TIKKA T3 Light Hunter Rifle Review

TIKKA T3 Light Hunter Rifle Review

Editor: Mike

Basic Description:

Light Weight Hunting Rifle. Synthetic Stock, adjustable trigger Rifle

Just the Facts:

BARREL

Coldhammer forged Sako precision barrel of high-grade stainless steel or Cr-Mo alloy. Free-floating in models with wooden stock. Thread-fastened rigidly to the receiver for safety and accuracy.

A good and even muzzle crown is essential for the finest accuracy. T3 barrels are hand crowned for a perfect finish.

STOCK

Light but solid T3 TrueBody design of high grade walnut or glass fiber reinforced copolymer polypropylene featuring palm swell. Butt plate system with spacers provide adjustability in length of pull. Carefully designed checkered patterns on grip areas for added comfort and firm grip. Sling swivels as standard.

TRIGGER

Single-stage pull with positive trigger feel. Easily adjustable through the magazine well from 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lbs). All models are available with a single-set trigger as option.

The trigger group is meticulously manufactured. The housing is machined from durable aluminum alloy, while all other parts are of special steel. The steel trigger has vertical grooves for added feel and grip, even with gloves on.

Story
We picked this gun up new in a 300 WSM. We bought it for several reasons:
-They are a great price
-They have a 1 MOA Guarantee.
-They look very durable
-The action seemed smooth and efficient.
We purchased ammo that was reasonably priced, since we knew it would take a few shoots to get the gun sighted in. (Fusion 165 GR)
We topped the gun with a Vortex Viper 6.5-20 Mil Dot Scope.
It took us a couple of shots at 25 yards to get on paper. We moved out to 100 yards…taking 3 shots. We were able to get it 1.5 inches high at this range, which should put us dead on at 200. We backed up to 200 yards, and with NO WIND, and beautiful conditions, easily shot a 1 inch group. We did adjust the trigger down to a 3 lbs pull, it came set at 4 lbs.
Adjusting the trigger was a snap. We found the trigger to be very good feeling, and we were surprised every time it fired, which is a good thing.
We repeated the sub 1 inch group several times at this distance.
We found the gun to be SMOOTH, accurate, and just a pleasure to shoot.
The gun comes with a good butt pad, that really helped reduce the recoil transfer.
The Tikka t3 Hunter, is just an outstanding gun, we loved shooting it, and were amazed at the accuracy.
I highly recommend this gun, out of the box it is a shooter!

What they could do better:
I like the idea of the short mag, but Tikka has not made a short mag receiver, it is still a long bolt.