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My new T3/Robertson TAC
Found this forum after doing excellent business with Greg @ tikkaperformance.com 😀
Some of the finest customer care I've ever been given, many thanks for that!I'm an ex English Sporting & fitasc competition shooter and after a really annoying accident which landed me a permanent spinal injury (L4-L5) I decided recently to take up long range and precision shooting instead.
I bought myself a brand new T3 Varmint .308 and a Robertson TAC stock and started the transformation.
Since I'm used to go “all-in” when I'm serious about something I wanted a rifle that would be as good as it could get and only having me as a source of error whilst shooting.I got some Atlas bipods and added a EGW Picatinny rail on top.
Initially I mounted a Konuspro M30 8.5-32×50 mildot scope but I outgrew that tube in a week… Not good enough since I couldn't see the bulletholes at 300 meters!I was really lucky to be offered a slightly used Premier 5-25×56 Gen 2 XR and I bought it without hesitation! This I mounted in a 20MOA rail mount.
Added an ASE Utra Jet-Z Compact moderator and started learning this new form of shooting.Pretty early i found the trigger to be awful… Really awful! I disassembled the trigger and polished it really well but I still found it awful…
Started to look for a new trigger and this was NOT easy!Eventually i found tikkaperformance.com and the JARD trigger.
After some initial issues with shipping to Sweden Greg sent me a 14oz JARD trigger and a new camo bolt and shroud.Shooting is going really well but I can't get the butt-plate on my Robertson properly in my shoulder so next week I should receive a Tubbs 4-way adjustable butt-plate.
With this I should be more or less “finished” with the build… (for now ;))I've now sent abuot 700 rounds down range and It's very nice! The trigger is pretty much as good as a Jewel trigger so I'm happy!
New bolt handle and shroud
I'm happy I went for a Tikka T3 and not a Remington 700 since in the end this is a more unique rifle and, in my opinion, a better system! (although very hard to find parts…)
The price tag ended up a “bit” higher than initially planned but that's life I guess 😉
It's still a lot cheaper than my shotguns I used whilst competing – that's what I told the wife anyway ;DI might give the rifle a paint job but that's not too common here in Sweden and it might look a bit too tactical… I will hunt with this rifle as well you see…
I might buy a SPUHR scope mount from Håkan simply due to the fact that you can mount accessories on it… Didn't I just write that I was “finished” with the rifle a few lines above? hehe… 😉
That's my Tikka anyway which I will learn to shoot long range and tactical from now on!
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17 Replies
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That looks like a nice machine you have there. Do you have an anti-cant level installed?
What size groups are you able to shoot with it?
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Thanks!
No anti-cant level currently installed but I'm looking for one that's easy to see without moving my head.
I've not tried it in a benchrest yet but I've shot a few 20mm 3-shot groups at 300 meters in prone position so it seems to work!
I'm currently shooting with 175gr Nosler Comp, 43.5gr Norma 202, Federal 210, COL 72mm but since the summer's just started the cartridge is getting a “bit” hot but very accurate.
Will try Lapua Scenar 155 gr shortly as well.I'm still learning and I only shoot one shot per target and not shooting groups by recommendation from my “mentor”.
With my current progress the original barrel will probably not survive until next year 😉 -
Thanks for the feedback Wizard! I'm glad Greg was able to get everything taken care of for you.
By the way, 20mm, prone, and 300 meters is something to brag about. Most shooters wish they could shoot that good.
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This rifle is actually a good example of how good a rifle can shoot from factory. (with modifications)
The action and barrel is standard, I've only swapped out the attachments 😉The original varmint stock is not rigid enough to deliver really tight groups, in my opinion, and Robertson normally builds stocks for benchrest shooting so they have a pretty good idea what it takes to create a stock that's got what it takes to deliver.
The stock isn't cheap at $900 with my options and delivery but worth every penny!
Premier 5-25×56 Gen2 XR is an excellent scope for long distance shooting and hunting and MRAD makes it easier for us Europeans to calculate the distance to a target rapidly.
My biggest problem was trigger… I've got a Remmy Jewel trigger that I was going to fit to my T3 but there was a lot of machining involved on the action so I hesitated…
The Jard trigger really saved me here!
The Atlas bipods i mounted are in a class of their own if you ask me and they are great when hunting since they are one-hand operated as well.I'm really squeesing out the maximum performance with my 175gr Nosler Comp bullets by loading it very hot, the tight groups is a result of all of the above.
We'll see what the 155gr Scenar can perform later this summer when I'll use single base powder from Vihtavuori instead of Norma…I will swap the barrel next year to a 6XC caliber instead both to save some money on reloading costs and better accuracy…
So, we can build really good rifles on Tikka T3 systems and show the Remington 700 followers that we have accuracy out of the box.
I haven't blue-printed my action, it's just a standard .308 varmint with a new set of clothes! ;DShooting the tight groups is only down to holding the rifle correctly and trigger discipline, and obviously the ability to repeat this…
I'm not yet even close to the precision this rifle can produce with a good shooter behind the trigger but I'm working on it! I only started shooting this discipline a few months ago but I intend to get better 😉Thanks guys for helping me prove that Tikka T3 was the right choice when building my rifle and you helped me solve the final bit in the puzzle, the trigger!
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Finally got my Tubbs 4-way adjustable buttstock fitted and now the rifle is “complete”! ;D
I might swap my 20MOA Recknagel rail for a SPUHR mount later but it's not really making it better so that'll have to wait.
AI BDM will be fitted at some stage in order to get a 10 round mag but that's not making it any better either…It's not cheap building this type of rifle – especially with the taxes we've got over here – but I'm VERY pleased with the performance and accuracy and I think I'm pushing what's possible with .308 win to be honest in a “normal” rifle.
The final weight turned out to be a bit heavier than planned but it works. 7.1 kg / 15.65 lbs which makes hunting a training session!
Building custom precision rifles with Tikka is doable for sure and the whole journey was great fun! 🙂
I hope you like it because I sure do!
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That is a beautiful rifle! You did a great job and should be proud of your work. Post up some targets!!!
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That is a beautiful rifle! You did a great job and should be proud of your work. Post up some targets!!!
Thanks! 😀
Tried the rifle today at the range in order to adjust the buttstock and after some tweaking a tried a few three-shot groups to verify that I was on target and not jumping around like a bunny…
The stickers measure 10x10mm (~0.4 in) so this group is acceptable by my standards at the moment.
I shot the groups in prone position without sandbag and mag… (forgot it at home) Had to feed manually but that works as well I guess 😛A Tikka T3 custom with the old “boring” .308 win can shoot sub inch groups @ 300 meters (328 yards) without problem!
Later this year whan I've actually learned to shoot this rifle properly we will be bad news for the foxes around here – that's for sure!Building, or shall I say “put together”?, this rifle has been great fun and now it shoots like a dream and is everything I wanted in order to start shooting and hunting at longer distances with great precision.
Don't go down the boring route using Remington 700 actions because that's been done so many times… Try a Tikka instead! You can find the parts and in the end I think the over-all package is better and certainly holds its value better. -
p.s the group is 16 or 17 mm (0.6 in) which is probably not too bad when I think of it…
That's pretty much touching the self accuracy of the load and barrel.Delivered from a Tikka! ;D
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That's amazingly wonderful! What size groups were you getting with the factory stock? If I understand correctly, this is the factory barrel but a JARD trigger?
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That's amazingly wonderful! What size groups were you getting with the factory stock? If I understand correctly, this is the factory barrel but a JARD trigger?
I never tried it with the factory stock since this was a planned build but the original “Tupperware” stock is probably not solid enough to deliver the same groups… That's my guess anyway.
I've spend a lot of effort in making a strong and rigid system with no or very little flex.However, this is the original action and barrel with a different stock and trigger.
The barrel is dampened with an ASE Utra Jet-Z compact moderator and a hot load behind a 175gr Nosler Comp bullet.
I get similar groups with BST so it has the same potential for hunting! 🙂 -
I seem to remember stating previously that I now was “finished” with the build…
Ehrm… no 😛
Yesterday I ordered a CDI BDM with one 5-round mag and one 10-round mag!
Now it's almost finished… hehe… ;D
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That is a nice job on the T3. Looks realy good.
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On that stock, is the barrel free floating all the way to the receiver? The reason I ask is because my varmint model factory stock, the forend touches the first 3 or so inches of the barrel from the front of the receiver.
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On that stock, is the barrel free floating all the way to the receiver? The reason I ask is because my varmint model factory stock, the forend touches the first 3 or so inches of the barrel from the front of the receiver.
That doesn't sound right. I can slip a dollar bill with mine all the way to the receiver.
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That doesn't sound right. I can slip a dollar bill with mine all the way to the receiver.
Is that the case on both of your Tikkas?
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