Tikka - slick actions ??

The one thing with the Tikka 'plastic' mags is you can put one of the floor/ground and stomp on it, or run over it with an ATV and it won't be damaged, unlike metal where you'll likely, at the least bend something. I do agree that the price sounds like something coming out of the ontario tax office though :)
 
First time out with my 9.3x62 T3, when I closed the bolt it was so smooth I thought it didn't pick up a cartridge from the mag, I opened the bolt to check and my first 3 shots were touching at 100 yards. First day doesn't get much better than that.
 
bat119 said:
First time out with my 9.3x62 T3, when I closed the bolt it was so smooth I thought it didn't pick up a cartridge from the mag, I opened the bolt to check and my first 3 shots were touching at 100 yards. First day doesn't get much better than that.
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Both my T3s in 9.3 were that way also, very smooth and really accurate.
 
tinbird said:
The one thing with the Tikka 'plastic' mags is you can put one of the floor/ground and stomp on it, or run over it with an ATV and it won't be damaged, unlike metal where you'll likely, at the least bend something. I do agree that the price sounds like something coming out of the ontario tax office though :)
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Yeah, they are expensive. I bought only one 5-round "spare", and that's all I will justify, unless one breaks (unlikely).
 
Throttle_monkey1 said:
Yes I did. For the price I paid I was less than impressed. It was a gunsite scout and I paid just over a grand for it. It was short and handy but that's about it. My Tikka T3 beat it in every category except for adjustable LOP and mag capacity.

I would take a vanguard/howa 1500, Rem 700, Win m70, or older Euro rifle over it any day and still come in under the price of the scout. I spent considerable time cycling the action to smooth it out. No dice.

Anyways, we all have our preferences and I prefer a smooth action and good trigger.
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Sounds like you got a lemon. Rugers I have used all can be operated with two fingers.
 
Throttle_monkey1 said:
Pics damnnit! You know the rules!
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cam1936 said:
The smoothest, slickest, best feeding rifle I have ever used is a Ruger M77 Mk II in .280. It's slicker and faster to feed than other rifles I've owned like a T3 in 6.5x55, a FN Supreme M98, multiple 700s ect.

Even though the smoothness gives me satisfaction, it really isn't any faster than any other rifle when I practice with a shot clock. Recoil and stock design have the biggest effect when running against the clock (I practice with a shot clock, both dry fire and live fire.)
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This is my experience as well. Smoothness of a T3 (or HOWA 1500, also very smooth) is impressive when not actually shooting. When shooting, it doesn't really make a difference. Not to me, anyway.
 
tikkas are smooth but theres more to it than that. one of mine is more raspy for lack of a better term than the other. and tikkas seem to ride in and out on the bolt body rather than the lugs like some seem to. plenty of new guns do the same like the tc venture and ruger American but the t3 does a better job.

my fastest smoothest action is a vanguard sub moa varmint in 204. it has over 4500 rounds throu it and cycles itself almost. im very fast with is, just ask all those coyotes that died running. my tikkas are slower due to the longer unneeded bolt travel, despite the vanguard being a 90 degree bolt throw. im also faster with my xbolt for probably the same reason, xbolt has shorter bolt lift though. one thing about the vanguard is the follower contacts the bolt when cycling the action empty. makes it feel not so smooth, drop the follower and its very very differently. I shot a new vanguard recently it was nowhere near as smooth. it will get there in time I assume.

I have owned a few savage model 12s over the years and about 10 years ago they suddenly got very smooth. I don't know what they changed but they became much better.
 
I believe the short chambered tikkas have a bolt stop so you don't actually
Have to cycle the bolt as far as a long action.
 
Gatehouse said:
This is my experience as well. Smoothness of a T3 (or HOWA 1500, also very smooth) is impressive when not actually shooting. When shooting, it doesn't really make a difference. Not to me, anyway.
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Thats right although i claimed the rem was smoother, thats only in my basement. You can tell when the double stack mag releases the cartridge, which i like, where the tikka i have checked before to see if i have chambered a round, and i have had it skip before but the remmy skips too once in a while. Actually the whole issue isnt worth talking about till you get to a real clunkster like my cz 550 or my 783 when it was new. Actually it doesnt matter there either
 
porpoise said:
Thats right although i claimed the rem was smoother, thats only in my basement. You can tell when the double stack mag releases the cartridge, which i like, where the tikka i have checked before to see if i have chambered a round, and i have had it skip before but the remmy skips too once in a while. Actually the whole issue isnt worth talking about till you get to a real clunkster like my cz 550 or my 783 when it was new. Actually it doesnt matter there either
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I too like to "feel" the round load. I single load my savages as there long range guns. they have a magazine, I don't hardly ever use it. cant comment on feel without checking but its there. the vanguard in 204 with a double stack mag has an awesome yet smooth feel to the round being chambered, its in my opinion how they all should feel, I will cycle this action faster than anything else I own, maybe over 4500 rounds through it have something to do with it. my tikkas the 223 has more of a feel than the 243, the 223 action is also more "raspy" for lack of a better term. you almost hear the tikkas take one off the mag rather than feel it. my x bolts have good feel as well and its a wsm, its very smooth, very fast to cycle.
 
with tikkas and the 223, 222 and 204 the bolt moves past the back of the mag a good half inch. unnecessary, a longer bolt stop would be much better. they use the same bolt stop for the 223 family as the 308 family. stupid if you ask me. kinda like Remington and there 223 family and an internal mag. you cant drop a round in, back it up against the bolt face and press down. the bolt goes stops half inch behind the mag. makes the mag a pain in the a@@ to load compared to a internal mag where the bolt face lines up with the back of the mag.
 
Sockeye said:
Anyone know why the actions are so slick on Tikka's?? Are they nitrate coated?? I have to tilt my Rem.s T/C.s and a Kimber to almost twice the angle before the bolt will slide closed or open. Even the two Tikka's that make a buzzing sound when the bolt slides are slick as goose poopee and slide at the same angle as the Tikkas that do not make the buzzing sound.
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The Tikka slick actions are, I believe due to a electrolyse nitrate finish on the bolt and bolt ways in the receiver. I received a Remington 700 SS XCR ( Rem. advertizes the XCR as having a Black TriNyte® PVD coating over the S.Steal) yesterday and I compared there bolt drift angles together. They were nearly the same. The angle of tilt needed for the bolt to drift forward or backward was only slightly more of an angle on the Rem. XCR. This I assume is due to the extra contact area taken by the guide slot milled into the side of the Rem. bolt lug. not required on the Tikka as it has a smaller ejection port permitting the receiver to more enclose the bolt. I also compared both T/C Ventures, one of which appears to have a camo ceramic type coating (Predator) on it and another Rem. 700 SS CDL. They all required a much greater tilt angle before the bolt begin to drift one way or the other. Alcohol was used to remove residual lubricant from all bolts and receivers prior. All received a shot of silicon spray before being locked up after. The raspy feel and/or sound on the Tikkas is most likely from the machining marks left from manufacturing. I have a 695 and a 2 year old T3 that do this and 3 other T3s of various ages that do not.
 
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Many Mannlicher Schoenaur rifles are every bit as smooth as the Tikka T3. Same goes for the Husqvarna 1640 and 1900 models. The 1900 was so good that its design was picked up for production by Antolio Zoli or Italy, without any changes. Slick like melted butter on hot glass.

The reason for this is fit and finish. Fine fit and finish contribute greatly to the cost of the finished rifle. If your rifle seems a bit sticky it likely costs about half of one that doesn't. Well that used to be true. Not any longer. The T3 changed all of that and offered one of the slickest and most accurate rifles made en masse at layman's affordable pricing.
 
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