I'm not at all familiar with Tikka rifles but they seem to be gaining in popularity. It's my understanding that they are made buy the same company/ownership as Sako. What makes them unique when they are so many "box" rifles to choose from?

Accuracy. Tikkas are usually VERY accurate, especially the heavy-barreled models, which have lapped bores. But the Superlite model (slim fluted barrel) is also light enough for a lot of "mountain hunters." One of my own Tikkas is a Superlite .260 Remington, and the group shot with it while checking the scope last fall before hunting season was just under half an inch--from a rifle that weighs 6-3/4 pounds with scope.

Tikkas are indeed made by the same "company/ownership" as Sako. In fact they're made in the Sako factory in Finland, and use the same barrels as Sakos.

Generally they are trouble free out of the box, offered in many calibers with an appropriate twist rate or choice in some calibers, they do not need to be 'trued' 'lapped' or any other tricks to make them shoot well.

The triggers are very good and adjustable by the user, there is a big and growing aftermarket for customization.

The Tikka rifles have excellent barrels, the heavy varmint contours are on par with any good aftermarket brands, the actions are smooth (with no smithing work to make them so).

The only thing I do is bed the action, this aids in consistency, but for hunting is totally unnecessary.

They are reasonably priced for what you get, what you get is solid performance.

Some do not like the feel of plastic (actually a polymer) but it will stand up to rugged use and is actually quite stiff.

With best handloads they will hold in the 0.3-4 moa range for 5 shots and 0.7-0.8 range for 10 shots, this is at 1000 yards.

I have 4 Tikkas now.They all shoot sub inch and better.The trigger is the same as a Sakos.It is hard to argue with a rifle that you don`t have to dink around with to get to be able to shoot good in their price range.

Interesting, thanks!

They are a "Plug and Play" rifle - choose your caliber, put a scope on it - go out and shoot good groups or go hunting.
No drama, no having to bed, adjust trigger, they shoot good with factory ammo and respond well to practically any good handload.

There are other rifles I like the looks of better, and there are other rifles that feel better to me but I have never owned rifles that were so consistent with good performance with no rework being required.

I have a gunsmith friend in Canada who is building on the T-3 and I asked him his opinion of why they shot so well - his answer was "they are the truest out of the box actions I have ever worked on and generally rival most custom actions in tolerances".

drover

I was on the fence about buying a Tikka rifle, then I did it. I'm glad i did too. Like others have said, it's easy to make it shoot well. I have the T3-x in a 7-08, no regrets on this one.

I did paint my stock. I think it looks better now.

Have a good day.

That's great to know about the heavy barrels. So far have only owned the stainless Lite models - no complaints there at all - but just bought a T3x Varmint in 6.5 CM last week and have another Varmint model in .223 coming in a few days. Darned rain has kept me off the range this weekend but hopefully will get out in a few days to see what the Creedmoor can do.

These two make my 5th and 6th Tikkas, bought for all the reasons already listed.

My first was a T3 bought a few years ago and I'm glad they made those changes to the T3x stock. The checkering is grabbier and it feels better in the hand.

Produced on CNC machines by well paid and trained workers.

Tikka rifles cost almost twice as much in Europe then in the US..


Quality barrel
Quality trigger
Quality plastics
Better then most factory stocks


Its a "sportorized" Sako TRG-22..

If tikka rifles were $1500 I'd still buy one to hunt with and rebarrel it when needed for the rest of my days. Yes there that good


Trystan

This explains why there hasn't been a trace of copper fouling on either of my CTR's.

Thank you for this insight.

Unless you fat fingered a zero. 0.7-0.8 10 shots at a 1000 yards! Film it and show us, I call bull Schiff on that one! I have a 7-08 Tikka it shoots good but not that good. Maybe at 200 yds if I'm having a super day.

Yep.

Looks like a Tikka to me.

I wondered the same thing and the few I knew that had one all said the same thing, "tack drivers" out of the box. So I bought a Superlite in 6.5 Creed and cut the barrel at 22 inches and tossed a 3-9 SWFA on it and by golly, "tack driver".

I liked it so much that I bought the big CTR in 6.5 Creed for range use and put a Bushnell 4.5-18 LRHSi on it and "tack driver". I mean every one that shoots that big gun from the bench is a "tack driver". Good barrel, good trigger, etc.

I am now thinking a 21" barreled peep sighted Superlite in .358 Winny with a 10 round mag. might make a good "tack driver" big bear gun for hikes here in Alaska and when fishing the salmon streams. Or how about a Superlite in the 7mm WSM, a real long range "tack driver".

I like the rifles and I am a hard core walnut and blued steel Mod. 70 user since I was a kid.

It is in the public record, 8.00" at 1038 yards. it got me a 3rd place finish in our club event in the unlimited class. Tikka Tactical in 300 wm, 185 Berger Juggernauts, 75.75gn RL-22, 3005 ft/s, ES 8 ft/s

Axtell,

I suspect our friend Heym06 thinks "MOA" means "inch:"--which is pretty common. Dunno why, but quite a few shooters don't understand that minute of angle (MOA) increases proportionally with distance, so is NOT a simple, constant inch. (In fact it isn't even an inch at 100 yards, but slightly more.)

Had the same thing occur a couple years ago when I mentioned owning a 6.5-06 that would consistently average three shots into 1/2 MOA at 600 yards. One guy got really upset, calling BS on "half-inch groups at 600."

Heym06,

One minutes of angle is 1/60 of a degree, which at 100 yards is 1.047 inches, not one inch. It increases proportionately with range:

200 yards--2.094"
300 yards--3.141"
600 yards--6.282" (1/2 MOA at 600 is 3.141")
1000 yards--10.470"

The math is very simple. What's not simple, apparently, is convincing shooters that one inch is not one MOA.

Mule Deer = The gift of tact.

Jealous... cause I DON'T have that gift!

I'm not convinced that any math is simple.....but I'm convinced that I'm going shopping for a Tikka

Tikkas are so accurate that angular measuring systems had to be tightened just for them. 1 MOA for a Tikka = .84"......

You are right. Been trying to convince people for years that a .25 inch group beats a .25 MOA group everyday. Some just don’t get math.

I did the same thing, except after I bought my first CTR, I was so impressed with it, that I bought another CTR. At my clubs last centerfire/precision rifle shoot, I even felt guilty for pulling the CTR with Nightforce out. I could have been just as happy with my Savage, but no one of my buddies begged me to pull the CTR out:



I actually like my Tikka's better than my Sako long range hunter, but that rifle actually shoots pretty good too: Furthermore, I don't care if you guys are measuring moa or inches, it's a no brainer that Tikka's just shoot....

I would bet Chuck Norris would like a Tikka rifle.

Tikka Superlite 708

They suck

Pretty fascinating really to see a "box" rifle get this much praise, considering that there are so many options out there today, not that they are all that much to write home about.
I don't need another rifle really but I will be sure to check out a Tikka next time I can get my hands on one. I'm a dyed in the wool Win 70 fan but I suppose I still capable of learning something from time to time.

Accuracy

Accuracy, affordability, lack of quality built affordable, American rifles produced, accuracy (I like accuracy ). memtb

i'm with you mem as in i LIKE accuracy too and can overlook alot of "deficiencies" whether actually there or perceived if i get the accuracy that Tikka rifles wayyyy more so than not provide.
Big Ed

What sets them apart from other box rifles? Everything's already been covered, but below are the reasons I've been using and recommending tikkas above all the other options. And I've put them in rough order of importance to me:

Action - smoother than anything I've tried, and more reliable, I've never had any feeding, extraction, ejection, or other issues, can't stand that happening with hunting rifles, they're supposed to work, every time

Trigger - crisp and light out of the box, simple turn of a screw puts them at ~2lbs

Scope mounting - I like the warne and sportsmatch rings, clamp directly to the receiver, it's solid, and simple

Stock - ergonomic enough, stiffer than most, bedding is pretty optional, unlike most

Accuracy - I've had one tikka before that didn't shoot very well, other than that, all the others are more consistently accurate than most other rifles I've had to tweak to be accurate, and that's straight out of the box

I bought a new T3 SS in .260 before the Creedmoor Craze 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 from Lumleys.
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.

Correct I was thinking one inch. I with draw the be part!

Bought my first Tikka 20 years ago.......

595 in 7-08......ordered blue syn..........

opened the box & it was SS/syn.....dammmm

Never got a bad one.all shot well & action was a smooth as a baby's azz........

Prob my least fav was a SS/varmint 223 T3.....shot OK......

but my all time fav was this one in 6.5x55.....G/kids have it now in AZ.......

A little shine has come off
Tikka's with their current pricing. They are no longer a lot cheaper than
a 700 or similar.

However, quality is still what it has been

I don't have any customs to compare to, but many have complained that
the out of box Tikka out shoots their custom.

Mine have been easy. My standards are low, my efforts match.
Everything that goes into the chamber is fine. 1 inch is easy. I'm happy.

whats not to like from a Finnish rifle builder...Sako......Tikka

add the ole 6.5x55 in the mix.......

couldn't be better outta the box

https://www.sako.fi/sako-history

https://gundigest.com/rifles/ars-rifles/the-sweet-swede-ode-to-the-6-5x55

I paid 495.00 for my walnut/blue Tikka 595 back in 2000. Priced a 700 BDL at the time and it also was 495.00 at the same shop where I bought the Tikka.

One more data point in the accuracy population (or 12 more if you want to count it that way).

These are the very first 12 groups from my brand new T3x 6.5 CM Varmint model. Had it out this morning, fired one shot to sight in and then started shooting groups. That group on the left in the top row represents the 2nd through 6th rounds down the barrel, they went into a .386" group for 5 shots. The others are 4 shot groups. I'm a real mediocre bench rest shooter and have a bad habit of throwing a flyer out of a group, otherwise the numbers here would be even better than they are.

These 12 groups represent two different bullets - Hornady 123 A-Max and 140 ELD-M, with two different powders for each bullet, RL-17 and H4350, two different charge weights for each powder with two radically different bullet seating depths. The absolute worst group is the middle in the third row and even with that flyer went into .811". The very best is the left one fourth row down, 4 shots into .236". Average of all 12 groups is .504". Most of these even with the flyers are in the low .4's to low .5's.

Count me among the satisfied Tikka shooters.





The only thing I kick myself over is that if I had bought this in a .270 it would really shoot....

That is some awesome shooting Jim. That Tikka Varmint package is a superb looking setup. Congrats.

Never owned one, but the used ones I've fondled at gunshops have been impressively smooth. Would certainly consider one if I was in the market, which I ain't, REALLY Honey, I swear!

Still don't care for the mag hanging down, or the plastic in places I don't think it should be, but those are quibbles.

I had heard of them and while buying my hunting & fishing license in 2005 I asked the salesman what kind of rifle that was in the rack? He said Tikka, they're made by Sako. I said I had a Sako and it was heavier than I liked. He handed it to me and I said it feels lite and good, but I don't need a rifle today. Go ahead and snap the trigger a few times, I did and I wanted it!

The action was so smooth! The integral scope base grooves were straight which I liked because it would allow me to fit any kind of scope and spread the rings tow here I wanted them. After I bought it, I felt lucky to get an accurate one. As they became more popular I realized they were all accurate and I bought another in stainless.

Between my Tikka's and M700's (with replaced trigger assemblies) they have replaced my interest in M70 completely.

They also offer left hand rifles in more than .30-06, .270, and .300WM.

The Tikka T3/T3i are probably the most popular rifles here in Australia. They can be bought for around AU$1200 compared to Sakos which are around AU$2 800 - 3 000. They have a reputation for shooting straight out of the box and that reputation has been around for decades, not just the last few years. Despite this I don't own one. I never liked the plastic trigger guard, bolt shroud and magazine of the T3. And I never liked the action arrangement where the magazine couldn't be top loaded through the tiny ejection port. This has been fixed with the T3i but somehow they just don't appeal to me despite their great reputation here.

Last year I decided to rebarrel an old Ruger 77 tang safety in 95% condition to 7x64. When adding the cost of barrel, reamer, gunsmith work and cerakote, I said it would be cheaper to buy a S/S Tikka in that chambering. My gunsmith said he'd take an old classic walnut stocked Ruger any day over a plastic Tikka. But saying that, there are heaps of blokes here who love their Tikkas.

I’ve got 2 A7’s one in .270win the other in -06 that bughole. Had a Tikka 25-06 that bugholed 115gr partitions. SU35 has had or have several A7 300wsm that would of or will outshot any custom I’ve seen.

Cheap, Accurate, Light

Trivia question, what does "tikka" mean in Finnish?






















Woodpecker.

They have probably the best factory trigger I've ever squeezed. Mine came out of the box at about 3lbs, but feels much lighter. I did swap out the rings for Warnes and put a Limbsaver pad on it.





Yup. Although I chose mine in .30-06. It's my primary thumpin' stick. Light weight really is a cool feature.

I've owned one since 2011, chambered in 9.3 x 62. I can't add anything that's not already been said in its favor, but mine is the T3 with a dark blue finish on the metal, and a black polymer stock. It weighed less than 7 lbs out of the box and shoots the 286 Nos. Part into less than MOA at over 2600 fps, and the 250 Nos. AccuBond into .440" at just over 2700 fps. The propellant is RL-17 for those handloads, and RL-15 for the lighter 232 Oryx which shoots five into MOA. The 320 Woodleigh makes well over 2400 fps and shoots into the same group as the 232 Oryx at about 2450fps.

It's the smoothest bolt-action I've ever owned, and the trigger has never been adjusted. With a 3 - 9 x 40 scope and 3 cartridges in the clip and 1 in the chamber, it comes in at 7.7 lbs. Apart from a lot of bench testing, it has taken 3 bears with one shot each -- the first with a 286 Hornady at a little over 2400 fps, the second with a 286 Nos. Part at a little over 2600fps and the last employing the 250 AccuBond at about 2715 fps.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Me too. The factory pad is their weakest sales feature, the visible rubber portion is just a thin veneer over a piece of removable hard composite plastic ouch, they really need the LimbSaver!

The good news is the factory pad unscrews and the Limbsaver screws on as a perfect fit.

A great source of important info can be found on tikka rifles by Googling Tikka T3 and Canadian Rangers! The Canadian Rangers are an elite group that uses the tikka rifles in some of the worst bad weather conditions known to man. Not only does the Tikka stack up rather well in Arctic conditions but it has proven to do so rather effortlessly and reliably. It seems the list of tikka virtues goes on and on and on and on.....................

Paul39,

Tikka also apparently means "dart" in Finnish.

I hunted in Finland in 2015, thanks to Tikka and Sako, who had several gun writers visit the plant and hunt a couple of days. Never got a shot, but did hear and see a woodpecker in the woods!

woodpecker is a mighty fitting finnish name to me as the woodpecker does what??? it drills the same hole with multiple projectiles/beak strokes then moves to the next target..........
Big Ed

One thing to watch out for with Tikkas is the factory rings supplied. A mate had the screw holes elongate with the recoil in a .300 WSM until the holes were oval shape. The .270 did it as well about a year later. Steel Leupold ring/bases fixed both rifles. This was a few years ago so not sure if Tikka have fixed it now but it was pretty standard over here at one stage to ditch the factory aluminium rings and put on steel.

It’s interesting how the Tikka T3 started at or close to Remington 700 prices.

As Remy’s got cheaper with the savage nut, and other piece parts the Tikka’s got more expensive... darn things shoot good though.

IIRC the Remy 788 had a barrel that was made by Tikka / Sako... and it shot very well too.

Nobody is going to grumble about the rings anymore.
They quit including them with the T3x.

I know several people that have never had an issue.
Probably a factor of the lot, person, # rounds fired.

My 6.5 has factory rings. No issue.
I know several 7mm to 338 mags, no issue.
If I ever scope the 7mag Hunter thats nib.
We might buy rings, or not.

I've had Tikkas of several generations over the past 20 years, including several T3's with included rings. I never had any problem with them as long as I didn't use a cheater pipe to tighten down the screws. Worked like a champ. I do much prefer others now though.

John. Great lesson in mathematics there for the lessor equipped. Cheers NC

I have never heard that story before but there is no truth to it.

drover

I like that story! It adds to the mystique.

Based on a lost design, drafted by Ned Roberts and Julian Hatcher, and re-discovered by Mike Walker, it came to prominence almost by accident. The plans were purchased by Walker at a garage sale in California. He found them in a box labeled "kitchen utensils". Mike loved bargains, and this would prove to be his best find ever! Misplaced years before, folded up inside an old copy of "Good Housekeeping", the drawings finally saw the light of day again in the early 1950s.

Walker immediately recognized their value, but was unsure of what to do with them. Remington had just released the 222, and it proved to be everything competition shooters dreamt of. Should he show this to the world on the heels of "the deuce"? No, best to wait.

Some say it was aliens. Others claimed it was evidence of a lost civilization,. No matter what its origins, the Remington 788 took its place with other amazing discoveries of the 20th century.

And now you know some more of the story!

I have a Sako and would spend more money for another rather than the Tikka but that's just me. I haven't heard anything bad about Tikkas.

Add attention to detail.

Got a new T3x varmint model Thursday and was mounting a scope on it. The base mount plug screws have some kind of rubbery sealant on the threads to keep them from loosening - nobody else does that. But the thing that really stood out was that all of the screws were timed. Their slots were all in perfect alignment with the bore.

Maybe not the be all, end all reason for getting a Tikka, but seriously, who else in the world aligns plug screws?

It's funny to read many of the posts. There was a time, not that long ago, when people were poopooing Tikkas here. The standard stuff. Stocks and bolt shrouds primarily. .

How times have changed!

I have a Tikka 6.5X55 stainless laminated stock and it is easily my most accurate rifle. After all the work I've tried to do and had gunsmiths do over the years getting my Remingtons to shoot, it was a real pleasure to buy one that would shoot well right out of the box.

Remingtons at one time were good to go right from the factory but no more. I really don't care that my Tikka has plastic on it. My next rifle will be another Tikka or if I'm in a good financial position a Sako.

Also,

Name originated from the location of the original factories - Tikkakoski (woodpecker rapids)

Just a little trivia.

Carry on.

I only have a sample of 1 for the Tikka factory rings. I bought a T3 Lite SS in 270 W
in 2003. I wasn’t impressed with their setup BUT I said what the heck, cost me nothing
so I’ll try them.

I’ve shot it plenty — grouping, graphing, hunting (killing) & range practice.....
NO issues period. I’m still using them today.


My 7 RM is a T3X so no factory rings.

Jerry

Yeah, Tikka listened and fixed a lot of that chit too. Their T3X is an upgrade from the old T3... A lot less plastic, a better recoil lug and a better recoil pad, along with a few other upgrades... Good on them is all I can say.. Too bad Leupold wouldn't listen to some of the suggestions...

The Tikka name was also used in 'local' (Scandinavia?) advertising for their accuracy.

Just think if Remington had tried to advertise their 710 as 'The Accurate Rifle'!

Mostly by a large group of people who hadn't been there done that! Folks around here can be rather difficult to educate! 😁


Trystan

Gee, you mean some Campfire members express opinions on things they have no experience with?

Shocking!