Stainless Tikka T3 lite

[AK_Skeeter]

I bought a Stainless Tikka T3 lite in .270 Win locally (Fairbanks, AK).

Pros:
Available locally and relatively inexpensive ($699). All-weather and lightweight.
Smooth action. No need to purchase a rail or base as I used Warne maxima rings mounted directly to the receiver.
These rings have recoil lug pin that fits into the hole in the receiver (Sako/Tikka's Optiloc system).

Very accurate.
I developed a load with IMR4350 that had a muzzle velocity standard deviation of 4.6 fps
based on 5 shot groups using 130 gr Barnes TTSX.

Cons:
Because it is so light, felt recoil might be a problem in larger calibers.
Lots of plastic. Foam filled plastic stock with no aluminum bedding block.
Plastic bolt release. Plastic magazine. Plastic trigger guard.
Of these the plastic trigger guard is most likely to crack and
also some reviews have reported improved accuracy by
replacing the plastic trigger guard with aftermarket bottom metal.

It is possible to replace all the plastic with after-market parts, but the cost could exceed the purchase price of the rifle.
My guess is that most rifles in the price range have lots of plastic also as it keeps production costs low.

With stainless and plastic, a good choice for an affordable and accurate all weather light weight
mountain rifle that is going to be wet for many days and scratched/banged up.

 

[Formidilosus]

Cons:
Because it is so light, felt recoil might be a problem in larger calibers.
Lots of plastic. Foam filled plastic stock with no aluminum bedding block.
Plastic bolt release. Plastic magazine. Plastic trigger guard.
Of these the plastic trigger guard is most likely to crack and
also some reviews have reported improved accuracy by
replacing the plastic trigger guard with aftermarket bottom metal.

None of those are cons with the T3. It is not perfect, but it is not a RAR and and is not built as cheaply as possible. It’s for a reason. Polymer is as good or better than metal for a lot of uses and is much better in the cold.

Stock- all plastic stocks feel the same. The T3 and especially the T3x are decently designed and much stiffer than almost all others.

Plastic Bolt release (bolt stop)- is not plastic.

Plastic magazine- is precisely one of the reasons the rifles feed as consistently and smoothly as they do. They are extremely reliable and durable. What wood a metal mag give you other than possibility of bending?

Plastic trigger guard- How is this “bad”?They don’t break, so it isn’t that. Again, Tikka isn’t using junk polymer.



It’s as if the hunting world hasn’t understood why polymer framed pistols dominate the world of durable and reliable for field use.

 

[Formidilosus]

To be clear, I’m not a “fan” of Tikkas anymore than any other rifle. They’re just inanimate objects. I just find it odd the quirky paths that people start taking in their minds about certain things that have little to no basis in reality and function. Most of the things that people gripe about with T3’s are not real issues, they’re part of the reason the guns work so well.

 

[gbflyer]

I have one I bought from a member here transferred to my FFL. Cabelas Super Lite lefty with the goofy camo pattern. I handled a few of them before hand but it never really grabbed me because I had my nose pretty high in the air. Anyway, I gave in. I put Talley lows on it and a 1” 1.75-6 Leupold. Totally transformed my opinion from the one I had developed handling a bare rifle at Sportsman’s. This one has the vertical grip module on it. I tell ya, after not giving them much of a chance for quite a while, I REALLY like this rifle. It weighs something like 7.2lbs scoped, slung, and with the mag loaded. It’s a .308, and I have shot a light .308 (Remington 600) that abused me. The Fins have designed a stock that fits me perfectly and the recoil is barely noticeable. Crazy. I carry 220gr Sierra RN in it (yeah I know but I like them for what I do), it’s a 1MOA gun with them easy.