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MarineForLife
April 23, 2007, 08:24 PM
Hello to all! This is my first post, and I'm happy to have found the forum. I've read some of the postings and am already impressed with the expertise demonstrated, so I'm looking for advice.

After nearly a year of shopping, I finally found a rifle that meets well with all the criteria I was juggling for my next purchase. Found a leftie (yep, I'm a leftie) Tikka T3 Stainless in 30.06 sitting on the rack @ my local retailer.

I want to build onto this rifle, to enhance it and make it special and make it perform even better. What improvements might you recommend?

I plan to use it for the typical North American mid- to big-game hunting.

I am not familiar with all the gunsmithing lingo and tricks of the trade, so please keep it simple for me. I am, however, a former Marine so I definitely appreciate marksmanship and accurate firearms that hold up well to rigorous use.

Thanks in advance.

hoghunting
April 24, 2007, 12:49 AM
Welcome to the forum.

The great thing about buying the T3 is that you don't have to do anything to it. It has one of the best factory adjustable triggers. It has an accuracy guarantee of 1" @ 100 yds - most will do much better. The barrels for the Tikka and the Sako are made in the same factory, on the same machinery, by the same people.

This is not a rifle that needs a trigger job or a bedding job for better accuracy. About the only thing you might try is reloading for the rifle. My T3 in 300 WSM will consistently group .36" - .38" with handloads.

MarineForLife
April 24, 2007, 07:28 AM
hoghunting,

thanks . . . yep, you hit on several of the reasons I bouught the T3 . . . I was just curious if there was anything else I ought to consider to add to the performance and enjoyment I expect. Tkx!

Great groups with your 300WSM/T3! Is that off sandbags on a bench?

I hope to get to the range with this one for the first time tomorrow or Thurs - can't wait!

hoghunting
April 24, 2007, 11:10 AM
That was from the bench on the loading that I chose as my hunting load. With Sierra match bullets my T3 even has slightly smaller groups, but I bought it for hunting and I won't shoot match bullets at animals.

Let us know about your range session. Good luck.

fisherman66
April 24, 2007, 11:19 AM
If you are talking about target competition you will probably need to reload for final accuracy. I would spend some time establishing what it will shoot stock before changing anything with a few different factory load. That way you have a baseline.

Best of luck and thanks for your service to our country.

OBIWAN
April 24, 2007, 11:36 AM
Mine isn't stainless...and it is .308

But it shoots less than MOA

Spend your money on good glass

essexcounty
April 24, 2007, 01:21 PM
My T3 (.22-250) sporter reqeired nothing except a quality scope and mounts. Essex

jonutarr
April 24, 2007, 07:32 PM
The T3 lite is a wise choice,

You've care more about personality than looks though (i think all the T3's look like :barf: )
still, i will own one some day soon

ohen cepel
April 24, 2007, 07:46 PM
They are great rifles!

My father has many rifles (most from high end makers) and several custom ones. Yet, he hunts with a T3.

MarineForLife
April 24, 2007, 08:42 PM
ohen cepel,

that's a heck of a statement/endorsement from your father.

thanks to everyone for the input and comments.

I hope my groups come back as well as the ones you report.

btw: I'm going with the Bushnell Elite 3200 in a 4-12 x 40 with the slick BDC reticle and the AO for less than $400. I checked out the Leupold VX-II and didn't like the paralax in it - was shocked, frankly. Really can't afford the VI-III with all the bells and whistles I want. I also checked out the Zeiss in a basic 3-9 x 40 and loved the clarity, but couldn't get the BDC and AO for the same $ point as with the Bushnell. Sadly, I don't particularly trust Burris anymore - I have had a couple of bad experiences w/ them, so I'm spooked. I couldn't find a Nikon I liked, either. But I really liked this Bushnell. Believe me, if I could afford a $450+ scope, I'd give some others like a mid-range to higher end Zeiss or Leupold a try, but I still have too many other things vying for my hard-earned coin, so I must live with the reality of a budget. :(

drmiller100
April 24, 2007, 11:10 PM
i have a stainless '06 tikka. love it.

i hunt iwht mine, so a spare clip was mandatory. i wish i could get 4+1 into the clip.

a decent sling required differnet sling rings. tinker with the scope mounts. mine moveda little until i figured them out.
mine was a little short, so a recoil pad is in order.

they are pretty amazing in their simplicity.

MarineForLife
May 4, 2007, 11:01 PM
Finally got a couple of chances to shoot the new Tikka T3 Stainless . . . love it. It didn't like Hornady in 165 gr, but it loves the Federal Barnes Triple Shock in 165. Shooting 1.25" groups or less with ease, many of the groups being below 1" when I do my part. Very forgiving rifle, too. Lot's of fun to shoot. Recoil isn't a problem at all, as I have a Limbsaver slip-on pad. The Bushnell Elite 3200 is working nicely, too.

It's a lot of fun trying to find that second or third shot, and after searching for 30 seconds or so through the spotting scope coming to the realization that the round I'm looking for whizzed though the hole left by the previous shot!

Thanks for the input, gents. Happy Hunting/Shooting.

dgc940
May 7, 2007, 11:04 AM
All shot with Tikka's five shot groups. lower right is 243 3 shot
I have sold all my rems and wins and replaced with Tikka's.
This was with meticulous case prep with hand loading and countless hours of fine tuning!
The best improvement I found was the recoil lug was a removable aluminum block it had a loose fit in the receiver and I could fit a .0010 feeler gauge in between the lug and slot in the receiver. I had a steel lug made that had a tight fit. Great improvement in groups. I then poured two lead pieces one for the fore end and another for the but of the synthetic stock adding two pound and putting the rifles ctg. just forwarded of the trigger guard while adding two lbs. Another good point is buy good scope rings!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/dgc940/DSC09046.jpg

MarineForLife
May 11, 2007, 10:07 PM
dgc,

good stuff!

I did find an oh so very slight looseness in the scope mounting fasteners, so I tighted them a lil and re-shot . . . now drilling 1/2-in groups @ 100 yds on sand bags with both the Federals' Barnes triple shock in 165gr and the Hornady Interlock in 165gr. This thing is a real joy to shoot. I really don't need another rifle (did I just say that?! what the hell . . . )

I'll take a look @ what you describe re: the recoil lug.

I'm also curious whether I could install a set trigger (just for the hell of it; it's not needed).