Do Tikka's (or others with plastic parts) stand up in the cold?

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Northman999

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What have you fellows experienced in cold weather with Tikka's, or similar rifles?

I was looking at a T3 Tactical in 300 win mag for an all around hunting rifle in the Yukon, and the dealer (who was very positive about Tikka's) suddenly told me to "forget Tikka" when I mentioned hunting Bison at -25 celcius. He told me they're good guns (apparently he owns two), but no way could he reccomend one for a cold weather bangaround rifle.

So that was one guy's opinion; what are your experiences?

I liked the feel of the T3 Tactical, but if I miss my bison because a plastic mag lip snapped off at -25 celcius, I'll be wanting some Tikka engineer's head on a stick in my front yard.
 
I hunt coyotes with mine all winter in northern Sask. in cold temps and haven't had trouble but I'm not to rough on my stuff. It seems fine and I sure like the 2 I have. Hope to hear from more people.

Chad
 
I have a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless Steel, and I can take it bushwacking all day in a rain/snow mix, and at the end of the day the rifle looks like it came off of the store shelf. The only way you can tell that there is any scratches on it, is it you look at it closely in the right type of light. The stock on the regular T3 Lite is not really nice looking, but it is very durable, and obviously lite.

I have'nt taken my rifle into the field for hunting in really cold weather yet, because its a relatively new gun, but I have taken it to the range a couple of weeks ago, and it was around -10 C, and from what I could tell, the accuracy did'nt change at all from when I took it out when it was +15 C.

I can't see why a Tikka would not be good in cold weather, however I don't think that the Tactical models come in .300 Win Mag ? I thought that they only come in .223 and .308 ?
 
TheTooner said:
What would the Finns know about making things work in cold weather, eh?
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Okay, what would they know? Currently, as I sit here, it is -11C in Finland. That is considered cold when the avg temp is -9C. It is -23C outside here.
I used my plastic stocked ATR this year when it was -37C here. Don't intentionally bang it around, but it held up good and stood as it should. I see no reason why a T3 would be any different.
 
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A couple of years ago, I was between the Ruger KM77 and the Tikka T3. I liked the looks of the Tikka, and the feel, but all the plastic really bugged me. In the end I chose the Ruger for it's reliability and all metal parts. I haven't looked back
 
I spent two weeks hunting this season with my Tikka T3 Lam/SS in -26 to -32* weather, banging it around a bit while hunting, and it held up just fine. I take it to the range in extreme cold all the time, and I've hunted with it for the last few years in similar conditions. It's always done great. No problems ever.

I also spent part of the season carrying my Ruger Hawkeye AW this year, and both it and the Tikka did exactly what I expected of them- function flawlessly while allowing me to kill stuff.
 
Alternatively, Tikka also makes a fine Model 1891, with a proven track record- drop it in the snow, kick it around in the mud, spear a commie, leave it frozen in a bog for a winter and it will still go bang at the end of the day. ;P

With the right lube oils in the bolt for the conditions, I'd imagine just about anything would function fine in the cold. The concern becomes whether or not the polymers in the stock become brittle enough in cold weather that a failure point might occur internally.
 
I'm not sure if your gun dealer was from the Yukon but the suggestion that you were given is not totally out of line either. I would take it as a suggestion that you ought to consider prior to the purchase. I was hunting barren land caribou in temps of -30 with a Savage 300 WinMag with Composite stock and an internal box magazine and it performed well enough for a successful hunt. I'm not trying to sell anyone on a Savage nor am I trying to bash the Tikkas. Because I own or have used both many times. However, given a choice I know that plastic and some composites can become brittle at colder temps and a strike on a plastic item in cold temperatures can have a dissasterous outcome at the wrong place and time.

A case in point would be... I have "chopped" down on a plastic shovel (more then once) to clear some ice and snow from the blade and cracked the shovel. Needless to say (I expect that it is of course it's a cheaper grade of plastic then a plastic clip) it starts with a small crack and usually gets larger in time. Ultimately, the performance of the shovel fails. Now my case in point here is intended to demonstrate that chit happens...

Now in regards to a rifle purchase that has to do "it's duty" in cold weather, a visit to a gun's company's website, or an email or telephone call to them can get the information that one may need in order to make a more informed decision.

Having said that, I've always felt that a steel hinged, drop-away-floor-plate is my first choice in a hunting rifle. I do have rifles with clips too so it's not a slam against clips, but rather a system that I have found has less to go wrong with it, then a clip.
 
Just buy a sako. End of story. Lol.

To be honest I have researched if and it's not your typical plastic. It's rough and tough. I dont think it's gonna crap out on you in the cold
 
rookie wildcat said:
Okay, what would they know? Currently, as I sit here, it is -11C in Finland. That is considered cold when the avg temp is -9C. It is -23C outside here.
I used my plastic stocked ATR this year when it was -37C here. Don't intentionally bang it around, but it held up good and stood as it should. I see no reason why a T3 would be any different.
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From a Finnish Meterological Institute website:

"...The coldest day of winter is usually well after perihelion, at the end of January everywhere except the maritime islands and coastal regions, where the slower cooling of the sea delays the coldest period until the beginning of February. The coldest temperatures in winter are from -45°C to -50°C in Lapland and eastern Finland; from -35°C to -45°C elsewhere; and -25°C to -35°C over islands and coastal regions. The lowest temperature recorded in Helsinki is -34.3°C (1987). The lowest temperature recorded at any weather station in Finland as of 2010 is -51.5°C (1999). ..."

That doesn't guarantee that Tikka built the T3 to stand up to Yukon cold, but it does suggest rather strongly that the Finns cope with cold as a matter of routine and would have developed the technical capability to make their manufactured goods suitable for use in cold conditions.

Without independent testing or even specific assertions from the manufacturer about cold weather perfomance, I would bet on a Tikka before a Remington, Savage, Weatherby, etc. and I haven't heard any stories of plastics used on those brands breaking due to cold.
 
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Northman999 said:
What have you fellows experienced in cold weather with Tikka's, or similar rifles?

I was looking at a T3 Tactical in 300 win mag for an all around hunting rifle in the Yukon, and the dealer (who was very positive about Tikka's) suddenly told me to "forget Tikka" when I mentioned hunting Bison at -25 celcius. He told me they're good guns (apparently he owns two), but no way could he reccomend one for a cold weather bangaround rifle.

So that was one guy's opinion; what are your experiences?

I liked the feel of the T3 Tactical, but if I miss my bison because a plastic mag lip snapped off at -25 celcius, I'll be wanting some Tikka engineer's head on a stick in my front yard.
Click to expand...

I have my Ruger 220 Swift in a gun boot mounted to my snowmobile and it's been literally pounded on rough lakes for many years at often bitterly cold temps, no cracks or otherwise to date. It's the factory Ruger synthetic stock like the Hawkeye and cost $65 at Brownells, so I doubt it's a higher quality than the Tikka's.

FWIW, snowmobile ski's are pretty much all plastic now and they stand up better than steel. I would hope you're not going to subject your gun to the same abuse as a ski. :)
 
bearkilr said:
I have my Ruger 220 Swift in a gun boot mounted to my snowmobile and it's been literally pounded on rough lakes for many years at often bitterly cold temps, no cracks or otherwise to date. It's the factory Ruger synthetic stock like the Hawkeye and cost $65 at Brownells, so I doubt it's a higher quality than the Tikka's.

FWIW, snowmobile ski's are pretty much all plastic now and they stand up better than steel. I would hope you're not going to subject your gun to the same abuse as a ski. :)
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I would imagine the gun boot is made of plastic as well and they seem to stand up awfully well!
 
I really don't think you can call this product plastic from there web sight the clip is described as glass fiber reinforced composite.I think your gunsmith is off on this one
 
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I've hunted the Yukon with my Tikka M695 with the so called plastic clip and bolt shroud and have never had a problem. My friend and neighbour drove over a Tikka magazine with the JD tractor and it came out of this ordeal without a scratch, the ground was frozen.
 
Pretty much all the "furniture" on a C7 is plastic ..... and they seem to stand up well. Use both wood and plastic stocks .. as I go through phases. They both perform well ... I think I am more appreciative of wood as I get older ...
 
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