For those of you who have this gun, would you say that it is fun to shoot from a bench with a factory stock? Or would a chassis/aftermarket stock be a must for anything other than hunting? How's the recoil with the factory stock? I'd like to have a handy, compact rifle that I can also shoot at the range. I wouldn't be looking to compete with it.
Tikka T3X CTR - factory stock
- Thread starter capp325
- Start date
Stocks are a pretty personal thing. See if you like it out of the box. If not, put some other stock on it.
I'm biased, because they make Tikkas not-too-far from me. I still think that their current stocks are mainly ugly.
I'm biased, because they make Tikkas not-too-far from me. I still think that their current stocks are mainly ugly.
It’s functional. Nothing more and nothing less.
For strictly range shooting you could still enjoy it just fine. Recoil being somewhat subjective from shooter to shooter hard to answer but directionally with a brake or mild recoil caliber I dont think you would have an issue.
For strictly range shooting you could still enjoy it just fine. Recoil being somewhat subjective from shooter to shooter hard to answer but directionally with a brake or mild recoil caliber I dont think you would have an issue.
Factory stock is actually pretty good. Buy a triad tactical sock pack - it gets you the comb height adjustability you need for larger scopes. Other than that, I ran mine for almost 2 years with zero issues. Shot many sub-.5MOA groups with it. Mine is used exclusively at the range since I don't hunt.
I eventually upgrade to a Manners, but it was a "want", not a "need". There isn't a thing wrong with the factory stock.
I eventually upgrade to a Manners, but it was a "want", not a "need". There isn't a thing wrong with the factory stock.
It's somewhat adjustable and fits me well enough for shooting bagged or bipod prone or off the hood of a truck. Mine's never been on a bench. It's far superior to a chassis for handling in hunting, stalking situations IMO. Recoil in 6.5 creed is manageable with good position w/o a brake or can, considering how light it is.
Forgot to respond to the recoil part - without a brake, the gun is a bit jumpy in terms of it being difficult to stay on target through the scope IMHO. But by no means is the recoil harsh physically with my 6.5 or the 260/308 CTRs that I have shot. With a brake, you hardly have to shoulder it.
I actually didn’t dislike it. Especially if you go on Beretta’s website and buy the wider Varmint forend piece for $30. Ended up swapping them out for other things, but they’re very serviceable in the mean time. And better than the vast majority of factory stocks.
I had wondered if the Varmint forend would fit right onto the CTR stock. That would have made it nearly perfect, at least in terms of bang for the buck in factory stocks. It's no Manners or KRG, but it certainly doesn't fit into the "needs immediate/automatic replacement" category.
Tikka’s approach to manufacturing is pretty smart. All of their stuff is cross-compatible. All of their stocks are identical to each other where differences aren’t required (pretty much just bottom metal inlet). The Varmint forend just snaps in and secures with a few screws.
Its like a hogue or HS Precision stock. It works but you will wind up wanting a chassis or mcmillan eventually.
I would agree with whoever said the CTR is a bit jumpy. My .308 certainly doesn't hurt, but it has always struck me as more lively than some of the other .308s I've owned, some of which were lighter. I ran it braked for a while and it was really a kitten, but the blast wore me down, so back to bare it went. Now I shoot it mostly supressed and it's quite nice. I've been toying with the idea of putting a KRG Bravo on my CTR as it's heavier than I prefer for mountain hunting and pretty much only gets used at the range.
