Got my Tikka!

[stooxie]

My Tikka T3 finally came in. What a rifle! Best trigger I have ever felt, not a nick,
ding or scratch in ANYTHING, and the smoothest bolt of them all, right out of the box. (Compare that to my Mini 14 out-of-box experience! Ha! Prices are comparable enough.) I just can't believe the quality of the thing.

If anyone is wondering, the serial number is a good 6000 above the kaboom recall range. That makes me feel better. Can't wait to shoot it!

-Stooxie

[kravman4]

Yup. Go back and edit your post and you should see a little box near the bottom of the page with a "browse" button to the right. Click the "browse" button and find the pic on your comp. Double click the photo and you're set. Just post the message and the pic will automatically upload.

Can't wait to see the rifle! B) :sniper:

[stooxie]

Pic attached to first post. Yeah, a silver scope would have been nice but this works.

Here's the other side.

-Stooxie

[kravman4]

Mmm, that stock is purdy! :wub:

[psalm69]

Hurry up and shoot it! :sniper: I want to hear how you like it. Scott

[scruffy]

That is a beautiful rifle!!! I love the stock!!!

Be sure to let us know how it shoots!

later,
scruffy

[stooxie]

Ok, I finally got to SHOOT this darn thing today!

Wow, what a gun! I LOVE the bolt action and I LOVE how clean it is. After 20
rounds the chamber and bolt are still spotless. No fouling, no black crud
in all the crevices. I'm very quickly becoming a bolt-action convert.
Semi-autos are fun but a PITA.

Ergonomics are fantastic. Points very naturally, the stock is comfortable and
the materials are first rate.

Once I found the right place on my shoulder for the stock shooting the 30-06
was actually quite nice. Certainly not a light kicker by any standards but
really quite managable.

I fired two kinds of rounds: Remington Managed Recoil 125gr PSP and
American Eagle 150gr FMJBT. I thought I'd start off with the managed
recoil stuff just to get used to it. I sighted in the scope with it and then
fine tuned it with a few "regular" American Eagle loads.

Here's something that was interesting. I almost found the regular loads to
be quite comparable to the managed recoil ones. Almost like the difference
between 9mm and 45 ACP. The 9mm gives you a sharp crack while
the 45 ACP gives more of a blunt shove. The managed recoil loads just
didn't seem all that more tame.

Accuracy? Well, this thing is way more accurate than I am. I was shooting from
a bench rest at 33 yards (hey, indoor range) and the hole went where the
cross hairs were. Plenty good enough for hunting accuracy.

The action is so smooth. The plastic magazine is, at first, a turnoff but it's
strong as anything. No flexing, no bowing. The cartidges drop in easily
and the magazine clicks in with authority and without any play. It's
a perfect fit. Pull the bolt back with one finger, push with same, drop
into place with a little more pressure and it's ready to fire. A spring
loaded ejector pops the brass out at just the right distance. I don't
like Ruger's insistance on standing ejectors, where the harder you
pull the bolt back the farther the casing goes. I like consistency of a
spring loaded ejector. (This is, of course, one of the primary differences
between the Mini 14 standard and ranch rifles. Guess which one has
all the problems with flying brass?)

All in all I couldn't be more pleased. I cannot believe how much gun this
is for the money.

-Stooxie

[BigUglyOne]

Great looking shooter Stooxie !!