Tikka T3 Lite vs CTR Hunting

[Notorium]

Hello everyone, many shooters with great knowledge i'd like to take part of here.

First of all, I currently hunt in Sweden and I hunt varmints and big game with one single .308w rifle, my tikka t3.
Suddenly from all threads about how great the CTR is regarding accuracy, I got a thought in my head to swap out my tikka t3 lite for a CTR but how much of an difference does the rifle make?

I hunt a lot of capercaillie during the winter and demand optimal accuracy to weight ratio, since im carrying the gun around all the time.
I shoot hundreds of rounds at the range during spring and summer, so achieving good grouping at 200-400 yards is something that would be interesting. At 100 yards there cant be much difference between the rifles I take it?

Also, is there any downsides choosing stainless over blued barrel?

If this is posted in the wrong section I am sorry, hopefully an admin can move me in the right spot if so.
Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance, happy shooting!

EDIT: Not looking to have full lenght barrel either, want to keep the barrel at 52cm and use a suppressor. Also looking to swap out the original gunstock for an KKC Laminate hunting stock.

 

[stello1001]

To my understanding, the accuracy won't change as they use the same barrel blanks. The only thing different on the barrels is their taper. However, let's wait to hear from someone more knowledgeable on this as I could be wrong.

 

[Notorium]

So basically the reason CTR could perhaps shoot better from factory is because of the metal bottom etc? I might have it wrong but I think the CTR uses more metal parts.

 

[MtnCreek]

Unless I'm mistaken, I believe the difference in metal parts is between T3 and T3x.

The heavier ctr barrel should maintain accuracy better as it gets hot. Probably not something that you'd be worried about hunting.

 

[Kraze]

What type of accuracy are you currently getting out of your T3?

For the usage you described, I really don't see you gaining much except weight by switching to a CTR. The CTR barrel is thicker, so it will take longer to heat up when you're doing range work, but I don't think the CTR is inherently more accurate than the Lite (coming from someone that has both a CTR and a Superlite).

Regarding stainless vs blued, I'd personally go stainless (and I did on my Superlite that gets used for hunting), especially if it's a rifle that's going to be out in the snow and rain a lot (which it sounds like yours will). That's not to say that a blued rifle is going to turn into a pile of rust the first time it gets wet, it's just that you have to worry about corrosion a little bit less with the stainless rifles.

 

[Notorium]

I get about 1 MOA group at 110 yards, I might be chasing dreams to get anything better from a hunting rifle, but I kind of feel the gun feels inconsistent at longer ranges.

 

[Kraze]

If your shooting technique is solid, and you've tried different ammo or reloading (if that's something you do) and the rifle won't do better than 1 MOA at 110 yards (and sounds like it won't hold that at longer distances), it could be that your particular T3 isn't that accurate (although it does seem rare to hear of inaccurate Tikka's, it's not impossible). These are mass produced rifles still, so there's probably some out there that for whatever reason, aren't as accurate as the average Tikka.

Now obviously I don't know you or your skill level, but I think a lot of inaccuracy issues with a light rifle are caused by the shooter. I know without a doubt, I shoot my Superlite worse than my CTR. I don't think the accuracy difference between the two stems from the rifle, I think it's me (and the fact that the SL is a 300 WM and the CTR is a 6.5 CM). So if this is the case with you, and you switch to the heavier CTR, you very well might see better accuracy. I do think you'll notice the difference in weight between the two if you're carrying them in your hands for miles (I definitely notice the difference when I carry my CTR).

If it's an option, I say get the CTR and keep the Lite too lol. If you get the CTR and you shoot it better to the point that you would prefer to carry it hunting, even with the extra weight, you can always sell the Lite then. But if you can only have one rifle and light weight is of the utmost importance, I'd probably keep the Lite. That's just me though.

 

[Roo_man]

I agree in that I would stick with the lite

 

[Notorium]

Agree with both of you, Kraze has given me some insight between the different models.

I'll probably stick with this lite and practice my shooting technique from a prone position, now just for arguments-sake, would you guys re-barrel the lite rifle after noticing your gun has had about 5000 rounds through it and doesn't perform as it used to, or purchase a new rifle?

 

[Kraze]

Assuming we're still talking about a Tikka, I'd definitely go with the rebarrel (and once my barrel is shot out, that's exactly what I plan to do). If you put a quality barrel on a Tikka, it should really hammer, and the actions are already smooth and reliable so that makes the most sense to me.

 

[wade2big]

A 1 moa rifle will kill anything from coyote size on up well past any distance that you probably should be shooting. A 1” rifle and a 1/2” rifle will kill a coyote, deer, etc just as dead at 500yards. No difference and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise as they probably don’t even hunt. Now shooting prairie dogs at 500 yards it very well could make a difference.

I have been hunting all my life and the furthest shot I have taken at game is 365 yards. I don’t hunt in the mountains though.

How many animals have you missed or wounded where you can say without a doubt your rifle caused you to miss. Probably none. I like every bit of accuracy that I can muster as much as the next guy but enough is good enough.

 

[mikethetiger55]

A 1 moa rifle will kill anything from coyote size on up well past any distance that you probably should be shooting. A 1” rifle and a 1/2” rifle will kill a coyote, deer, etc just as dead at 500yards. No difference and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise as they probably don’t even hunt. Now shooting prairie dogs at 500 yards it very well could make a difference.

I have been hunting all my life and the furthest shot I have taken at game is 365 yards. I don’t hunt in the mountains though.

How many animals have you missed or wounded where you can say without a doubt your rifle caused you to miss. Probably none. I like every bit of accuracy that I can muster as much as the next guy but enough is good enough.

Agree 100%. I had the privilege of taking my 10 year old to a hunting ranch in East Texas which is almost 8,000 acres. I was shocked at the shooting distances we encountered on each stand, with shots over 500 yards available on each stand. I know people that have hunted at this place before and all of them may have had $1K invested in their rilfes/scopes, so plenty of Remingtons, Savages, etc. All of them took game at some pretty decent ranges. My son managed to take his first two whitetail, both at around 200 yards. He was shooting my Browning 7mm-08 with a 2.5-10X Steiner. That gun is a 3/4 MOA gun and he is about a 1.25 MOA shooter. If it's deer sized game is the quarry I don't think it makes much of a difference. Pick the one you like the most and go shooting.

 

[Graywolf.260]

I’ve owned several T3 lites and a couple CTRs, and the CTRs tend to shoot better.

 

[lawofsavage]

I’ve currently got a t3 lite in 308 and a t3x ctr in 6.5 Creedmoor and they both shoot small groups but the ctr sure is a lot easier to do it with. Personally, I will take the weight penalty for the ease of shooting unless I am in an area where I have to pack the meat out on foot.

If it were me, I’d keep the t3 lite as it is if it’s shooting close enough to an moa and buy a used ctr just for fun haha. If you don’t like it then you won’t be out all that much.

 

[Notorium]

What results in improving barrel consistency and/or accuracy can you get from pillar bedding, glass bedding, aluminum block and a stock swap?

 

[bfglowkey]

1 MOA with what ammo? It was mentioned above about try different types. If you handload the 308 will be easy to tune. If you factory ammo your next range trip should be with a few different types of hunting ammo that are in the range of what you will be hunting ( anything loaded with Barnes bullets seem to perform well in 308 and Sierra Gamekings also)

 

[MtnCreek]

Just hearsay that I've read, but there was some discussion about T3 recoil lugs deforming with a lot of use. T3x went to a stronger material. That may be something for you to look into.

 

[Stooxie]

Some thoughts after hunting with several Tikkas in various configurations, including CTR, stainless and blue.

Blue vs stainless: no difference in accuracy. Not sure there's too much difference in "stainlessness" either. Other people have said similar things of steel from any barrel. Both have to be thoroughly dried off and oiled if wet. If you want real protection you have to go with something like Cerakote or nitride.

My 308 T3x CTR is very accurate, almost one hole accurate, but I don't feel like any of my other Tikka's are less accurate. I do like heavier barrels because they stay more consistent during temperature changes and droop less with a suppressor. They also tend to swing a bit less on target but the trade off is extra weight. Consistency is the key to accuracy. I also think that Tikka's synthetic stocks hold the action very securely. My CTR now sits in a GRS Berserk but I think accuracy was about the same.

As for the action, I would say the CTR's metal mag and trigger guard contributes nothing to the accuracy. Once the round is seated in the chamber all Tikka's are the same. I have zero concerns using my Tikka's with plastic mag and bottom metal. Sometimes I even prefer it. Lighter, no worries about rain, they work perfectly.

If you want more accuracy you could try a different stock or bedding the stock you have. If you've shot a LOT through your Tikka and have the aluminum recoil lug or a wood stock I would say that you could be getting a tiny bit loose there. I love the GRS stocks because they are fully adjustable and super comfortable. The Berserk does not need bedding, the laminate ones should be bedded. All my Tikkas are sub MOA shooters.

The other thing to consider is that the Lite Compact has a slightly "thicker" barrel at the muzzle, 0.650" instead of 0.632". That's just because the use the same contour but it's 2" shorter. So it's the same length as the CTR, a bit stiffer and not quite as heavy.

-Stooxie