Tikka troubles
- Thread starter kevin g
- Start date
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
But the Tikka never jammed, even though I [apparently] don't know how to use a bolt action. That just means it's more user friendly, and less prone to problems [like I was saying]
But the Tikka never jammed, even though I [apparently] don't know how to use a bolt action. That just means it's more user friendly, and less prone to problems [like I was saying]
More correctly put would be :
*YOU* have not jammed your Tikka yet.
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
And try as hard as I might, I just can't seem to do it! Yet it was so easily accomplished on the Rugers...
You must have a knack for improperly using CRF rifles.
Others on this thread haven't been so lucky with the Tikkas...
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
Gatehouse,
I've enjoyed the banter. Like I said before, if you don't like Tikka, that's fine. I know they're not the most loved gun around because of the polymer this-and-that.
I like mine, and it hasn't done me wrong yet.
You like Ruger... also fine. Someone needs to buy them.
You may have convinced me about the Win 70 Extreme Weather for my next gun. We'll see if I can figure out the CRF on that one
I've enjoyed the banter. Like I said before, if you don't like Tikka, that's fine. I know they're not the most loved gun around because of the polymer this-and-that.
I like mine, and it hasn't done me wrong yet.
You like Ruger... also fine. Someone needs to buy them.
You may have convinced me about the Win 70 Extreme Weather for my next gun. We'll see if I can figure out the CRF on that one
Mannnnn....I sure didn't figure that this thread was going to turn into a pissing contest! or a "#####-slappin" feud!
.....Yessss, .I am extremely disappointed in the mag issues, with my brand new gun...but... SH*T HAPPENS!!. I called Tikka said they'll fix it or replace it...THAT'S FINE!!.......I didn't just grab the first gun and go with it, .It's the FIRST TIKKA I've ever owned......I looked at others BEFORE I got this one. I don't like the Remingtons or anything with the bead blasted finish...esp the Sendero...I saw first hand what putting a wet rifle into a fuzzy case right after hunting, and driving for 3 hours can do(prettiest fall orange you'll ever see) ...I did find some GOOD Tikka reviews on line tho.....2 of my best friends have them in T-3 Lites, I've handled them, and liked em...and they love them! Usually, I tend to take a lot of reviews with a grain of salt. But if the consensus of the majority says it's good or bad, then that usually alerts me to dig a little further! .....You seem pretty adamant that you couldn't get your TIKKA to jam...or it Hasn't jammed yet.....correct??...That's Great!!.
.makes me feel a bit better too. I too can boast the same thing!..
...cuzzzzzzzz mine wouldn't FEED the rounds off the magazine into the chamber!My T3, a Stainless Lite in 9.3x62 was loaned to a buddy who happened to be a hunting guide in the NWT for a season when his M70 Win let him down.
The rifle came home to me and the fussy old Kraut couldn't say enough good things after finishing off a couple of his clients animals.
For me, that testimonial was enough proof of the durability of the T3.
I have not been able to break it, nor could he...
The rifle came home to me and the fussy old Kraut couldn't say enough good things after finishing off a couple of his clients animals.
For me, that testimonial was enough proof of the durability of the T3.
I have not been able to break it, nor could he...
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
Mannnnn....I sure didn't figure that this thread was going to turn into a pissing contest! or a "#####-slappin" feud!
You seem pretty adamant that you couldn't get your TIKKA to jam...or it Hasn't jammed yet.....correct??...That's Great!!.
I don't think the conversation became [or has become] a mean-spirited fued or anything. Just a little banter. I can't speak for Gatehouse, but I certainly haven't been offended here [or felt attacked or whatever]. Gatehouse has a pretty thick skin, and has been around for a while, so I'm willing to bet he's not all fuming mad either [Like I said, I can't speak for him, but that's my bet]. I'd never try getting into a big fued with Gatehouse... I'd get schooled.
I hope Tikka [Berreta, Stoeger, or whoever does the customer service] takes care of you.
I think Tikka makes a good rifle, even if it is a bit unconventional [read: uses polymers]. The spare magazine I bought doesn't have any feeding issues either, so if my original magazine working well is a fluke, then I fluked out twice when I got the spare mag.
Anyway, I hope your issue is resolved quickly. If it isn't, feel free to send me the rifle. I'll give it a good home.
Exactly. I just like hacking on T3 fanboys
Most fanboys dwell on:
- The T3 has tremendous out of the box accuracy (OOTBA)
- The action is "smooth"
- The plastic bits haven't let me down (yet)
Problem is, that just about any factory rifle has good enough OOTBA to go hunting, "smooth" doesn't mean much, and all it takes is a bit of bad luck and maybe those plastic parts *do* become an issue...
Bottom line to me is, the T3's are a decent rifle that would work well for the average joe out hunting. When first introduced, thier appeal was that they had good OOTBA and reasonable quality for a reasonable price. When they went up in price their appeal lowered considerably.
I'm a firm believer in "use what you want" so I sure won't get my nose bent out of shape by T3 users, WSM users or even cowboys using lever guns.
I'm new to this post, I am not a Tikka fan so I never paid much attention to this post but I have owned and rung out a Tikka. For me the Tikka was almost unuseable(is that a word?), I could not load a round from above or directly into the chamber, all the ammo had to go through the magazine. Alot of my shooting is from a bench and when you cant load from the top it is a real pain. The opening is also too small to "direct" a cartridge into the chamber, apparently this was done to make the action stiffer. I am not a fan of the plastics either and when you cough up the extra for a walnut stock, it has no figure at all, which counts for me. I do hope that the original poster gets his gun working and this has a happy ending, I know that replacement plastic mags. are around $100.
ILoveBigRacks
Regular
- Location
- Beaumont, AB
I think everyone will have their preferences. You can pick apart any mfg you want, if so motivated. Personally, I've got a T3 Varmint .223 and can say with certainty that it has NEVER failed to feed or hung up on me. The polymer takes a bit of getting used to, but that hasn't stopped the millions of handgun owners who've made the leap (Glock, H&K, etc...).
I've owned 2 Rugers, a 10-22 which was a great little plinker and a stainless laminate compact in 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 did fine for me, nice little gun that accounted for a black bear last spring before I sold the rifle. I did find the floorplate a bit hard to seat but not a huge pain. I also found the action a bit "clunky" to cycle. Just my personal feel for it, the bolt just didn't cycle as smoothly for me as other bolt actions I've owned. Don't know if this is inherent or not. I'd buy another Ruger if I had the opportunity but would try the action first for feel. Rifle seemed well enough made. Again, just my own experiences. YMMV.
But yes to the OP, from first hand experience, there are T3 Varmint .223's out here that DON'T have any issues and are fantastically accurate.
I've owned 2 Rugers, a 10-22 which was a great little plinker and a stainless laminate compact in 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 did fine for me, nice little gun that accounted for a black bear last spring before I sold the rifle. I did find the floorplate a bit hard to seat but not a huge pain. I also found the action a bit "clunky" to cycle. Just my personal feel for it, the bolt just didn't cycle as smoothly for me as other bolt actions I've owned. Don't know if this is inherent or not. I'd buy another Ruger if I had the opportunity but would try the action first for feel. Rifle seemed well enough made. Again, just my own experiences. YMMV.
But yes to the OP, from first hand experience, there are T3 Varmint .223's out here that DON'T have any issues and are fantastically accurate.
Funny how everybody has such different replys!
I load my Tikka singly from the bench at the range quite often & don't have a single problem doing it...maybe my aim dropping it in is better
the only real tricky key to proper functioning is holding the gun upright while doing it, laying Tikka over one it's side will cause the above terrible function problem, no biggy for me I tend to leave the rifle on the bag while I drop in fresh round.& I am a fan of plastic for real world hunting rifles, Walnut is nice if all you do is talk about hunting but real world bumps & bangs make me wince everytime I take one of my prissy wood stock guns out. Wood stock guns equate to paint on new vehicles, they look great but don't touch a rasberry bush along side of the road
Mannnnn....I sure didn't figure that this thread was going to turn into a pissing contest! or a "#####-slappin" feud!
You seem pretty adamant that you couldn't get your TIKKA to jam...or it Hasn't jammed yet.....correct??...That's Great!!.
Don't worry buddy, you bought the right gun. As much as Gatehouse and a few other people on here will tell you Tikkas are inferior to Rugers and others I strongly disagree.
My first rifle was a T3 Varmint in .223 and it has never missed a single beat in the field and is as accurate as any rifle out there with anything except winchester ammo for some reason. Shooting it is an absolute pleasure, and it makes me smile when I reach out and blow apart a gopher at 200 yards with ease. The stock doesn't bother me at all, but I'm a fan of synthetic anyway.
My Dad bought a T3 Battue in 308 for his big game rifle and he loves it too. Hasn't failed him yet either in any way.
Once you get a new mag I'm sure it will work perfectly and you'll only have this thread to remember your "Tikka troubles" of a time long before.
I would buy a T3 before any Savage of the same price or Remingtons. Ruger is a different story as I like them the same as Tikkas.
Either way, happy shooting.
I have to say, Although I don't currently own a Tikka, the one I did own was trouble free and fed like butter. (AND it was a T3 lite in .338 win mag) It wasn't even too beastly to shoot. With my handloads (I never tried factory ammo cause its over 55 bucks a box up here IF you can find it) I got between 0.88" to 1.33" regularly with 5 shots at 100 from my lead sled. (this was between 3 different bullets and 4 powders.)
It didn't seem to matter what combinations I shot. I truly thought it was the smoothest bolt I had ever used. If you tipped the butt upwards, it would almost chamber itself. BUT I sold it for a winchester. Have since acquired a Ruger Hawkeye and so far have tried 3 factory loads in it. It shot .90" with Rem 130 C-L, and 1.20" with Win sp and 1.45" with Federal 130. I accidentally bought 2 boxes of Fed 150 Roundpoints, so I might as well fire those off tonight. When I buy my next small caliber rifle, it surely will be a Tikka. But, for my big game, its Ruger all the way. (or at least CRF)
It didn't seem to matter what combinations I shot. I truly thought it was the smoothest bolt I had ever used. If you tipped the butt upwards, it would almost chamber itself. BUT I sold it for a winchester. Have since acquired a Ruger Hawkeye and so far have tried 3 factory loads in it. It shot .90" with Rem 130 C-L, and 1.20" with Win sp and 1.45" with Federal 130. I accidentally bought 2 boxes of Fed 150 Roundpoints, so I might as well fire those off tonight. When I buy my next small caliber rifle, it surely will be a Tikka. But, for my big game, its Ruger all the way. (or at least CRF)
I read Chuckhawk's review before getting a Tikka T3 in .223. I looked at Savage accu, Stevens and Rem 700. I ended up choosing the Tikka and have no regrets. Have been using it for 3 years, no issues with mags or anything. I find modern polymers function well, including Glock.
I just got some 69 gr Lapua Scenars to reload in my TIKKA...got my brass all sorted and cataloged, tumbled and deprimed...150 rounds of fire formed...the rest will be FL resized...got varget and AA2230 to start with...peoples sayin I won't have to look much further for powders for accuracy.....NOW......C'MONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NEW MAAAAG and dies!!!!
.150 rounds of fire formed...the rest will be FL resized...got varget and AA2230 to start with...peoples sayin I won't have to look much further for powders for accuracy.....NOW......C'MONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NEW MAAAAG and dies!!!!
