Longevity of Tikka T3s

C

Clevinger

New member
A writer on the Chuck Hawks website left a scathing review of Tikka T3s, basically stating they cut corners in their production and are cheap.

On the other hand, it seems like consumers love them.

In your experience, do Tikka T3s hold up well over time if properly maintained?
 
Have had mine since they first started importing them, before most anybody knew what a Tikka was and would turn their nose up at it.

Not a single issue or malfunction of any kind. It's been hunting every year since I got it. Regular maintenance such as cleaning and lubrication after every outing. I have no reason to believe it won't still be going strong after I'm gone.
 
IMHO, they are good rifles that look a bit junky. My favorite rifle is Savage. That means I am used to owning junky looking rifles.:) That was the case with Savage until 10 or so years ago anyway.
 
That chuck hawks article is pretty old, and if it's possible his opinion is wrong.

People like to complain that it has only one size of action, a plastic trigger guard, a plastic magazine and a plastic feeling stock.

The reality is, plastic these day's is extremely strong and durable, people don't complain about P-mags or the plastic parts on ARs, but for some reason it's not OK on a hunting rifle. Yes the stock feels like plastic, and that's because it is. It is probably the best polymer stock on a factory rifle in that price range, it feels a lot nicer than a Savage or Remington stock and is reinforced with fibreglass, which makes the forend pretty darn stiff.

The action has definitely been done as cost saving, but no corners have been cut. It has a silky smooth bolt and it is very close tolerance. The play in my one when the bolt is at the rear of it's travel feels the same as a Sako TRG42 I played with last week. The barrel is the same barrel they put on much more expensive Sako rifles and is regarded as very very good. The factory trigger is regarded as one of the best on a factory rifle, no creep at all and adjustable from 2lb to 4lbs, on 2lb it feel as good as my buddies Timney trigger.

The plastic parts have been put on to reduce cost and also reduce weight, the Tikka T3 Tactical still uses the same trigger guard and magazines, and that is not considered a junky rifle.

I'd say that most people would rate the Tikka as a step above most Savages and Remingtons. I remember when that article came out 99% of people flat out disagreed with it, and everyone who owned one hadn't had a problem with their rifles and all were extremely impressed with the quality and accuracy.

I own one Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. In New Zealand they are roughly the same price as a Remington SPS SS, and I would go for the Tikka every time. I hope to buy another hunting rifle soon and it will be a Tikka. You could say I was a fan boy if you wanted, but it's through my experience and others experience that I rate them very highly. Some people think they look ugly, but others think they look pretty, it's all down to taste. But I haven't heard anyone say they felt and look cheap and nasty though.
 
Tikka, along with almost all affordable rifles are manufactured by drilling bar stock, fusing or partially hollowing the bolts, and use washered recoil lugs.

I don't believe this diminishes their utility, and in some ways may be improvements. The round actions, Tikka, MDL 700, are said by some to bed easier, and recoil forces are directed downward, making then more stable in their bed.

My only problem is that they are priced higher than other rifles manufactured the same way. I really don't think they should cost anymore than a Marlin X, or a Ruger American, Savage Edge, ect.

They are limited to 22" barrels, and one size bolt fits all, from 22-250 to 300WM.

Tikka was really snotty about Chuck telling the truth about their rifles and said that he would no longer be receiving rifles of theirs to test and review.

Tikka owners are loyal to their brand. Tikka rifles have a reputation for accuracy and utility. I do think they are over priced for what you're really getting though.
 
They're the best in their price class. Compare the specs of all their components and how they're put together with their competition before making assumptions.

Ruger American, Marlin and Savage aren't in the same ballpark.:rolleyes:
 
I don't think they are over priced as such, just that American made rifles are cheap in America, whereas European rifles are not.
Other places they are fairly well priced.

What is the average price of a Tikka Lite SS compared to the equivalent Savage or Remington?
 
They said the same thing about the Remington 700, 870, as well as the Mossberg 500 and Savage line of bolt rifles years ago. The manufacturers found ways to cut corners and build a cheaper rifle/shotgun with those models as well and still produce a gun that has proven quite serviceable. Other manufacturers complained they were cheap, but quietly followed their lead by taking the same shortcuts.

I still appreciate, and prefer some of he old school guns made using traditional methods. But these guns have proven themselves to me. The Tikka's longevity should be at least equal to a Remington 700 or Savage 10/110 rifle.
 
I recently bought my first Tikka (though I have had a Sako for many years) after reading many good things about it. I went with the Lite Stainless and I can't say enough good things about it. Great rifle. Smooth action. Great shooter. I'd much rather have this rifle than a Remington or Savage. And I rate the Tikka above the Rugers I own. I'd own another or two more...
 
There are some folks that care an aweful lot about rifles having beautifully figured walnut stocks. These folks will give scathing reviews of Tikka rifles, Savage Axis, Rem 783, 710, and 770.

And there are some folks that don't give a hoot as long as it shoots. These folks will talk about how tight a rifle shoots, how it carries on the hunt, whether the stock design is good for recoil mitigation.

I've got nothing but respect for the Tikka lineup, but I'm part of the second category. Those rifles are good shooters.

Jimro
 
In your experience, do Tikka T3s hold up well over time if properly maintained?
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IMO: I wouldn't think their any different than any other rifle concerning its needed maintenance. How ever long one holds together is simply based on usage.

website left a scathing review of Tikka T3s, basically stating they cut corners in their production and are cheap.
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FWIW: I guess its in the eye's of the beholder. I've never been in that position having to comment on a Tikka T3 manufacturing. Never even had a close-up look at one. Than again I doubt I ever will. I'm a strong advocate of purchasing American made products whenever possible. But, to each there own.
 
Chuck Hawks article was from 2006..the Tikka's were becoming popular then and really are today....Here is another article....

The Tikka T3
By XXXXXXXX

As a firearms guy I am always eyeballing a new toy or object that I am intrigued by. I generally try to keep up to date on the latest high quality guns coming on to the market. Sometimes it is hard to form an opinion based upon what you read in the commercial gun magazines. Every gun it seems that is featured in a magazine is the latest, greatest thing since smokeless powder.

However it is not very often that a new gun really trips my trigger so to speak. I have grown rather jaundiced and cynical with all the advertisements spouting about the latest “Spec Op” “CQB” “Marine” “Ninja” blaster that only the most elite government and law enforcement agencies are using. Usually they simply have more attachments for accessories that Walter Wannabe has been convinced he must have to be truly “Tactical”. It has been my experience that simple reliable gear works best.

Highly accurate rifles are one area of interest for me. Be they called “sniper” rifles or “tactical” rifles or even “precision” rifles, I don’t care. For me it is all about performance on demand rather than the CDI ( chicks dig it) factor.

One new rifle on the American market that has not gotten a lot of press but I believe soon will is the rifle from the Finnish company Tikka. Tikka rifles are made in the same factory as Sako rifles. Sako has been a well known manufacturer of military, target and sporting rifles for a very long time. Recently I bought a Tikka T3 heavy barrel in 308 Winchester caliber. The factory accuracy guarantee of 3 shots under one inch for their sporting models peaked my interest. You will not get that from Remington or Winchester.

The rifle itself is rather sleek and unusual looking. However I was interested in its performance in the field. I mounted a top of the line Leupold MK 4 6.5x20 on the gun using Burris two piece bases. This is a truly fine piece of glass and it actually costs more than the rifle itself. On that note I have never understood why guys mount a $39 dollar Simmons or Tasco on a $500 rifle and then can’t figure out why their gun just is not up to par.

Anyways, I set out to test my new rifle. I was quite impressed right out of the box. During the barrel break in process I was getting sub .75" groups at 100 yards from the bench. Always a good sign. The more I shot it, the better it got. About this time DetectiveXXX XXX decided he wanted to play with the gun. He spent an afternoon with it and went down to the local Sportsmans Warehouse and ordered an identical one. With a little load development between the two of us, we found a hunting bullet load that would shoot 5 shot groups under a half inch. For those of you that are not into rifles, that is super impressive. We started shooting a lot of 1/4 inch 3 shot groups. Not always of course, but often enough to know it was not a fluke. Suffice to say these guns shoot way beyond their modest price.

The Tikka is rather light weight for a heavy barrel rifle. It tips the scales at only 8 pounds.The stock design, with its raised cheek piece and flat fore end make it a fine field piece. The barrel is an odd 23 and 3/8ths inches. It is fed from a single stack, detachable box magazine that holds five rounds in 308. Overall I was impressed but I still wanted to give a good test.

What better way to test the gun than the NRA Law Enforcement precision rifle (sniper) instructor school. So I took vacation and off to the school I went. Word to the wise, DO NOT go to Mississippi in late spring. Between the bugs, the heat and the horrible humidity it is not pleasant.

Anyways, I was the only guy present not shooting a Remington 308. However everyone shot Leupold scopes. By the end of the week it was apparent that the handling characteristics of the Tikka had much to offer over the Remingtons. The five round detachable box magazine made many of the drills so easy it was like cheating. The light weight of the rifle made many of the snap shooting drills and movement to contact drills a relative breeze. The only negative aspect of the rifle I found was that the ejection port was rather small and hard to get my big fingers in to compared to the Remington 700. My biggest problem was that I was afraid I was going to run out of ammo as most the cadre at the academy wanted to try the gun.

I returned to XX just in time to shoot the XX State Sniper Championships with Detective XX as my partner. The airlines had managed to disassemble my bolt and screw with my gun to the point of temporary inoperability. Fortunately XX brought two guns. One being an identical Tikka 308 with a 4x14 Leupold scope. I knew from previous experience that we shoot pretty close to the same point of impact so only minor adjustments were made for me to use the gun. XX, using the Tikka posted the best 3 shot group out of 50 some odd teams. He shot from the prone at 100 yards and shot about a 1/4 “ group. Not bad considering the caliber of the military and law enforcement teams present. He took home a new MK IV Leupold for his “best three shot group” prize. In the end a third place was earned. We were pleased considering we were shooting against guys with three to five thousand dollar rigs.

In short, the Tikka has a lot to offer for a very modest price tag. One should be able to pick one up from Sportsmans Warehouse for around $700. That is flat out inexpensive for a precision rifle of this quality. After looking at a couple of examples I brought in to one of the local city agencies, they opted for new Tikka 308s for their snipers. A good choice both in terms of performance and budget. So if you are in the market for a long range hunting, competition, or work gun, give one of these a look.

My only gripe is I have spent way too much money building custom guns that cost two to three times as much, only to equal the Tikka in performance.



POST SCRIPT: Since I wrote this, I have purchased 2 other HB Tikkas and Shot extensively a sporter contour in 6.5 Swede. ALL, including the skinny barrel 6.5 will consistently shoot .5 moa or better with careful handloading and match bullets (Sierra MK's or Lapua Scenars).

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Water man, you really think Savage is "not in the ball park" with Tikka? On second thought,You may be right. Savage far surpasses Tikka on accuracy.
 
I don't know about everyone else's Tikka but mine is here to stay. Its light, accurate, smooth bolt, amazing trigger, and the best factory synthetic stock available. My T3 Lite in .270 is a 1/2 MOA rifle consistently with my hand loads.

When I went hunting for the first time with it the guys I was with pretty much turned their nose up at my rifle. They said I may as well brought a nerf gun. They said that is what it looked like to them anyways.

Fast forward to the end of the season and what do you know they asked me how much I'd take for mine...I said this nerf gun isn't for sale. LOL
 
Water man, you really think Savage is "not in the ball park" with Tikka? On second thought,You may be right. Savage far surpasses Tikka on accuracy.
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I don't agree that Savage is not in the ballpark..but Savage far supassing Tikka on accuracy?...............?
 
Smoking IMR4350. Your Tikka shoot consistent 5" 10 shot groups at 1k? I have a bone stock Savage that will. If the stock were a better stock, it would probably close that group up a bit.
 
"How accurate is the heavy barrelled Tikka?
A very difficult question, because so many factors have influence to the accuracy. These include: ammunition, scope mounts, scope and the shooter. In 1999 fall British long range bench rest championship was won with a Tikka Continental, cal. 6,5x55. The range was 1000 yards, 10 shots, diameter of all impacts: 4.4"."
http://www.tikka.fi/faq.php
So, reynolds357 if you have a consistent 5" 1,000 yards Savage, you my friend are world class shooting.
 
I have both a T3 and a Savage in .308. I would say the accuracy is comparable: 0.5 MOA with Federal GMM 168gr.

Where the Tikka excels is it's butter smooth action and the ability to turn to the trigger down to 6 oz with not much labor.

The stock on the Tikka is functional, and after a few hundred rounds grew on me. Initially I was going to swap it out for a KRG, but no longer have plans to do so.

What I did change was the detachable magazine -- Limited and expensive and not ergonomically friendly for quick release. I also changed the bolt handle which I felt was too small and I swapped out the plastic striker shroud for an aluminum one (no particular reason). Finally, I turned down the metric threaded muzzle to accommodate my inch pattern can.

All in all, my experience with the Savage and the Tikka have been very positive and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another of either.

 
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