Tikka…

[4phw]

Starting a Tikka build for hunting the west. Wanting a 6.5 creed- is stainless really worth the extra price?

 

[Walker6]

If you’re gonna rebarrel, just get the cheapest stainless short action donor you can find with a standard bolt face.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Any standard bolt faced Tikka rifle can be turned into a 6.5cm. 308, 708, 270, 3006

 

[Harronek]

Just curious…
If your after a 6.5 CM with a Tikka action… why not just buy a Tikka 6.5 CM and just shoot it the way it came from the factory ?
Maybe change the Stock and adjust the trigger etc , but the Factory barrels shoot very well .

 

[coyotekilla]

Bought a 223 ranahan this winter for its action. I swapped stocks & barrels, and its scary accurate. Kept it 223, went from a 20" lite to a 26" mtu. Squirrels at 300 yards are easy. That's 500 yards w/ 55 gr pills.

 

[4phw]

Just curious…
If your after a 6.5 CM with a Tikka action… why not just buy a Tikka 6.5 CM and just shoot it the way it came from the factory ?
Maybe change the Stock and adjust the trigger etc , but the Factory barrels shoot very well .

I’m planning on it! Just eventually will change the stock.

 

[4phw]

If you’re gonna rebarrel, just get the cheapest stainless short action donor you can find with a standard bolt face.

I was planning on keeping the barrel.

 

[ColPenguin]

CTR is more weight to carry around. The mag system on the CTR is not quite AICS. I have had to tinker with springs on factory CTR mags and modify MDT mags for the CTR.

You can fit a cheek riser on the vanilla stock and replace the barrel for that $440 price difference. Nothing wrong with the CTR, but what are you getting for the extra money? A different mag system, heavier barrel, and a cheep cheek riser. The cost difference between blued and stainless is $50 - 75, it doesn't matter that much.

I would get the blued 20" and put 6 to 7 thousand rounds down it before breaking off the barrel and replacing it. There is no guarantee a custom prefit is going to shoot better, or on par with a factory Tikka barrel. It comes with a perfectly good barrel for the task of hunting.

 

[4phw]

CTR is more weight to carry around. The mag system on the CTR is not quite AICS. I have had to tinker with springs on factory CTR mags and modify MDT mags for the CTR.

You can fit a cheek riser on the vanilla stock and replace the barrel for that $440 price difference. Nothing wrong with the CTR, but what are you getting for the extra money? A different mag system, heavier barrel, and a cheep cheek riser. The cost difference between blued and stainless is $50 - 75, it doesn't matter that much.

I would get the blued 20" and put 6 to 7 thousand rounds down it before breaking off the barrel and replacing it. There is no guarantee a custom prefit is going to shoot better, or on par with a factory Tikka barrel. It comes with a perfectly good barrel for the task of hunting.

I was planning on keeping the barrel. Just was looking at the stainless vs blued since I can find those ones by me.

 

[Exterra]

Both will function the same. the stainless is more durable but the blued is durable enough for most users. Go with the blued and have more money for practice ammo.

When you are ready for rings, check out our one piece mounting system. DM me for a discount.

Precision Hunter Tikka, 20MOA

Exterra Precision, One piece, direct mount, Tikka, 20MOA, scope rings. Tikka Precision Hunter mounts are made from aerospace grade 7075 aluminum, with 17-4 H900 mounting fasteners to better withstand repeated use in heavy recoil situations.

exterraprecision.com

 

[rookieforever33]

Starting a Tikka build for hunting the west. Wanting a 6.5 creed- is stainless really worth the extra price?

If you live or hunt in a moist enviroment the blued barrel will get surface rust pretty quick. Frequent wipe downs and light oiling the surface of the barrel will help keep the surface rust away. If you live and hunt in a dry environment the blued barrel wont be as prone to rust anyway. The answer really depends on how you maintain it, and if a little surface rust matters to you

 

[Walker6]

I was planning on keeping the barrel.

Well then you’re in luck, because they shoot great with factory barrels. I have a SS T3X in 6.5CM that’s an absolute hammer. I wouldn’t think of changing the barrel on that one.

What’s the rest of your build gonna look like? Stock upgrade, etc?

 

[Braaap]

I have both and live in the driest state. I do think the stainless is worth the extra cost.

 

[UnckleBob]

I like stainless because I get a weatherproof rifle (assuming common sense handling) for not much more than the blued version

 

[medvedyt]

CTR is more weight to carry around. The mag system on the CTR is not quite AICS. I have had to tinker with springs on factory CTR mags and modify MDT mags for the CTR.

You can fit a cheek riser on the vanilla stock and replace the barrel for that $440 price difference. Nothing wrong with the CTR, but what are you getting for the extra money? A different mag system, heavier barrel, and a cheep cheek riser. The cost difference between blued and stainless is $50 - 75, it doesn't matter that much.

I would get the blued 20" and put 6 to 7 thousand rounds down it before breaking off the barrel and replacing it. There is no guarantee a custom prefit is going to shoot better, or on par with a factory Tikka barrel. It comes with a perfectly good barrel for the task of hunting.

well you can fix the issue of the ctr mag by converting it with regular tikka mag. i do like the compact barrel of the ctr and rail used by tikka. it is not that heavy and it is working great for my use.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

I have around 2K rounds thru a 6.5 creed CTR and have never once had an issue with the stock 10 round mag. Smaple of 1 but I really like the ctr mag

 

[Timberline001]

I like the stainless for builds because they don’t need to be painted to be weather safe and look nice. I strap on a barrel and burn it. We’re as the blues ones I’ve had I always spent extra on cerakote to match the action and make it weather resistant