Reduce recoil on Tikka T3 338WM

J

jaybe14

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Hi fellow CGNers I have a T3 Lite in 388 win mag and she packs a punch. I wanted to reduce recoil and wondered if someone had experience with this:
- add muzzle break - I would prefer not to given that T3 is already quite front heavy and imbalance
- new boyds stock or bell and Carlson add weight - this option i like as I don't care for the plastic stock. I'm not sure between boyds vs B&C is better though
- fill butt stock with material to increase weight - would like to try this as would be very cheap, but have no idea how to go about this
- add a bipod - I haven't used these much and don't know if it would recoil with the added weight

Thanks,
JB
 
Have you tried a Limbsaver recoil pad, they have one that is a nice fit on a Tikka, I have one on mine and a friend has one on his left handed Tikka both 338s, he is a little recoil shy but after I shot His first he was good, I do like Boyd's stocks but will probably not change the stock on the Tikka because I like the light weight. I do not like muzzle breaks myself, even less so after hearing a story from a fellow who had a sudden grizzly encounter while hunting alone, he fired a warning shot and spent two days with ringing ears and not being able to hear anything, He never saw the bear again but it was a nervous couple of days. If you do go with the Boyd's they have some reasonable prices on recoil pad options.
 
I have had two t3 338's. the tupper stock I foam filled and went with a limb saver pad the laminate I also changed to the limb saver. both were quite comfortable to shoot. the b&c would be an improvement its a little heavier. I also have a boyds with decelerator pad an a 338 fed and its quite comfy too. last resort would be a brake one of the less noisy ones like a vias. and yes the brand of brake makes a difference, some of the more open ones are super loud.. it would turn your rifle into a pussy cat.
 
I own one; it is my favourite gun.

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Hard to tame the recoil on them without making them heavy, I bought it because it is light (6.6lbs loaded with sights). I have come to embrace the recoil. I don't even mind shooting it off the bench anymore.

I have added a limbsaver; the factory stock fits me very well and does a good job of directing recoil in a reasonable direction.

Lately though I have been shooting 300 grain woodleighs from it and I have to say it has some chutzpah, a real kick in the teeth.
 
Perhaps an add in the EE is in order? Try and trade for a heavier 338 that won't rattle your teeth so bad?

You could put some lead shot into the butt and fill the space with expanding foam to secure it from moving, or epoxy to glue it to the bottom of the stock.
 
Suther said:
Perhaps an add in the EE is in order? Try and trade for a heavier 338 that won't rattle your teeth so bad?
Click to expand...
Either that or buy a 30/06.

Two guns I would not own in a magnum ...... T3 and an A-Bolt. Both are too light and do not have stocks that are well proportioned for heavy recoil.
 
Too light I will accept; but the stock of the tikka is excellent with iron sights, I find it very comfortable to shoot. Might just be me.

I often suspect it was made for the aimpoint mounts you see in euro-fudd hunting scenes.

Wanting to reduce recoil on a rifle that is slightly north of 6.5lbs minus the scope of your choice is going to be an uphill battle; I will agree.
 
A do it yourself limbsaver pad will completely change your perception of the recoil, but bear in mind that it will make the stock longer. I've had a couple on Tupperware Tikkas and the difference is day and night. For me the added length is a good thing.
 
I have had a T3 in 300 Win mag. It is in a Boyd's prairie hunter with a decellerator pad. Recoil is fine. I think having the higher cheek piece and a little extra weight along with the better pad make it a totally different rifle. Scoped with conquest 3-9 in leupolds rings she's just a hair over 8lbs. Pretty light considering the scope is a pound.
 
I would go the lumber route. I hear boyds makes a nice stock. I used to have a plastic tikka in 3006, recoil was obnoxious. Traded it for a no1 light sporter in the same caliber, my wife took it and wont give it back.
 
^limbsaver ftw. I was hating the recoil on my 30/06 after a bunch (20) of benchrest rounds. The limbsaver is great for a minimal investment. Would I like to have Boyds laminated stock? Sure, but on a heavier recoil rifle it may need to be bedded, and then have it sighted in again. I really think the t3 lite platform is a poor design for the magnum/larger loads. The amount of recoil is beyond where *most* people will flinch or begin to feel discomfort after a few rounds.
 
Definitely change the recoil pad. I fired 60 rounds of 6.5x55 prone of out my T3 light in a t shirt and two days later I was black and blue everywhere. 6.5x55 doesn't exactly have much recoil either. That hockey puck recoil pad just sucks. I changed it to a limbsaver.

For comparison my 375 ruger with a limbsaver, although it has a much harder push, feels much better than the factory recoil pad on the tikka.
 
I've done all of the things that you propose.

Added a black rose brake to our T3's with very nice results in recoil, but then it's loud.

Added mercury recoil tubes (available from Corlanes) to my Savage .338 LM. Work well, but then your light hunting gun isn't light anymore.....

I also inletted and added lead shot to the forestock of the .338LM, just to add more weight.

Added a Boyd's laminate stock to my T3 varmint .300WSM. Adds weight, and stock feels good, but again, your light gun isn't light anymore.

Love the limbsaver or decelerator. Does double duty as recoil pad and LOP increaser (I need more LOP too).

It's a give and take...... I hate when people give this answer, but if you're not in grizzly country, maybe a .308 would be better???

Can you imagine the superlite, or the finnlight, or the carbonlight in one of the magnum calibers???!!!!

-J.
 
My T3 in 338wm has a limbsaver on it. I got it that way off the EE so I don't know what it was like before but I suspect it was not pleasant. My 338 is quite tolerable shooting 200 or 210 grain bullets off the bench. My hunting load is 250 and it gets a bit obnoxious on the bench after 15 shots or so. When hunting I have never noticed the recoil.

Make sure you use a good base and ring set on that gun, i have 1 peace Talleys. My first set of rings that came with the gun cracked and damaged the scope.
 
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