T3 Lightweight Hill Rifle

[Alastair Boston]

Client specced a lightweight, point able hill rifle (in 308) , capable of being carried in rough terrain on long days in open country.

So we came up with this:

T3x, re-barrelled with 10 twist Tikka profile Sassen Cut Rifled barrel

Finished at 20" and threaded M14 x 1mm

DPT magnum mod (lightweight and quiet)

Excellent PSE E-Lite stock, finished in a customised colour, with added flush cup, pica-tinny rail for quick detach bipod if needed.

Contessa 10 MOA rail fitted to the action with fixings protected with Dynax-S50

Action was skim bedded with Devcon by me

The 308 chamber was cut using a Match reamer but Ive extended the throat a little due to the client wishing to use non lead and in past experience some brands of non lead ammunition do not chamber in typical factory barrels.

This is rectified by extending the throat

All up weight with mod is just shy of 6.5 lbs making a very lightweight usable rifle

With all the investment in this beautiful firearm and well done sir, just wondered if they too have gone lightweight and become a finely toned athlete !,and are on single percentage figures with their body fat !.

 

[ejg]

Even for the lightest and fittest person a lighter rifle is easier to carry. If technology helps us make a 1/2MOA 6lb rifle, why would one want to drag a 1/2MOA 10lb rifle into the hill?
Like on Ronins rifle, it is not one component that makes a rifle good. You need a good barrel, must be fitted/chambered well, you need a good stock which must be fitted/bedded well to the action. The likelyhood of such a rifle shooting very well is almost at 100%.
edi

 

[User00033]

Another highly desirable rifle Ronin and Edi.

 

[wildfowler.250]

McMillan don't inlet for Sako 75's anymore.

Bummer. Wonder if you can get a blank inlet from pse or mcmillan and have a good rifle smith as above inlet it for you?

 

[User00040]

Bummer. Wonder if you can get a blank inlet from pse or mcmillan and have a good rifle smith as above inlet it for you?

Or get one direct for a Sako 75 from High Tech Composites of NZ.

TBH, by the time you have spent that money on a Sako 75 stock, getting a better action (Tikka T3, Rem 700/clone) which has multiple choices for stocks would have been a smarter choice.

 

[K.H - Tikka]

Bummer. Wonder if you can get a blank inlet from pse or mcmillan and have a good rifle smith as above inlet it for you?

You can get a blank inlet from PSE but there are a number of compromises which arise from this. Also the inletting of the blank is not the easiest and only a small number of rifle smiths have the machinery to do so. It was somewhat covered in one of my earlier threads: PSE E-Tac Inlet

I went down the T3 route in the end and hopefully all will be together in the next few weeks

K.H - Tikka

 

[finnbear270]

A really well thought out culling machine, for those lung bursting climbs through that waist high heather cr*p, & If I ever lay my hands on enough dough I will be having all of the best components put together by the above Bowland Custom shop.

 

[JTO]

Looks like a T3 bolt handle.

 

[ejg]

Bummer. Wonder if you can get a blank inlet from pse or mcmillan and have a good rifle smith as above inlet it for you?

Yes we do offer backfilled stocks. Barrel channel open.
Just keep in mind one would need to also alter the outside shape of the inlet slightly. The Sako/T3/Rem700 all have the rear action screw hole on just about the same position so we mostly leave the hole as a reference.
We have fitted quite a few awkward actions in the past, all fitted with hand tools and then epoxy bedded. All you need are a few files and dremel..... great fun.
Just a bit labour intensive as a business.
edi

 

[25 Sharps]

Or get one direct for a Sako 75 from High Tech Composites of NZ.

TBH, by the time you have spent that money on a Sako 75 stock, getting a better action (Tikka T3, Rem 700/clone) which has multiple choices for stocks would have been a smarter choice.

You think the tikka t3 and REM 700 are better actions than the sako 75? Interesting.

 

[User00040]

You think the tikka t3 and REM 700 are better actions than the sako 75? Interesting.

Depends how you define 'better'.

The Rem 700 is popular for a reason, good bedding arrangement and secure trigger (even if the boltstop is a pain to put back in) mean lots of options for stocks and aftermarket triggers.

Tikka T3 arguably has the upper hand of 'universal' bedding, and integral dovetail which is a very strong optic mounting system when paired with the specific Spuhr hunting Tikka mount. No surprise Hakan Spuhr uses a @PSE Rifle Stocks either....

With the 75 you are locked into the Sako dovetail system which was great in the 1940's-1990's but we have moved on since with some scopes now weighing over 1kg, which I don't think it was designed to support. Sako stopped making their fantastic dovetail mounted aperture peep sight when the A series went out of production, thankfully I have 2!

So, with a 75 maybe you have the advantage of inertial ejection, but if I wanted that I could get a Mausingfield or simillar custom 700 footprint action.

At least it's still better than the 85...

 

[25 Sharps]

Depends how you define 'better'.

The Rem 700 is popular for a reason, good bedding arrangement and secure trigger (even if the boltstop is a pain to put back in) mean lots of options for stocks and aftermarket triggers.

Tikka T3 arguably has the upper hand of 'universal' bedding, and integral dovetail which is a very strong optic mounting system when paired with the specific Spuhr hunting Tikka mount. No surprise Hakan Spuhr uses a @PSE Rifle Stocks either....

With the 75 you are locked into the Sako dovetail system which was great in the 1940's-1990's but we have moved on since with some scopes now weighing over 1kg, which I don't think it was designed to support. Sako stopped making their fantastic dovetail mounted aperture peep sight when the A series went out of production, thankfully I have 2!

So, with a 75 maybe you have the advantage of inertial ejection, but if I wanted that I could get a Mausingfield or simillar custom 700 footprint action.

At least it's still better than the 85...

So by better you meant more adaptable

 

[User00040]

So by better you meant more adaptable

What is your definition of better?

 

[25 Sharps]

What is your definition of better?

I’m not disagreeing, just was interested in what you thought was better about them. Have never owned a T3, have shot a few, but do own a 595 and 590 and owned a REM 700.

I don’t think there’s a huge amount in it between any of them, really regret selling the 700 (.223 VSSF), but a lot seem to hold the 75 in very high esteem.

 

[JH83]

What is your definition of better?

I don’t know, maybe something about engineering tolerances/materials? Like when a rifle builder uses a Remington action and it needs truing/blueprinting and a sako 75 doesn’t? That’s how I would define ‘better’.

 

[JRF]

The stock colour certainly blends into the background “urban” floor -I hadn’t the time to get out and take images in a prettier setting (when I’m out and not working and in the workshop, Im on the deer myself now till March )

Stock barrel channel - the PSE stocks all come with oversize channel to allow customers to fit up to parallel profile barrel

This reduces the cost and whilst I get what your saying - a close fitting profile does not help a working rifle when it’s used in all weathers and environments - the barrel channel is deliberately large for the second reason that crud and debris can be removed easily (or doesn’t stick in the first place )

CNC - I can but dream of having the space or need

Needs some fluting Andy

 

[Ronin]

I think the bolt is coming your way Jack - direct

 

[JRF]

I think the bolt is coming your way Jack - direct

Oh right. It will set it off nicely.

 

[scotch_egg]

Oh right. It will set it off nicely.

Do you do Sako 85 bolt fluting?

 

[Ronin]

So, by way of update:

Client has placed a Zeiss scope on the gun and commenced load development.

150g Soft Points (Ive deleted load data as I dont think it appropriate to post exact details)

Initial load testing by the way - five shot groups off a bag...100 mtrs

Think its safe to suggest it shoots