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Tikka T3X Forest Review
I recently got a Tikka T3x Forest in .270 and thought I should share a few comments.
First the good news – this is a beautiful rifle with an incredibly smooth bolt action and a fine trigger.
BUT, in multiple trips to the range using a high end Leopold scope I've never been able to get anywhere close to the guaranteed MOA.Zeroing this rifle is a challenge if not impossible because:
1. The barrel overheats so quickly and then the shots are all over the board. Very Very Hot Barrel Very Quickly.
2. The recoil on this rifle is ridiculous. It literally jumps out of my hand. I'm 220 lbs and it's a struggle to hang on. After a while, the natural inclination is to flinch when pulling the trigger – not good.This is a nice gun to look at but useless for hunting. I want a refund!!
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5 Replies
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I have a T3 Lite in .243 and my rule is, no more than 3-5 shots before allowing the barrel to cool.
I shoot a winchester 670 in 30-06 and while the recoil was problematic at first, I managed to tame it with practice and a recoil pad. Don't give up just yet.
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Why by a light hunting rifle in a largish caliber , and complain about recoil and over heating , light barrels will get hot there not made for lots of shots after one another , and for the recoil the lighter the gun the more recoil , the problem seam to me be you and not the gun you have got the wrong gun for you needs
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Make sure scope mounts are solid and torqued properly.
Make sure stock is not over torqued.
Free float the barrel.
If you cant deal with the recoil, get a lead sled to sight it in.Your going to have a hard time convincing anyone on this forum, or other forums for that matter, that a tikka won't shoot.
Just my .02 😉 -
Okay – thanks for the feedback. I ordered some lower grain ammo and I'm getting a recoil pad so that my next trip to the range will be more enjoyable (and successful). I did buy this thing to shoot.
Honestly, three groups of three shots and this Tikka T3x is a stove pipe.
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Yesterday I put about 70 rounds through my Tikka T3 Lite in .223, 3-5 at a stretch. Temperatures were in the low 60s. After 5 rounds the barrel was just short of uncomfortably warm. These rounds use 26 grains of powder, or around half the charge of a .270 round. I'd wait 5 minutes for the barrel to cool off and then fire another group. There was a breeze and that helped cool things down faster. In order to help sped cooling, I'd prop my rifle on the shady side of the trees behind the tables, bolt open and barrel pointed up (nothing in the chamber and magazine removed for safety).
When I shoot squirrels, the temperatures are cooler and if the barrel hasn't cooled by the time I've reloaded the 5 round magazine, I'll shoot another rifle.
Yesterday three guys shooting next to me to check the sighting on their rifles would shoot one round, wait a couple of minutes and then shoot again.
Just a couple of reference points for you to consider.
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