Tikka T3 Lite

[chrisb]

Thinking about getting one in 30-06 so....

Who has one and what are your thoughts? I'd like to hear  the good the bad or the indifferent

What should i expect to get in accuracy from one? I only plan on hunting with it not shooting 1000 yd matches so i'd say 300yds is max shot

How much should i expect to pay? Cabelas is 600 sports authority is 620 are these average prices?

[Bofire]

Those are average prices and you will LOVE how that Tikka shoots and the light weight.
I have several.
Carl

[Bob33]

I have one in 30-06.  It is one of about 20 rifles that I own. I love it. It is my "go to" rifle for much of my hunting because it is light, dependable, and accurate.

Accuracy is dependent primary on (a) ammunition, and (b) shooter.  With the right ammunition you should expect three shot groups right around an inch at 100 yards, and not worse than 1.5".  Even 1.5 inches is plenty good enough for big game hunting out to 400 yards.  Make the first shot count.

The 30-06 is tough to beat.  You might also consider the 270 WSM: smaller, faster bullets.  Either would serve you extremely well, in my opinion.

[jaredpost]

Depends on if you want a blue or stainless setup. I remember seeing the blue barrel ones at wholesale sports for $499 and the stainless for $599.

[6x6in6]

$499 purchased in Missoula a few weeks back.
Non-shelf item ordered from Tikka was $549

[chrisb]

I have one in 30-06.  It is one of about 20 rifles that I own. I love it. It is my "go to" rifle for much of my hunting because it is light, dependable, and accurate.

Accuracy is dependent primary on (a) ammunition, and (b) shooter.  With the right ammunition you should expect three shot groups right around an inch at 100 yards, and not worse than 1.5".  Even 1.5 inches is plenty good enough for big game hunting out to 400 yards.  Make the first shot count.

The 30-06 is tough to beat.  You might also consider the 270 WSM: smaller, faster bullets.  Either would serve you extremely well, in my opinion.

Bob how bad is the felt recoil with as light as this gun is in 30-06? I'm not really sensitive to recoil but I'd like to be able to know that I'll enjoy shooting it when i take it to the range.

[sisu]

I have one in 30-06.  It is one of about 20 rifles that I own. I love it. It is my "go to" rifle for much of my hunting because it is light, dependable, and accurate.

Accuracy is dependent primary on (a) ammunition, and (b) shooter.  With the right ammunition you should expect three shot groups right around an inch at 100 yards, and not worse than 1.5".  Even 1.5 inches is plenty good enough for big game hunting out to 400 yards.  Make the first shot count.

The 30-06 is tough to beat.  You might also consider the 270 WSM: smaller, faster bullets.  Either would serve you extremely well, in my opinion.

Bob how bad is the felt recoil with as light as this gun is in 30-06? I'm not really sensitive to recoil but I'd like to be able to know that I'll enjoy shooting it when i take it to the range.

I put a limb saver on mine. Recoil is hardly noticeable. I have two T3s and love both.

[Bob33]

Bob how bad is the felt recoil with as light as this gun is in 30-06? I'm not really sensitive to recoil but I'd like to be able to know that I'll enjoy shooting it when i take it to the range.

I can't say how someone else reacts to recoil.  I am recoil sensitive and have to consciously pay attention to avoid flinching.  Make no mistake: a light gun like the Tikka will generate more felt recoil than a heavier rifle - the laws of physics at work.   I can handle the recoil; that's about the best I can tell you.  If it does bother you, you can always put a heavier scope on or use milder ammunition.  Remember too that you may haul a rifle around for about 12 hours a day, and shoot it for about a second...

[Straight Shooter]

Depends on if you want a blue or stainless setup. I remember seeing the blue barrel ones at wholesale sports for $499 and the stainless for $599.

 

Same prices that I'm seeing in the Spokane area.

[chrisb]

Cool thanks for the info guys.

[Bob33]

For what it's worth, dissatisfied Tikka T3 owners are extremely rare.  I've never known one but have heard some exist.

[Caseyd]

I love my 300.

-Accurate
-Light
-removable clip (yes it is plastic and i was doubtfull of it at first but its actually not that bad)

[Rick]

Bob how bad is the felt recoil with as light as this gun is in 30-06? I'm not really sensitive to recoil but I'd like to be able to know that I'll enjoy shooting it when i take it to the range.

I bought a T3 30-06 last fall. I'm not sensitive to recoil and its not real fun to shoot. It feels like more recoil than my .300WSM

I'd rather shoot my .300WSM or my .338 over the T3.

As far as accuracy goes,the couple T3s I've been around have been very accurate and not picky about what they shoot. I ended up shooting 165gr Accubonds out of mine.





 

[markts]

Love mine in 270wsm. Mark

[Bofire]

 :)OK I confess. T3lite .223, 22-250, 243, 270, 308, 30/06 (wood stock beauty),300WM. and 223 tactical, 223 varmit, 22-250 varmit.
I have shot many others, I have never owned factory guns that consistantly shot like these, with any ammo you shove in them.
I have shot rifles for over 50 years, have owned many, many many. Actually shot a 7mm Mag Rem 700 until the freebore was  about an inch and then the rifling sucked! LOL. Sometimes I can hear? what?
Carl

[uplandhunter870]

dont own one yet, but i have shot the several that my buddy owns and they are one heck of a rifle.  the felt recoil on his 300 short mag was hardly noticable, he does have a limb saver pad on it though.  as far as out of the box accuracy he says all of his were 1" or smaller out of the box.  and ive witnessed and done that.  we went out breaking in his new T3 lite in 204 a few weeks ago and we were both punching groups under an inch with less than a box of shells through it.

awesome rifles id definately reccomend them to anyone.

[carpsniperg2]

they are great i love tikkas and sakos very much my fave guns, my wife and brother share a t3 lite in 270 win and that gun has killed allot of animals and shoots great and has killed on several continents as well

[Emptyhanded]

I have one in 300 WSM. I put a limb saver on it right when i got the gun so i never shot it with the stock pad. With the limbsaver the recoil isn't bad. The gun is accurate, light, and the trigger is perfect with no creep. I am really happy with it.

[norsepeak]

got one in 7mag, haven't shot it yet, but fit and finish looks excellent.

[Ray]

Straight shooting rifle. Got one in .25-06. Still prefer my Remington 700 though. The tikka is a lightweight rifle so it would be good for a long backpacking trip or for long high country day hunts.

I do not like the plastic bolt shroud. So I bought a metal one from Australia.

[509er]

got one in 7mag, haven't shot it yet, but fit and finish looks excellent.

+1

[haugenna]

With a good handload I got mine under 1/3 MOA.  I posted a bunch of stuff in the guns and ammo forum.  300 Win Mag

[Phantom Gobbler]

I bought a composite stock Tikka two years ago in .30-06 and like others it is now my go to rifle (instead of my other "conventional" wood stock rifles in .243, 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag).

Several years ago I carried my 300 Win Mag for four days whitetail hunting in the Mts. of NE WA and it started getting really heavy.  I have two friends who have Tikka T3 Lites in .270 Win and .270 WSM and they love theirs also.  Both have now killed several high mountain mulies with these rifles on backpack hunts.

I made an off-hand kill shot on a smalll Whitetail Buck last Fall and I have shot my best groups ever with the Tikka at the range.

Nothing flashy in black composite and blued, but it more than gets the job done.  Recoil in .30-06 without a special pad is very manageable.  I bought a five round clip from Tikka, but have not needed the extra rounds so far (except on running wild pigs.... but that is another tale).

So let me know what caliber I should get with my next Tikka purchase?   

[halflife65]

I put a limbsaver on it and it doesn't kick too bad. .300WSM.  Shoots straight and a great factory trigger.

[mattaylor81]

I have a Tikka T3 Lite, Stainless, 30-06.  I have it topped with a 3-9x Nikon scope.  It is a very good rifle for the price. It is accurate and lightweight.  Recoil is no worse than my Remington 700 30-06.  My only gripe would be the plastic magazine.

[Chopaka81]

I have a T3 Lite in 270 Win, I shoot the Seirra 130gr SPBT in mine. My handload is not hot, it clocks in at 2930 fps, however "every" cold bore 3 shot group goes as follows, first 2 shots "always" touching one another, the 3rd is slightly out from the 1st 2 shots.
They are lean mean killing machines.

BTW, 2yrs ago, I took a small 4pt Mulie down at 386 yds (lasered) with my T3 rifle. All I can say is that the buggers shoot.

[Sneaky]

tikka t3 lite in 7mm-08 would be my pick. Plenty of knockdown power without the recoil and a nice light gun to carry. My cousin's t3 in 30-06 went off like a cannon. Was plenty accurate but felt like a bigger gun than a 30-06.

[chrisb]

You guys are making me want this rifle even more now. Gotta sell my Model 70 first to get the $$ for it so if anyof you know someone who'd be interested PM me or check it out in the classifieds.

[h2ofowlr]

Good accurate guns.  I have one in .270 & .22-250.

[Buckblaster]

I had a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 300wsm and it was a friggin tack driver.  I handloaded for it and put at least 2000 rounds through it. I have made some outstanding shots on critters with it over the years. The only problem I had with it is that the top bullet in the plastic clip slid back and forth as I carried it and would bend the tips of partitions over.  I mean really bent them.  Has anyone else had this problem?  I emailed Berretta and told them about it and their only answer was to switch to plastic tip bullets.  I checked out the Sako A7 a few months ago and I see they corrected that problem on it. They put a steel feed lip in the plastic clip to eliminate sliding bullets. Along with some other attractive features, I was convinced to upgrade to the A7 in 300wsm.  I gave the Tikka to my son that has had a broken back and he doesn't mind the recoil and loves carrying a lite rifle for a change.  As far as recoil of the Tikka's, don't worry about it.  I had a limbsaver on mine too and never noticed it when shooting critters.  You pack the rifle longer than you squeeze the trigger, lite is good.

[halflife65]

I've always shot plastic pointed bullets so never had the problem.  However, the clip only holds 3 rounds so I bought an extra one to have in my pocket when I was hunting and the bullets moving around in them did click when I was walking around - really annoying.  That was about the only downside to the rifle...everyhing else has been great and when you spin the clip to have the bullets pointing either up or down (don't remember which now) they stopped sliding and clicking in the clip.

[WA Redneck]

I had one in 270WSM and even after putting a limb saver on it, it still kicked to hard for me.  I have a Tikka 6.5x55 right now that is an absolute joy to shoot.  Hardly any recoil and it shoots consistently 3/4-1" groups.  I really like the gun, light easy to shoot, easy on your shoulder and accurate what more could you ask for!!

[Thenewguy]

I had a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 300wsm and it was a friggin tack driver.  I handloaded for it and put at least 2000 rounds through it. I have made some outstanding shots on critters with it over the years. The only problem I had with it is that the top bullet in the plastic clip slid back and forth as I carried it and would bend the tips of partitions over.  I mean really bent them.  Has anyone else had this problem?  I emailed Berretta and told them about it and their only answer was to switch to plastic tip bullets.  I checked out the Sako A7 a few months ago and I see they corrected that problem on it. They put a steel feed lip in the plastic clip to eliminate sliding bullets. Along with some other attractive features, I was convinced to upgrade to the A7 in 300wsm.  I gave the Tikka to my son that has had a broken back and he doesn't mind the recoil and loves carrying a lite rifle for a change.  As far as recoil of the Tikka's, don't worry about it.  I had a limbsaver on mine too and never noticed it when shooting critters.  You pack the rifle longer than you squeeze the trigger, lite is good.

I have to say, the A7 is the way to go. I have found them for less then $700 and the extra upgrades you get make a big difference. I have one in 7mm-08 and it has made me a significantly better shooter. I can now shoot very similar groupings with my A7 offhand that I was able to do with my Winchester on a bench (at 100yds). I tried stepping it up to 300yds and struggled to find the black with my Winchester but was consistent from the 1st shot with the A7. The feel of the gun is great, the action smooth and the trigger perfect. The better clip is just one of the few benefits in my opinion.

Question, Where would one find a good "limbsaver pad"? is it easy to install? I would like to add a couple inchs to the length on my gun and I have heard this is a good way to do it

[Buckblaster]

I got my Limbsaver thru Cabelas. The one thats made for the Sako 75 fits perfectly on the A7.  Just unscrew the rubber butt pad it came with and screw the new one on. You will have to moisten the screwdriver tip with water to lubricate it enough to turn the screws in the pad. Very simple.

[chrisb]

Still waiting on my Model 70 to sell so i can go get one! argh!

[Caretaker]

Had a T3 in 270WSM, misfired with both factory and reloads, Sportsman's mailed it back to Beretta who did three test firings and a 12 point check, next trip to the range she misfires, manager at store gave me store credit so I purchased a Browning 300WSM.  Later Sako released the A7,, thought I"d give them a try again and this weekend the stock split on me, look for "beretta suck" thread.  I also had the T3 in a 30.06 which occasionally misfired so I sold it.

Why me   

[carpsniperg2]

man that is bad i have never heard of any problem with the guns. some of the first mags were brittle and heard of a few breaking but first bad thing i have heard about them. i love the one i bought for my wife/brother to shoot i would trust that gun to save my life. and traveled to new zealand and all and never one hicup with hundreds of rounds put threw it.