my new general purpose hunting rifle has arrived

[matt85]

ever since my Winchester 7x57 quit on me (long story) ive been without a decent general purpose hunting rifle. well ive finally filled the void with a Tikka T3 hunter in 6.5x55. shes not the prettiest bolt gun out there but shes light weight and will hopefully be very accurate. this rifle will have some pretty big shoes to fill if its going to replace my old 7x57 but from what ive heard of both the Tikka T3 and the 6.5x55 cartridge im pretty confident it will do well.

here are some pics (sorry the camera sucks):





-matt

 

[jduckhunter]

Good luck Matt, I hope she's everything your looking for.

 

[Divernhunter]

I have 2 Tikka T3 Lite rifles. A 6.5X55 and a 7-08. Both wear Leupold 3X9X40 scopes and are tack drivers. It is almost hard to find a load they do not like.
You should be very happy with your rifle

 

[Royal27]

Hey Matt,

You know that rifle only has one barrel, right???

For my next rifle I want either a T3 lite on an x bolt. I'm going to go with which one feels best. For a hunting rifle I don't personally care about pretty. I'm actually kind of hoping I like the tikka.

 

[matt85]

the T3 light is much more available in the US then the hunter is. i had to wait a year to get this rifle. i dont like plastic stocks though...

as for the lack of a second barrel, ive had so much trouble with doubles ive pretty much given up on them. only way i would ever even think about buying another double is if i got a absolutely killer deal on a new gun with a warranty.

-matt

 

[Royal27]

Yeah, I keep forgetting about the problems you've had.
I'm not opposed to a plastic stock but I've never owned one either, except for my son's savage .243. He just likes it because he thinks it looks all black ops.... lol

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

If yours is anything like the ones I have all it will do is shoot very accurately with as smooth an action as you can find. The only knock I have on them is in the magnum calibers they do kick.

 

[sierraone]

the T3 light is much more available in the US then the hunter is. i had to wait a year to get this rifle. i dont like plastic stocks though...

as for the lack of a second barrel, ive had so much trouble with doubles ive pretty much given up on them. only way i would ever even think about buying another double is if i got a absolutely killer deal on a new gun with a warranty.

-matt

Never fired a Tikka, but I have limited experience with Sakos and they are outstanding rifles in my view. Agree with you on the plastic though. Only if I LIVED in Alaska would I own a plastic stocked rifle.

 

[matt85]

Never fired a Tikka, but I have limited experience with Sakos and they are outstanding rifles in my view. Agree with you on the plastic though. Only if I LIVED in Alaska would I own a plastic stocked rifle.

if i lived in AK i would use laminate stocks. not as nice looking as normal wood (in my OP) but better then plastic.

-matt

 

[Bushman10]

Congratulations. I have the Tika T3 in a .300 WM configuration. It also has the plastic stock and for a working rifle it is the best there is. I also have a Remington 700 in .308 and it came out with a plastic stock. I replaced it with a wooden one but after two years I have moved back to the plastic stock.

 

[Velo Dog]

I live in Alaska and have survived well with walnut stocks for over 32 years here.
The thing to do with them is to take off all the attachments (sling swivels, recoil pad and barreled action).
Then, seal the wood with poly urethane or verathane or hot wax or whatever water-proofing product you prefer.
However, I will freely admit that 32 years ago, plastic stocks were not widespread yet.
And, if they had been, it is very likely I would have at least one bolt action so stocked with plastic by now.
My jury is still out on laminated stocks.
Can't decide if they really look like plywood or if I'm just being a weird old man again.
Out.

 

[sierraone]

I live in Alaska and have survived well with walnut stocks for over 32 years here.
The thing to do with them is to take off all the attachments (sling swivels, recoil pad and barreled action).
Then, seal the wood with poly urethane or verathane or hot wax or whatever water-proofing product you prefer.
However, I will freely admit that 32 years ago, plastic stocks were not widespread yet.
And, if they had been, it is very likely I would have at least one bolt action so stocked with plastic by now.
My jury is still out on laminated stocks.
Can't decide if they really look like plywood or if I'm just being a weird old man again.
Out.

I agree completely with your last statement! My 35 year old son has some type of composite/plastic stock on all of his guns except the ones I gave him as a teenager. BUT, I have purchased several guns during the past year or so that have fairly high grade wood, and I might just be winning him over!!!!! At least partially!

 

[matt85]

laminate stocks do indeed look like plywood. however, they are at least better looking then plastic stocks.

-matt

 

[matt85]

ok finally got out to the range and got a nice scope mounted on her and put some rounds down range to break in the barrel. the scope is a Leupold 3.5-10x40 and the ammunition was PPU 139gr SP ammunition that was simply all I could find locally. I ran the PPU stuff over the chronograph just out of curiosity and it averages 2397 fps (2380-2419) out of a 22 inch barrel. this ammunition was absolutely filthy leaving tons of fouling in the barrel with each shot! however, after some rounds passed down the barrel the groups got progressively smaller and smaller until the final group was sitting in at about 0.254". I figure if this gun will shoot a 1/4 inch group with super cheap PPU ammo, it will likely be a strait tack driver with custom hand loads!

here is the rifle wearing its scope.


here is the last target of the day at 100 yards. (note: the shot that appears to be a flier was actually taken using a different hold and was not a part of the group)

 

[PeteG]

looking good matt,
as you said if you are getting good groups with PPU, then you will most likely be very pleased with hand loads.

 

[Cody Malone]

Congrats on the new one

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

Congrats on the 6.5 x 55 SE! I have the ugly plastic stock on my Tikka T3 Lites SS. When I brought it home, I opened up all the screw in areas (swivel studs/ action screws) and filled the cavities with expanding spray foam until the foam came out of those areas. I then tightened all the screws back down (torqued where needed) and then let it set for a week to dry. Trimmed off any excess foam and put a gel pad on the butt (Limbsaver) instead of the factory pad. Doesn't sound like a hollow thud when walking through the woods anymore, sounds like another twig snapping or a rock bouncing of another rock if it gets tapped and it doesn't echo or reverberate the sound. If you are shooting factory loads and do not reload at all, use the European companies (PPU, Norma, and Lapua). Their loads are a lot stouter than any American ammunition factory produces. It's a liability thing with the older Krags that are said to have weak actions (malarkey). I also believe that you will find that it will outshine that 7 x 57mm you had, especially in the way animals JUST die when they get hit with a good expanding bullet from the 6.5 x 55! I've never witnessed anything like it, even hitting animals solid with a .30-06 bullet at normal distances pales in comparison. Good luck and stay safe.

 

[matt85]

always nice to hear a vote of confidence, thanks Nicholas.

the 7x57 is a cartridge to be respected and it proved to be very effective at bringing down North American game. ive heard no less of the 6.5x55 cartridge and im sure it will serve me well.

at the moment my reloading station is down for the count due to water damage in my home. so im currently using Nosler factory ammunition loaded with 140gr accubonds. Nosler claims to load these to 2650fps which is closer to modern European loads. I will shoot them over a chronograph before I take the rifle hunting to make sure its not a typical US anemic load like the PPU's. black bear season is in full swing here and this rifle will quickly be pressed into service.

-matt

 

[bellero]

I don't mind plastic stocks but I'm not a big fan of the plastic extractor on the T3. I hunt in extreme cold temps here in Alberta and I heard stories of extractor failure so it convinced me to have it replaced by an aftermarket metal extractor. Other than than, my Tikka shoots as accurately as my Sako for half the price.

 

[matt85]

didnt notice the rifle had a plastic exctractor. i will have to take a closer look at it when i get off of work today.

i dunno how cold it gets in Alberta but here in WA ive often hunted in temperatures ranging from 4 to 50 degrees fahrenheit. any time its under 15F you start to run the risk of equiptment freezing or becoming very brittle. for bear hunting its usually around 40F-50F so its very mild, but deer season brings cold weather.

-matt