Sako S20 or Tikka T3X TAC A1

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M.w.wolf

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Wondering if people have an opinion whether the new Sako S20 or Tikka T3X TAC A1 is superior.

I know that Tikka is technically Sako’s discount brand (although still far from cheap), but the S20 is actually cheaper than the Tikka.

Don’t imagine that either the TAC A1 or the S20 are in the TRG class.
 
For the Tikka:

  • Tikka is a better action than Sako S20. These sako 3 lug, passive ejector at 6 oclock are very close to throwing brass into scope turrets.
  • Tikka has very sizable aftermarket. Sako - like zero.
  • Any Tikka is a Tikka, meaning that you don't need to buy TAC A1, you can buy any Tikka variant and put it into a chassis later. MDT has a very good selection. KRG Bravo is a very good option.

For the Sako:
  • Action is lighter, finish is better
  • S20 looks sleek
  • As a whole package it is very reasonably priced for everything included compared to TAC A1

I would choose Tikka any time over S20, with S20 you are locked and done, nothing else fits it, if anything breaks on a stock you can only replace it with OEM which will be tripple price never come to Canada affair. With Tikka all options are open: prefit barrels, plenty of stocks, pic rails, you can sell whole Tikka, just action + barrel, just action, stocks separate from the rifle and so on. With S20 you won't sell anything.

If you have issues with prices, it means it feels too expensive for you. In this case take Tikka UPR for $2k, or Tikka CTR for $1.4k. You will add a stock new or second hand chassis once you have some extra money.

If you want a nice rifle now, you don't care about aftermarket, you are not going to shoot a lot or be rough with the rifle or plan to sell it - take Sako.
 
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I owned a 308 S20 Precision. Bought it online from Al Flaherty's first week of November.

Tried to love it but sold it not too long ago and took abit of a hit just to get rid of it.

What I hated about the S20. For the price I paid and to find out that the plastic surrounding the aluminum chassis is absolute garbage. The quantity of the plastic is that of a toy from the dollar store. It would not handle the conditions of a hunting trip. I wouldn't even try to put it through a PRS match. A range trip is all I believe the plastic stock could handle.

I should have did more research at the time and what I was really looking for was a Bergara B14 HMR Pro in 308.
Basically the same stock idea but the Bergara stock is 1000 times better.

I was also disappointed with the out of the box accuracy with even the best match ammo. The only factory ammo that showed MOA groups was the Sako 150gr SP. When it came to hand loads it was no problem getting MOA groups. Check out Ozzie on YouTube for his review. He was disappointed as well.

I would definitely recommend checking out the Bergara B14 HMR Pro. Right out of the box I'm getting 1/2 MOA or better 3 shot groups as advertised with 168 and 175 FGMM. Same with my 180 gr Campro SP handloads. Pictures to prove.

Coming back to the S20.... Yes the action is slick but so is the Tikka and the Bergara. Really study it hard and handle it thoroughly before dishing out that kind of cash or you'll have buyer's remorse like I did.

Good luck.
 
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Cafard said:
I would get a T3X Lite and rebarrel with the cartridge and the contour of your choice. My .002$
Click to expand...

^^
I agree. Took at T3X 243, rebarreled with a Krieger barrel and sub-MOA with stock Sako 100 gr ammo. Cheaper than the S20 route and the T3X bolt works well.
My stock T3X Varmint in 308 is sub MOA as well. Why spend the money for the name? And as also mentioned, lots of aftermarket upgrades. I have my 308 in an MDT chassis. Two minutes to make the switch and great improvement in accuracy.
 
Another option, Buy an older T3 tac. I have one, and right in the manual says it uses a sako match barrel, which I have found during some research is the same barrel the TRG uses.
 
owlowl said:
For the Tikka:

  • Tikka is a better action than Sako S20. These sako 3 lug, passive ejector at 6 oclock are very close to throwing brass into scope turrets.
  • Tikka has very sizable aftermarket. Sako - like zero.
  • Any Tikka is a Tikka, meaning that you don't need to buy TAC A1, you can buy any Tikka variant and put it into a chassis later. MDT has a very good selection. KRG Bravo is a very good option.

For the Sako:
  • Action is lighter, finish is better
  • S20 looks sleek
  • As a whole package it is very reasonably priced for everything included compared to TAC A1

I would choose Tikka any time over S20, with S20 you are locked and done, nothing else fits it, if anything breaks on a stock you can only replace it with OEM which will be tripple price never come to Canada affair. With Tikka all options are open: prefit barrels, plenty of stocks, pic rails, you can sell whole Tikka, just action + barrel, just action, stocks separate from the rifle and so on. With S20 you won't sell anything.

If you have issues with prices, it means it feels too expensive for you. In this case take Tikka UPR for $2k, or Tikka CTR for $1.4k. You will add a stock new or second hand chassis once you have some extra money.

If you want a nice rifle now, you don't care about aftermarket, you are not going to shoot a lot or be rough with the rifle or plan to sell it - take Sako.
Click to expand...

The S20 use spring ejectors so they shouldn't have ejection issues like the mechanical ejectors on the Sako 85's. I think the S20 would be a nice rifle for some general
LR plinking.

That being said I would also go tikka if you plan to do any upgrades, much more after market equipment. I would suggest you buy a Tikka CTR, toss the plastic stock, then put it in a stock/chassis of your liking, this way you can utilize acis magazines as the CTR mags are not the greatest. (you can sell the CTR mags for a good price) Shoot out the factory barrel while learning, then upgrade the barrel in the future.

This is exactly what I did, and im on barrel #4 on my CTR action, no complaints, although if id known how addicted id get to this hobby, I would have bought a full custom action from day one.
 
I picked up an S20 6.5prc for the interim while waiting for a build. Shoots great! Shot two groups, 8 shots total, It put 3 cold bore (shot 5 min apart) Horn 147 factory under an inch at 200yds, and five in 1.5" at 200.... totally acceptable for me as a hunting rifle. Did absolutely nothing to it other than a good cleaning and torqued to spec.
 
Tikka.

The Tac A1 is a bit more than some on here state. All Tikka barrels are made by Sako. However the Tac A1 barrel and CTR is the TRG barrel. They also both use slightly changed ( base plate) TRG mags. The A1 however has a two stage trigger more like the TRG. The chassis is decent. I like it. Plus it folds ( a more expensive feature on most chassis).

A number of TRG owners often seem to also have a Tactical A1 lurking in Their safe. It’s the closest tikka to a trg but has a chassis without being in TRG M10 price range. If you find a good price/sale then the A1 is a good buy.

The CTR in a chassis or stock of your choice is the other option. It’s also a good one.

I almost bought a S20 but… reviews weren’t that great by real users rather than professional reviewers. And it’s ultimately a pale imitation of the TRG22. By the way the TRG22 is excellent. Yes better than any of the Tikkas. But you have to like the stock or spend a ton on a folder from Sako or KRG.

Tikka A1 or CTR over Sako S20. Easy choice.

Good luck. 👍
 
I liked my s20 tactical but I sold it I had too many guns. The stock is great except the finish is kind of a semi gloss sheen plastic which looks kind of cheap. It has an aluminum thing on the front with the latest kind of attachment holes which actually looks cool and not junky if you use that kind of thing. It has a machined in 0 moa rail which has a gap and looks nice and is great for conventional scope placement but limiting for some purposes I guess. The 5 round mag is good and sticks out not much. It's a little heavier than most sporting rifles but was just the right weight for me. I may get another one but I am trying to switch to left hand rifles. I put a brake on mine before I sold it and it fit great and shot good. I don't think of it as compared to chassis rifles it's lighter and suitable for hunting
 
The ROC said:
I owned a 308 S20 Precision. Bought it online from Al Flaherty's first week of November.

Tried to love it but sold it not too long ago and took abit of a hit just to get rid of it.

What I hated about the S20. For the price I paid and to find out that the plastic surrounding the aluminum chassis is absolute garbage. The quantity of the plastic is that of a toy from the dollar store. It would not handle the conditions of a hunting trip. I wouldn't even try to put it through a PRS match. A range trip is all I believe the plastic stock could handle.

I should have did more research at the time and what I was really looking for was a Bergara B14 HMR Pro in 308.
Basically the same stock idea but the Bergara stock is 1000 times better.

I was also disappointed with the out of the box accuracy with even the best match ammo. The only factory ammo that showed MOA groups was the Sako 150gr SP. When it came to hand loads it was no problem getting MOA groups. Check out Ozzie on YouTube for his review. He was disappointed as well.

I would definitely recommend checking out the Bergara B14 HMR Pro. Right out of the box I'm getting 1/2 MOA or better 3 shot groups as advertised with 168 and 175 FGMM. Same with my 180 gr Campro SP handloads. Pictures to prove.

Coming back to the S20.... Yes the action is slick but so is the Tikka and the Bergara. Really study it hard and handle it thoroughly before dishing out that kind of cash or you'll have buyer's remorse like I did.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

This was my experience as well. My remington sps shoots better for less then half the price.
That being said, I dont think ill venture from bergara rifles. Never had a bad one. I have seen tikkas be ammo picky.
 
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