Tikka T3X - Thoughts?

[gelton]

My dad is looking at a Tikka T3X, he already has a T3. Couple Questions:

Anyone have any experience behind one?

I am assuming that handloaders will still have to feed one at a time due to the short magazine?

I am pushing him towards a .270 wsm (he already has a 7mm, .06, .243, .375HH, .223) but is it still true that the short magnum gives you no weight relief because they use the same bolt as the full size .270?

Also any caliber that may fill the gaps better? Maybe .338 Lupua but keep in mind he turns 60 next year.

Interested in advice/opinions especially if you have used one...

 

[cocky84]

Just got 300wm. Just went through barrel break in. Ill let ya know more after tomorrow. I dont like i cant get the bullet closer to lands because of magazine restrictions.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

There is no change in the action or magazine, all of them have the same weight generally speaking with small variations for barrel length in the calibers. If you are looking at a short or medium action cartridge then you can actually change the magazine and bolts stop (or modify it) to long action if you want more magazine length.

I reload but just tune loads to work for the mag length and have gotten very good results, you don't always need to be right up against the lands on guns, there are other sweet spots too. Thus no I am not restricted to single shot hand feeding.

 

[GKPrice]

There is no change in the action or magazine, all of them have the same weight generally speaking with small variations for barrel length in the calibers. If you are looking at a short or medium action cartridge then you can actually change the magazine and bolts stop (or modify it) to long action if you want more magazine length.

I reload but just tune loads to work for the mag length and have gotten very good results, you don't always need to be right up against the lands on guns, there are other sweet spots too. Thus no I am not restricted to single shot hand feeding.

^^^^^ What he says ^^^^^ (Also, if you read the Tikka ad description there is mention that they have expanded the ammo port on the action, albeit slightly) T3X's work just like the T3's

 

[Muley Buck]

I reload but just tune loads to work for the mag length and have gotten very good results, you don't always need to be right up against the lands on guns, there are other sweet spots too. Thus no I am not restricted to single shot hand feeding.[/QUOTE]

What exactly are you "tuning" in order to "compensate" for bullet seating depth? Adjusting/changing powder types/charges + or-? Different primers/cases? In my limited experience I have seen BIG changes in group size from seating depth changes of only .002. So I wonder how you achieve consistent tight groups with a much smaller range of seating depth?

 

[GKPrice]

I reload but just tune loads to work for the mag length and have gotten very good results, you don't always need to be right up against the lands on guns, there are other sweet spots too. Thus no I am not restricted to single shot hand feeding.

What exactly are you "tuning" in order to "compensate" for bullet seating depth? Adjusting/changing powder types/charges + or-? Different primers/cases? In my limited experience I have seen BIG changes in group size from seating depth changes of only .002. So I wonder how you achieve consistent tight groups with a much smaller range of seating depth?[/QUOTE]

I wholeheartedly agree with Muley Buck on this I'm currently working up loads for a T3X superlight 7mm RM and for a change I began shorter and am working longer as I go but it appears that I'll be well short of the bullet tip rubbing on the magazine this go-round

 

[cocky84]

Agreed it doesn't have to be near the lands to shoot well, but you are very restricted with the mag. I ended up going with a barnes bullet. Its not a vld and it has a hollow point tip so i can seat the bullet out farther than with a vld tipped bullet. I just measured the mag and seated that depth. It seems to really like it. View attachment 40014

 

[cocky84]

View attachment 40015

 

[Muley Buck]

What exactly are you "tuning" in order to "compensate" for bullet seating depth? Adjusting/changing powder types/charges + or-? Different primers/cases? In my limited experience I have seen BIG changes in group size from seating depth changes of only .002. So I wonder how you achieve consistent tight groups with a much smaller range of seating depth?

I wholeheartedly agree with Muley Buck on this I'm currently working up loads for a T3X superlight 7mm RM and for a change I began shorter and am working longer as I go but it appears that I'll be well short of the bullet tip rubbing on the magazine this go-round[/QUOTE]

The way I see it the more options a guy has the better, especially if he handloads. Bullet seating depth is a biggie with me, it's one of the reasons I went with the Sako 85 Finnlite for my main hunting rig. My loads are .010 off the lands using ELD-Xs and I still have plenty of room in the magazine and I can carry more in it being it's a staggered stack. Sorry if I'm steering off topic some, but I really DO like the new Tikka T3Xs. In my opinion if they would just fix the magazine length it would be perfect, especially for the price.

 

[mt100gr.]

I have a T3 Superlite in 7RM and ended up working backwards on seating depth as well. I was getting about 3/4 MOA with factory HSM VLD loads two years ago during break in. If memory serves, they were right at 3.34 COAL and darn near touched their tips in the mag. I tried longer first and wasn't happy with the accuracy so I eventually started seating them even further into the case. Right now I am jumping the 168 VLDS about .13. (I get into the lands at 3.442 in my Tikka) I am not sure how I feel about jumping them well over 1/10th of an inch but it's shooting really well out to 850 yards so far. I seat them at 3.31 over Retumbo (not max) in Win brass with a Win WLRM primer. I want to shoot them over a "second opinion" chronograph though as it seems my ES is hopping around a little.

 

[Muley Buck]

^^^^^interesting ^^^^^

 

[cocky84]

Muley Buck. Are you seeing good results outbof the eldx. I have tried eldx in several different calibers and several different grains of each caliber. 7mm rm, 300 wm, and 6.5 creedmoor. None shoot worth a damn. With the creedmoor i cut the group size in half by going from the eldx to eld match, both in 140 grn.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

What exactly are you "tuning" in order to "compensate" for bullet seating depth? Adjusting/changing powder types/charges + or-? Different primers/cases? In my limited experience I have seen BIG changes in group size from seating depth changes of only .002. So I wonder how you achieve consistent tight groups with a much smaller range of seating depth?

Who says its compensating? Sometimes right against the lands isn't the best spot for a given gun. Just like I run iterations of powder charges to focus in on an accuracy node I do the same thing with seating depth. For some guns there is an obvious sweet spot, others shoot well all around. With the T3 I had I'm ~0.12" off the lands if I recall right (and it shoots a cloverleaf at 100yd so for a factory gun I'm not really expecting more), I also tried 0.01", 0.04", 0.07", 0.10", and 0.15" off in my load work. Up near the lands did also shoot well, but it didn't shoot better than 0.12" off which also fit my magazine length so I proceeded in fine tuning the latter combination. That said I was fully prepared to change this gun over to long action in needed since it was a 7mm-08 and I knew that was a capability for the Tikka.

If you want to load long COALs in a long action caliber don't buy a Tikka T3 or T3x, that simple. Feel free to pick up a short/medium caliber and have plenty of room to play with if you swap the magazine and modify the stop. Or chase another gun if that suits you as well, lots of options out there. The older Tikka M695 has a longer metal magazine by the way (my 280AI is build on this action).

 

[Muley Buck]

Muley Buck. Are you seeing good results outbof the eldx. I have tried eldx in several different calibers and several different grains of each caliber. 7mm rm, 300 wm, and 6.5 creedmoor. None shoot worth a damn. With the creedmoor i cut the group size in half by going from the eldx to eld match, both in 140 grn.

To be honest I've had great results with the ELD-X. I am using Norma brass with Winchester large magnum primers and 68.5 grains of H-1000 pushing the 162gr ELD-X seated at .010 off the lands. It shoots .5" groups at 200yds shooting prone off of a bag. I love em!

 

[Muley Buck]

Who says its compensating? Sometimes right against the lands isn't the best spot for a given gun. Just like I run iterations of powder charges to focus in on an accuracy node I do the same thing with seating depth. For some guns there is an obvious sweet spot, others shoot well all around. With the T3 I had I'm ~0.12" off the lands if I recall right (and it shoots a cloverleaf at 100yd so for a factory gun I'm not really expecting more), I also tried 0.01", 0.04", 0.07", 0.10", and 0.15" off in my load work. Up near the lands did also shoot well, but it didn't shoot better than 0.12" off which also fit my magazine length so I proceeded in fine tuning the latter combination. That said I was fully prepared to change this gun over to long action in needed since it was a 7mm-08 and I knew that was a capability for the Tikka.

If you want to load long COALs in a long action caliber don't buy a Tikka T3 or T3x, that simple. Feel free to pick up a short/medium caliber and have plenty of room to play with if you swap the magazine and modify the stop. Or chase another gun if that suits you as well, lots of options out there. The older Tikka M695 has a longer metal magazine by the way (my 280AI is build on this action).

Completely understandable. I just thought I might be missing something. I was under the impression that you had somehow figured out a way to hone in on an accuracy node despite seating depth. Say you have a great load that makes one hole with 3 shots at 100yds and it's seated near the lands. Too long for the magazine, but a great single shot. Now take that same load and make it fit in the magazine and it shoots like crap.(not that it will, it's just an example) Now change another component in order "compensate" for the newly changed seating depth. That was the scenario going through my head. You are right not all guns like to be kissing the lands, some love a "jump". Hell Weatherbys throats are so deep you can't even seat a bullet close to the lands much less seat to them. I said I really like the new features on the new Tikka, it's just that a short magazine is like taking a tool out of the tool box.