Question: Tikka T3 Superlite Stainless Steel Bolt Action Rifle - Cableas Exclusive

[ranger]

I was looking at the Tikka T3 SuperLite Stainless Steel/Camo Bolt-Action Rifles at Cabela's (apparently they are a Cabela's exclusive?). Does anyone have experience with this rifle? I am looking for a very light rifle in 7 Remington Magnum or 280.

As much as I would like to buy the Kimber Mountain Ascent in 280AI or 7mm Rem Mag - that one is steep in price ($1800 or so).

I have been hunting in Wyoming and walking 10+ miles per day so weight has become a crucial requirement for the rifle/scope combo. Any other suggestion for very light weight bolt action hunting rifles? Goal is 6 pounds or less for rifle in 280, 280AI, or 7 Rem Mag. Will also use light weight rings and scope.

[SLG]

I've happily used the standard Kimber Montana for many years. Scoped it is at or under 6#. Much less money than the Mtn Ascent. Only problem is, you may or may not be happy from the factory. If not, they will (eventually) make it right.

I too walked many miles a day hunting, and today, choose a slightly lightened M70 featherweight. I'd get the T3X today, if I was starting over. The T3 has an aluminum recoil lug, where the x has a steel one. Doesn't matter nearly as much as some would believe, but I do think that the steel is a better option. There are a few other differences, but nothing too likely to matter.

[OlongJohnson]

The T3 has an aluminum recoil lug, where the x has a steel one. Doesn't matter nearly as much as some would believe, but I do think that the steel is a better option. There are a few other differences, but nothing too likely to matter.

The steel lug is available from Beretta, and there are many aftermarket options, just like with the bolt shroud. BTW, the bolt shroud is pretty rough looking on the T3xs I've handled. Aftermarket versions are much more nicely finished, if that happens to matter to a person.

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/reco...a-t3/s585t299/

[SLG]

Why did you give up on the Montana?

We have had somewhere north of 12 Kimbers in our house. Most have worked really well, and are an absolute joy to pack in the field. We still have at least a few, and I don't see getting rid of them for anything. A couple or 3 have had to go back to the factory, sometimes more than once or twice. I got tired of the back and forth, and though the factory fixed them, I have a hard time trusting a weapon in that circumstance. It's not like I'm going to shoot 5,000 rds through it in a month to verify things.... I sold those guns with full disclosure about the factory trips. As I've said before, with a M70, you are buying quality. With a Kimber, you are buying features and you sometimes get quality thrown in as well. Any gun can fail, but as you get smaller and lighter, failure becomes more likely, ime.

[SLG]

The steel lug is available from Beretta, and there are many aftermarket options, just like with the bolt shroud. BTW, the bolt shroud is pretty rough looking on the T3xs I've handled. Aftermarket versions are much more nicely finished, if that happens to matter to a person.

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/reco...a-t3/s585t299/

Whose aftermarket shroud do you like? For $630, the T3X is tough to beat, especially with the ability to play with pistol grips and such. One of my M70's has an M40 stock, and another has a Game scout. I go back and forth on which I prefer.

[OlongJohnson]

I went with the Glades Armory part.

http://gladesarmory.com/home/33/tikk...oud-black.html

They also sell direct, using ebay as an ecommerce portal, under the name "southernordnancesales".

It's priced about the same as the rest, and I like that it looks about like the factory plastic part. I'm not into blinging things out. I haven't tested it with a case head separation or by dropping the rifle on it, but it is nicely made from a good material. Properly heat treated, 7075 is on par for strength with some of the basic carbon steels. 7075 will get killed in the street by stainless if you leave them together in salt water, but I'm not planning on that.

As mentioned elsewhere, by being billet, it's more nicely finished (smoother) than the factory T3x part, which is probably a casting (that's a guess). Should be a cosmetic issue only, as far as I have any reason to think. If you don't care about that, my memory says I was quoted $35 each for the factory T3x part by Whittaker's. The T3x part is retrofittable to the T3, according to at least one gun writer who went on the factory tour to launch them.

I posted about this earlier in the Scout thread. I inspected T3x and T3 side by side at my local Bass Pro. The T3x, along with whatever technical improvements have been made, has also lost some fine details. The ribs on the top of the receiver. I'm probably out of my lane to go into detail on why I think that's worth something more than cosmetics, but I'm of the opinion I prefer them, depending on other details of the setup. And the finish on the bolt itself has gone to a circumferential brushed finish, rather than the random, non-directional tumble-deburr finish on the T3. The T3 bolt slides a little more smoothly, IMO. No data on whether, or in how long, the x will smooth out to be the same. Some people don't care or notice. Some people prefer the new stock, which does have a little more aggressive checkering.

Warne has also upgraded their Tikka rings.

http://warnescopemounts.com/product-...y/rings/tikka/

They used to just have a stainless steel pin to go in the receiver slot, which ended up being close to the rear of the rings. Now, it appears to be a more complex MIM part that will engage some other feature of the rings. Or maybe it just resists tipping under the shear forces. I haven't gotten my hands on the new design parts, but I'm considering doing so. Be careful. If you google the part number, you find retailers using stock photos of both the old and new design, so I'm not sure whether they changed the part number or not. An online order could pull old stock from some dusty warehouse shelf.

Bud's has sub-$500 pricing on blue T3 Lites right now. They were almost all $439 not too long ago, a little more now. There are Hunters with walnut stocks at Optics Planet for $499 plus freight.

[SLG]

Thanks OJ, good info to have. Since the op is looking at magnums, the steel lug would be the way to go, per friends who use them alot.

[nycnoob]

I bought my steel lug and shroud from tikkaperformance.com (AKA MT Mountain Tactical) because I had nothing
else to go by and they came up early in a google search.

I am satisfied with the products I got.

[Crews]

The ribs on the top of the receiver. I'm probably out of my lane to go into detail on why I think that's worth something more than cosmetics, but I'm of the opinion I prefer them, depending on other details of the setup.

any thoughts or opinions on how this may change how strong or "square" these actions are? A fella can sure save some money on machine work using a Tikka action over a 70 or 700...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SLG]

any thoughts or opinions on how this may change how strong or "square" these actions are? A fella can sure save some money on machine work using a Tikka action over a 70 or 700...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The mountain tactical guys think the new receiver is better without the ribs. No burring of the screw holes.

I don't think it will matter one bit for strength or rigidity.