Tikka T3 first shots?

[Questor]

Hello:

We got a Tikka T3 for my son in .308. Very nice. Very accurate too. I'm shooting 1" groups 5 shot groups at 100 yards. It's ergonomically very nice. I like it a lot and I think it will be a super excellent gun for Questor, Jr. (The gun will probably shoot better than that if I had a higher power scope and was shooting at smaller targets.)

One question, though: With your T3, have you found that the first shot fired hits where you sighted in? This sort of question takes a while to answer because there is only one first shot per trip to the range.

If ours will do that, we've got a real winner on our hands.

[wareagleguy]

Not sure if I understand your question?

[Buckfever]

My T3, 30-06, and 6.5x55 both  shoot to point of aim on the first shot.  They didn't when I cleaned after shooting the first shot was off a bit about an inch.  So I take it out the last time to shoot  and have it previously cleaned it.  Then I shoot a limited number of shots to check the Zero and then I leave it uncleaned for my hunting trip.  Dead on during the hunt.  The rest of the time I don't care if I have to shoot a fouling shot.

Buckfever

   

[Davemuzz]

Last year our club had a Beretta factory rep in conjunction with Gander Mt. come and make available just about every model of gun that Beretta makes. Well, they also had a Tika T3 in 30-06 set up on the rifle range. Now, I can't recall the scope that was on this gun, but they had a 6" gong set up at the 200 yard mark. All I can tell you is this gun was just plain nice to shoot. The trigger pull was light, and every time I aimed at the plate, I hit it. Now, I shoot a lot....but I'm no Annie Okley. I was impressed with the T3.

MHO (My opinion and $1.50 will get you a coffee at the local gas station)

Dave

[30-06man]

after you leave the range don't clean it. my 700 is that way. you just got to experiment. what type of scope?

[Brithunter]

Brand has nowt to do it ! Every barrel is different, some will shoot all rounds into the group others will place the first or shot 1 & " away from the rest from a clean barrel. If it does this every time you shoot it even with a fouled barrel. I mean if the first shots from a stone cold barrel go off from the main group then you have a bedding problem with that particular rifle.

[Davemuzz]

Brand has nowt to do it ! Every barrel is different, some will shoot all rounds into the group others will place the first or shot 1 & " away from the rest from a clean barrel. If it does this every time you shoot it even with a fouled barrel. I mean if the first shots from a stone cold barrel go off from the main group then you have a bedding problem with that particular rifle.

Amen to that! I just ordered the Davcon bedding material for one of my rifles. It puts the first shot 3" high and 2" right at 100 yards. The rest all make one ragged hole shooting Berger bullets. I'm gonna fix that issue!!!

Dave

[Questor]

The question was more about the way Tikkas are built than their particular brand. The Mausers, for example, press the front of the stock to the barrel and this has caused me too much grievf when the humidity changes. The Tikkas separate the barrel from the stock, so there is no such contact. I'm hoping that's a good attribute for people like me who shoot under vastly varying conditions.

[Davemuzz]

Adjustable triggers down to 2 lbs. Light trigger pulls go a long way to get teeny tiny groups.

Dave

[30-06man]

don't mess with the trigger if you don't know what your doing

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

     Well I am sorry to say that I am not convinced nor enamoured with free floating barrels. The rifle which has prroved the most frustrating to get good accuracy out of has a factory floated barrel as it was built with the American Market in mind. It has a heavy barrel and the action was glass bedded by the factory. I may have to re-do the glass bedding  yet but after losts of powder and bullets down range I have finally found at least too loads which will shoot MOA or less.

    However I have several rifles which have factory bedded barrels or pressure point bedding that shoot MOA or under easily. On one rifle the factory bedding was very poor so after playing with it and accidently floating the barrel I discovered that it hates a loated barrel, 6"-8" groups at 100 yards, but after a full bedding job and with a pressure point near the fore stock tip it now shoots around MOA. Free Floating as I see it is a quick cheap way for factoried to knock out guns using cheaply cured wood or floimsy plastic stocks. To my mind the Tikka T3 is not an improvement on the old 690 or 695 models. To me it's strange that this all came about during the period that Berretta was taking over control. Despite their being the oldest Gunmaker in the world I am not overly fond of Berretta guns.

The Mausers, for example, press the front of the stock to the barrel and this has caused me too much grievf when the humidity changes.

      Not all Mauser had pressure points, some of the old ones at least had fully bedded barrels. this takes craftsmanship and skilled stockmakers cost money as does time so it's not now done as the "public" has been educated to  accept lower quality and standards. As for warped stocks. It's more likely due to poorly cured, i.e Kiln Dried, wood. None of my antique rifles show any warpage despite beign subjecteed yo English and Scottish normal weather (which of course means lots ot rain and mist) the DWM shows rust spotting due to damp storage (before I obtained it) and was made in about 1897 and was first shipped to South africa so has experienced lots of heat. proper air dryign of wood and proper seasoning results in stable wood. however it costs more than the quick inferior Kiln drying method which is favored my manufacturers today.

[Davemuzz]

don't mess with the trigger if you don't know what your doing

I was in no way suggesting that anyone take a file, stone, or emory cloth to the sear of the Tikka. However, if you would look at the Tikka web site at http://www.berettausa.com/product/product_rifles_main.htm you will find the sentence in there that says Their match-grade barrel, adjustable trigger, silky-smooth bolt and distinctive styling are only a few of the attributes..... So, what they mean by that is the factory has built in an adjustable trigger that the owner can set all by him\her self. I think the hunter model can be adjusted from 2 to 4 lbs. With a little screwdriver type tool that they give you with the gun.

Dave

[30-06man]

most guns need to be adjusted with someone with experience. i don't know how there trigger works so i wouldn't adjust one. other guns i can

[Davemuzz]

I think when you pull the trigger.....the gun will go off. When you set the trigger for a lighter pull, you don't have to pull the trigger as hard....then the gun will still go off. If you set the trigger for the heaviest pull, then you have to pull on the trigger harder....then the gun will go off.

However, in all cases...be exceptionally careful, as the gun....if there is ammo in the chamber....will go off when you pull the trigger.

Dave

[Questor]

Brithunter:

Interesting to compare notes with you. My situation is a bit different from yours:
1) The CZ American I have does exhibit the pressure point phenomenon because the front of the stock presses the barrel.

2) The conditions I shoot fluctuate dramatically. That's life in the center of a continental mass. It may anywhere from -30C to 40C degrees, with humidity ranging from 5% to 100%.  It is not unusual for it to be 15C degrees warmer in the afternoon than in the afternoon. Weather fronts are often severe, with dramatic swings in temperature and humidity. For example, while recently in North Dakota the temperature increased so fast one Winter day that windows broke because it was an over 25C increase in temperature in 30 minutes, when it went from below freezing to quite warm.  In GB, things are much more stable, unless you're drying your guns over the hearth.


An example of how this variation affects my shooting is that I recently sighted my rifle in at home, then drove to Wyoming. When I checked my zero there, bullets were hitting 30cm to the right of where I had zeroed it.  This was an extreme example because of the relatively rapid change in humidity. But I have the same problem if I sight in at home in February, then wait untiil April to shoot again. It's more humid in April.

One of the endearing thing about my McMillan-stocked Remington 700 is that it stays zeroed. I would like to be able to say that about the Tikka as well.

[30-06man]

to be adjusted!! i know what a trigger does!! but you know what if you adjust the trigger wrong it goes boom when you don't want it to i don't know what questor knows about triggers. i don't tell people to go messing with their guns when they may or may not know

[Davemuzz]

to be adjusted!! i know what a trigger does!! but you know what if you adjust the trigger wrong it goes boom when you don't want it to i don't know what questor knows about triggers. i don't tell people to go messing with their guns when they may or may not know

So....you really think a gun companydesigns an adjustable trigger, installs it on their production gun, markets the fact that it's adjustable without the need to remove the action from the stock, provides instructions in the gun manual for how to adjust the trigger, designs said trigger for the low end of 2 lbs, and the high end of 4 lbs, includes precautionary information in the instructions of what to check once you have adjusted the trigger......and you think this design feature will somehow be dangerous and cause the gun to accidentally discharge? And you believe the company would actually ship a product like this?

Do you think the Savage accutrigger is an accident waiting to happen?

Here's an idea. Read the instructions that come with the gun. Then if you don't understand them, seek the counsel of a qualified gunsmith. (That wouldn't be the Wal-Mart clerk).

I don't know. I know I'm not the sharpest tack in the box. But this part of life isn't brain surgery.

Dave.

[30-06man]

 you know a person who dosen't own one wouldn't know would they. nope i really don't think i would instructions for a gun i never have owned. i haven't even looked at buying one. i have held one and thats it.

after you leave the range don't clean it. my 700 is that way. you just got to experiment. what type of scope?

see my orginal post had nothing to do with the trigger. nor did i say i owned this gun or had any experience i was just suggesting something. my next post said

don't mess with the trigger if you don't know what your doing

you know still do i say i have had experience i was speaking from a point of view most gun makers suggest this. messing with triggers that are not adjustible like this one can cause mis fires. just like on the 700 trigger.

most guns need to be adjusted with someone with experience. i don't know how there trigger works so i wouldn't adjust one. other guns i can

you know i posted this before i knew there trigger was adjustble like you explained. and i am not stupid i know a lot about guns and can adjust triggers on many guns i have had zero experience with this gun and its trigger. so how am i suspose to know?? and if i need help on a gun something must be very wrong ohh yeah did i mention i am just a few months short of becoming a gunsmith. i would have to see its trigger to know how it works. its as simple as that. how am i suspose to know about this trigger when i have had no experience with this trigger. i didn't get to look at your link because it would not come up. all triggers are about adjustible. the savage trigger stinks anyways. i would try to find a good after market trigger for it. you know i am not the smartist and nor do i want to be but i do know that you don't mess with the trigger if you do not know what your doing. i always say that when someone suggest messing with a guns trigger people tend to tinker and mess up it can lead to death or injury if you didn't notice i would always say that if i mention adjusting the trigger even if it is ment to be like this one. some people may mess up and i don't want to be responsible for someone getting hurt or killed.

[Brithunter]

Hi Questor,


       wells a s you said :-

1) The CZ American I have does exhibit the pressure point phenomenon because the front of the stock presses the barrel.
 

       Not doubt being modern your CZ 550 American uses cheap kiln dried wood, in fact I would be astounded if it used proper air dried wood, interestingly the original CZ-Brno's had bedded barrels and not a pressure point as does my model 601. Rumour has it that the American is stocked in the US but you know how rumours are!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

     Now as to cold ...................................................... a little off topic but where my father was born. During WW2 they put a small camp for Canadian soldiers there and those Canucs were complaining about the cold. One of the locals asked but surely it's colder in Canada? "Not cold like this" was the reply. Here it's a damp cold and it penetrates the bones unlike the dried more severe cold you get on the Norht American continent. Our house has central heating of course and being only 12 years old is quite well insulated which means it's dry so just bring the guns inside dries them out. The worse I remember was with that Brno 601 and I had to strip the bolt as trhe water had got inside everything. The rain which was constant came in sideways yet the trip brought home a Young Muntjac for the freezer.

     As for comenting upon someones ability to follow instructions and adjust a trigger. Well knowing some mechanically inept folks I would rather oversee anythign like this. Some folks should not be allowed near a screwdriver!

[Davemuzz]

As for comenting upon someones ability to follow instructions and adjust a trigger. Well knowing some mechanically inept folks I would rather oversee anythign like this. Some folks should not be allowed near a screwdriver!

Welllllllll.....you do raise an excellent point. There are a few out there that should stay away from the tool box!

Dave

[Graybeard]

Some folks should not be allowed near a screwdriver!

I resemble that remark! 

[ms]

I'M glad that your rifle is working for you what grain bullet are you shooting?

[Questor]

MS:

We are using Speer 150 grain boattail softpoints (would have got the flat base, but the reloading shop was out of them.) Load is winchester brass + cci 200 primer + 43 grains Varget (starting load ~2650fps for practice) + bullet seated to 2.7"  5 shot groups are measured at 1 inch. Gun can probably do better but I was shooting a 3" bullseye at 100 yds with 7x scope. Smaller bullseye would have helped me keep them closer.

For hunting, we'll use the Barnes 150 grain TXS bullets, assuming they shoot reasonably well in the gun.

The big question now is whether the gun will put its first shot with the rest of the group.

I want one of those guns for myself. Nice. Really my idea of an excellent configuration for hunting.

[ms]

I'm getting one I like the bear claw bullet my self but your son will have a rifle for life now thanks to dad.