Showdown: Tikka T3 Tactical vs AIA M10-B3

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grox6

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Well, I've been planning this for a while, and I've finally got all the basic components needed.

This coming Saturday I plan on hitting the range to do some comparisons between my Tikka and my new AIA which arrived last Sunday. I picked up the scope rings for the AIA this morning, and I plan on mounting the scope tonight. I also picked up some inexpensive commercial ammo as my surplus stuff produces a lot of flyers.

The test ammo will be Federal PowerShock 150grain .308, the scope on the Tikka is a Bushnell elite 6500 and the scope on the AIA is going to be a Leupold VX-L. I haven't put aside any cash for more expensive match grade commercial ammo, I'm just looking for some side by side comparisons of the cheap stuff for now. I do realize that either of these rifles might perform much better/worse with different ammo, but further tests of heavier/lighter bullets, more/less powder, etc will have to be done another time...


Also, I don't have any of the more advanced test tools like a chronograph or a bench vise, and I'm not setup to load my own rifle ammo. But, I'll do my best to hold 'em steady while resting on a sandbag, and shoot straight with the ammo, optics, and limited skills that I have.


So, for those of you who have asked for a range report on the AIA, expect a posting on Saturday evening...

ps. If any of you are members of PCDHFC and you've got some of the test gear I'm missing and you want to participate, pm me. (In particular, I'm interested in borrowing a bench vise.)
 
While I like the AIA and I think it is a terrific gun, on average the Tikka is more accurate, the Tikka has a much better trigger, and the Tikka action is a lot smoother. The AIA can make good groups, but I wasn't as consistent with the AIA as I was with the Tikka(probably due to the AIA's heavy trigger)


To the AIA's credit, my very best 3 shot group of the day was with the AIA at 100yards. I got all 3 shots within the size of a penny(All three shots taken in slow sequence. No cheating by picking the best 3 shots out of bigger group and no exaggerating about the penny size group).

But, I ran through over 100 cartridges between the AIA and Tikka, and I'm more comfortable saying that with the ammo and other accessories I currently have, the AIA is presently a 2 MOA gun in my hands. I am positive I can tighten up the AIA with more practice, a more stable front rest(sandbag instead of my jacket), perhaps some better ammo, and if I could get another scope on it that didn't interfere with the stock. (I suspect that the recoil may have been causing the front of the scope to kiss the stock as there is very little clearance and I seemed to have problems with a wandering zero until I adjusted the ring base.) Also, to be comfortable yet maintain good eye relief, I should pull the scope back almost 2 inches, but with the VX-L scope on the AIA I just don't have the clearance for that.



When switching from the AIA to the Tikka, my first shot with the Tikka caught me by surprise. (Gun went bang when I wasn't expecting it to go bang.) Fortunately, I always keep my finger off the trigger until I'm sighted and ready to send lead down range. None the less, the Tikka's trigger was so much lighter that it caught me by surprise and the gun discharged before I expected it to. I readjusted my expectations and no further adrenalin pumping shots occurred.

On the topic of the Tikka's performance: I think it is well known that in the right hands and with good ammo, a Tikka T3 Tac can do sub-MOA groups. But, I'm not going to hide behind the reputation of my rifle, the truth is that I'm not as good as my rifle(yet). For comparison purposes, my better groupings with the Tikka were about 1.5 inches using the Federal PowerShock 150 grain cartridges. (I made some occasional clover patterns, but there were regular flyers). If I can get the Tikka down to a consistent 1 inch at 100y, I'll be happy.



On the topic of the AIA's action...

While it felt great cycling it when I was at home(obviously without ammo), once I got to the range and started putting rounds through it I noticed an occasional glitch. Some cartridges would bind while I tried to close the bolt. In those cases, I backed off the pressure from the bolt, the cartridge would straighten out, then I could close and lock the bolt. Perhaps the gun just needs to work in a bit more. But I never, ever had a problem like that on my Tikka or on my Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine. Also, when closing the bolt on the AIA, I had to use a lot more pressure/force than when trying to close the Tikka bolt. The Tikka's bolt would just slide forward as if there was no cartridge and no resistance at all, the AIA's bolt took steady pressure to close and the faster I tried to close the bolt, the more resistance it put up. I think most of the cartridge binding occurred when I was cycling the action at higher speeds.

Anyway, I've had other guns that just needed a little time to get worn in, and then issues like the ones I've been whining about went away. I can learn to handle the trigger better, the action is likely to get smoother with a little more use and some proper cleaning and lube, and the AIA is still a beautiful rifle.

So, my final words are: I think the AIA is beautiful and in my hands it can occasionally make better groups than my Tikka (T3 Tactical .308 20" barrel) But, if price wasn't a concern and I had to choose just one rifle, it would definitely be the Tikka. Fortunately, I don't have to just pick one. The bottom line is I like both guns and this AIA is going to be a long term "keeper" for me.



ps. And, the AIA comes with two 10 round mag's that are well known for their ability to play nice with an M14.
 
Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me that day. My latest cell phone has a pretty good camera built in, so these days I'm taking more photos. But, I haven't had my Tikka or AIA out to the range in quite some time.

For more info on the AIA, you can check out some of the details here:

http://www.marstar.ca/gf-AIA/M10-B3.shtm
 
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