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the lure of tikka

ARlife4me

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Messages
3,568
Location
Texas
what's the lure of tikka's? i don't know what action fits what cartridges and what cartridge oal's would be max? from reading several post about members on here and other forums, several really like them. i'm thinking about doing some ba builds for these actions and would like info. probably some short mag to la magnums to add to my 110's i like a lot (minus the accu-triggers that get replaced). i'd do some mod70 builds, but don't want to deal the the cut.
 
Had a T3. It was only ok. Sold it. Don't miss it at all.
But folks who use Tikkas for build platforms don't care. All they know is that they've got 1,000 LEGO equivalent parts and they are going to have fun building something no matter how much they spend on it.
They can't stop and it doesn't matter what they end up with. They are still going to do it.😁
 
I've had a few Tikkas and still have a CTR 223 - easily one of my favorite rifles to shoot. Plenty of prefit options and aftermarket parts available too.

Tikka actions shine in the short action/med actions chamberings (especially WSM or SAUM). Long action magnums with heavy for caliber projectiles likely won't reach full potential unless going to aftermarket bottom metal, mags, and possibly some action modification to get it to fit.
 
Got into Tikkas almost by accident. The actions are the best bang for the buck when it come to a bidget build that will still shoot lights out. The primary reason I bought one was the low cost of the Proof Research shoulder (no barrel nut) pre-fit barrels. Back then, you could buy a carbon prefit already chambered with muzzle threading for a brake right right around $650. Gunsmithing alone was typically running me $400 plus half a year wait. That meant I was getting the carbon barrel for $250. Since then prices have shot way up for PR's carbon barrels, but still make financial sense. I invested in an action wrench and a barrel vise in order to easily switch out my barrels. Now I have one just one expensive carbon stock, just one expensive scope and two PR carbon barrels: one is a 6.5 PRC and the other a 300 WSM. Very happy with results and the cost. Both barrels shoot sub 1/2 MOA.
 
They're excellent to build on, but pretty mediocre in terms of factory stocks and features.

If you're building, buy a tikka. If you're shooting a stock rifle, Tikka is just another good option amongst many others.
 
All Tikka actions are same length. What determines the length of cartridge the action will handle is the bolt stop. Pair this up with a SA magazine and you are good to go. For a long action, replace the bolt stop with a LA bolt stop (this allows the bolt to move further back) and then swap out the short mag for a long one and you are good to go. My 300 WSM and 6.5 PRC are short actions cartridges, but I built the on a Tikka action madified to accept LA cartridges. This allows me to seat my bullets further out and not have to mess with changing the mag length itself.
 
Yup, same action across the board, but they have short and long action bolt stops.

Lots of guys with LA cartridges don't gravitate towards tikka because of the hard 3.4" overall length limitations. Some aftermarket support is out there to get to ~3.5 inches, but it's a high price to pay for that little gain.

In my opinion WSM, 6.8 Western, SAUM or Sherman Max/Mega cartridges would be optimal for tikka builds. These mid length cartridges would let you seat bullets out a little further to not intrude into the case
 
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