An owner's evaluation of the Tikka T3 Hunter

To my friends, followers, frequent visitors and guests. As you may have noticed I usually don’t introduce my articles, however as this is my first attempt at a review or more properly evaluation, I thought one was in order.

My intention in writing this article was to provide those of you with more than a passing interest in hunting with information that may help you make a choice if you are in the market for a new rifle. For my non-hunting friends, all I hope is that you find it interesting enough to keep your attention.

Regards

Mark at Outdoor Life Australia

The Tikka T3 Hunter ‘Stainless’ in .30-06.


A model not usually available in left hand; this rifle came about through some good timing, a little horse trading and an accommodating gun shop. Apart from the obvious differences it is identical to the Tikka T3 Hunter (blued).

An owner’s evaluation of the Tikka T3 Hunter in .30-06
The following is a new owner’s evaluation of the Tikka T3 Hunter in .30-06. While it contains some technical information it is more of a layman’s opinion of the Tikka T3 as a hunter’s rifle than a dedicated technical review.

Its intention is to provide some help to anyone looking for a new rifle but hasn’t quite decided on what to get. The evaluation begins by detailing my thoughts behind the purchase and then moves on to focus directly onto the functions and components of the rifle.

Making the decision
I wanted a new rifle for hunting deer in Australia, specifically Red, Fallow, Rusa and possibly Chital. I also wanted the rifle that would be suitable for other game, such as feral pests including Pigs and Goats. Physically I like to hunt on foot; I’m 190cm tall and left handed.

My first consideration was calibre. Some of the questions I asked when going about choosing a calibre were:

 What calibres are appropriate for deer, primarily Stags?
 If the need ever arose, could I buy this calibre in regional, remote locations?
 What’s the general reputation of a calibre I might be interested in?
 Does the calibre have a wide selection of projectiles?

After plenty of research including discussions with Australian Deer Association members and more general conversations at the range the choice came down to .270 or .30-06 with the .30-06 finally winning out.

With a calibre selected it was time to consider a rifle. As I required a hunting rifle, weight, feel and balance when firing off the shoulder would have more influence on my choice than sub-minute of accuracy (MOA) performance, a heavy barrel and other target rifle style qualities.

As it was also to be a left handed my choices were limited. Generally most manufacturers cater for left hand shooters in the following ways:

 Left hand actions in a small number of models.
 A left hand action range limited to long action calibres.
 A combination of the first two.
 No range at all.

Tikka was an early favourite with its large range of left hand outfits; however I also considered and investigated rifles by Browning, Remington, Sako and Ruger.

Looking at the various rifles, I found the following:

 Browning A Bolt - too short in the stock.
 Remington - the CDL, a real consideration.
 Sako - at the time only ‘run-out’ 75s were available in left hand with a limited calibre selection. The 85s did not appear to come in left hand.
 Ruger - some nice rifles, though not enough options for the LH shooter.

While the Remington CDL was a real contender, it too was a little short in the stock, so ultimately I chose the Tikka T3 Hunter.

Out of the Box - first impressions
The Tikka T3 Hunter certainly looks like a modern bolt action rifle with a noticeable quality of manufacture, straight lines and clean metal and timber finishes. While not a military or tactical rifle, it could be described as more utilitarian than elegant, which I find appealing.

Inserting the bolt, loading and fitting the magazine
Bolt insertion and release is controlled by a small toggle switch on the right hand side of the action towards the tang. There is no discernable play or movement in the bolt when forward and the feel is very crisp, smooth and positive.

The Hunter uses an external magazine which is made from a glass fibre reinforced composite material. While detracting a little from the rifle’s overall finish the magazine loads and feeds easily, is robust and fits well with a positive click.

The supplied magazine has a 3 shot capacity in .30-06 while a 5 shot after market magazine is also available. Strangely while the intention of the composite material is to presumably keep costs down, the cost of the after market composite magazine is almost prohibitive.

Bolt ‘Action’
As I hunt with an empty chamber, action performance is very important. The Tikka T3 action allows for quick and effective cycling and has a healthy case ejection. While the bolt has a 70 degree lift and is longer than some, it does not feel so and I believe would compare favourably with most other bolt action rifles available.

Weight and Balance
Overall rifle weight is 3.1 kg. While it is the heavier of the Tikka sporting rifles, it is not a heavy rifle and its length, weight and width compliment each other making for a well balanced outfit. It also comes to the shoulder easily, has a positive feel and points very well.

The Stock
Factory fitted with a recoil pad, the walnut stock is a well designed and functional stock. Checkering is clean, well cut and compliments the utilitarian style of the rifle.The cheek piece, while generic is a good height and puts you in a comfortable position for sighting when using the supplied scope mounts.

Briefly on scope mounting, this is made easy by the intergrated scope rail and supplied Optilock rings. The rail is also pre-drilled and tapped to accommodate other styles of scope mounts.



Trigger
Out of the box the weight of the crisp single stage adjustable trigger was to my liking, though some may find it a little heavy. When shooting from a bench the trigger pressure is noticeable, however in the field the firmness of the trigger does make for confident off hand shots. Other trigger options, such as a single set trigger are also available.

Safety
The safety is thumb-operated with a clear red dot indicator, it is in easy reach on the left side of the action and is very straightforward to use.

Accuracy
With a free floated cold hammer forged barrel, the rifle has an advertised factory tested accuracy of 30mm at 100 metres. After a lot of rounds at the range and a hand full of successful field shots this seems about right and the T3 is an accurate sporter.

Finish
The majority of metal components have a quality matt stainless finish with the safety a notable exception. The walnut stock has a clean, easy to maintain oil finish.

Overall
The Tikka T3 Hunter is high quality hunting rifle, with a confident feel and functional looks. It is also an accurate sporter and for both left and right hand hunters it provides good value for money.

The pros
 The weight of the rifle allows it to be carried comfortably in the field.
 It is well balanced; the stock is a good stock length and design.
 It comes to the shoulder easily and points well.
 The checkering is clean and functional and the pistol grip shape and diameter is well matched to the trigger position.
 The bolt action is very good.
 Its overall quality of manufacture is high.
 It has an external box magazine which I very much like for its ease of loading.

The cons
 Though all standard calibres are available in left hand, not so with all models.
 Not all models are readily available in Australia.
 Supply was a problem, a 6 month wait in total.
 A generic stock.
 The composite material used in parts of the rifle
 The cost of the after market magazine.