Thinking of a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless

I appreciate all comments here so far, but remember what the original poster said, no hunting, just range work. For that intended purpose I think the T3 would be a fantastic rifle, very accurate right out the box with no messing around. And the 223 choice is great because it has oodles of ammo choices for a reasonable price, little to no recoil so you can watch your hits through the scope, and it is a great round to learn how to reload should he choose to do so.

So load up on the T3 and a decent piece of glass and some ammo and have at 'er!
 
Crashman said:
I appreciate all comments here so far, but remember what the original poster said, no hunting, just range work. For that intended purpose I think the T3 would be a fantastic rifle, very accurate right out the box with no messing around. And the 223 choice is great because it has oodles of ammo choices for a reasonable price, little to no recoil so you can watch your hits through the scope, and it is a great round to learn how to reload should he choose to do so.

So load up on the T3 and a decent piece of glass and some ammo and have at 'er!
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x 2
 
I own a Tikka T3 light stainless in 6.5x55. It's an excellent rifle. I bought it for hunting and was drawn in by it's light weight. It's more accurate than I am and has functioned flawlessly.

If I was buying a rifle expressly for target shooting, and wasn't going to be carrying it cross country, I would would have considered the T3 Varmit, Super Varmit, and Tactical instead. The heavier barrel would take longer to heat up under repeated firing and the heavier rifle would add stability. The Super Varmit and Tactical are quite a bit more expensive, but I think the regular Varmit is not too much more.

Also worth noting, is that all of the T3 rifles are built on a long action. For .223 the bolt will be blocked for a shorter throw, but the rifle itself will be the same length as for a .30-06 or other long action cartridge. Not necessarily a big deal, but it would make me consider other rifles build on a shorter action if I was interested in a short cartridge.
 
Oh boy. Tikka T3:s are used, much used by me, my family and friends. No complaints can be heard. Tikka uses Sako barrels, so they will shoot very similarly = accurately. I have owned Tikka and Sako rifles for more than 35 years. Not a single problem. As a handloader I usually have rather hot loads. Problems, no way. These rifles are built to be used and then go go go for eternity it seems.
My daughter is a precision shooter and hunter, she uses Tikka because she really likes them. She could buy a Sauer, Merkel Helix or Blaser R8. But she don´t. She have much more fun and success with her Tikka and Sako guns than others with other makes.

If anyone doubt´s, forget those thoughts. Tikka is a superior gun. Don´t worry about plastic details even Sauer, Merkel and Blaser use plastic and they also function great.
 
I have a Tikka 695 that I bought new in 2001 or 2002 and it is unreal. I will never part with it. I have shot a T3 in 300 WSM and it was great. Accurate with factory ammo and lightweight. I would buy one.

What one has to realize is that any of us could find flaws in any brand of rifle. I have had some rotten luck with Winchester's these past few years but that does not say that all Winchesters are crap. Tikka's are good rifles for your buck. However, in the same price range I would also look at the Vanguard or the Savage. Compare the three and then choose.
 
there are companys in sweeden,Germany, and the UK making the steel trigger guards and bolt shrouds and even mags which is the tikkas down fall however for the price same barrel as a sako and a clean fitting bolt i dont believe a winchester or even browning out of the box will shoot as good as the tikkas do on average.
 
yup i shoot the tikka 6.5x55 hunter and a cz 550fs 308 both beautiful guns for the 1000 dollar mark. one day i will buy a manlicher,sako or blaser but for the next while i got 2 very functional and capable rifles but will admit i have replaced the t3 shroud and soon the trigger guard with steel. oh and both have the lower end zeiss conquest but hell both more acurate than me.
 
people can rag on the plastic parts all they want but the fact is they work just fine and only problems for the old school way of thinkin that blued steel and walnut are a hunting rifle! LOL

anybody ever seen a tikka polymer mag break?? exactly. d:h:

I have two tikka t3 stainless rifles...one .223 rem in a varmint and one 25-06 in the Lite and they are both fine firearms.

I have my classic blued walnut rifles too. But nothing wrong with the tikka.
 
Jamie Black R/T said:
people can rag on the plastic parts all they want but the fact is they work just fine and only problems for the old school way of thinkin that blued steel and walnut are a hunting rifle! LOL

anybody ever seen a tikka polymer mag break?? exactly. d:h:

I have two tikka t3 stainless rifles...one .223 rem in a varmint and one 25-06 in the Lite and they are both fine firearms.

I have my classic blued walnut rifles too. But nothing wrong with the tikka.
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Exactly!
 
Jamie Black R/T said:
people can rag on the plastic parts all they want but the fact is they work just fine and only problems for the old school way of thinkin that blued steel and walnut are a hunting rifle! LOL

anybody ever seen a tikka polymer mag break?? exactly. d:h:

I have two tikka t3 stainless rifles...one .223 rem in a varmint and one 25-06 in the Lite and they are both fine firearms.

I have my classic blued walnut rifles too. But nothing wrong with the tikka.
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x3

I've seen a lot of Tikkas in the sheep mountains...all working perfectly.
 
I recently purchased a 6.5x55 stainless laminate and I've been over it with a fine toothed comb; it's fit and finish is every bit as good as the Browning
stainless laminate I owned and the T3's trigger is much better. I may change out the bolt shroud and bottom metal at some point, but I'm definitely
in no rush to do so. I am very happy with and proud of my new Tikka.:D
 
Jamie Black R/T said:
people can rag on the plastic parts all they want but the fact is they work just fine and only problems for the old school way of thinkin that blued steel and walnut are a hunting rifle! LOL

anybody ever seen a tikka polymer mag break?? exactly. d:h:

I have two tikka t3 stainless rifles...one .223 rem in a varmint and one 25-06 in the Lite and they are both fine firearms.

I have my classic blued walnut rifles too. But nothing wrong with the tikka.
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I think most of the problem is that too many of us have seen inappropriate parts replaced with plastic (such as load bearing or high wear parts).

The problem I have with polymer mags (where only the spring isn't plastic) for example is that the feed lips wear a lot faster than polymer mags with steel lips. Its probably not as big a deal in the case of a bolt action, since you're not shooting as much.... but there's definitely a noticeable difference with my 10/22 mags.
 
extend your shooting range over the 223 and go Sako A7 in 7mm-08, it's s/s and you'll have a hulofa lot of fun shooting it. I like it more than the T3.
 
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