Help me finish building my new Tikka

[PSDBowhunter]

Alright, so I finally bit the bullet and went down to Eurooptic and picked up one of the Tikka T3X Ranahan's in .223. The price tag was too good not to. This is my first Tikka. Looking forward to shooting it and having a great little gun for my kids to shoot too.

First question, what scope would you put on it for target shooting out to 500 yards and youth hunting?

Second question, what dedicated .223 suppressor would you get? This would be my first suppressor. I want to take advantage of the factory threaded barrel.

 

[hereinaz]

Alright, so I finally bit the bullet and went down to Eurooptic and picked up one of the Tikka T3X Ranahan's in .223. The price tag was too good not to. This is my first Tikka. Looking forward to shooting it and having a great little gun for my kids to shoot too.

First question, what scope would you put on it for target shooting out to 500 yards and youth hunting?

Second question, what dedicated .223 suppressor would you get? This would be my first suppressor. I want to take advantage of the factory threaded barrel.

I would suggest you start with a universal suppressor for all guns. At most, I would get a 6mm suppressor at least. The Wolf Hunter has been nice for my .223 and 6mm. It big so makes it quiet.

For a smaller dedicated .223, the Hyperion K sounded good the one time I saw one on a Tikka .223. “K” cans are typically shorter brothers of larger cans. Similarly, consider an Ultra 5 with 6.5 or 30 cal hole. It is short and will suppress .223 and also work for other calibers.

A SWFA 3-9 is all the magnification you need and it will dial. It’s also robust. I like the Trijicons, so a Credo in lower magnification range would be good too. I think FFP and MIL are the only way to go. You could even go with a Trijicon LPVO with max power of 6x to 8x to work out to 500 for magnification.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

I would suggest you start with a universal suppressor for all guns. At most, I would get a 6mm suppressor at least. The Wolf Hunter has been nice for my .223 and 6mm. It big so makes it quiet.

For a smaller dedicated .223, the Hyperion K sounded good the one time I saw one on a Tikka .223. “K” cans are typically shorter brothers of larger cans. Similarly, consider an Ultra 5 with 6.5 or 30 cal hole. It is short and will suppress .223 and also work for other calibers.

A SWFA 3-9 is all the magnification you need and it will dial. It’s also robust. I like the Trijicons, so a Credo in lower magnification range would be good too. I think FFP and MIL are the only way to go. You could even go with a Trijicon LPVO with max power of 6x to 8x to work out to 500 for magnification.

I've heard a lot about SWFA on Rokslide. Is that the best quality scope you are going to get in that price range?

It's been awhile since I built a rifle. Last one was a Savage .308 that I put a Vortex Viper 4-16x44 on. At that point I was pretty sure I wanted to stick with MOA, but after reading and listening to a lot of different people it seems like MIL is the way to go.

I've never used a FFP scope. Do they take some getting used to? I'm thinking also of my kids using it. I looked through a Vortex Venom yesterday that was FFP, but there was too much going on that I thought would be confusing to them.

 

[Robobiss]

Like above, I wouldn’t buy a dedicated 5.56 can for my first. I shoot a butt-ton of 223 through a .30 cal can and it works stellar. A .30 gives you a ton of flexibility that a 5.56 suppressor does not.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

Like above, I wouldn’t buy a dedicated 5.56 can for my first. I shoot a butt-ton of 223 through a .30 cal can and it works stellar. A .30 gives you a ton of flexibility that a 5.56 suppressor does not.

Good to know. If I decide to get my .308 threaded I guess I could swap between both of them.

I'm assuming once you shoot with a suppressor it's really hard to go back to shooting without one.

 

[Swampcruiser]

I just got a Dead Air Nomad Ti XC for an all around suppressor, once you try a suppressor you’ll not want to go back. Kicking myself for not doing it sooner- so simple. I would echo the above and get something more universal. On many you can change out the front cap to get as much performance as possible. You’ll love the .308 suppressed!

 

[hereinaz]

The SWFA is really the only bombproof one in the price range. Give FFP a try. If you stick with MOA it’s not going to be the end of the world.

If you don’t like the SWFA you can sell it and get the most money back.

 

[jkoehle1]

Not sure how many other firearms you own. Id get a suppressor thats 5.56 and 22 lr rated (griffin makes some) if i was set on getting one thats small dia.

Swfa are built stout and work. All depends on budget/features.

 

[cal30_sniper]

Just get a light 30 cal suppressor and future proof yourself. Once you start shooting suppressed, threads and muzzle attachments start showing up on everything.

I got a Ranahan last month and am running a TBAC Ultra 7, Trijicon Credo 2-10 (FFP/mils), and Waters Rifleman mags. 200+ rounds down the tube now and couldn’t be happier with the end result (at least until my Rokstok gets here).

 

[HandgunHTR]

As others have said, just get a .30 cal can. That way you can use it on all future rifles between .223 and .30. If you want a rimfire can, then get a dedicated one. Having to take it apart and clean it after shooting .22LR through it is a necessary pain and I have seen too many people have issues by shooting a bunch of .22LR through theirs and then swap it over to a centerfire and have the muzzle blast inside from the .223 knock chunks of stuff of causing issues in the chamber or in two extreme cases cause baffle strikes.
Some good options are the AB Raptor, Dead Air Nomad line (your budget will dictate which one), the TBAC Ultra 7, the Gunwerks 6IX, and the Resilient Jolene. For a budget-friendly option now that the Harvester EVO is no longer being made, you could go with the Resilient Simple Man.

For a scope, the SWFA 3-9 is a good option. As for MIL vs. MOA, pick one and stick with it. I switched over to MILs a while back, but there really isn't anything wrong with MOA. It is hard to have guns with both, however. You need to be able to think in one or the other in the field. Having a MOA scope and thinking in MILs was a very large contributing factor to me messing up a moose hunt a few years ago.
The Maven RS.1 is another good option if you want to increase the budget a bit more. Either way, get something that can take the abuse, especially if it is one that the kids will be using. My nephew can break a bowling ball in a padded room.

 

[wesfromky]

The Tikka vertical grip is a nice cheap upgrade. And, I have a Maven RS1.2 on my Tikka .223 and really like it.

For suppressors, something Ti around 7" is probably the best to start with. If you have a .308, then a .30 cal is the way to go.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

The SWFA is really the only bombproof one in the price range. Give FFP a try. If you stick with MOA it’s not going to be the end of the world.

If you don’t like the SWFA you can sell it and get the most money back.

Good info on the SWFA. Looks like the best one in that price range for me. My other thoughts were Viper Venom and Athlon Midas Tac. The SWFA seems to be a better value. It only comes in MIL though correct?

My mind definitely works pretty well in inches/feet/yards, but there's no denying that metric math is faster.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

Just get a light 30 cal suppressor and future proof yourself. Once you start shooting suppressed, threads and muzzle attachments start showing up on everything.

I got a Ranahan last month and am running a TBAC Ultra 7, Trijicon Credo 2-10 (FFP/mils), and Waters Rifleman mags. 200+ rounds down the tube now and couldn’t be happier with the end result (at least until my Rokstok gets here).

View attachment 863630

Your thread kind of pushed me over the top. It was hard to resist once I saw your gun all outfitting with scope and suppressor.

 

[hereinaz]

Good info on the SWFA. Looks like the best one in that price range for me. My other thoughts were Viper Venom and Athlon Midas Tac. The SWFA seems to be a better value. It only comes in MIL though correct?

My mind definitely works pretty well in inches/feet/yards, but there's no denying that metric math is faster.

Don’t think in linear measurements.

Think in angles, and the reticle is a ruler. There is very little math. It is easier to count using pennies, dimes instead of quarters…

Also, you can learn fast dope and wind easier with MIL.

I think you can get the SWFA in moa still.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

As others have said, just get a .30 cal can. That way you can use it on all future rifles between .223 and .30. If you want a rimfire can, then get a dedicated one. Having to take it apart and clean it after shooting .22LR through it is a necessary pain and I have seen too many people have issues by shooting a bunch of .22LR through theirs and then swap it over to a centerfire and have the muzzle blast inside from the .223 knock chunks of stuff of causing issues in the chamber or in two extreme cases cause baffle strikes.
Some good options are the AB Raptor, Dead Air Nomad line (your budget will dictate which one), the TBAC Ultra 7, the Gunwerks 6IX, and the Resilient Jolene. For a budget-friendly option now that the Harvester EVO is no longer being made, you could go with the Resilient Simple Man.

For a scope, the SWFA 3-9 is a good option. As for MIL vs. MOA, pick one and stick with it. I switched over to MILs a while back, but there really isn't anything wrong with MOA. It is hard to have guns with both, however. You need to be able to think in one or the other in the field. Having a MOA scope and thinking in MILs was a very large contributing factor to me messing up a moose hunt a few years ago.
The Maven RS.1 is another good option if you want to increase the budget a bit more. Either way, get something that can take the abuse, especially if it is one that the kids will be using. My nephew can break a bowling ball in a padded room.

Thanks for all the suppressor suggestions. These may be some dumb questions, but since I'm a newbie.

1. Do all rimfires requiring suppressor cleaning? 22LR, 22WMR, 17HMR?
2. This rifle is threaded 1/2 - 28. Do you just get adapters if you have a 30 cal suppressor that is threaded for 5/8 - 24?

 

[hereinaz]

All suppressors require cleaning.

Rimfires require special cleaning because of lead.

Yes, get adapters.

 

[CTXhunter]

Good info on the SWFA. Looks like the best one in that price range for me. My other thoughts were Viper Venom and Athlon Midas Tac. The SWFA seems to be a better value. It only comes in MIL though correct?

My mind definitely works pretty well in inches/feet/yards, but there's no denying that metric math is faster.

Try your best not to think of it as meters/yards or centimeters/inches. Once you sight it in, it’s just a different unit of measure, and a tenth of a mil is bigger than a quarter MOA, which means you need less “clicks” to hit your target, and your chart or rangefinder will simply give you your dialing solution.

So effectively you’re getting a unit in “tenths” that’s is just much easier to work through under pressure and is a bit of a more coarse measurement so you get to it on your turret faster. So imagine getting 12.62 MOA on your chart, you’d have to decide on 12.5 or 12.75 vs if you get 6.81 mils you just dial right there to 6.8 and you’re on. Makes the rounding easier. Sounds small, but go shooting any serious match or course, and all the instructors and match winners are shooting MIL’s- it’s for a reason

 

[PSDBowhunter]

Don’t think in linear measurements.

Think in angles, and the reticle is a ruler. There is very little math. It is easier to count using pennies, dimes instead of quarters…

Also, you can learn fast dope and wind easier with MIL.

I think you can get the SWFA in moa still.

Try your best not to think of it as meters/yards or centimeters/inches. Once you sight it in, it’s just a different unit of measure, and a tenth of a mil is bigger than a quarter MOA, which means you need less “clicks” to hit your target, and your chart or rangefinder will simply give you your dialing solution.

So effectively you’re getting a unit in “tenths” that’s is just much easier to work through under pressure and is a bit of a more coarse measurement so you get to it on your turret faster. So imagine getting 12.62 MOA on your chart, you’d have to decide on 12.5 or 12.75 vs if you get 6.81 mils you just dial right there to 6.8 and you’re on. Makes the rounding easier. Sounds small, but go shooting any serious match or course, and all the instructors and match winners are shooting MIL’s- it’s for a reason

Thank you for that explanation. I definitely havne't spent a lot of time behind my MOA scoped .308. Really just enough time to make a simple dope chart out to 500. Hoping to get into it a little more.

Those explanations of MIL and MOA are helpful. Thanks!

 

[TreeDog]

Good info on mils. Quick drop and wind brackets are worth the switch alone.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...cope-reticle-turrets-and-proper-usage.315942/

Just got a swfa 3-9 and so far I’m really liking it. Also would stick with 30 cal can and then a separate one for rimfires.

 

[cal30_sniper]

Thanks for all the suppressor suggestions. These may be some dumb questions, but since I'm a newbie.

1. Do all rimfires requiring suppressor cleaning? 22LR, 22WMR, 17HMR?
2. This rifle is threaded 1/2 - 28. Do you just get adapters if you have a 30 cal suppressor that is threaded for 5/8 - 24?

If you get a can that uses a muzzle device mounting attachment, they’ll come in both 1/2-28 or 5/8-24, so you use whichever muzzle device your barrel is threaded for. I run both my Sandman (KeyMo attachment) and TBAC (CB attachment) on everything from .223 to .308 with 1/2-28, 9/16-24, and 5/8-24 muzzle devices depending on what thread each barrel has.

Folks like Area 419 also make adaptors for various mounting styles if you don’t want to buy a boatload of muzzle devices.