Tikka T3x Varmint

quarrystalker

Well-Known Member
Well just thought I would share my experiance with my first trip to the range with this rifle. It is fitted with a Hawke 6-24x50 scope & wildcat Evolution Moderator + bipod as well as the oversized Bolt knob I bought off Gun&Dog member off here. Sadly I did`nt take pictures of my zeroing group, but it seemed to shoot well with a variety of ammo I tried inc Sako, Fiochi, PPU & a few of my mates homeloads. I wasn`t too keen on the look of the plastic mag, but it was easy to load the 5 rounds into single stack mag. I then bore sighted the rifle & was immediately on target, getting good groups for my first go of this set up & was soon hitting centre of target between barrel cool downs. The moderator did a good job of keeping the muzzle report down too. The trigger, although feeling slightly heavy broke really cleanly & the over size bolt knob made it easy to cycle so that was a real worthwhile mod. All in I am really happy with this rifle. I am looking to add a Oryx chassis wich should help with accuracy, especially when I want to shoot out to further ranges & I look forward to my next trip to the range to do some further ammo testing.
 
Great stuff. What calibre you using?
Whoops missed that bit out. .308. 6.5 seems quite popular at Cambridge gun club, but I have been out deer stalking a couple of times & also been out after wild boar. I wanted a bit of versatility with different weight bullets as well as shoot at range at Barton military range so wanted a good all rounder.
 
They are great rifles . I’ve got 2 223/243
You can adjust the triggers or get lighter springs . If is too heavy. Both mine are at 2lbs . Good luck
 
... it seemed to shoot well with a variety of ammo I tried inc Sako, Fiochi, PPU & a few of my mates homeloads. .....

I'm not trying to be a killjoy, but shooting a 'few of your mates homeloads' isn't a good idea.
Stick to ready rolled unless you are gpoing to use some of your own pre-fired cases loaded with a (manufacturers) minimum powder charge and safely work up a load.
 
Tikka Varmint .223's are great rifles. Highly recommend a Sterk AI style bolt handle. A Timney two stage trigger is my preference, but the factory single stage triggers are quite good.

View attachment 310902
Think I will try adjusting mine first to see how it goes. If not I will look into adding an aftermarket trigger. By the way are they a much improved bolt at that angle ? I must admit to seeing them & wondering if they are an improvement or just a more pleasing aesthetic add on.
 
I'm not trying to be a killjoy, but shooting a 'few of your mates homeloads' isn't a good idea.
Stick to ready rolled unless you are gpoing to use some of your own pre-fired cases loaded with a (manufacturers) minimum powder charge and safely work up a load.
Must say I was there when he loaded them with new brass. As you state they were safely loaded with low powder charge & work your way up experimenting with different bullet seat depths. I won`t be doing anything that would compromise my safety, anyone elses or that of the rifle.
 
Loaded for his rifle or for yours? It matters. All rifles vary slightly in chamber to bolt dimensions, and just because they're safe in his won't mean they're safe in yours unless he's sized them to conform with your factory fire formed dimensions. New brass should be ok to use out of the box but I FL size my new brass to conform with my fire formed brass dimensions. May be close enough to be a complete none issue but the first rule of loading safety is "assume nothing."

T3's are great rifles out of the box and there's been subtle improvements made over the years. KRG Whiskey chassis is good but if you use yours for hunting you'll be wanting something much lighter. My T3 308's in a GRS Sporter adjustable laminate stock which is very light but have had excellent results at the range over 1000 yds too with 190 smks.
 
These oryx chassis ….. can they come for left hand actions ?
Who’s the Uk got to retailer ?

Cheers
Paul
 
Think I will try adjusting mine first to see how it goes. If not I will look into adding an aftermarket trigger. By the way are they a much improved bolt at that angle ? I must admit to seeing them & wondering if they are an improvement or just a more pleasing aesthetic add on.
IMHO it's an improvement on the bolt movement. Since the handle is swept back and away from the bolt, it seems to cause less binding than the factory handle, giving the bolt a much slicker and silky feel.
 
Mine has a pink knob...

cortM1D.jpg


edi
 
Is that GRS Reaper stock Ambidextrous may I ask?
Mine's inletted for a right hand stock but they do a left hand inlet as well. It's ambidextrous in as much as it has no more palm swell that I can see on the right hand side of the grip, nor a cheekpiece. Pretty much symmetrical apart from the inletting
PXL_20230530_080640540.jpg
PXL_20230530_080711891.MP.jpg
 
Back
Top