back. I realize it may be a while..

Tikka has a guarantee...just send it back.

You said previously that you let the barrel cool between shots. Are you sure that at the beginning that you may have let it get too hot and now you have a little bend in the barrel.? Even some of the experts that write for the Outdoor Magazines have admitted to not being careful enough and ruined barrels. There are too many positives about Tikka on this thread. I would do what Dogcatcher suggests. Send it back to Tikka, before you dump a good rifle.

I'm no expert, but....

Dennis,

I am lost on why this rifle must head north with you. Surely you have a number of rifles in the safe that will do the job with confidence, no?

Deleted post.

Must be due to those special edition left handed barrels.

I recently bought a t3x in 308 used off the rack and it wouldn't approach 1" groups. Mostly 1-3/4" to 2-1/2". I am friends with the dealer and he let me return it. I know I could have worked on the gun to fix whatever was wrong with it, but I don't have the time to do that and who needs the headache. They should shoot out of the box much better. Having said that, I have not lost faith in the brand. I just receive the same gun in 7mm-08 and after the first round of testing have a couple sub-moa loads. With more testing I expect to have a selection of acceptable rounds to choose from.

You may not have the option to return it, so I would listen to the other campers with more Tikka experience and see what you can accomplish. It may iron itself out after you get the barrel thoroughly broke in.

I wish you luck. I know how frustrating it is. These damn guns are not cheap and it sucks to think you got a clunker.

I’d like to add to the bad scope theory. All my wild accuracy problems have been scope failure. My most accurate rifles always wore one particular scope - a Japanese Redfield Gold Star.

Tikkas are for those that.....don't know better!!

I'm glad to see your bolt handle is still intact 😀


Trystan

I can only speak to my personal 1st hand experience with two Tikka T3's. Mine in 300wsm and my friends in 300wm. His has only shot factory loadings as he doesn't reload, and yes he gets MOA groups with Federal Premium ammo. Mine gets MOA with factory and sub-moa with nearly but not all my reloads, but none of my groups have exceeded 1.5" at 100 yards. I can honestly say with out an oz. of BS I have over a 1/2 dozen reloads using IMR-4831 and 180 grain bullets that have given my sub-moa 3-shot and 5-shot 100 yard groups. I would LOVE to post my targets but they are to big (MBs VS KBs) and the system wont allow it.

I own rifles from Remington, Savage, T/C, Ruger, Mauser, Browning, and Marlin and without doubt my Tikka T3 lite was the easiest to get my reloads to shoot sub-moa for and is the most accurate gun I own.

All I can say is every single manufacturer of anything with parts can and will produce a sub standard product, especially ones produced in a price range that makes inspecting each item a financial impossibility. Send the rifle back to Tikka I'm reasonably certain they will fix it.

If I were to buy another rifle tomorrow without doubt it would be another T3 over all others.