Tikka T3x CTR, is it worth buying the special edition?

J

JDMLandscaping

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Good day gunners,

I have been wanting to enter the longer range shooting hobby for awhile now (200-1000 yards area, yes I know 200 is not “long range” but that’s how far my range goes so it’s where I will be learning the basics). I have been doing a ton of research and have settle on the Tikka T3x CTR in 6.5 creedmoor as my rifle platform. I chose it as my main hunting rifle is a Tikka and I love the action, it is not just a dedicated target rifle so I am able to take it hunting as well, almost all of the reviews are very good and it is proven to reach out and touch 1000 out of the box if you do your part. I will most likely put a fixed 10x42 or 12x42 scope on it and this will be what I learn on.

My question is, Cabelas sells both the stock CTR and a “cabelas special edition”. The special edition comes with a slight upgrade in fore/pistol grip, a muzzle brake and a set trigger. The few reviews I can find say the set trigger is awesome but Tikka makes a nice trigger as it is and me being a novice in the long range game I do not know how much of a difference it will make for me. The special edition is $1550 ish where I can find the stock version for $1200-$1275 which is $300 to put towards ammo and optics. I am working on a budget but am willing to spend more if it is for a good reason. If not buying the special edition I will not be buying from cabelas as they are more $$$ unless they put things on a good sale but they are the only ones with this special edition. Any opinions? Or experience? Thanks!

Ps: I have handled them both but cabelas puts trigger locks on all rifles being handled so I was unable to see the difference in triggers.
 
Set triggers and PRS style shooting would be a no go for me so I would say it would not be worth the price (set triggers are a no go for me over all really).

If you like the sport the furniture will also probably end up being replaced as well so I would recommend saving your dollars and just get the regular gun.

You can get a much nicer muzzle brake off the ee as well.
 
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I have a standard version, or at least the action, bolt, bottom metal and mag, but it now sits in a McMillan A3 and has a Benchmark 6mm barrel on it, I think it is now my favourite rifle. I also have a TacA1, which has the same muzzle brake as the Cabelas special edition. To me that is only upgrade as the polymer inserts are mediocre at best, and while the muzzle brake is effective, I think a Heathen from Insite is a better brake and it will cost you less money. SO I say go for the regular version, support your Local gun store, and spend the extra on better upgrades. Good luck and have fun!
 
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I have the 308 ctr and honestly the factory trigger is good but with the 5.00 upgrade the yodave trigger spring makes it even more impressive. The factory stock is ok. The killer is the stupid expensive mags. Save your money and buy a chassis that takes aics pattern mags.
 
I would not switch to a chassis just to have AICS mags. The AICS mags are good, but the CTR mags are better IMO. Shorter, clear barricades better, and the cost of one or two extra CTR mags is way less than a chassis and two or three AICS mags.
 
Thanks for the reply’s so far! I had no idea about the trigger spring upgrade from yodave so that is a bit of a game changer even just there. I couldn’t find a brand on the muzzle brake when I was looking at the rifle so I was and still am sceptical as to if it is the best brake for the job or just an affordable option they threw on to up the ante a bit. I do have long term goals of dropping it into an MDT ESS chassis but that will most likely come around the same time I have shot out the barrel and will be dropping an upgraded barrel so no rush for that. As for the cost of mags I doubt I will buy more then 1 extra as I don’t see me sending 20 rounds down range without stopping for a break or to check targets or just needing a break. Looks like the sock CTR is the better option, now to find the best priced unit!
 
Get the standard version and put a heathen brake on it and a upgraded trigger spring. It’s a good place to start and if you decide to change the stock out latter go for it. I decided after shooting my ctr for a bit that I wanted to upgrade the stock and went with a Bravo stock from KRG.
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i have the set trigger on my sporter. it doesnt hurt the regular trigger function. i never use it some people do i guess but most people who want the set trigger i think will find it far too light
 
For me, regular CTR then upgrade. I have mine mounted on a MDT LSS, upgraded to YoDave spring, installed an APA Little Bastard muzzle brake and a folding stock. It is light weight but still a stable platform for LR shooting. I love this setup.

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For the extra you get at that price it should be a no brainer: Get the special edition.

You will want a muzzle break. No only does it lessen the recoil (nice to have when you shoot over 100 round) but you won't loose your target picture

TEN round, not five, in a STEEL mag. Not plastic.

The set trigger is hard to find here, and it does exactly what the Yodave trigger spring accomplish. Push foward on the trigger and you get 8 oz of trigger pull. If you go hunting or don't want a light trigger simply pull as normal and you have the usual 2 to 4 lbs (adjustable) of trigger pull. I wish I had it on mine.

Most people won't take the time to look it up before giving their 2 cents and recommend you a regular one because it's what they have. Take a regular tikka varmint and do all the mods you have on the special edition and it will run you over 1,400. Sure you could have more money for ammo but that ammo will eventually be all spent. The extras on the tikka will last you a longer time.

 
I said standard before, now with the sale price at Cabela's I am changing my mind, that is good value there and Dake21 is right, you will want a muzzle brake anyways, and the set trigger is a nice feature, if you don't like the set feature sell it and get a two stage Timney. It is tempting enough that I may grab one too.
 
I am heading to Cabelas today to have another look at both models. The special edition and the standard are both on sale for darn good prices but online saids they only stock the standard rifle in .308 where I want the 6.5CM. The cheapest I can find the standard CTR is $1240ish without a sale and I can not find anywhere else that has the 24” barrel 6.5 on sale this weekend besides cabelas (if they have them in store) we shall see. The thing I am concerned about is I do not know what brand muzzle brake they use (looked at it in person but could not find a make on it) and so if I am upgrading the brake later anyway and a $5 spring from yodave gives me a better trigger then why would I spend the extra $150-$200? But if the brake is good then it seems to be a good deal

If anyone does know of a dealer having a sale on them let me know please but I am not finding anything.
 
It looks like the same brake that comes on the Tikka Tac A1, which is made by Tikka and is a decent brake, I don't think it will need to be upgraded. I have the same brake on my Tac A1, and Insite Arms Heathen brakes on my custom CTR and Bergara HMR, they are good brakes too but the only real advantage to the Heathen is the self indexing nut, the Tikka brake threads on and uses a clamp screw for indexing, which in reality is just as good.
 
Well I almost bought the CTR special edition. Went to the store and they were sold out, fair enough that’s a good sale. Go online and they are in stock and free shipping, great works for me. Fill in all my particulars and boom transaction could not be completed due to wrong info, yup I put my billing address in wrong. Go again and everything is right, webpage thinks for a second and tells me transaction could not be completed but does not give a reason. Try again and same effect. Made an account with them so I was no longer on a guest account and same result again. Checked my card and they had charged then refunded the full amount so it was not an issue with my card. So called customer support and they were closed on the Monday. Called today (of course the sale is now over) and the girl on the phone was very pleasant to deal with but she could not tell me what was wrong and because the sale was now over I no longer could buy the rifle at the sale price. Even after explaining the whole deal again and her talking to her supervisor there was no way they could change the price. So now I am sitting here waiting for the next sale to come around and stewing over the rifle I almost had.
 
i would bought one of the standard CTR rifles when they first came out and honestly i have been happy with it. I don't think i would buy the special edition simply because i like to be able to choose which brake i like the best, which trigger i want ect ect. currently my rifle is stock with the exception of my brake and some tweaks here and there for the gun to fit me better. love this gun for LR shooting. hate it for hunting unless I'm sitting in one spot, the way i carry my rifle when I'm walking and with the bigger magazine and added weight i much prefer my T3 lite to hunt with
 
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