Questions about my Tikka

[u/No-Pickle9533]

So I bought a tikka ctr and put it into a fancy chassis that feeds AICS mags bc from my research tikkas are the absolute best at the price point, in terms of action smoothness and accuracy.

I was purchasing something at my local gun store (that for some reason doesnt carry tikkas) and I started asking one of the guys about replacing my tikka barrel eventually, because 6.5PRC has a short barrel life.

He asked me with great disappointment why I got a tikka if i knew I was going to replace the barrel. I told him bc the action is smooth and its very accurate, best gun for the price.

He said, 1. Tikka actions are loose and have loose tolerances compared to custom actions that he had on display, which gives the illusion of smoothness. 2. Any modern bolt gun is going to be accurate especially if you reload. (Which I do)

So now im wondering, is he onto something or on something? Doesnt a loose action tolerate dirt and snow better? Was there actually a (much) better option I could have chosen with 1500CAD?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi! It looks like your post mentions buying, selling, or linking to retailers/private marketplaces.

Just a reminder to everyone that no offers to buy, purchase, sell are allowed on this sub due to Reddit's community restrictions on firearms transactions. Limit discussion to the items themselves and do not post any direct links to sales or promotions. Referring to legal vendors is allowed as long as links to do not go to retail listings for items. THIS INCLUDES GUN SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND GUN ACCESSORIES: Reddit Admins have banned users for this!

If your post doesn't violate these rules, no action is needed and you can safely disregard this comment.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Parratt]

The action tolerance is a nonsense statement.

But yes, most actions these days will print good groups assuming the barrel has halfway decently installed and the rifle is heavy enough

[u/Bull-RunTheJewels]

I have heard the same about the loose tolerances but who cares. That is only when it’s sliding. Something about how the bolt locks up makes tikkas more accurate. He’s wrong that all modern rifles are accurate. I’ve tried a few that definitely are not. Yes if you reload you can find the right load for most guns.

He’s not wrong that custom actions are better but you are looking at $2000-$3000 for a good custom action and then another $1500 minimum for a good barrel.

You made the right decision if you were looking for something good for around $1500.

Is your CTR accurate? If so, who cares what other people say.

[u/Sillyak → u/Bull-RunTheJewels]

There is nothing about the locking lugs that make a Tikka more accurate than many other commercial rifles. Tikkas are more accurate, on average, than many other brands due to manufacturing consistency and high quality barrels. That's it.

[u/Bull-RunTheJewels → u/Sillyak]

Sounds good! Thanks for the info. I love my Tikkas.

[u/No_Armadillo2253]

Buddy is somewhat full of shit.

1. The Tikka will do you fine, tolerances are decently tight and rebarreling it later on won't be a problem for any competent gunsmith. The trigger is stupidly easy to upgrade with a 10$ spring replacement and can be done in 10 minutes at home so you don't have to spend hundreds extra on an upgrade like you would right out of the gate with a custom rifle.

2. He's right about this part. Most new bolt guns are decently accurate from the factory now. Very, very few will be as accurate and run as smoothly as the Tikka though.

He was likely trying to upsell you onto one of the products that they sell. Which I understand, but never like.

Custom actions and rifles are nice and it's up to the individual to decide whether one really needs one or not. I think you made the right choice with the Tikka. Maybe not so much with the 6.5 PRC. But the beauty of the Tikka rifles is that, when you chose to rebarrel it, you can turn that action into any caliber you want, from .204 Ruger to .338 Win Mag with the change of a few action parts.

[u/No-Pickle9533 → u/No_Armadillo2253]

I bought the 6.5PRC right before news about the creedmoor + peak came out.

[u/Eyeronick → u/No-Pickle9533]

It's a great round if you reload. Enjoy it.

[u/TacticalCapybara]

I have both a tikka and a much more expensive rifle built on a defiance action. Yes, the defiance has better tolerances and feels nicer to operate, but in lockup that’s kind of irrelevant and they’re both extremely accurate.

The difference is the custom gun cost several times as much as the tikka. If you just want a good shooting gun without spending a fortune, you can’t go wrong with a tikka.

[u/Elbro_16]

Tikkas are smooth for how loose the bolt is… my bergera actually feels smoother. The bolt lift on tikkas is quite heavy, however they make a super accurate barrel which you can buy pre fits for if needing to replace.

[u/swift_gilford]

Are custom actions better than factory Tikka's - sure. Are Tikka's bad for building off, not at all.

Other guy is either an elitist, or just dumb.

You made a fine choice with the Tikka and any competent gunsmith will have no issue rebarreling them. Hell I've even done it myself at home.

If Tikka's worth weren't building off, well established barrel companies like Proof research and Preferred Barrels wouldn't be making prefits for them.

[u/Mysterious_Sleep7443]

Bro Tikka is best buy for the money hands down

Even if they went up 25% in price they are still worth it

Tell that guy to go get Fkd cause a custom action is close to 3 grand

[u/M3tsubishi]

From what I understand the shorter barrel life is due to the higher pressure of 6.5 PCR compared to .308. I think cold forged barrels are very durable in general. I never tried a custom action but nothing feels loose about my CTR, surely not the action. TGS Outdoors on Youtube has a video where he visits the Sako/Tikka factory.

[u/No-Pickle9533 → u/M3tsubishi]

I think after you pull the bolt all the way back there is some wiggle. Not that it matters for me.

[u/No-Pickle9533]

Add on question: how easy is it to convert it from a 6.5prc to a 6.5creed?

[u/LongRoadNorth → u/No-Pickle9533]

From what I've heard it's pretty easy. Different barrel, different bolt and usually good to go

[u/Previous_Search3122 → u/No-Pickle9533]

Why would you want to? You bought the PRC for the better performance so what's the plan? Spend a bunch of money to go to a Creed then run the Peak+ ammo? You will run into the same problem with barrel life.

I built a 6.5 creed for my boy to shoot long range and hunt with. Now I am starting a PRC build for myself, either 6.5 or 7mm for the same purpose, a long range shooting and hunting gun. I am torn between the Tikka action and the Vergara (M700) action because I cannot afford $4500 for a custom action and barrel. Then add chassis, mags, triggers, etc, etc.

[u/No-Pickle9533 → u/Previous_Search3122]

I will only think about changing calibers when this barrel is shot out. 6.5creedmoor is cheap for plinking at my 300m local range, and has the capabilities to reach prc numbers if I need it to with the peak alloy.

[u/Previous_Search3122 → u/No-Pickle9533]

The Peak has nearly the same numbers as your PRC and the rounds are $1 more per cartridge in the PRC.

How many times do you have to pull the trigger to pay for the conversion. It just doesn't make sense. Especially when performance is going to be the same as your PRC, you already own, and barrel life is going to be the same. Yes, you don't get to increase pressure and speed without added stress and wear to the components. A person could probably argue a good case about the Creed with Peak will wear faster.

If you want to shoot faster, I bet it won't be long before the Peak line is available for the 6.5 PRC as well.

[u/No-Pickle9533 → u/Previous_Search3122]

I do hope the prc peak comes out. A 100gr bullet going 3900fps or 153gr bullet going 3300 would be nasty.

[u/Even-Somewhere-9554]

I got Tikka t3x Varmint in 6.5 creedmoor, put in a MDT chassis with all accessories, my set is more than 17lbs with laser accuracy. Yeah, people could talk a lot of things why I picked a Tikka if I want to shoot LR target. Why I don’t get a Rem 700 footprint like Bergara or Howa or MPA.

Tbh, I will do it again because Tikka is serving right. It is my trainer and I will make another build if I want to go serious

[u/Birdybadass]

Most modern bolt guns will shoot 1 moa so some guys don’t think the value is there in a tikka, but the overall platform is generally preferred by hunters. I have tried rugers, savages, brownings, howas, you name it. I’ll take a tikka/sako rifle over them any day.

Some gunsmiths don’t like working on tikkas - from what I understand it’s to do with the pencil thin barrels but I could be wrong - either way that’s also is an indicator he’s probably not the gun smith you want swapping your barrel if that’s the case.

[u/throwaway11100217]

Sounds like he was trying to upsell you. I have a hard time taking advice from store employees who come across very opinionated, not just in the gun world.

[u/No-Pickle9533 → u/throwaway11100217]

great point. If I was looking to buy a custom action, i'd prolly go with cadex instead of the stuff he had

[u/BowFella]

He's full of shit, just trying to sell custom builds. Tikkas are more accurate than other budget options because of better quality control as well as faster twist rates in their barrels usually. They actually test their rifles.

Also I disagree with "every bolt action will shoot just as good". Go out to 400yds and shoot both a Tikka and a Savage axis and start measuring groups. No shit "all bolt rifles will shoot the same" if all you ever do is plink with them within 100 yards