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/No_Armadillo2253 Aug 20 '26

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.

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u/No-Pickle9533 29d ago

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

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u/Eyeronick 29d ago

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