Tikka T3 Lite...let's make it lighter!

[Mtnboy]

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in .270WSM that I am looking to lighten up. Unfortunately my budget won't let me do it all at once (or I woulda just bought a custom) so I gotta take it slow, but I wanna get a list going and start prioritizing. I thought it'd be fun to get some ideas here as I know a lot of people on here have A LOT more experience with this stuff than me.

Here's what I have in mind so far:

Shorten barrel 1"-2" and install muzzle brake also have barrel fluted

Aftermarket stock, I think there are companies in Europe that have a few options and more seem to be popping up all the time so I haven't settled on a specific brand/model yet

Titanium Bolt Handle...I've seen a couple options, not in love with any yet so definitely open to suggestions

I plan on using Talley scope mounts.

Open to suggestions on scopes as well

 

[luke moffat]

Bore it out to a 325WSM and then flute it....then get a Manners Ultralight or McM edge stock. After that not a whole lot to be done and your $$$ is nearly always better spent elsewhere in your gear for a backpack hunt than a rifle. At a rate of usually $100 per oz to shave off most lightweight rifles, its usually not an effective means to lighten your pack. However I am as guilt as much or likely more than the next guy. Just what I would do if I owned a Tikka T3 Lite again and I still might. They are great guns and most usually shoot the lights out and are silky smooth feeding. Good luck in your quest man!!!!

 

[Yellowknife]

Luke pretty well covered it. The Tikka is a trim gun to begin with, so you don't have much to improve on.

The barrel lends itself to fluting (long, straight taper), and that might net you 6-7 oz of wt loss. The factory stock is pretty light already (mine is 28 oz) so the best you can get from a Manners or McM Edge is maybe 4 oz at best. If you really want to shell out the cash, you might do slightly better with a MPI carbon fiber stock, but I haven't heard of anyone that's tried one of those. I'm not aware of any currently produced Ti bolt handles, but the factory knob is already extremely trim and drilled out so that wouldn't net you anything measurable. Even so, fluting and possibly a slightly lighter stock will get you well under 6 lbs, which is probably all the further you really want to go with a magnum gun.

Leupold scopes are usually the lightest thing going if you want to get that picky. Stick with a 40mm objective to keep it lighter.

My personal Tikka is as factory issued and mounted with a "heavy" Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 on it. Thus far I've managed to drag it up the mountain ok, but when get around to modifying it it I'll buy a decent stock first. Not really for the weight savings, but because I like the feel of a high quality composite vs the relatively slick plastic.


Yk

 

[Mtnboy]

This is the exact type of input I was looking for! Thanks for the weight on the factory stock.

Looks like I can save 4-6oz with a McM edge

Gunsmith agreed fluting should be 6-7oz and taking 1.5" off the barrel and drilling a muzzle brake should be another 3-6oz I'm guessing?

So maybe if everything went my way I could drop 16oz for probably $1,000 all said and done, not terrible.

I'm hoping to get the barrel work done in the next few months, if not I'll be throwing on a scope and getting it dialed for chasing wolves come January and the diet can start next summer!

 

[luke moffat]

Honestly McM edge stock, fluting, and taking 1.5" off the barrel I'd be surprised if you got much more than 10 oz. What scope do you currently have on it?? I personally like the UL Leupolds, but many don't. However hard to argue that 2-7X28s at 8.2 oz or the 3-9X33s at 8.8 oz do save some serious weight over most scopes that are in the 14 oz realm. $300 roughly would save you about 6 oz right there. I swapped from a VX-2 3-9X40 to 2-7X28s and 3-9X33s on my UL hunting rifles and don't miss the 40mm. But its personal preference.

For $1K you could buy an awesome backpack and sleeping bag and likely be weight ahead. Or a UL sleeping pad. Lots of cheaper ways to save weight. That said my 5.8 pound 325 WSM with scope/ring/rifle is one sweet rig to carry in your hands and the 5.5 pound scope/rings/rifle is even sweeter. But there are much more economical ways to save weight in your pack. Not saying don't do it, just saying if you are packing around a 3 pound synthetic 20 degree bag but have a rifle that is 6 pounds out the door to hunt with it'd much cheaper to hunt with a 7 pound rifle and a 2 pound 20 degree sleeping bag. Just things to consider.

 

[Yellowknife]

I should mention, that stock weight includes a limbsaver pad. Stock one might be lighter.

Seems like I've heard barrel shortening is usually only good for ~1 oz/in. Considering the chambering, I'd leave it long personally. A .270 WSM is a lot of powder behind a small bullet.

I think you will be hard pressed to get 10oz off, but please keep use posted. Some hard numbers on tikka mods would be interesting.

Yk

 

[HellsCanyon]

If you do the fluting go with Kampfeld custom spiral fluting you'll save a lot more weight than standard standard straight fluting. And it looks awesome!

Mike

 

[Yellowknife]

If you do the fluting go with Kampfeld custom spiral fluting you'll save a lot more weight than standard standard straight fluting. And it looks awesome!

Mike

You sure about saving "a lot" more weight? I'm decent at geometry, and just ain't seeing it. The change in overall length of the straight vs a spiraled flute on a small diameter sporter tube would barely be measurable. On a fatter tube maybe, but we are talking Tikka here.

Yk

 

[HellsCanyon]

You sure about saving "a lot" more weight? I'm decent at geometry, and just ain't seeing it. The change in overall length of the straight vs a spiraled flute on a small diameter sporter tube would barely be measurable. On a fatter tube maybe, but we are talking Tikka here.

Yk

True the gains are more for a larger od and longer barrel. A "lot" is pretty subjective though... when shaving 4-6 oz an extra 1-2 could be a lot, or not depending on how you look at it.

Mike

 

[swat8888]

Just curious, what kinda sling you run on it?

 

[Shrek]

I was on his site the other day and it said he wasn't doing spiral fluting at this time. I don't know if he has started doing it again.

 

[Liljozie495]

Have you checked out the DNZ scope mounts? There pretty sweet and super light for a one piece mount shipped weight packaging and all is at 4 oz so these are feather light and strong... I don't know the weight differences between talley and DNZ game reaper but can't be much. I don't know how light of a gun your looking to make but tikka does have flutted barreled rifles out of the box, save u some pennies get one that's already flutted. I have the 300wsm t3 and put a bell and Carlson stock on it at 2.2 lbs so it's a tiny bit heavier but it's beyond comfortable for me.

 

[fillthefreezer]

if got a factory fluted T3 SL in 300wm, with the vortex scope its 110oz. no sling, dont need no f'n sling.
ive thought about trying to shed some ounces off it but it quickly becomes cost prohibitive. i hadnt thought of boring it out but then im not sure i could shoot it anymore. lopping off some barrel, im not sure the oz vs loss of performance vs cost is worth it... now if shortening barrel then adding a brake, well id be a go on that!

 

[Justin Crossley]

I would not flute your Tikka barrel. Fluting is better done BEFORE the barrel is drilled. You risk introducing stress into the steel and could totally screw it up. If you want a fluted barrel, buy one from the factory. This is info from my gunsmith, not my own personal experience.

Like some other guys have said, save the weight somewhere else.

 

[Shrek]

That info from your gunsmith was code for he doesn't want to do fluting. Done correctly fluting doesn't induce stress. If you are really worried about it have it stress relieved after fluting. All barrels are fluted after they are bored and rifled or hammered out. Nobody contours and flutes a barrel then bores and rifles it. You need a new gunsmith Justin.

 

[Yellowknife]

I would not flute your Tikka barrel. Fluting is better done BEFORE the barrel is drilled. You risk introducing stress into the steel and could totally screw it up. If you want a fluted barrel, buy one from the factory. This is info from my gunsmith, not my own personal experience.

Like some other guys have said, save the weight somewhere else.

The factory fluted tikka barrels are done after the barrel has been drilled, rifled, and contoured. Since they are hammer forged, there is no other way to do it. Seems to work out just fine, although I'm sure the quality of the result would depend heavily on the guy running the machine.

Not only that, but the Tikka flutes are deeper and somewhat longer than the majority of factory flutes. If I ever decide to flute mine, I'll duplicate factory. Not sure I ever will though. It's a light gun as is, and already sucks to shoot prone. At some point a guy starts spending all his money making a gun that is harder to shoot...

Yk

 

[HellsCanyon]

As mentioned before fluting is done after rifling and contouring, however it's all about the stress relief after contouring. Some companies heat stress relief different than others but all the quality companies do it regardless.

Mike

 

[thru-hunter]

I am a little surprised to see talk of adding a brake on a Tikka 270 WSM. I sold mine un favor of a Kimber 280AI but it was one of the most shoulder friendly magnums I have ever shot. It did have a limb saver pad but that was it. I PERSONALLY wouldn't sacrifice 2" of barrel only to gain it back with a brake unless I was extremely recoiled sensitive.

Another direction maybe add a 2lb wrist weight around the rifle all summer on training hikes. After a few months of that it will seem like nothing to carry during season.

In the end it's your gun and whatever makes you happy! If you like it you will probably shoot it more often and better which certainly won't hurt you in the field. I have plenty of gear that makes no financial sense but its mine dammit and I like it

 

[luke moffat]

if got a factory fluted T3 SL in 300wm, with the vortex scope its 110oz. no sling, dont need no f'n sling.
ive thought about trying to shed some ounces off it but it quickly becomes cost prohibitive. i hadnt thought of boring it out but then im not sure i could shoot it anymore. lopping off some barrel, im not sure the oz vs loss of performance vs cost is worth it... now if shortening barrel then adding a brake, well id be a go on that!

FTF, I shorten the barrels on my rifle mainly cause I'm not a long range shooter so the loss of a 100 fps isn't going to really matter to me at all. The true gain isn't the loss of weight (which is a small fringe benny I guess) but handiness in the field. When its strapped to your pack your carried in your hands a 18-20" barrel is just so much handier in the thick nasty alders/brush. If I lived in CO or the like where alders/brush isn't' as prevalent as say WA, ID, or AK it might make sense to run a 26" barrel for that matter, but for me I have found the small loss in velocity is greatly made up for in less frustration while crashing through alders/brush. A 300WM still still be out running a 30-06 with 4" less barrel IMO and it'd be one handy setup for sure!

 

[Liljozie495]

What scopes are you looking at to put on this rifle? May be able to spend a few more $$ on a lighter scope vs shaving into your gun. I have seen flutted bolts but then again like everyone's sayin on here... These guns stalk are super light, spend the $$$ on lighter hunting gear dude. Maybe throw a few extra lbs in your pack for training and the weight ratio for coming hunting time u may not feel with a 7-9 lb rifle scope set up?