Tikka T3 - Beretta New Zealand

Testfires
WRITTEN BY ~ NORM LUMSDEN (for those who aren’t aware, Norm is ‘the man’ in the load room here at NZ Hunter. Ed)
Tikka T3
Sporter 223
Here you can see the
extended magazine
in the dropped belly
reccess, and the
accessory rail under
the forend
Burris E1 4.5-14x42 Test fire
The Tikka T3 needs no introduction to the hunters
of New Zealand, as it is currently one of the most
popular hunting rifles
Few will have seen the T3 Sporter
version though, which is Tikka’s
multi-purpose competition/varmint/
long range rifle.
The Sporter is immediately distinctive due to
its tricoloured laminate stock with a vertical
target-style pistol grip and adjustable comb. The
middle section of the stock has a dropped belly
and the forend is heavy. The barrel channel is
ventilated and has a rail underneath and a shorter
rail on the left side for the attachment of various
accessories. It has a tactical-style bolt knob and
two 6 round magazines are supplied.
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NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ December 2013 / January 2014
There’s a 20” or 24” barrel option, and I chose
the 20” 1 in 8 twist 223 threaded M18x1 with
a Dan Hardy suppressor fitted. This heavy
contour barrel, measuring .880” at the 20”
muzzle is chrome moly, as is the receiver.
Calibre choices are 223Rem, 260Rem, 6.5x55
and 308. The 1 in 8 twist has the ability to
stabilize all but the heaviest 224 calibre
bullets, and I was keen to try a couple of
these heavier, higher BC bullets - especially
Hornady’s 75 grain A-Max with a G1 .435 BC.
They would be a step up in the wind, I thought.
We load lots of A-Maxes in larger calibres for
our customers, and they have proved to be
very successful longer range hunting bullets.
The Burris E1 that arrived with the
Sporter is the next step up in the range
from the popular Fullfield 2. The 4.514x42 has an adjustable objective, and
has the Ballistic Plex E1 reticle. This
incorporates hash marks on the lower
crosshair that are calibrated to 500
yards for many of the common hunting
calibres. The E1 also has a series of
cascading dots either side of the lower
reticle, which represent the effect of a
10mph crosswind.
Taking the rifle out of the box, I clocked
the bedding first ( measured the ‘spring’
in the receiver when clamped down into
the bedding), which was pretty good
for a factory rifle. Then I adjusted the
trigger down as light as it would go while
still maintaining trigger return spring
pressure, for a safe and very crisp 1lb
6oz. We had to use the Optilok ring and
base set up to get the height required to
clear the heavy barrel. I gave the barrel a
good clean and had a look at it with the
bore scope, and the chamber was well
aligned with the bore. It had the usual
residual reaming marks in the throat.
I gave the throat a good scrub with JB
Bore Paste to accelerate the break-in
process.
The little Hardy can was then
screwed on and the comb was
adjusted up to give a real solid
cheek weld from prone. The pillars
the comb is mounted on have a memory
screw in the bottom that is adjustable,
so your comb height setting is retained
when removing and reinstalling. I fitted
a bipod with the bottom accessory rail
adapter provided by Beretta NZ. Fully
assembled, the rifle looked good and the
pistol grip and high comb felt great. It
weighed 11lb 6oz minus the bipod.
» On the range
I started off with the 75gn A-Maxes,
CFE223 powder and CCI 400 primers
in Lake City brass. I seated the
A-Maxes to just touch the rifling, which
is where they usually shoot best, but they
were too long to fit in the standard 223
magazine. You could modify this mag
or change to a 308 medium length mag,
as the bolt stop is already in the right
position. A load of 25.5gns gave 2720fps
and groups comfortably under half an
inch. Zeroed at 100yds gave the A-Maxes
and the E1 reticle a pretty good match all
the way to 500yds.
Next I tried some 65gn Sierra
GameKings loaded with a mildish
load of 25gns of 2206H, which fitted
comfortably in the magazine. I fired 10
shots, putting them into just over half an
inch at a velocity of 2980fps, and they
shot to the same zero as the A-Maxes.
There was one other heavier bullet I
wanted to try. With 25gns of 2206H with
Federal 205GM primers in Lake City
brass, the Sierra 69gn SMK seated to a
magfit of 2.295” again shot very well,
producing 2940fps and shot a best 3 shot
group of .25”.
Now it was time to see if a lighter
varmint-style bullet would work. The
relatively new 53gn V-Max is a real
standout for varmints. It’s got a good BC
for a relatively light bullet. We’ve loaded
quite a few for people who are very
happy with their performance. All have
been in slower 1-12” twist 223s though,
so would they handle the faster 8” twist?
I seated them to a magfit of 2.295” and
after trying them up to our usual 3400fps
plus out of this barrel length, we settled
on 29gns of CFE223 for 3250fps and
a best 3 shot group of .3”. Faster than
this, that 8” twist over spun them and
accuracy deteriorated. Next was a gong
shoot. We managed to hit a relatively
small steel gong at 500yds most times
with the 69 SMKs and 75gn A-Maxes,
despite the fairly gusty head wind.
53gn V-Max
69gn SMK
From left the 53gn V-Max, the 75gn A-Max, the 69gn SMK,
and the 65gn SGK. The loaded round
with the 75gn A-Max
75gn A-Max
» In the Field
Ok, now to shoot something other
than targets! My brother John and I
headed off early one afternoon, intending
to shoot a few goats before having a
look for a rabbit towards evening. It was
stinking hot, and we got a good sweat up
charging up the hill, looking as we went.
The first goats we encountered were
across a gully in young pines about 200
yards away.
December 2013 / January 2014 ~ NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE
41
The 53gn V-Max is a superb
varmint bullet for 223’s
I got a rest on a high pine stump and
shot two big bodied billies through
the shoulders with the 75gn A-Maxes
without any drama. We carried on and
shot quite a few more; most were at
modest distances around 250 yards, and
plenty ended up with a ‘once in a lifetime
headache’.
The Sporter and the 75gn
A-Max load made short work
of these big bodied billies
I was getting through the A-Maxes
so changed over to the 65 grain
Sierras, and they worked well too.
This little rifle with its mild cartridge,
plenty of weight and suppressor fitted
was very pleasant to shoot and I didn’t
feel the need to wear plugs or earmuffs.
Every bullet was seen on arrival and
the sound of the hits was very apparent
compared to my brother’s unsuppressed
223.
We carried on to some more open
country and encountered more goats
a bit further away and tipped a few of
them over too. The furthest was shot
at 460 yards with an A-Max through
the shoulders; the reticle and load were
working pretty well together. We split
up and headed in separate directions to
look for a rabbit as evening approached.
Finally I found a pair after a good walk.
They had seen me and were heading for
the cover of the scrub but luckily for me,
they stopped in a patch of thistles just
under 200 yards away.
Looking through the scope I saw one
of them lying low, with its ears down
and little more than its head showing.
Carefully taking aim at its eye, I
squeezed off the shot with the desired
result. Pleased to have a rabbit for a
photo, I was walking down to it when the
other one appeared, now about 100 yards
away. With no time to muck around, I
shot it standing from where I was. It was
of our customers. After an interesting
guided tour in his truck, it was getting
towards ‘rabbit o’clock’ - to be fair
we’d seen plenty just driving around!
It was looking like we would get a few
opportunities for a shot. Let’s just say
we didn’t have to move far before we
ran out of V-Maxes for the T3 Sporter.
Peter and I took turns shooting and
although there was quite a breeze from
the east at times, we only missed the odd
one at 200 yards and beyond. Peter also
had his suppressed Sako 223 shooting
our 53gn V-Max load with him. These
53s sure were explosive on the rabbits,
as expected. I took my 22PPC along,
shooting 52gn SMKs at about the same
velocity, and they were noticeably less
explosive.
» Conclusion
I really enjoyed shooting the T3
Sporter. The mild cartridge, heavy
rifle and suppressor allowed me to
see and hear my hits, which was
very satisfying. The stock design and
hand position allowed for that always
important good trigger control, and it
shot accurately with the right load. It’s
relatively heavy for a walkabout varmint
rifle, but for its intended purposes and
in the larger calibres, it’s about right
weight-wise.
Norm is ‘the man’ in the load
room here at NZ Hunter
getting late and the dew was falling
by the time I reached the truck and
met up with John.
The following Saturday afternoon I
headed out to a property with Peter, one
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NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ December 2013 / January 2014
The 1-8” twist barrel’s ability to shoot
the longer, more streamlined, higher BC
bullets is certainly an advantage when
it’s blowing - if anything is going to
cause a miss in 22 calibre varminting it’s the wind! The Burris E1 is definitely
a step up on the Fullfield 2 optically, and
I couldn’t fault it even though I might
have liked more magnification at times.
The T3 Sporter is considerably more
expensive than any of the other T3s
we’re used to seeing, but you’re getting
a rifle with significantly more features. If
you’re looking for a quality dual purpose
range/varmint rifle, check one out.
Specifications
CALIBRES - 223, 260, 6.5x55, 308
BARREL LENGTHS - 20” (510mm)
and 24” (600mm)
STOCK – fully adjustable tan/
grey/orange laminate
WEIGHT BARE - 20” 9lbs (4.1kg)
24” 9.7lbs (4.4kg)
MAGAZINE CAPACITY - 223 6
rounds, others 5 rounds
Riffle RRP - $3495
Scope RRP - $799
Bipod adapter - $35
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