Tikka T3 Lite, good gun?

I talked a friend into buying one last summer in .243 Win. I shot a 7inch group at 300 yds with factory ammo. To say the least I was impressed!:)
 
I love the plastic stock, wood is nice but does not stand up to the abuse my varmint rifles go through. I would choose a well built synthetic stock over wood any day for a rifle that that has the potential of getting banged around.
I recently added a heavy barreled T3, stainless, .204 to my safe, it shoots exactly what the company said it would with factory ammo, smooth as silk action and basically impervious to any weather. I topped it off with the 2.5x16 6500 which is also well equipped to hunt in the rain.
When I go on the hunt for a .270 I know exactly what company I will be pursuing.
A rifles first and foremost job is too shoot good, and do so reliably. People who judge a rifle solely by what it looks like in their safe have a very, very different use for their guns than I do.
 
forgive my ignorance, but how would that be with the two WSM caliber's that the rifles come in? :confused:

The actions are all the same, long. The only difference with the WSM is the bolt head is larger, and the magazine is wider. Still a short cartridge in a long action.
 
I got a T3 Laminated Stainless 30-06 And I'm really happy with..it It is so Accurate couldn't ask for more.. with commercial load I was doing some 1 inch or 1 1/2 groups now I'm relaoding I'm between .75 and 1 inch could'nt ask for more. The adjustable trigger is fine I've just put mine at 2 lbs .. The rifle is really light with my scope Is just 7 1/2 lbs (3x16x50mm).. This is a great hunting rifle but the kick form its light weight make it a bit hard for a long day to the shooting range.. That why i'v put a muzzlebreak on it.. Now we're talking....

That's it my friend Good luck
 
Not much play room, you pretty much are stuck with factory OAL. I found with partitions, the noses were getting pinched while inserting the mag, even while doing it carefully...

The inline fed mag annoys me in that you have to take the mag out to put another shell in it. IMO its an inferior system compared to my Sako mag, which is staggered and can be topped up through the action.

Other than that, I liked the 3 I had, and I don't mind the plastic...

... it is designed as a short-action cartridge so must have a short COL. So why complain about what it was not intended to do? And inline feed is smooth as silk. Take the mag out to put another round in... hmm that's entirely too much work I must admit! There must be a better way? Of course, if you have to empty the mag when hunting, maybe one shouldn't be in the woods that day!
 
... it is designed as a short-action cartridge so must have a short COL. So why complain about what it was not intended to do? And inline feed is smooth as silk. Take the mag out to put another round in... hmm that's entirely too much work I must admit! There must be a better way? Of course, if you have to empty the mag when hunting, maybe one shouldn't be in the woods that day!

The actions all measure the same, short cartridge or not, they use a long action with a bolt stop. .300WM and the .243 both measure the same, and the mag length is too short for my liking.

I didn't say it was good or bad, just listed why I didn't like them. For my money I buy what I want, and I don't want to settle for the Tikka anymore.

By all means, buy as many Tikka's as you want, and I'm sure they'll shoot MOA.;)
 
Ummm, not trying to be controversial, but if they shoot MOA despite the action length surely the extra length doesn't matter?
The reason people seat bullets out is to get them close to the lands for more accuracy.
If the rifle is already inherently accurate surely it's pure semantics to seat them out more than they have to be.
Just raising a point, not condemning you criticism.
 
Thats a fair point but as he says thats why he doesnt like them for his money, his choice! I like them and will be looking for a lightweight left hander for my son in .243, of all the stalkers rifles I have seen used over here that has to be the best value for money!
 
The reason people seat bullets out is to get them close to the lands for more accuracy.

Also allows the use of longer/heavier bullets, without having to seat them into the case further, which can be a capacity killer in a short action cartridge.;)
 
the nice thing about the t3's are good adjustable trigger and good acuracy out of the box. if looking for a no tinker rifle there a great deal. i have owned several and all were good from the box after a trigger adjustment made in minutes with the supplied allen key. i only own one at this time a 300 short. i've mever spent a nicke on it, its got lots of scuffs and scars but still shoots great.

How do you adjust the trigger on the tikka t3 lite? My friend has one and is under the impression it does not have an adjustable trigger?
 
A friend did a cool easy mod on his T3 heavy barrel .260. He swapped out the bolt-stop for one from a "long action" and substituted a mag from a 30-06. Makes it to the lands with VLDs now, and remains a repeater while doing so.
 
Excellent gun! I was quite weary of the plastic, specifically the mag and the mag catch, but I have had it out in <-30 degrees celcius and have had no issues what so ever. It shoots every bit as well as my heavy barrelled and precision tuned Rem700P bench gun. I got it in 7mm-08 and I must say I am just as impressed with the round as I am with the rifle. Topped it off with a S&B 3-12x42 with a good set of Badger Ordinance rings, the optic is worth almost 3x as much as the rifle but it can't be beat in my mind.
 
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