Tikka in .20 cal??? or WSSM???

[Squeeze]

So are there any good rumors about TIkka making a .204 Ruger  
chambering in their T-3 rifles, or for that matter, any of the  
WSSM chamberings?  I want a .20 cal REAL BAD, but I am having a
real problem with what is in the market, at the $400-$600 price
point.  I was hoping for a good bolt gun, with a reputation for  
accuracy, that has a medium weight stainless barrel, and a  
decent trigger, or one that can be made decent without buying
a aftermarket trigger for $100 to $200.  I can get a Savage, in either  
a blued Varmint rifle(heavy barrel), a Savage, in a stainless
sporter rifle(light barrel), a Remington in a couple of styles,
a Winchester M70,  a Browning, or a Ruger M77 from my searching.
I have  no confidence that I will get a Winchester, a Browning, or a
Ruger, off  the rack that will shoot.  My latest run with Tikkas, and
Savages, have spoiled me for the mediocre accuracy I usually find in
Winchester, Browning, and Ruger rifles.  Minimally, a Remington
will need trigger, and bedding, work and at the moment, I refuse
to give Remington any more of my money.  I have even looked
at CZ rifles, but it had several points of concern, and several
features that felt "foreign".    Life would be good if Tikka  
offered a T-3, and a T-3 Varminter, in .204 Ruger, or better  
yet, a .20 Tactical.  So, has anyone heard any good Tikka rumors?
 
Squeeze

[IowaBuckHunter]

Nothing good here-

None of my tikka experiences have been good, and none have been bad either.  They are just ok.  They also require trigger work to get a good trigger.  The thing that I dislike about them is the very sloppy action.  It is too loud and just sloppy. They are not bad shooters, but they are not great either.  Expect a 1 inch group, nothing more, nothing less.  For your price point, might as well stick with a savage.  They shoot good with pretty good triggers.  Rugers are also in that price point, but they have horrendous triggers and just don't shoot that well.

In my experience I will use nothing but remingtons.   Yes they need trigger work, but with a screwdriver and two minutes of your time, they are very nice.  they go down to about 2.5 lbs with no creep.  Plus they shoot better, and do not require bed work.  Tikka's need the bed work more than any other gun on the market.  If you look at the forearm on both sides of the barrel, one side will be touching the barrel, while the other side has an 1/8 gap.  They are almost all like that.  hate to say it, but its true.  I do like their magazine set up however.  I like it better than the hinged floor-plate on all my rem's.

[Grubbs]

Mr IowaHunter must be smoking crack or something.......how hard is it to use an allen wrench to adjust a trigger?  They also have some of the slickest, smoothest actions out there at any price.  All 3 of mine shoot around 1/2" with factory ammo.

[Lawdog]

So are there any good rumors about TIkka making a .204 Ruger  
chambering in their T-3 rifles, or for that matter, any of the  
WSSM chamberings?  I want a .20 cal REAL BAD, but I am having a
real problem with what is in the market, at the $400-$600 price
point.  I was hoping for a good bolt gun, with a reputation for  
accuracy, that has a medium weight stainless barrel, and a  
decent trigger, or one that can be made decent without buying
a aftermarket trigger for $100 to $200.  I can get a Savage, in either  
a blued Varmint rifle(heavy barrel), a Savage, in a stainless
sporter rifle(light barrel), a Remington in a couple of styles,
a Winchester M70,  a Browning, or a Ruger M77 from my searching.
I have  no confidence that I will get a Winchester, a Browning, or a
Ruger, off  the rack that will shoot.  My latest run with Tikkas, and
Savages, have spoiled me for the mediocre accuracy I usually find in
Winchester, Browning, and Ruger rifles.  Minimally, a Remington
will need trigger, and bedding, work and at the moment, I refuse
to give Remington any more of my money.  I have even looked
at CZ rifles, but it had several points of concern, and several
features that felt "foreign".    Life would be good if Tikka  
offered a T-3, and a T-3 Varminter, in .204 Ruger, or better  
yet, a .20 Tactical.  So, has anyone heard any good Tikka rumors?
 
Squeeze

When Sako sees just how well the .204 Ruger and the WSSM's are selling they will add them to their line up.  With some it just takes longer is all.  Lawdog
 

[smk]

I own 5 Tikkas and I totally disagree with Iowa buck hunters comments about the tikka. One screw adjustable trigger down to 1.5-2lbs and great accuracy 1 moa or less on all of mine.  A loud and sloppy action?? Huh? I am totally baffled by that comment and don't even have a reply. The synthetic 595 and 695's did have uneven barrel channel gaps as do many brands of guns with injection molded stocks. Who cares ? My High Power Hunter class silhouette rifle (7mm08) is one of those 595's with the uneven barrel channel and I wish all my guns would shoot as good as that one does. This is not a bedding issue it is a warped plastic issue. The new synthetic T3's I have do not have uneven gaps and the wood Tikkas never did.

[Buckfever]

You are the first person I have heard that says they have had an average firearm in a Tikka.  While I will say my 6.5-55 is slightly more accurate than my 30-06, they are both very, very accurate.  The action is the smoothest I have had in any under $1000 gun.  It will slide forward if you point the gun down.  The Tikka's are very fine balanced weapons that use Sako barrels.  I never knew much about them till I started using this board and saw posts by Zachary.

What caliber are you talking about?  I also have a .223 in a Tikka Continental Varmint that is the most accurate firearm I have ever had and have had bench shooters approach me to buy it.

I respect what you say but my experience has been very different.

Buckfever

[Squeeze]

Yes I was a little taken aback by the first reply.  I have two Tikkas,  
a M695, in SS/Laminate, and a T-3, in blued/synthetic.  I adjusted  
both of the triggers myself, down to SCARY...Just the way I like them.  
I have never had, nor seen, a stock barrel channel touching a  
barrel, in any of the Tikkas I have handled, and I have never seen  
one that needed to be bedded to get to shoot well.  And "Sloppy
Action", is the first time I have heard a reference like this
regarding a Tikka Action.  Usually it is something like
"Smooth", or "riding on ball bearings", or "like butter".
I do have a   Remington Model 700 ADL, in .270 Win, that had to go in
for a  trigger cleanup, some chamber machining clean up, and a
bedding job  before it shot decent groups.  That will probably be the
last  Remington rifle that follows me home.  I do see more Tikkas,  
in my future, and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, that I have  
recommended a Tikka for, has come back expressing their  
gratitude, for directing them to these fine rifle values.  I even  
had one fair weather hunter friend that bought one a couple of  
years ago, and then decided that deer hunting was too cold,  
and sold it(before he told me it was for sale!), and related  
that he actually made money on the rifle.  He bought it before  
Beretta raised the price, and sold it after Beretta raised the price.  
I don't think there is enough money made, to get my M695,  
in .25-06 Rem., out of my hands.  It is a very handsome satin  
stainless rifle, in a quality gray laminate stock, that shoots itty  
bitty groups with just about anything I feed it.  My only dilemma  
is which one of the son's gets it, when we get to willing my guns.  
 
I just wish Tikkas came in some more chambering choices.  
I really want a .338 RUAM, but will probably settle for a .338  
Win Mag.  If Tikka happened to come out with a 325 WSM,  
before I get around to buying this cannon, this decision  
would be easy.  I really want a .20 cal, and have a strong preference  
for a Tac 20.  In this case, I feel a search for an old Savage SA  
coming on, followed by an order to Sharp Shooters Supply for  
the barrel and bolt face, for a Tac 20.  I would switch to a .204  
Ruger, in a heartbeat, if it said, "Tikka", on the rifle, though.  
I guess good business sense , for Beretta, means only time  
tested chamberings, will make it in their line up.  I guess I  
will just have to wait until these new fashion chambering  
move to time tested status.

Squeeze

[IowaBuckHunter]

Yeah, what do I know, I just sell them.If someone asks for a tikka, I will sell it, but I feel a lot better talking them into a remington.  I feel that they are a smoother gun and a lot more accurate.  And there is a lot more to a trigger than pull wieght, there is also travel and creep which are equally important, and that is why I shoot remingtons.

[IowaBuckHunter]

Good job on turning a my post upside down.  I never said that they were a bad rifle, I am just expressing my opinion and experiences just like everyone else.  I said that they needed trigger work, I didn't say that it was hard or could not be done.  I will be the first to admit that remingtons need trigger work also, but they are easy to do also.

And it is true about the bedding issue.  It doesn't make that much difference however, but it is still an issue.  It is more so common on the t3's, especially the synthetic stocked guns.

And I am sticking to the sloppy actions.  They could stand to have them tightened up a little so they don't just fall open like they do.  They remind me a lot of ruger red labels where the action just falls open and goes thud.

For the money, they are good guns and I never said that they weren't.  After all, they are a beretta product, so they must be good, right??

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

     Ah so a salesman i.e IowaBuckHunter says that Remingtons are better than Tikkas and that it should require efort to manipulate a bolt Duh? In that case the all time classic the Mannlicher Scgonauer is all wrong and all those old time REAL gunmakers new nothing at all  :-D

     Stick to your Rubbishy Remingtons ( which probably have more profit in them for you?) And no I do not own any Tikka's or Sako's and I certainly do not own ANY REMINGTONS! and unless I can find a really good old model 30 I won't either :lol:

    Quality rifles like the Hyem SR30, Sauer 202 and Mannlichers have bolts so smooth that they feel like they run on oiled bearings.

     Now as for IowaBuckHunter, well it takes folks like you to push those shoddily made Remingtons because let's face the real facts here, the management of the Big Green have run quality so far down that the workers are ashamed of their products which is a real shame. They still have skilled staff who are not allowed to do their jobs properly. Sure the workers want to change things but it's a hard uphill struggle dealing with poeple whos only care is maximum profit at any cost providing it's not their own job that is :roll:

    I am sorry to say that I can see Tikka going down this same route with Berretta at the helm, all worship the great god Excessive profit

[Handwerk]

I must admit I would say pretty much the exact opposite of what mr Iowa says. I have 3 t-3's all even in the barrel channel, haven't needed to touch the trigger and they handle and shoot as good or better than my sako. Yes I do have several remy's I like them, but they can't touch the tikka even with some work. Must be more profit in selling the remy's. But I must say that I heard from a local gunshop that berreta requires them to buy atleast 10 guns at a time, which is too bad, thats a lot of inventory for a small shop.

[Grubbs]

I'm not going to bash Big Green, or be in love with Beretta.  I'm sure they are all driven by how much money they can make (who isn't nowadays).  Besides what I've already said about my Tikkas, I like the fact they aren't too nice to use (and misuse in my case).  They are tough, well built, affordable, and extremely accurate....which is all I need to know.

[tikka71]

Bottom line is Tikka can't be beat for out of the box accuracy!!!!! And as far as the trigger,well it's also one of the most crisp and easy to adjust triggers made. One screw turned all the way out and you got a very nice 1.5 to 2 pound trigger.  And completely safe. The comment about the bolt being sloppy is rediculious. Tikka's have one of the smoothest bolts I have ever felt and wobble free. The T3 Lite's have one of the best injection molded stocks you will find on any rifle. As far the barrel touching the stock, I won't say it didn't happen but I sell guns too and have never had any complaints about tikka's, especially their accuracy. Can't say that about Remington. I have a Tikka T3 in 22/250 that shoots half inch 100 yard 5 shot groups if I do my part. Plenty of others have reported the same results. Just my 2 cents  Al

[IowaBuckHunter]

My opinion on accuracy is not the arrow, it is the indian.

Most factory rifles will shoot sub 1" groups at 100 yds.  They all have their ups and downs.  I believe that most guns have the potential to be great shooters with the right optics and in the hands of an experienced shooter.  It is just that everyone has a preference, and mine is remingtons and there is nothing wrong with that.  Tikka does make a fine rifle, after all, they are a berretta so they must be good right??

[Grubbs]

If that is true, how come I can shoot any of my 3 Tikka's at sub MOA with factory ammo, and can shoot my Remington no better than 1 1/4"?   I am the same "Indian" as you say.

[Lawdog]

If that is true, how come I can shoot any of my 3 Tikka's at sub MOA with factory ammo, and can shoot my Remington no better than 1 1/4"?   I am the same "Indian" as you say.

Absolutely Right.       If the "same Indian" theory was true then how come 4 or 5 different shooters shoot the same groups with the same rifle?  Lawdog
 

[turkey]

i have a  tikka t3 in the 270 wsm, awsome gun. great groupings and the smoothest bolt  made. the factory trigger is set at 3 lbs, unlike most that are  set at 6 to 7 lbs. its also one of the lightests guns made. even with wsm i dont feel a lot of recoil. you could never go wrong buying a TIKKA.