Darwinism. Is Tikka the King

[4th_point]

if you build it they will come.

Hell people are buying Medium actions now….

I wish you and your business partners the best of luck!

I'm looking forward to testing it.

 

[JGRaider]

JGR,

Have you blown a primer, had case head separation, case hoop stress failure, etc. where gas had leaked from the chamber back into the action of a Tikka?

Every design is great when things go as expected.

Jason

Sounds like user/reloading/ammo error to me, not the rifle.

 

[Axlrod]

I haven't seen the video that you mentioned. Maybe a CMM for the inspection? That would be my guess. Or a profilometer or comparator but that wouldn't look as sexy in a video.

I would exercise some caution seeing fancy machines making in-process measurements and jumping to conclusions. I've performed tests on those measurement machines, and operators, under controlled environments. You might be surprised by the results.

All probably true, but in this case you don't need to know how the watch was built. You just need to know if it works- and Tikkas work.

 

[Pharmseller]

JGR,

Have you blown a primer, had case head separation, case hoop stress failure, etc. where gas had leaked from the chamber back into the action of a Tikka?

Every design is great when things go as expected.

Jason

I have.

Just last month, actually. T3 Varmint in .223 Rem. Pierced a primer. My own damn fault.





P

 

[long hunter]

Because the 700 trigger, including aftermarket alternatives, fails.

Been shooting 700s since I was a pup, never had one fail, we all have our pet rifles tikka is not mine, actually think there overrated.

 

[justin davis]

I’m a tikka fan. They are pretty cheap and shoot well. I also love their action. Just smooth action

 

[Lou270]

I never liked the feel for tikkas but know they are good rifles. As for popularity they seem to be with some niche markets but not generally popular. Here is what GB posted and they are not in top 5 at least:

Top-Selling Guns on GunBroker.com for April 2023 - Guns and Ammo

Big Green is still going strong! Remington Firearms has had a tough few years, but as the April sales report shows, there are still plenty of fans of this brand.

www.gunsandammo.com

Mostly seem to have replaced savage as the preferred barrel swap gun. Remarms is now saying you can do same with new 700s so we will see if tikka holds on there

Lou

 

[SDHNTR]

Accurate, functional tools that feel cheap in the hands. Personally, not a fan because “feel” matters to me. But there is no denying they just work.

 

[4th_point]

Sounds like user/reloading/ammo error to me, not the rifle.

True. The rifle isn't necessarily the root cause of a case failure or blown primer, but how the action handles stray gas can be important to the shooter.

 

[4th_point]

I have.

Just last month, actually. T3 Varmint in .223 Rem. Pierced a primer. My own damn fault.





P

P, I have never had a case fail other than split necks but have popped a few primers in a RAR.

Friend of mine had very minor case head separation with a T3 but no gas leak detected. I think he dodged a bullet that day but was wearing safety glasses.

 

[Formidilosus]

JGR,

Have you blown a primer, had case head separation, case hoop stress failure, etc. where gas had leaked from the chamber back into the action of a Tikka?

Every design is great when things go as expected.

Jason

I’ve seen plenty of blown primers in Tikka’s, and a couple of case head separations- only one gun had the bolt shroud pop off. One person I shoot with a lot has had his normal load in a couple of rifles well above 70k PSI, and had blown 3-4 extractors out when he went well above that. He chilled out a bit and is now in the 70k range….

When actions are being tested with barrel obstructions- Tikka’s are far better than the vast majority of rifles.

 

[Pharmseller]

P, I have never had a case fail other than split necks but have popped a few primers in a RAR.

Friend of mine had very minor case head separation with a T3 but no gas leak detected. I think he dodged a bullet that day but was wearing safety glasses.

It was my own dumbass fault. Overpressure load developed cold, shooting in the hot sun. POW, pierced primer, bolt shroud came off and landed in my shirt pocket. Never felt the gas.

Broke the firing pin assembly, had to buy a new one. Stupid tax. I won’t do that again.

I was wearing eyes and ears, though.





P

 

[vonb]

Seeing all the comments on pierced primers, bolt shrouds popping off, etc. why would a person not wear eye protection? After all, it is an explosion next to your face.

 

[Stickmark]

ordered better eye protection today.

 

[BjornF16]

I own Tikkas. They’re functional tools.

Blaser is the rifle I’d like.

Blaser uses the same recoil lug setup as the Tikka…nothing wrong with when using steel or Ti

 

[PNWGATOR]

Blaser uses the same recoil lug setup as the Tikka…nothing wrong with when using steel or Ti

A Blaser is in my future…just sayin.

 

[Castle Rock]

It was my own dumbass fault. Overpressure load developed cold, shooting in the hot sun. POW, pierced primer, bolt shroud came off and landed in my shirt pocket. Never felt the gas.

Broke the firing pin assembly, had to buy a new one. Stupid tax. I won’t do that again.

I was wearing eyes and ears, though.





P

Which primer was it?

 

[Pharmseller]

CCI400

Too much TAC. Too much sun. It wasn’t the primer. It was the dumbass who put too much TAC in the case.





P

 

[Loper]

Why in the hell hasn't a US mfg copied the bolt/trigger/action design of Tikka yet? If there were a US company that rivaled the quality and design reliability, it'd put the good ole 700 footprints to rest

I haven’t seen it up close or handled it, but it appears that the new Stevens 334 rifles that Savage put out this year is going after Tikka and is trying to mimic some of the design/features.

 

[Balderdash]

I keep circling back to tikka, and just can’t really think of a reason to justify trying others at this point… I’m sure I will, but tikkas do everything I need a rifle to do, and do it well.

Price has almost doubled since my first one, but they are still a deal for me, I have tried to buck the trend, but they are still the most practical to me

Exactly my experience.

Have a few nice 700's that don't see the sun too much these days. Likewise with a few other brands taking up space in the safes.

Everything for me from here until something as good or better comes along will likely be assembled on a Tikka, so long as the COAL can be made to jive. I have some dating back to the early 90's and I've set up a bunch for others through the years, and they've all functioned well and grouped tight right out of the box.

I hear and see a lot of good things with RAR's; but, IMO, they still have a ways to go to be considered a Tikka equal.