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Tikkas are better than....

I don't know the model number, but left handed guns had some left handed Sauer rifles in stock before closing. I would check with Rock Island. I'm sure they are still doing inventory. I wish I knew when the rifles would be posted. I will look and see if I have pictures. I took photos of some rifles and prices last time I was there. That's one I was interested in even though it was left handed. He had a hell of a price on it and I almost bought it even though I'm right handed.
Have you ever seen any of the older 202's I'm talking about?...
 
I don't think the Origin action is near as smooth as a Tikka personally.

It's no slouch, but definitely not as smooth. No issues with the Origin's smoothness overall, completely functional and feels fine.

Origin feels more robust overall, but I can't verify if it's actually true. Just looks and feels that way when using the 2 actions side by side.
 
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Tikka has an incredible smooth action, but I just can't get past the dovetailed bolt handle.... Not saying it is a major issue, just personal choice.
Really, action concern is so overrated in the scheme of things. 3B's = Bullets, barrels and brass, that is what sorts the real accuracy. If the action feeds, extracts, ejects.... well, not much more to it really

Cheers
Pete
 
Tikka builds the best factory rifle under 2k ... Period...

Anybody have something to say?
These are $2k
A2C68DBF-87DD-46A6-9E9C-20D8E1FBEBC4.jpeg


 
My thoughts…

(based on Tikka T3X TAC A1 in 65CM)

1) Magazines suck, cause jams all the time
2) OEM barrel is very accurate unless you try to use copper solids, then they are HORRIBLE
3) Actions are smooth as glass, unless you are firing boarder line hot loads, then they suffer heavy bolt lift

They are nice rifles by definition but they are far from the best rifles. Even for the money there are other options out there that won’t suffer those three problems or have any other significant problems.

Solutions to the aforementioned problems which cost real money and therefore real deflation of the value of a Tikka:

1) To reliably fix the magazine issue: use TRG-22 mag ($$$) or Waters Rifleman mags ($$)

2) Install Proof CF drop-in barrel ($1000), then you can get CuSolids to shoot better than the 18in group at 100 yards we saw w/ OEM barrel

3) Nothing can be done about the heavy bolt lift; don’t try to go for the higher accuracy node, stick with the lowest powder node you find with good SD and ES.

Once I did all of that stuff it was a real shooter and shot great at 1000 yards in Frank’s fall class last year…
 
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Does Mountain Taticals stainless bolt stop fix the issue of breaking factory bolt stops? Didn’t even know that was an issue until reading through this thread.
 
Does Mountain Taticals stainless bolt stop fix the issue of breaking factory bolt stops? Didn’t even know that was an issue until reading through this thread.
I’m not sure but I purchased one to leave in my shooting bag just in case. I have heard that the pin is the issue. But I do not know that for sure either.
 
My thoughts…

(based on Tikka T3X TAC A1 in 65CM)

1) Magazines suck, cause jams all the time
2) OEM barrel is very accurate unless you try to use copper solids, then they are HORRIBLE
3) Actions are smooth as glass, unless you are firing boarder line hot loads, then they suffer heavy bolt lift

They are nice rifles by definition but they are far from the best rifles. Even for the money there are other options out there that won’t suffer those three problems or have any other significant problems.

Solutions to the aforementioned problems which cost real money and therefore real deflation of the value of a Tikka:

1) To reliably fix the magazine issue: use TRG-22 mag ($$$) or Waters Rifleman mags ($$)

2) Install Proof CF drop-in barrel ($1000), then you can get CuSolids to shoot better than the 18in group at 100 yards we saw w/ OEM barrel

3) Nothing can be done about the heavy bolt lift; don’t try to go for the higher accuracy node, stick with the lowest powder node you find with good SD and ES.

Once I did all of that stuff it was a real shooter and shot great at 1000 yards in Frank’s fall class last year…
The mags can be fixed permanently in 2 minutes with a simple spring bend. Non issue. The heavy bolt lift with overpressured loads will happen with any action and is letting you know that bad things are a possibility.
 
The mags can be fixed permanently in 2 minutes with a simple spring bend. Non issue. The heavy bolt lift with overpressured loads will happen with any action and is letting you know that bad things are a possibility.
Tried that... no success with the TAC A1 mags.

...and I didn't say OVERPRESSURE loads. The loads are still within SAMMI, but are on the higher end. The TAC A1 suffers from heavy bolt lift... doesn't matter if it's the OEM barrel / camber or a Proof CF drop in.

It's an action / bolt issue. ...and yeah, I even replaced the bolt with a LRI boron nitrite coated bolt.

(https://www.longriflesinc.com/products/lri-tikka-replacement-bolts)

Ammo that shows no signs of over pressure and works without issue in any other rifle can/will show heavy bolt lift in a T3X... It's a design issue that becomes worse as the action warms up.
 
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Tried that... no success with the TAC A1 mags.

...and I didn't say OVERPRESSURE loads. The loads are still within SAMMI, but are on the higher end. The TAC A1 suffers from heavy bolt lift... doesn't matter if it's the OEM barrel / camber or a Proof CF drop in.

It's an action / bolt issue. ...and yeah, I even replaced the bolt with a LRI boron nitrite coated bolt.

(https://www.longriflesinc.com/products/lri-tikka-replacement-bolts)

Ammo that shows no signs of over pressure and works without issue in any other rifle can/will show heavy bolt lift in a T3X... It's a design issue that becomes worse as the action warms up.
You're not the only person that claims Tikkas have heavy lifts. Mine doesn't... But you're not the first person to say that.
 
Does Mountain Taticals stainless bolt stop fix the issue of breaking factory bolt stops? Didn’t even know that was an issue until reading through this thread.
There was only two or maybe three people that reported that... Lot of people said that they've never even heard of that, I got made fun of because I said that I didn't know it was an issue... Even know that individual probably didn't know it was an issue either... Although I didn't know it was an issue, I did think that was the bolt stop was one of the components that was changed in the t3x upgrade.. I could of sworn I read that a long time ago...

Mine is not MIM ... Mine is a billet... And I bought the rifle new.. I'm not sure how that is... But it is.
 
My thoughts…

(based on Tikka T3X TAC A1 in 65CM)

1) Magazines suck, cause jams all the time
2) OEM barrel is very accurate unless you try to use copper solids, then they are HORRIBLE
3) Actions are smooth as glass, unless you are firing boarder line hot loads, then they suffer heavy bolt lift

They are nice rifles by definition but they are far from the best rifles. Even for the money there are other options out there that won’t suffer those three problems or have any other significant problems.

Solutions to the aforementioned problems which cost real money and therefore real deflation of the value of a Tikka:

1) To reliably fix the magazine issue: use TRG-22 mag ($$$) or Waters Rifleman mags ($$)

2) Install Proof CF drop-in barrel ($1000), then you can get CuSolids to shoot better than the 18in group at 100 yards we saw w/ OEM barrel

3) Nothing can be done about the heavy bolt lift; don’t try to go for the higher accuracy node, stick with the lowest powder node you find with good SD and ES.

Once I did all of that stuff it was a real shooter and shot great at 1000 yards in Frank’s fall class last year…
I shoot, or shot rather...(availability) Barnes 180gr ttsx in my t3x, and it is very accurate, very consistent.
 
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These are $2k
View attachment 7917113

The Seekins is a serious contender... Maybe the most realistic..
 
What about the Sauer 100. Under a thou. Blaser owns them
IIRC it's the other way around. It's all about how you regard ownership.

The holding company that owns Sauer (J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Sauer, Sig-Sauer and Sig) also owns the Blaser and Mauser brands. Sauer is the oldest and was aquired first.
 
Tikka has an incredible smooth action, but I just can't get past the dovetailed bolt handle.... Not saying it is a major issue, just personal choice.
Really, action concern is so overrated in the scheme of things. 3B's = Bullets, barrels and brass, that is what sorts the real accuracy. If the action feeds, extracts, ejects.... well, not much more to it really

Cheers
Pete
That's a huge statement, with a huge amount of truth...

But.

There's another entry into that acronym... "S" ... the Shooter... The "smoothness" brings controllability & consistency... While you may not even a notice a lack of smoothness in field conditions... Or you may not know is the presence of smoothness... If rifle is not all that smooth, or should we say, 'fluid', empty... Then it's probably not going to be while it is feeding rounds either...

The more fluid the motions of extracting, loading, locking, etc.., are.... The more concrete your positioning is, the better off we are...

This is why a lot of people only like to buy big name, big dollar rifles, it is because they buy into the doctrine of mitigation... They understand, or they have the desire to mitigate every possible contingency of both human contamination and mechanical contamination... Mechanical contamination being of a "poors gear"..

They look to improve the user interface to the highest number... At that level, these folks don't mind putting in another 98% to gain 0.7% of return... So I do understand, of why guys look to buying only the best... But like anything else, there are different limitations and different ins and outs of ability... Some of these people, have been in certain situations, that have taught them to have the very best tools that money can buy, while it may not help every situation, it helps to mitigate pitfalls at almost every level... But not everytime...

How many times has a 19yr old died, in sector; despite having $60,000 worth of gear on his person? Surrounded by his friends, all with another $260,000 worth of gear standing around watching their friend die...maybe in the back of a $4,000,000 Track...along with having $3,000,000 worth of education & training... Killed by a 40yr old, rusted out AK, wielded by 12yr punk... Now all of a sudden, all that high dollar gear is worthless..

Some systems are better than others.. a $400 rifle will kill a monster elk, just as dead as a $4000 rifle... But there are some huge differences between the two... Further adding to the muddy Waters, a lot of those differences, will be situational differences, and not just mechanically based, or based of the result of user interface / user preference... There a HUGE difference between a 3/4-series Ferrari, and a Kia, of any model.... Theres a sizable difference between that same Ferrari, and new Corvette... And a larger sizable difference between the Ferrari and a Camaro... But what about the difference between it, and a Camaro ZL1? Is the difference that much? And in what metric? Is it possible for that Camaro ZL1 to defeat that mid grade Ferrari on a road course? ABSOLUTELY. Without a doubt.

Some folks, couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, if they WERE STANDING IN IT. .. regardless whether they had the wherewithal to purchasing $10,000 rifle, or not... Would they have a better chance with that setup, then a setup costing a fraction? I suppose they would, assuming they knew how, and were very adept at exploiting those differences...

It puts me in mind of the huge movement to the 6.5 era, coming into its own... Then a fella, taking home a 1000m match with a "stock" .284win... Despite the tens of thousands of dollars up on the line... And the cascading numbers of people all slowly retrograding back to the 7mm class cartridges...

We do what we each have to, to be successful I suppose... Some of us do what we need to, to be happy... And for some, that only comes with success. Despite what's involved with obtaining it.
 
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Tried that... no success with the TAC A1 mags.

...and I didn't say OVERPRESSURE loads. The loads are still within SAMMI, but are on the higher end. The TAC A1 suffers from heavy bolt lift... doesn't matter if it's the OEM barrel / camber or a Proof CF drop in.

It's an action / bolt issue. ...and yeah, I even replaced the bolt with a LRI boron nitrite coated bolt.

(https://www.longriflesinc.com/products/lri-tikka-replacement-bolts)

Ammo that shows no signs of over pressure and works without issue in any other rifle can/will show heavy bolt lift in a T3X... It's a design issue that becomes worse as the action warms up.
Enlighten us, honestly interested. Iv got around 8k shots on tikka actions and Havnt seen what your talking about re pressure.

Ctr mags suck. I do agree there
 
IIRC it's the other way around. It's all about how you regard ownership.

The holding company that owns Sauer (J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Sauer, Sig-Sauer and Sig) also owns the Blaser and Mauser brands. Sauer is the oldest and was aquired first.
Haha, yeah it's hard to keep track nowadays...

It probably flip flops around ..

But I do know that 'its called ' the: Blaser Group ... . Maybe they do own Sauer ... ?
 
This is why a lot of people only like to buy big name, big dollar rifles, it is because they buy into the doctrine of mitigation... They understand, or they have the desire to mitigate every possible contingency of both human contamination and mechanical contamination... Mechanical contamination being of a "poors gear"..
Y’all should work some overtime and just buy an AI
 
Enlighten us, honestly interested. Iv got around 8k shots on tikka actions and Havnt seen what your talking about re pressure.

Ctr mags suck. I do agree there
I've got about a little over 1000 rnds trough the 65CM TAC A1, and it's a great shooter in general.

The heavy bolt is not consistent with issues related to classic signs of overpressured rounds.

When you look at the brass there are no flattened primers, blown out cases, etc... It doesn't appear to be related to the chambering, as even replacement barrels have the same issue.

As the action warms up, the lift issue gets worse.

It doesn't happen with all ammo, but it DOES happen with factory ammos of many types.

Spark Munitions had some solids they were selling, and the bolt lift on those after 5 shots became pronounced... likewise, I've seen it was some Barnes ammo as well.

Some ammo is perfectly fine for the first 5-10 rounds, then you get heavy bolt bolt as the action expands.

When using a Lab Radar or MagnetoSpeed, you see no difference in velocity... which would be like with a higher velocity round / over pressured round.

The 45 degree bolt lift design in the T3X TAC A1 absolute leads itself to a stiff / heavy bolt lift.
 
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I've got about a little over 1000 rnds trough the 65CM TAC A1, and it's a great shooter in general.

The heavy bolt is not consistent with issues related to classic signs of overpressured rounds.

When you look at the brass there are no flattened primers, blown out cases, etc... It doesn't appear to be related to the chambering, as even replacement barrels have the same issue.

As the action warms up, the lift issue gets worse.

It doesn't happen with all ammo, but it DOES happen with factory ammos of many types.

Spark Munitions had some solids they were selling, and the bolt life on those after 5 shots became pronounced... likewise, I've seen it was some Barnes ammo as well.

Some ammo is perfectly fine for the first 5-10 rounds, then you get heavy bolt bolt as the action expands.

When using a Lab Radar or MagnetoSpeed, you see no difference in velocity... which would be like with a higher velocity round / over pressured round.

The 45 degree bolt lift design in the T3X TAC A1 absolute leads itself to a stiff / heavy bolt lift.
I had a similar experience, also shooting Sparks ammo with their 142gr SMK load. The lift wasn't terrible but when it started to happen it was a bit of a surprise. I'd say it started when I was getting into the 10-15rd strings at a training class.
 
Yep. Exactly.

The chrono was telling... I was still getting SDs of 7 and ESes of 11... but the heavy bolt lift would start.

I still like the rifle, and the OEM barrel was a good shooter. There were alot of machining marks in that barrel overall, which lead to be being dirtier than a Proof or Bartlein, but it was a shooter.

It hated copper solids. Those would "group" close to 20 inches at 100 yards. It was like a really tight 00 buckshot group.
 
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Yep. Exactly.

The chrono was telling... I was still getting SDs or 7 and ESes of 11... but the heavy bolt lift would start.

I still like the rifle, and the OEM barrel was a good shooter. There were alot of machining marks in that barrel overall, which lead to be being dirtier than a Proof or Bartlein, but it was a shooter.

It hated copper solids. Those would "group" close to 20 inches at 100 yards. It was like a really tight 00 buckshot group.
That must have either been a Friday rifle, or a Monday rifle.
 
No, that's what my AI is for.... ;)
Actually, what I meant by that was ...your quirky Tikka must have either been built , by Fins; either hurrying through Friday, to get to the weekend....or dragging through Monday, recovering from the weekend...

What you need is a Wednesday rifle...

Haha.
 
Have you ever seen any of the older 202's I'm talking about?...
I have. He did have 2 or possibly 3 of the 202. I dont know if it was a classic or highline. Left hand. That's one of the ones I kept looking at and considered buying anyways. It did not appear to be an older rifle. It may very well have been new old stock. It did have some interesting "corrosion/ patina" on the box magazine. It appeared to have some galvanic corrosion from aluminum and some other metal touching each other. It created a white crust, that I'm sure could have been cleaned up. But I found it very interesting as I've never seen that before on a rifle magazine.
 
I have. He did have 2 or possibly 3 of the 202. I dont know if it was a classic or highline. Left hand. That's one of the ones I kept looking at and considered buying anyways. It did not appear to be an older rifle. It may very well have been new old stock. It did have some interesting "corrosion/ patina" on the box magazine. It appeared to have some galvanic corrosion from aluminum and some other metal touching each other. It created a white crust, that I'm sure could have been cleaned up. But I found it very interesting as I've never seen that before on a rifle magazine.
Dangit. I miss spoke, and I just caught it.. I meant the Sauer 200.... Not the newer 202...
 
You've obviously never hunted Africa, you haven't talked to any of the safari guides or exhibitors at Safari International's show's, and are spewing jealous ignorant bull squirt. I'll be at the January Nashville show, will you? I guess I'm on the wrong forum.

Judging by your attitude and ignorance, yes, you are on the wrong forum.
 
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Dangit. I miss spoke, and I just caught it.. I meant the Sauer 200.... Not the newer 202...
I don't know if he had any others. One of them stood out to me and I looked at it. I noticed he had either 1 more and possibly 2 more behind it in the gun rack, but never paid them a whole lot more attention. I was just very distracted by absolutely everything he had. It was really exciting to walk in and see everything from Remington, Tikka, Sauer, Sako, Armalite AR50, Ruger scout rifles, bench rest rifles, etc. All in one place. I got caught up and after purchasing a 7mm08 and a .22BR with .243 neck that was built and personally owned by Cecil Tucker of Tucker Bullets, that I couldn't afford to keep shopping and had to walk away. I wish I could have afforded about 4 or 5 more rifles that he had. He even had some of the Steyr scout rifles and also a Steyr SSG 69 chambered in 7.62 with a Kahles ZF84 10x scope on it. I REALLY, REALLY, wanted this rifle. However I came across it on my second visit and still had not financially recovered from my last trip in his shop. Lol. This is one that I will be watching when it comes up for auction.
 
Tikka T3 was and is a budget rifle, released 20 years ago...
When everybody still believed how the Rem 700 and 308 was the only way to go for precision rifles!!

Luckily some have moved on... strangely prices has not moved on, as the Tikka T3 is still dirt cheap in the US.

You get a:
Superb action - Sako TRG action slimed down
Superb trigger - Handles dirt, sand, ice better then any Rem 700 trigger!
Superb barrel - Same steel and barrels as used by Sako rifles.
OK stock - That functions... or if you want, you can upgrade.

For less then $900... or even much less!!


And some are saying, "they are not as good as x,y,z custom action... well no shit, because its a budget rifle.
But it was just built to such a high standard on CNC machines that many US custom action makers, still struggle to keep up... even 20 years later!



.
 
Tikka T3 was and is a budget rifle, released 20 years ago...
When everybody still believed how the Rem 700 and 308 was the only way to go for precision rifles!!

Luckily some have moved on... strangely prices has not moved on, as the Tikka T3 is still dirt cheap in the US.

You get a:
Superb action - Sako TRG action slimed down
Superb trigger - Handles dirt, sand, ice better then any Rem 700 trigger!
Superb barrel - Same steel and barrels as used by Sako rifles.
OK stock - That functions... or if you want, you can upgrade.

For less then $900... or even much less!!


And some are saying, "they are not as good as x,y,z custom action... well no shit, because its a budget rifle.
But it was just built to such a high standard on CNC machines that many US custom action makers, still struggle to keep up... even 20 years later!



.
Exactumundo... It's not rocket surgery...it's really not... But some try so hard to muddy up the waters with their imagined superiority...

. . . . ....just tell them.... Resistance is futile.
I don't know if he had any others. One of them stood out to me and I looked at it. I noticed he had either 1 more and possibly 2 more behind it in the gun rack, but never paid them a whole lot more attention. I was just very distracted by absolutely everything he had. It was really exciting to walk in and see everything from Remington, Tikka, Sauer, Sako, Armalite AR50, Ruger scout rifles, bench rest rifles, etc. All in one place. I got caught up and after purchasing a 7mm08 and a .22BR with .243 neck that was built and personally owned by Cecil Tucker of Tucker Bullets, that I couldn't afford to keep shopping and had to walk away. I wish I could have afforded about 4 or 5 more rifles that he had. He even had some of the Steyr scout rifles and also a Steyr SSG 69 chambered in 7.62 with a Kahles ZF84 10x scope on it. I REALLY, REALLY, wanted this rifle. However I came across it on my second visit and still had not financially recovered from my last trip in his shop. Lol. This is one that I will be watching when it comes up for auction.
I love Steyr rifles.
 
So the action smoothness is more important than the bad feeding. What purpose does this "action smoothness" serve?
 
Tried that... no success with the TAC A1 mags.

...and I didn't say OVERPRESSURE loads. The loads are still within SAMMI, but are on the higher end. The TAC A1 suffers from heavy bolt lift... doesn't matter if it's the OEM barrel / camber or a Proof CF drop in.

It's an action / bolt issue. ...and yeah, I even replaced the bolt with a LRI boron nitrite coated bolt.

(https://www.longriflesinc.com/products/lri-tikka-replacement-bolts)

Ammo that shows no signs of over pressure and works without issue in any other rifle can/will show heavy bolt lift in a T3X... It's a design issue that becomes worse as the action warms up.
I tweeted the spring on my mag before 1st round down, never had an issue.
Fully agree on heav bolt lift on higher pressure loads, mine are kept, below the threshold causing the heavy lift.

livi In the UK, it’s a pain obtaining rifles of any calibre, but within my price bracket the Tikka and a decent scope £1000+ is still what I’d be shooting at the end of the day.
Its a better than an moa rifle, not expensive and easy to maintain and cheap-ish to run with my home loads. Berger 130 ELD m, Hornady brass, CCI primers and Vihtavuori N555 pushing it out of the barrel.

johnerz
 
This thread is becoming like an old Amsdorf thread. Is there anyway we can move this to the pit? Or combine with the Tikka thread?