r/canadaguns • u/No-Pickle9533 • Aug 20 '26

Gun and gear reviews Questions about my Tikka

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?

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u/M3tsubishi 29d ago

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.

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u/No-Pickle9533 29d ago

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