Let's See Your Semi-Custom Tikka Builds

[DangerRanger]

not bad, 130-150 off rifle price is tempting for another build i dont need lol

 

[sndmn11]

Here is my project. Originally a T3 30-06, now has Lumley bottom, BC stock, and three barrels; 30-06 factory, 25-06 factory, and 7-08 20" preferred. With the action wrench from bughole I can swap barrels without removing the stock or scope in a few minutes with the barrel vise I rigged to go on my truck hitch receiver. Swapping barrels keeps 100yd shots within a few inches of each other, so it is easy to zero and go.

 

[RyanT26]

Just when you think you’ve seen everything. You’re crazy like a fox with that one.

 

[TxxAgg]

Here is my project. Originally a T3 30-06, now has Lumley bottom, BC stock, and three barrels; 30-06 factory, 25-06 factory, and 7-08 20" preferred. With the action wrench from bughole I can swap barrels without removing the stock or scope in a few minutes with the barrel vise I rigged to go on my truck hitch receiver. Swapping barrels keeps 100yd shots within a few inches of each other, so it is easy to zero and go.
View attachment 307990
View attachment 307995

That is slick

 

[Reburn]

Here is my project. Originally a T3 30-06, now has Lumley bottom, BC stock, and three barrels; 30-06 factory, 25-06 factory, and 7-08 20" preferred. With the action wrench from bughole I can swap barrels without removing the stock or scope in a few minutes with the barrel vise I rigged to go on my truck hitch receiver. Swapping barrels keeps 100yd shots within a few inches of each other, so it is easy to zero and go.
View attachment 307990
View attachment 307995

Your welcome

Aluminum Win / Ruger Universal Barrel Tenon Thread Protector - Pacific Tool and Gauge

Win / Ruger Universal Barrel Tenon Thread Protector at Pacific Tool and Gauge

pacifictoolandgauge.com

 

[2rsquared]

61 pages of some very nice custom Tikka's. I noticed a lot of the custom stocks had stock packs on them. I am assuming that they are required in order to get a proper cheek weld when using the 50mm and larger scopes.

If you all had to do it over again, would you spend the extra $ and deal with the weight penalty and get the adjustable cheek piece option for your after-market stock?

I am looking at getting a McMillan Game Warden and wondering if I should add the adjustable check piece.

I have a Triad Tactical stock pack and love it, but if I am splurging for a nice stock, I'd rather get it right the 1st time (buy once...) than try to "fix" it afterwards by adding a stock pack.

 

[wind gypsy]

I’ve avoided adjustable cheek stocks for most hunting rifles because traditionally they weigh quite a bit more than the lighter stock pad/pack options and cost more. Manners has some new lighter options out there now.

So if I had to do it over, I still wouldn’t pay more to have a heavier adjustable cheek stock in most cases.

 

[Lawnboi]

61 pages of some very nice custom Tikka's. I noticed a lot of the custom stocks had stock packs on them. I am assuming that they are required in order to get a proper cheek weld when using the 50mm and larger scopes.

If you all had to do it over again, would you spend the extra $ and deal with the weight penalty and get the adjustable cheek piece option for your after-market stock?

I am looking at getting a McMillan Game Warden and wondering if I should add the adjustable check piece.

I have a Triad Tactical stock pack and love it, but if I am splurging for a nice stock, I'd rather get it right the 1st time (buy once...) than try to "fix" it afterwards by adding a stock pack.

I have both an adjustable and non mcmillan on my tikkas. I prefer adjustable always now as Iv been spoiled, that said the regular with a stock pack is serviceable. With the game scout/warden you will need a stock pack with a 50mm bell scope.

Currently have a manners eh1tk on order with their ultra lite cheek piece, hoping it’s the best of both worlds.

 

[NE Herd Bull]

That is genius Sndmn11 !!!

 

[sndmn11]

That is genius Sndmn11 !!!

I did end up trimming a little notch in the stock where the back of the ratchet sits to make it easy to get on and off. Before that, it would fit with some finaggling, but after this past weekend I just decided that since the stock finish was scratched a notch made sense.

I need more barrels!

 

[NE Herd Bull]

Quote

280 Rem, 35 Whelen, 6.5-06 etc
Just sitting thinking of the possibilities
That could be fun

 

[2rsquared]

Thanks guys. I will take a look at the Manners.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[sndmn11]

Quote

280 Rem, 35 Whelen, 6.5-06 etc
Just sitting thinking of the possibilities
That could be fun

I keep trying to find a 223 bolt and barrel for less than what an actual rifle would cost. I think if I added another barrel it would be something in 6mm.

 

[Ens Entium]

I have both an adjustable and non mcmillan on my tikkas. I prefer adjustable always now as Iv been spoiled, that said the regular with a stock pack is serviceable. With the game scout/warden you will need a stock pack with a 50mm bell scope.

Currently have a manners eh1tk on order with their ultra lite cheek piece, hoping it’s the best of both worlds.

After having an adjustable cheek piece I don't think I could go back either.

For me it helps have less muscle/neck strain and have the rifle closer to the center of my body. I adjust the cheek piece to be comfortable sans scope then buy rings to be where I am most comfortable.

Look forward to hearing how the ultra lite cheek piece works out! Considering dropping some weight from my Bravo eventually and have been looking at an EH1TK with ultra-lite cheek piece versus a magnesium chassis (XLR Element 4.0 or MDT HNT26).

 

[BjornF16]

Allterra Arms stock, 20” CarbonSix barrel in 7mm-08, Trijicon Credo HX 2.5-15x42, Javelin bipod shooting 162 ELD-M weighing in at 8.3 lbs as shown (and .223 Rem training rifle in Allterra Arms stock).

 

[sndmn11]

not bad, 130-150 off rifle price is tempting for another build i dont need lol

For reference, I paid a little less than $200 for the preferred barrel, and traded a havalon for the 25-06 barrel. Cumulative shot count before they were in my hands was reportedly less than 15.

I would count on net $75 for a stock and barrel after you pay for shipping. MAYBE you could get $40 for a stock and likely $75-100 if you are patient for the right person on a barrel. $40 total for shipping them to separate buyers.

 

[ehayes]

Tikka T3X Stainless .30-06 Left Hand
Vortex Razor HD LH. Nightforce nxs 2.5-10 42
DNZ Game Reaper. UM tikka lows
Mesa Precision Arms Stock Rokstok
Mesa Precision Arms Muzzle Brake. TI pro 4
Redsnake Bottom Metal Factory
Accurate Mag 3 round Factory
Spartan Pro Long Bipod

Inspiration
Mark at Exo Mountain Gear
https://exomtngear.com/blogs/article/diy-custom-tikka-rifle
Phillip Velayo Modern Day Sniper

Rokslide

These resources gave me the confidence a Tikka Rifle was a solid decision for a hunting rifle. I was very interested in some other rifles, Weatherby and Browning specifically, but the availability in left handed rifles was not there. The biggest downside of a Tikka for me is the DBM. I have only had a BDL style and for hunting, for me there seem to more pros for BDL style than the DBM. However, the DBM has been used for years by thousands of people, including every Tikka owner, so I can’t imagine not being just fine with it.
*Posted this 3 years ago. Fast forward to 2024 and I don’t see any downside to the DBM. I prefer it now.

Caliber- .30-06
This is just a classic big game cartridge. I’m a sucker for things that just work. Right now I am 300 yards or less on game. I hope to stretch that out to 400 yards with some practice in the future. Realistically I will never shoot at game beyond that. As Mark talks about in the article above, with some bullets and hand loading I can stretch out distances for target and game if I want to at some point, even with the .30-06. The recoil on a .30-06 is manageable and with a good brake, I am hoping to be able to spot some of my shots.
* I learned a bit more about bullets and cartridges. Turns out I don’t need to handload to shoot the .30-06 beyond my capabilities with the right bullet. Switched back to factory length mags. Also am learning that the .30-06 is unnecessary recoil for what you get and will likely switch to a lighter recoiling cartridge.

Scope- switch from a vortex to Zeiss and now have the Nightforce nxs 2.5-10-42 due to durability tests.

Mount- DNZ Game Reaper, no problem with these but switched to UM tikka lows.

Mesa Precision Arms Stock switched to Rokstok for claims of better recoil control. It’s noticeably better in my first couple trips to the range.
There are a lot of nice stocks on the market for TIkka’s. There was really no best way to choose which one was right for me. The only way to really know would be to get my hands on all of them side by side to compare. There is no way to do this so I had to go with what reviews resonated with what I thought would fit me. The Mesa Precision Arms is where I landed. On my last rifle I bought a Bradley Cheek Rest to get proper height and a negative comb for a good sight picture. I wanted a clean stock that needed no modifications. John Hakes at MPA talked about how having the right stock with the right scope mount would get me to a good sight picture without mods. Carbon Fiber is strong and relatively lightweight, both a good thing for a backcountry rifle. Mark’s review saying it was the best upgrade he made to the Tikka sold me. Plus I really liked what John at MPA had to say about all things rifles and I was happy to support his business. Because I invested in such a nice stock I had it bedded for the best fit possible. I really like the grip and feel of this stock. With a low DNZ mount I have an awesome natural sight picture.

Mesa Precision Arms Muzzle Brake (removable) switch to a TI PRO 4 for even better muzzle control and sight picture.

Redsnake Bottom Metal switched back to factory. I found out I don’t need the length and factory feeds great and is flush fit.

Master piece arms feed lip tool
This was the most unnecessary aftermarket part for me right now. It also offers me some real potential for “growing into” the rifle the future. I am using box ammo. The stock tikka bottom “metal” and magazine would be fine for me, no question. But…in the future, I am very interested in hand loading. Mark’s review above talks about the benefits of hand loading longer COAL with this bottom metal. I chose to put it on now because I was having MPA bed and fit my stock and I did not want to make modifications later on. Plus, the metal is solid and durable. No questions about it getting dinged up. I would like to have a flush magazine. Right now I am running the 3 round Accurate Mag that sits even with the trigger guard. Curtis Customs has made a flush fit magazine to fit AICS bottom metal in the past and is supposedly making another batch this summer, 2021. I am hoping it will fit, fingers crossed. If not, the 3 round Accurate mag is fairly low profile for hunting.

Bipod
Spartan Pro Long because Justin Crossley said he uses the long version for hunting. Honestly, couldn’t decide between the regular and long and that was why I decided on the long.

First three shots at 100 yards. First two shots at 25 to get on paper.

 

[Heimdall2]

Still need to go shoot but I just got it back from cerakote (they missed a section around the muzzle brake that I’ll have them fix). The only thing I think I still want/need to do is bed the action and stock but other than that she’s finally finished.
-Started life as a T3X Lite 300wm
-Grayboe Phoenix stock
-Carbonsix 24in 1:10 Sendero 300wm
-Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56 EBR-7C MRAD, MPA scope mount, Talley rail
-Mountain tactical DBM, bolt handle, trigger spring
-Area 419 Hellfire Match, Arca rail, bipod mount
-Atlas Arca PSR bipod
-Black multicam cerakote with vortex brown accent color

 

[archp625]

Still need to go shoot but I just got it back from cerakote (they missed a section around the muzzle brake that I’ll have them fix). The only thing I think I still want/need to do is bed the action and stock but other than that she’s finally finished.
-Started life as a T3X Lite 300wm
-Grayboe Phoenix stock
-Carbonsix 24in 1:10 Sendero 300wm
-Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56 EBR-7C MRAD, MPA scope mount, Talley rail
-Mountain tactical DBM, bolt handle, trigger spring
-Area 419 Hellfire Match, Arca rail, bipod mount
-Atlas Arca PSR bipod
-Black multicam cerakote with vortex brown accent color

Nice rifle. Looks heavy. Whats the weight one this?

 

[Lawnboi]

Just keeps getting better. 3/3 on 4” round at 400 today. Suppressor has really tightened this gun up