Calling all Tikka 223 T3 Lite owners!

J

JerryinPA

New member
Calling anyone who has a Tikka T3 Lite in 223...

I'm considering getting one and I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has one and is familiar with it.

"Bofire" and "Squeeze" both have one, but they're new. Have any of you folks had one for long enough to be able to tell us what works with them and what doesn't.

There seems to be some confusion as to what the twist rate is/and/or was... maybe they've changed it, or maybe their website has the spec's wrong.

If you have one, what twist is it, and how heavy of bullets will it shoot well?

Are the scope mounts that come with the rifle any good?

Tell me anything at all that comes to mind about this rifle.

Thanks in advance,

Jerry/PA
 
Hey Jerry
I just got a T3 in.223 about a month ago.Mine is a 1-8 twist and it is stamped right on the barrel.
I'm still working up some loads.So far I've tried 40,50 and 55 GR bullets.The 40 and 50GR vmax were some of the best groups,1" @ 100 yds.The 55 GR opened up to 1.5-2".I tried some loads @ 200yds and the winchester white box 45GR was good for a 3" group as was 55GR Hornady SP.Its more particular what it likes than my Rem vls,but the Tikka is definitely minute of coyote.I intend to try some 60 GR to see how they work.
I got aftermarket rings for it and put a 3-9 Elite 3200 on it.
I am pleased with the rifle,its light and handles well and should make a great carry gun. Gerry in Ont.
 
Hi, I have a T3 hunter in .223 and one in .22-250. Had a T3 Lite in .22-250. Bought two for my wife to choose from and she chose the Hunter. The included rings work up to 42mm and are just fine. Although I have not measured the twist I was told 1 in 12. Have heard rumer if it's different it would be stamped on barrel? Both the .223 and 250 have shot 40, 50, 52, 55 gr well. The .223 seems to shoot different loads with less variation. Both shoot Hornady V-Max extremely accuratly. Next best is the Remington Accutip and for the .223 Black Hills Blitzking or PSP. A bit less recoil with .223. Fun and Sweet guns.
 
Hi gj169;

Is your T3 223 a "Lite" or a "Hunter", or is it a different model?

I'm really puzzled about the twist rates... there are both 1:8 and 1:12 out there. I'm trying to understand if both are on the "Lites" and "Hunters", or if the 1:8 barrels are on some other model?

Jerry.
 
I've had my T3 Lite for a little over a year and I have nothing but good things to say about it. The rings seems really solid and with Black Hills PSP's ( I do not reload) I can generally cover a three-shot, 100 yd. group with a quarter, dependent, of course, how many pots of coffee I've had.

As far as the twist goes, I can't tell you until I pull the snow camo off of it. I use the Vet-Wrap that you can get in most fram stores. I'll try to remember to do that tonight and get back at you.

Moosetrot
 
Jerry,

According to my gunshop guy, all of the T-3s, in 223, from
late 04 and going forward, are 1:8 twists. The
1:12 twist that I purchased had been on the rack for
a few months, and probably sat in the wholesale pipeline
a few months before that. So some shops that may have
old stock, could have 1:12 twists. The 1:8 twist is
stamped on the barrel. No stamp means a 1:12 twist.
I have read at least one post that stated that 55 gr.
bullets did not stabilze in his 1:12 .223 Tikka. I
guess velocity may have been low. My 3200 fps, 55 gr.
loads, developed for my AR-15s, showed no signs of
keyholing, and made nice little .22 cal holes, at
100 yards, so my 1:12 twist, with these loads, does
not show signs of instability, with the limited
testing I have done.

Squeeze

P.S. I think Moosetrot is shooting 55 gr. loads, and
I am pretty sure his rifle is a 1:12 twist. If my
memory is correct, then he is another 55 grain shooter
not having stability problems.
 
Jerry

I bought my Tikka T3 new about three months ago it's a
"hunter" with wood stock and all blue steel. It's in
.223 and the box is marked 1-12.

Happy hunting, Emilio....Pico Rivera Ca.
 
I have T3 lite in .243. Perfect coyote callin gun for me, very happy with it...and its accuracy, great shooter. Seems like the perfect calling gun to me that you don't need to do anything too. Its all matte to start, has a quality feel, detach mag, accurate and lite to carry. I'm loving mine. Bang for the buck champ neck and neck with the savage imo, savage is cheaper but you give up that quality feel and the nice detach mag and i think the barrel is shinier, other than that, with the accu-trigger and their renowned accuracy it comes down to what you prefer, i chose the tikka. Will buy a youth savage in .243 for the girlfriend though, she won't shoot enough to know the diff /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

B
 
So "Squeeze" seems to have figured out the mystery of two different twist rates being out there in the Tikkas!

And if the changeover by the manufacturer occurred in late '04, there are probably still plenty of the 1:12 out there in the distribution network.

The question that I should ask is probably which twist I want.

How do I decide that? Are there pros and cons to each twist. (Other than the capability for 60 grain and heavier bullets in the 1:8.)

Can you guys, (and gals), think of any other pros or cons to help decide which twist rate I should order a rifle in?

Maybe this should be a separate post?

Thanks in advance,

Jerry.
 
I have a Tikka .223 T3 Lite and and on the barrel it is marked - Cal. .223 Rem. 8"- I just got off the phone with Randall at Technical support at BerettaUSA, the distributor here in the US for Tikka. The .223's that were poduced late last year and all of the one's coming for 2005 have the 1 in 8" twist. If it is NOT marked 8" on the barrel then it is a 1 in 12" twist. I'm glad I found this out because I never noticed the 8" on the barrel, The manual even says 1 in 12. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif Guess they hadn't changed that yet. I've shot bullets from 45gr Winchesters up to 60gr Sierra's and Hornady's out of it , and they all shoot well. Sub MOA with a 2X-7X scope @ 100yds. The next batch loaded witll be the 65gr Sierra SBT's that I shoot out of the AR, which is a 1 in 9 twist.

Jerry, if you're going to get a .223 I'd definitely go with the 1" in 8" over the 1 in 12". Probably all you'd be able to find in a Tikka that's new anyway, and that's a good thing IMHO. I'm glad Tikka got with the times as quickly as they did. What's wrong with Remington, Ruger etc??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif Savage has had the 1 in 9 out for a short while though.
Hope this helps with the confusion. Again, glad I made the call. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
I have a tikka tatical in .223, it has a 1-8 twist.

I love that gun! It shoots the 40 gr. through 50 gr. just fine. I haven't shot the 55 gr. yet. Here is a picture of mine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

MVC-031S.jpg


How much do you're lite rifles really wiegh? Mine is just over 7 lbs. with the scope on, probably about 7.5 lbs.

C
 
Well, I had to bring myself to take the snow camo off my Tikka T3 Lite .223 last night. Did not find an "8" on the barrel so it must be a 1:12.

So, as usual, the venerable Squeeze knew what he was talking about. He was also right when he mentioned I shoot the Black Hills 55 gr. PSP's out of it. I'm not a ballistic guru but it shoots great groups as mentioned before with no keyholing whatsoever. I'm happy with it and it's one of my "lifetime" guns.

Moosetrot
 
Moosetrot,

I think we are safe now. I will have to take the vet
wrap off my stubby AR-15, too. We are down to just a
few small piles of dirty snow/ice, and judging from
the small pond that was in my back yard, which was
gone this morning, the frost is out of the ground, too.

Jerry,

I have gotten a few more 55 gr. break-in rounds down
the tube, on my T-3, and I would not be afraid to
own a 1:12 twist barrel, if one weren't going over
55 grain pills. This barrel is showing sings of being
very impressive. I wonder what a 50 gr. VMax load
is going to look like? ...One ragged hole, is my
prediction. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif Mr. Woodchuck is going to
have a BAD day.

Squeeze
 
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Well fella's, Thanks!

I guess I'll try to draw some conclusions.

First, everyone thinks highly of their Tikkas. No one was dissatisfied at all. That's encouraging.

Of course, nobody could bring themselves to say anything bad about the Savage either... It just seems that the Tikka has a slight edge in fit, finish, and possibly the trigger.

Most had the more recent manufacture 1:8 twists. Squeeze, Moosetrot, and probably tripod3 have the 1:12 twists, and they are shooting very well up to 55 grains.

So, there's no bad choice between a 1:8 or a 1:12.

As I own an excellent Browning A-bolt Hunter in 243, I won't need to shoot over a 50 or 55 grain bullet in my 223. If it's windy or if I'm hunting where longer ranges may occur, I'll simply take the 243.

So, I'm going to place the order at my local sports shop for a new Tikka T3 Lite in 223, and I suppose that I won't care which twist rate arrives.

I really appreciate all the advice from you all.

Regards,

Jerry.
 

So, I'm going to place the order at my local sports shop for a new Tikka T3 Lite in 223, and I suppose that I won't care which twist rate arrives. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif You should.
 
Well shucks Wishbone, all the fellows who have both twists are very satisfied.

I won't really have any control over it. I'll just have to take whatever twist rate comes in when my local shop orders it.

I won't bother to shoot anything over 55 grains in this rifle; If I need a heavier, longer-range rifle, I'll just pick up the 243 that day...

I'm not being a wise guy,... but maybe I am being stupid here?

Why should I care? What am I really missing the point of here?

Jerry.
 
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