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considering a Tikka
hello all, im a long time shooter and a beginner reloader. im strongly considering a Tikka T3 hunter in 6.5×55 as my first modern hunting rifle and will have many questions.
so im thinking about back ordering a Tikka T3 hunter in 6.5×55 from eurooptic.com. only a few things hold me back. ive heard great reviews about how accurate the tikka T3 is and paired with the 6.5×55 cartridge I have little doubt it would be the most accurate gun I own. what I haven't heard much about is the durability of the T3 rifle. the T3 while sleek and light weight in appearance also (at least to me) looks somewhat fragile. when I hunt with a rifle I tend to be rather hard on it and I expect dents and dings on my hunting arms. it will get banged into trees, it will fall over, it will get muddy, and it might even get dropped. I don't beat my guns up on purpose but the terrain is rugged and shit happens. how does the rifle hold up to rugged use?
also, im curious as to the average lifespan of the T3 barrel when chambered in 6.5×55. I love to shoot and will likely shoot the rifle year round just for fun. I wouldn't be unreasonable to say I fire 800+ rounds a year out of a rifle if I really take a liking to it. what barrel life could I expect with this rifle?
well its late and time for bed, thank you for reading.
-Matt
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8 Replies
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considering a Tikka
updated 9 years ago
4Members
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8
Replies
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Matt,
A T3 Lite Stainless would hold up better to abuse than a nice wood stocked Hunter. That said, they are as rugged as any other wood/blued rifle. Not at all fragile.
I recently bought a used 6.5X55 from a guy that shot silhouette matches with it. He told me it had 3,000 rounds shot thru it. The accuracy went from 1/2 moa to 1 moa when I bought it. That's 1″ at 100 yards.
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thanks for the responce.
im sure the tikka lite would be more durable but i dont like plastic stocks on my rifles. the other rifle im considering is a CZ 550 FS in 6.5×55. its a little heavier and has a shorter barrel. the action on the 550 is a real beefy mauser action and the accuracy is reported to be good but not as good as the T3.
-matt
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Matt,
I am the proud owner of a 6.5×55 Tikka T3 Stainless Lite, and I am convinced that it is the most accurate “factory” rifle that I own. I absolutely love the rifle. In my opinion it is the perfect match of cartridge and rifle for hunting whitetails here in PA. The rifle is very pleasant to carry all day, and it is scary accurate. If (God forbid) I had to liquidate all of my rifles but one, that tikka in 6.5×55 would be the last one in the safe.
I was going to purchase another for my kids as they are coming of hunting age… only to find out that Beretta is no longer importing them to the US. I even tried to order a 260 Rem and was going to have my smith rechamber it… apparently they currently were not importing any 6.5 cal rifles. That was about 2 years ago… maybe they smartened up. Please post if you find that they are importing the 6.5×55 again.
Best of luck with your endeavor.
Mike
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good news msgtmike, they are indeed importing the 6.5×55 rifle. just not the lite version, only as the hunter with a wood stock and a blued barrel. eurooptic.com carries them but is out of stock at the moment. ive been in contact with the company and they are expecting more.
im planning on back ordering the gun but I was hoping for more positive reviews about the durability of the rifle. plastic parts make me nervous.
-matt
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Do all the searching you can, then get back to me and let me know when any of the “plastic parts” have failed…
They aren't plastic.
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well I just put in my back order at euro-optic but unfortunately they said more rifles wont come in till 1/14. I don't know of any other dealers that even carry the 6.5 mauser Tikka so it looks like im playing the waiting game. (unless I decide on a different rifle)
now I have been searching around for negative reviews on the Tikka T3 and the biggest complaints ive seen are poor customer service and lack of replacement parts.
im kinda surprised that I haven't had more responses to this post on a Tikka forum. yall don't have any good things to say about the gun?
-matt
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Matt,
Just about the only negative reviews that you will find out there are from guys that never owned one of these rifles and are more than likely “internet experts”.
Most folks on the internet who bitch about the cost of a replacement magazine for the Tikkas, have obviously never priced a magazine for another rifle. There might be a slight cost difference, but none feed as smooth as the tikka mags.
I currently have 5 rifles in the T3 Stainless Lite variation, and I can tell you that they are always my “go to” rifles. The 300WSM (even with the muzzle brake) is a handful shooting off the bench, but every one of them are a pleasure to carry and will put the bullets where the cross hairs are.
As Yukonal posted, the parts are not “plastic” but rather polymer, much like the parts on the M16A2 service rifle that I carried for years. Never had a problem with the M16 nor any of the T3 polymer parts. The stocks are more rigid than just about any other composite stock out there, and the magazines have fed many many rounds without a single problem.
Aftermarket parts are becoming more readily available… check out the store on this site.
You will not find a better trigger that is as user friendly on any factory rifle out there for similar price. Other bolts may get to be as smooth as the Tikkas about the time the barrel is shot out.
Never had to use the customer service… so I cannot comment on that.
I have purchased from Europtics, they are only about an hour from me and they are a great bunch of guys.
As long as you don't mind the wait, I would continue the research and make up your mind for yourself. Don't want to sound like a marketing guy for Tikka, but I like mine that much.
For a while there, Europtics had the T3 Sporter in 6.5×55… which really is the “Cat's Meow”. Might be a little more, but you get the heavier barrel, and that stock…nice.
Best of luck in whatever you decide,
Mike
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Not much to be said that hasn't been said. Myself, I own a T3 HB varmint in the 300 WSM cal. and love it. My only complaint is the pounding I get shooting the thing (went out this weekend and pumped 60 rounds down the tube)… but that's a caliber issue and not the firearm. ::)
Given the chance to start over again from the beginning and purchase a Tikka, I wouldn't change a thing. 🙂
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