[BigB-AMT]

That's a fantastic looking rifle.

[BigB-AMT]

I ordered the Roedale one from Germany. Shipping from there to the USA was as much as the bolt-stop as I recall. Good luck finding an OEM part if you're in the States, Beretta's support for the Tikka T3 line is less than stellar, seems like our cousins in Canada and Australia have much better support options.

[BigB-AMT]

I inquired about 7mm LRM with Northwest Action Works and here is their reply:

“We would love to help you with your project, but there are two problems that will pretty much make it a deal breaker.

First, we don't really work on Tikka's, and we're so busy with the Rem 700 work that getting tooled up to work on them is pretty unfeasible at this time.

Second, we have done some work with the 7 LRM, and ended up scrapping it.  It sounds like Gunwerks is doing some extra throat work on these that they aren't revealing to the public, and it has been a frustrating cartridge to say the least.  The dies were a pain too.  From where I sit, if you really want the LRM I'd suggest getting it through Gunwerks, as it is their baby. 

We're getting ready to work on a “new” cartridge here pretty soon, a version of the 7mm/300 Win Mag that is showing some real promise.  Something to think about anyway.

Sorry we can't be more help at this point!  I hope you can find what you're looking for!

Mason Watters
Northwest Action Works LLC”

Like I told them, I love an honest answer, and if I ever talked myself into buying a Remy I would look at their stuff.

[BigB-AMT]

That's 5rds at 100yds including cold-bore shot. Load is Barnes 145gr LRX over 48.5grs of Norma MRP, Nosler brass, and Federal Match LRP. It's only doing 2630 (ish) fps. It's not a fast load but I can't argue with the results.

[BigB-AMT]

Thanks, I don't have any Varget, but I'll try and match you're results with what I've got available in my rifle. Were you able to get that COAL in the standard magazine?

Did you take the moose with the 7mm-08? Seems like here in the States someone is constantly trying to convince you that 7mm-08 is barely acceptable for large whitetail, marginal for muleys, and if you mention elk in the same sentence you may induce heart attacks.

[BigB-AMT]

I also have a 7mm-08 Lite SS, and I haven't had time to work up loads for it yet, at least not successfully. Would you provide the details on that 139 IB load? I'd like to know what the COAL is.

[BigB-AMT]

Was there a market for cell phones in 1988? Sort of, but at 1988 prices, the market for mobile phones was tiny. If you could pick up a barrel-nut equipped refit-kit for a T3 Action at a reasonable price the market might become apparent. It's not as if Savage doesn't have a following. If Savage bolts didn't feel like hand-planing wood I probably never would have bought a Tikka. I love the T3 action and trigger (and a lot of other people do too), but I'm not satisfied with the scope of the product offering in the States.

As economical as the T3 is, I can't afford a safe full of them, maybe I could afford to collect a couple of extra barrels over time though. Maybe that's not a problem for you though, maybe you're a deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve and can buy 3 of everything, thanks for the explanation of the fundamentals of the market economy though. Sure was swell of you.

[BigB-AMT]

Apologies on how long it took me to get that right.

[BigB-AMT]

I want a T3 with a stainless heavy or fluted barrel in one of the three: 243, 260, or 7mm-08. Honestly my preference would be for Beretta to just import or allow special order on the rifles available everywhere but the USA. I realize that I can get a rifle rebarreled without too much trouble, just seems like if you can make a Remington 700 a switch-barrel with a barrel-nut, why not a Tikka. Of course Roedale is doing it in Europe, which at least to me, begs the question why isn't an American barrel maker doing the same. (To all non-US Citizens: 600 Euro + Shipping (Roedale price) is an insanely high price for a rifle barrel by US standards.)

[BigB-AMT]

I know Roedale makes a switch barrel for Tikkas. Between the 600 Euro the barrel costs, and price of shipping to the US, I think I'll try and check all the big names in custom barrels here. None of which would matter if Beretta would import the full line of T3s to the US, but I figure there's less of a chance of that than just about any other scenario, so I'll check around.

[BigB-AMT]

This was the reply I got from McGowen Barrels:

Dan J Wynne
To Me
Feb 1 at 7:09 AM
We do not make a switch barrel for the Tikka actions.  Sorry.

Dan

Kinda leaves me with the impression they aren't interested in trying it either. I'll ask the folks at Pac-Nor.

[BigB-AMT]

I suppose that's what I expected. They don't seem to have the slightest interest in supporting the T3 product line in the US. Makes me crazy how many variations are available elsewhere. I sent a note to McGowen barrels, asking about adapting a barrel-nut version for Tikkas, they already do it for Remington 700s. Does Beretta actually own Sako/Tikka or do they just have the distribution rights?

[BigB-AMT]

I use Hornady equipment, (press and most of my dies), and like it just fine. That being said I have not come up with anything I would describe as a “match grade load”, I usually quit tinkering once I get sub-MOA, and have never fired a 5 shot cloverleaf. I certainly don't blame the equipment for that. My best load to date comes in 0.75-0.80″ consistently. I think you can probably get that kind of accuracy out of any brand of equipment with enough tinkering.

Lee put out a press that was aluminum, instead of cast iron, that apparently would develop cracks in the frame over time. That may very well be the lowest price press on the market and possibly the one you're looking at. I have a hard time believing that it would crack with light usage, but if you plan on loading thousands of rounds a year it might be worth it to go with an iron press. Aluminum will work-harden with repeated stress, which will lead to cracking, but I still suspect cracked units were misused in some way.

[BigB-AMT]

I'm in the States, but for some reason I got it in my head to order the B&C stock in brown instead of black, so it was a special order (arrived today actually, ordered in August). The long-action bolt stop listed on Brownells is back-order available, so based on a sort-of generally negative feeling about back-orders I've recently developed, I paid or the Roedale (which arrived on Mondy). So now all I have to do is go start getting a load dialed-in. I've got my first test batch worked up already, 154gr Hornady Interbond over Norma MRP, seated at 2.932″ COAL, (if I'm remembering that correctly, don't have my reloading book in front of me). I should have loaded SST's first, but I didn't, so I'll throw away some Interbonds to start with. So I should be putting out a long-action 7mm-08 report pretty soon. Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm guessing anyone who wants to shoot 7mm-08 long range should probably consider adjusting to long-action.

[BigB-AMT]

If you get a 7mm Rem Mag in a T3 Lite it is going to be a pretty extreme recoil experience. I have the T3 Lite in 7mm-08, and due to how light the rifle really is, it kicks way above what I consider normal for caliber with factory loaded ammo. I have another 7mm-08 that's just a couple pounds heavier but is absolutely a kitten compared to the T3 Lite. The recoil pad as manufactured leaves a lot to be desired in the arena of recoil mitigation. All that being said the T3 in 7mm-08 is still not a bruiser, by any stretch of the imagination, just more recoil than I've grown accustomed to in that caliber. If you're looking at a Tikka with a wood or laminate stock then you can probably disregard all of that.

As far as the caliber goes, 7mm-08 will kill anything Elk-size and smaller out to 300 yards/meters, but beyond that you really have to know what your ammo is capable of. One of the drawbacks to 7mm-08 as a cartridge is the lack of variety in available factory ammo, (would you like 120, 139/140, or 150 grain?). If you don't reload, in addition to more energy for longer distance shots, you're just going to get more versatility out of the 7mm Rem Mag based on ammo availability (at least here in the States). I am a certified 7mm-08 nutjob though, so take it for what it's worth, internet rambling.