Questions for Tikka T3x shooters

Aflica

Aflica

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Hello
I am a novice shooter , but enthusiastic about it . I have a few 22's including a nice shooting CZ 452 American . Now i want to expand into .223 . My club range is limited to 250 yards , so thats the distance or less that i will be working with .
I want to put together a nice .223 for the range and maybe some woods shooting from time to time . So i learned my lesson on the 22's , that its better to start off with a better gun and build from there . I learned this by buying the 452 and saw what a decent 22 could shoot like . So im looking at 2 Tikka's ..... the T3x Lite with stainless barrel and the T3x Varmint with the stainless barrel . I see that the varmint in considerably heavier that the lite . Im not worried about packing the weight in the woods all day , as most of the time will be at the range . Is the Varmint version a better choice for bench shooting and worth the $250 dollar difference ? The stocks are also different , and the varmint is designed for prone shooting it says , and i will be sitting at a bench most of the time , so would this be a issue ? To be honest the price difference is not a issue , but i want to get it right the first time here if a can . What can anyone tell me as a novice shooter about the good bad and ugly about the T3x line ? I hear they are good , but lets hear about them from you people please .
And , is there a better option for a different gun , out there for Tikka kind of money , and not thousands for the rifle , i need some money left over for glass yet lol .
And who knows of a place that has them in stock for a good price , i know Cabelas does , but where else ?
And lastly , what ammo does the Tikka like with the 1 in 8 twist ? ie: what grain , what type of bullet , what burns clean , that sort of thing . I would want a good round that the gun likes , at a decent price . At this point im going to have to buy factory , but maybe down the road in a year or so , get into reloading .

Thanks for reading my long winded questions , and thanks for any help here
 
When you start to reload you'll find the mag really limits you on trying to get close to the lands and fit in the mag ie you can't even get close.....but if your handy you can extend the factory mag.

With the varmint version in 223 single loading is a pain because the rounds will bump up against the bull barrel as they need the mag to line them up with the feed ramp.

Those are the "bad" features of the rifle that I encountered with my varmint version.

Once I modified the mag to feed longer rounds I was able to seat 80grain bergers out closer to the lands and it truly shot fantastic. There's now metal extended mags available so you could just buy one of those instead of messing with the factory mag. The brand name escapes me right now though.

The trigger is really good too and you can easily make it lighter with a yo Dave trigger spring.

You'll get varied opinions but I prefer the tactical version for the adjustable cheek piece and the pic rail as well as the sling attachments on the side for carrying the rifle with a bipod attached and not digging into your back.

As far as factory ammo with the 8 twist I'd look for heavier bullets but you'll just have to try a bunch to see what works.
 
There's also the t3x tactical and the sporter. The sporter has a factory set trigger. Both have adjustable combs. I have a standard t3 lite which I bought on sale with a 1-8 twist and I prefer using 55 grain rounds because there easy to find.
 
I started off somewhat like the OP. I started with shooting a lot of 22lr up to 200yds and got pretty darn good at it. I also started with a savage bv and a cross fire 4x16 scope. I've also had a CZ 452 and 455 varmint. Those are gone and now I have 2 anschutzs a mpr 64 and an 1813 super match topped with Vortex HST 6-24×50's. To satisfy longer reaches I started with a vanguard s2 223 1-9 twist. Was OK but then I bought a T3 varmint in 223 1-8 twist. I will have to say you're probably going to like it.I like the HB is it holds better groups after 3 rounds than the pencil barrels. Yes worth the extra $.I have 4 oz trigger on my 1813 but run my T3 stock and like it.I like the factory stock and have a PST 6-24×50 on mine .I'm not a reloader and find the federal red box 55gr to shoot just over moa at 300 yds. 75 gr Hornady match shoot well under moa. I shoot a lot of full soda cans and clay's at 300-400 yds with my set up.I'm usually about 4 out of 5 on clay's and sodas at 300 and about 50/50 @ 400.Nice thing about the 223 is very few clicks on the elevation turret to go from 100-400 .Unlike the 22lr.
 
I bought a TX3 Varmint in .223 two months ago. I haven't shot it very much yet. The forearm of the stock is a little wider than the average fore stock so it sits in a front rest quite nicely. The extra weight is an advantage for bench shooting and the Tikka trigger can be easily made lighter with the yodave Tikka/Sako spring. There are several ways to mount a scope on the rifle, from using Weaver-style bases or a rail, or Talley rings dedicated to the d&t holes, or Warne rings for the Tikka dovetail grooves. I don't reload (at least not yet) and have found so far that the 1:8 twist barrel needs at least 55 grain bullets. I tried Sako made 50 grain rounds with disappointing results. The Hornady 55 grain American Gunner ammo is good. I shot some 75 grain Hornady ammo with very good results.
 
Just picked up the T3x lite for future spot and stock adventures got it for the light weight. If was using a T3x for the range I would go with the varmint it's heavier with the bull barrel put a rail on it for 60 bones from wolverines, and stick a ###y grs stock on it to give you the adjustable stock options. All that would be around the same price as the tac version but a little prettier in my opinion.
 
Thanks All for the help !
I went out last evening and bought the Tikka T3x Varmint in .223 . I also purchased the Vortex Viper HS-T 6-24x50 and Tally Picatiny rail with Vortex Viper low Rings



Im still interested in hearing about ammo and mods for this , and comments and helpful hints and tricks ect......

Thanks
 
I was getting V-Bulls at 1000yrds using 80gr Berger VLDs, Winchester brass, CCI BR4s and around 24-26grains of Varget.

69gr Sierra SMKs with 26 grains of Varget will likely work well too.
 
Just shoot it first before trying any mods. Mines very accurate and I haven't touched it.A limbsaver is all I've done. Ammo since your not really loading try federal 55 gr and 62gr red box. For better accuracy Hornady match 75gr. I've tried quite a few factory loads and these work the best for my rifle. When on sale in pay just over $10/20 for the federal 55gr about $25/20 for Hornady match 75g. I've also had decent accuracy from the Fiocchi 55gr.
 
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