Ice/snow comparison between rifles

[Elmer J. Fudd]

Tikka T3x Arctic Review: A Gift from the North

The Tikka T3x Arctic is a beefed-up, scaled-down, all-around rifle designed for hard use by the Canadian Rangers. Now you can get one, too.

www.recoilweb.com

I just read this other day. It goes over the thought process behind some of the designs. I found it an interesting read.

 

[atmat]

Tikka T3x Arctic Review: A Gift from the North

The Tikka T3x Arctic is a beefed-up, scaled-down, all-around rifle designed for hard use by the Canadian Rangers. Now you can get one, too.

www.recoilweb.com

Who in the world let this statement make it through to publication: “Tikka actions generally have feel all their own, but the Arctic’s full stainless action feels tongue-on-labia smooth.”

 

[snowcamoman]

I've used my stock Tikka's down to -40° and they've performed flawlessly. Even when packed with spindrift snow from being strapped to my back on the snowmachine, they work. I have an old New Ultralight Arms with Jewell trigger that has always worked for me in some nasty cold weather and conditions too. No oil or grease on anything except the bolt lugs.

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[Sled]

Who in the world let this statement make it through to publication: “Tikka actions generally have feel all their own, but the Arctic’s full stainless action feels tongue-on-labia smooth.”

I thought you were just screwing with people but it's there. Must be something in the translation that Finnish folks aren't telling us.

A bonus is the way the stainless bolt runs in the action. Tikka actions generally have feel all their own, but the Arctic’s full stainless action feels tongue-on-labia smooth. It’ll make anyone who spent $1,200 on a custom 700 action question their decision.

 

[WesternSlope]

I wouldn’t put that on the Finns. Rob Curtis writes dumb stuff like that. He had a similar quote in an article about custom 700’s where he compared the smoothness of those actions to a model/tennis players sweaty thighs. I remember thinking if she googled her name and saw that article how it would come across. Makes gun owners looks like d-bags.

 

[Brontosaurus]

1). Properly built AR15- not even close.

Just curious what specific AR's make the short list for cold weather use?

 

[Formidilosus]

Just curious what specific AR's make the short list for cold weather use?

Any legit “Milspec” or better rifle. Colt, LMT, FNH, KAC, Hodge, etc.

 

[NSI]

Can confirm BCMs work in the cold and Q honey badgers and sugar weasels do not.

-J

 

[Igloo]

Form, you mentioned foreign material getting caught in a barrel channel. If one removes the pressure points in a Tikka stock that contact the barrel (I remember you saying that was a good idea previously elsewhere?) must one hog out the whole barrel channel to avoid contact/problems/debris?

 

[Formidilosus]

Form, you mentioned foreign material getting caught in a barrel channel. If one removes the pressure points in a Tikka stock that contact the barrel (I remember you saying that was a good idea previously elsewhere?) must one hog out the whole barrel channel to avoid contact/problems/debris?

Yes. You should anyways. Make the gap large enough to throw a dead cat through.

 

[Igloo]

Hahaha thanks, I appreciate it!

 

[UpSideDown]

I like the resilience of AR's in the field to foreign debris, but have had extraction issues in the cold from the cases locking up in the chamber. It was a repeated issue for me on a Barrett AR-10 in the cold, so it wasn't from bringing a warm rifle/ammo out of the truck into the cold. The gun would fire and partially extract or extract enough to jame the case in the port. The gun was suppressed and the gas tuned to run well with/without the can. If I left the case in the gun until it was fully cooled it was a small fight to open the bolt again - not a hard removal but it took a definite increase in force to unlock the bolt. No lube was found on the case/chamber and I was using light winter grease on the BCG. Following that I need to do more testing on AR's in the cold to trust them to cycle. Certainily AR-10's are more touchy with tuning than AR-15's.

 

[NSI]

I like the resilience of AR's in the field to foreign debris, but have had extraction issues in the cold from the cases locking up in the chamber. It was a repeated issue for me on a Barrett AR-10 in the cold, so it wasn't from bringing a warm rifle/ammo out of the truck into the cold. The gun would fire and partially extract or extract enough to jame the case in the port. The gun was suppressed and the gas tuned to run well with/without the can. If I left the case in the gun until it was fully cooled it was a small fight to open the bolt again - not a hard removal but it took a definite increase in force to unlock the bolt. No lube was found on the case/chamber and I was using light winter grease on the BCG. Following that I need to do more testing on AR's in the cold to trust them to cycle. Certainily AR-10's are more touchy with tuning than AR-15's.

High end ARs with tight tolerances do much worse in the cold (or rapid temp shifts to cold) than their mil spec brethren. In my experience.

-J

 

[UpSideDown]

High end ARs with tight tolerances do much worse in the cold (or rapid temp shifts to cold) than their mil spec brethren. In my experience.

-J

It is a high end AR, but it's also a chrome lined chamber and gassed for 145/147gr NATO. It could simply be that this gun doesn't do well in the cold, you may be right.

 

[UpSideDown]

Is the Tikka action considered to be drop-safe? I typically hunt with one in the chamber.

 

[grfox92]

Is the Tikka action considered to be drop-safe? I typically hunt with one in the chamber.

Are there any bolt guns other then R700s that aren't drop safe?

Edit: I know I'm not answering the question it's just I've only ever heard of that issue with R700 platforms.

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[ResearchinStuff]

Any r700 trigger, which is a lot of "custom" actions.

 

[Igloo]

While it isn't the subject of this thread at all, the only thing that really gives me pause on a Tikka is the amount of gas that comes back at a shooter. On two 6.5 CMs using starting loads from Hornady's manual for their 100 grain bullets, a strong blast of gas was the result when cases weren't expanding enough to seal the chamber. While rare, it would seem that a case split or separation, or popped primer would be pretty bad.

 

[PathFinder]

I've popped a primer in mine on an extremely hot load in the 6 UM, didn't get any gas back in my face from that.

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[Igloo]

I've popped a primer in mine on an extremely hot load in the 6 UM, didn't get any gas back in my face from that.

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Happy to hear that! Perhaps it's only an issue when the chamber isn't sealed by brass.