Very cool video, thanks for the footage. I'm from the states and a military friend of mine said they do a dry fire drill with snap caps. After they load the rifle with a snap cap, they balance a dime on the muzzle of the barrel. If the dime falls off, then you are flinching your trigger pull; or rather enough to create inconsistency. Not saying that it is in fact you, but worth trying out I figure. I'm looking to grab one of these myself. Thanks again, Sandoval
I enjoyed watching you shooting your .243 Tikka Hunter. Glad to see your from the UK and enjoying such a nicely made Rifle that isn’t a monstrosity of plastic. But rather a nicely made, good old fashion wood, turn bolt and blued metal work of art. What is such a lovely countryside in England without that Target Range to enjoy target practice in such a relaxing place? I see your practicing responsibly and safely. Do clean your Rifle, store that responsibly and carry on in a country. Such lovely place, a magical moment in your life! Cheers 🎯
They are popular in the US as well. But mainly the lower cost synthetic stocked ones. I would love one in 9.3x62mm Mauser. One of my favorite cartridges.
Enjoyable video. My Tikka T3 Lite is in 22-250, and at 50 metres it was a bit of a laugh, as I thought I hit the spot with a small shot gun. It was actually 3 shots more or less in the same hole. My rifle is now set up for 100 metres as 50 metres is more for rimfire ammo. I thought. I love that wood sock; mine has the black polymer ( plastic, if I'm honest !!!)
I have the original T3 Hunter in 6.5x55 and it is such an amazing rifle. I kind of wish I had waited a few more years and bottom the T3x, but it's still just the best modern rifle I have ever shot. And that Swede round is such a great performer. Honestly, I don't know why us Americans didn't get into it sooner and made rounds that imitate it, but don't equal it (.260 Remington is really close). Oh well, it's a great round in a great gun and I couldn't be happier with it.
The 6.5x55 is just about perfect for this rifle. Old school looks paired with the grand ol 6.5. I recently purchased my own Tikka T3x Hunter chambered in 7mm-08 Remington. I'm getting sub MOA with two different brands of factory ammo. Definitely love mine!
HI, definitely go out and bay 6 rounds of 5 different ammo and test them out. My Tikka 243win shoots 3 shots in one euro cent from 50 meters with factory load. The best ammo i had for my Tikka was 100grains Lapua and 90grains RWS. super precise.
Nice shooting brother. Hope you enjoy the .243, I'm from the US, and I have one also, but it's not a tikka, it's a savage, bolt action 5 round internal magazine, and it's accurate. I get nice groups at 200 meters, and it's a soft, and flat shooting round. In my opinion It's an all around good caliber. Ammo is about the same price here as you have there, sometime you can find good deals. Another great thing, is that the ammo is plentiful, about as plentiful as any other hunting caliber.
Awesome rifle! Proud finn here! "fun" fact is that with Tikka or Tikkakoski (the name of the brand to year 1993 i think) manufactured guns were used to protect our country independency from ussr in ww II i have Tikka m65 in 30.06 and it has really smooth bolt action, also i have finnish company made ase utra silencer on the end of barrel, and i think that company also delivers their products in europe.
Sweet rifle! I just ordered the same chambered in .270 Winchester ... I was debating 270 or 243 ... I currently have a T3 Lite Stainless in 300 WM ... now, to settle in and enjoy your video!
Beautiful rifle. You were saying there's lots of aftermarket in Europe. Do you have any good aftermarket aperture sights for the Tikka? I'm not into scopes I prefer sights. I like the Tikka Arctic but it is quite expensive but I still may buy it. I would prefer the classic Tikka Hunter styling with the Arctic sights would be perfect but I can't find those sights available here.
good luck with your new toy she is a beauty . that is a smoking round. lil recoil too. the Finn.'s make great rifles. even an Sako M-39 are great rifles to get. again be safe. thumbs up.
you should get a Lee Turret Press and start reloading. i just bought one cause it's fast, cheaper than others, you can use either with turret or single press. save your brass and reload. it's fun to do and you will see groups that will make you smile. plus you will cut your costs. cheers.
great video . thinking of getting one myself once i have the money . and i fill ya on ammo i have a m1916 spanish mauser short rifle and i have to drive an hour or two some times to get ammo(7mm mauser) and it ranges any where from 20 to 40 dollars for 20 cartridges
I've got the tika 223 T3, shot ppu and bullets all over the place, tried federal hornady and I think sako and it loved the hornady. Cheap ammo is normally not the best way to go for good groupings. I've got a tika t3x243 coming soon and you can bet I won't be using ppu ammo
Is that the latest Schmidt & Bender Klassik? I thought they went to a matte finish like all the others... Don't get me wrong, I love the finish on that scope, I have one myself.
No iron sights on this model. I've got the Regular T3 and those sights help a bunch if ever you're in the brush and manage to knock your scope around and mess up the zero.
Have one in 223 deadly accurate but I did bed it from the time of purchase, re comments on accuracy PPU is pretty much cheap rubbish hence the group's, I am using Tikka and Aussie Outback 55gr sierra game king and blitz kings sub MOA all day, my favorite gun now deadly on deer.
Great rifle and scope combo, shame about the poo ammo, ppu was massively inconsistent in my Sako 85, I home load for my 243 and have awesome consistency and accuracy, the sako rounds are superb but as you say not cheap, if you deer stalk you need a quality rounds.
Once I am at a point I am 100% happy with my accuracy at various ranges and all I am doing is stalking or shooting foxes then I will probably pay more for Sako etc ammo. Until then I'll stick with ppu!
Very nice! 243 is very popular for deer and varmints here in America. I've been looking for a new rifle I'm sure it's going to be a Tikka. They build such a beautiful nice rifle and it's so accurate. The one I likes a little more expensive than I'd like. Have you seen the new Tikka Arctic? They built it for the Canadian rangers it has a really cool aperture system where you can go from 100 to 800 just by turning the dial. I really prefer to shoot with iron sights. Free cool gun to look at to with the nice laminate stock. Thanks enjoy your new toy.
Unfortunately Brian, iron sights on bolt action rifles are becoming a thing of the past. Some models of good ole Winchester Model 70 have irons sights. If your willing to go lever action, Henry makes a well crafted, beautiful. 243 long ranger rifle, albeit a bit more expensive than Tikka, butt holds its value very well.
@@riverwalker2173 I haven't been able to find a " Good" sight for the Long Ranger. But it seems nice. Maybe I'll just stick with the older rifles. Thank you 👍
I think you would benefit from watching some of your compatriots, Freedomofabird, 260Rips, and Pointofimpact. Internalize what they do and then learn to reload and put in some quality range time. Infact, may I modestly propose that you acquire a quality .22 rimfire like a CZ and then put in some quality range time @ 50 meters in preparation for what I have afore mentioned. Best regards from a fellow inmate, on the other side of the pond in the great state of Texas.
Beautiful rifle.... I'm just about ready to buy one here in the US in 6.5 x 55. I just wanted something a little different than the standard chamberings (not too many people shoot that here on Oahu), but it's ok as I will be reloading for it. What are your options for reloading over there rather than paying overly expensive prices for ammo?
srspower.... Absolutely correct, the initial investment can run some money, but there are some economical kits out there that will do you good such as the "Lee" products. I've been using them for awhile now and they have worked out just fine. (also helps to have some friends who also reload and "donate" some of the things they don't want). Are there restrictions for you folks over there in buying powder and components?
Daniel Bryant I think you need your license to buy the gun powder but everything else is okay. In terms of ammo it only legally becomes ammo once the cartridge is constructed and then you are restricted to how many rounds your license allows. I can hold 600 rounds in .243 although strangely only 500 rounds in .22lr!
srspower... That's pretty bizarre that you can hold more centerfire ammo than rimfire ammo. BTW..... I made the decision since this morning and ordered my Tikka T3X in 6.5x55. My own personal "Christmas" gift..... 😆
Nothing wrong with the two position safety that locks the bolt although the Sako 85 does give it an extra touch so you can open the bolt with the safety on. I will not own a hunting rifle without a safety that will lock the bolt. Had brush open the bolt too mant times to ever not have that feature again.
Great video, I'm partial to it, as I'm actually wanting a T3 my self, only decision factors is the calibre. .243 or .308. Any opinion? Its going to live in the states so no restrictions on calibre.
Well it all depends on what you intend to do, if you are shooting out to a max of 300 yards then the .243 will be a lot easier to shoot accurately. Its the perfect medium to semi large game calibre. Great for varmints and all but the largest deer.
Realistically just shoot holes in paper. Would like to try my hand at a deer, but I don't know how often that would happen. My only hesitation on a .243 is I have heard it wears the barrel quickly. Any truth to that you think?
John Reed Yeah that's true, as the bullets go like a bat our of hell but you're still talking about 15K rounds in a Tikka before you shoot out the barrel.
Yeah get hand loading. One you have invested in the reloading equipment I imagine that rather than going through £50 worth of ammo you will be at least halving your costs & after a few years in savings the equipment has paid for itself :-)
Well like for like the price shouldn't be that much different! The old Tikka T3 lite was around £300 cheaper but that has a polymer stock. In terms of accuracy etc they will be much the same.
Very nice rifle,Good shooting & Great video,I look forward to seeing this in the field & suppressed & Night Vision would be the cherry on the cake "bit of a hassle to get a suppressor here in USA paper work month's of waiting Tax stamp and very very over priced compared to UK"... Increase accuracy decrease cost Reload your own Bro :)
Yep know what you mean, i have a want list as long as my arm :) Hoping for a change in regulations before i buy silencer's it's just too expensive & too much hassle at the mo....
Holy crap, here in the States I pay $13 for a box of PPU for my Tikka 6.5x55, you might want to look into reloading if you are going to be doing any significant amount of shooting. Love my Tikka, absolutely the most accurate rifle in the gun safe, thinking hard about getting one of the new X models.
Yes a reloading setup is on the list but I need a silencer first and that's going to be at least £200. Everything is expensive here but especially firearms.
***** Actually silencers are MUCH less expensive there, cheapest decent one I can find for mine costs $1,200. I started reloading about a decade ago, a very useful skill especially since my 6.5x55 is something of an oddball caliber on this side of the pond.
Enigma Cipher Yeah I noticed you guys pay a lot for silencers, $1200 is insane! The silencer I have on my .22lr rifle does a very good job and can be used on a .22wmr and it only cost me about £65. For a high end .243 silencer you'll pay between £200 and £300. Do wildcat not export to the US? They should do, their factory is local to me.
Enigma Cipher Well there is that 'hearing protection act' being considered and Trump is president so you never know. Prices could come down a LOT very quickly.
Why not reload for it? It's a lot more cost effective and you can make loadings perfect for that rifle, I think Henry Kranks sell the PPU ammo for £62 for 100 rounds
Nice tool man but I never realised they where so pricey, I went with a savage axis cost me £350 and a phantom over barrel mod was £134, you may find the ppu ammo is a bit heavy for a european [ouch] barrel as there normally one in ten. All came from sportsman gun shop Dorset, had to do a trigger job as it was a bear but now sweet, PS if it likes heavier ammo check out the hornady amax 105 as with enough powder at 500 yards she will start to out energy a .308!!
The advantage of a 3 way safety - is that if you re load your own ammo - and the cases are fire formed and you only neck size your cases - then you can cycle the reloaded rounds thru your rifle, from magazine to chamber and back out - by cycling the bolt, without the risk of accidental discharge if the trigger gets accidentally touched in the process - because the 3 way safety has that middle setting that locks the trigger but allows the bolt to cycle - which the 2 stage safety's do NOT have!. Where your experimenting with say bullet seating depth - and specially if you hunt dangerous game of any kind, you should feed all your hand loaded/reloaded brass and completed rounds thru the gun they are intended to be fired in before hitting the field. It's no good going out in the field & finding out that your bullets are seated too far out for the case to cycle from the magazine to the chamber - specially if a bears about to eat you or an elephant stomp on you. Better to find these sorts of problems out at home and unfortunately with a 2 stage safety that blocks the bolt you can't do this a home without risking an accidental discharge if the trigger gets touched during the process because you have to open the safety to cycle the rounds - leaving the trigger active. If you seat your projectiles too far out - and you do manage to cycle one into the chamber and eject it again - only to find the projectile was left behind engaging the rifling and you now have a primed empty case in your hand & an action full of smokeless gunpowder, you want to find these sorts of problems out back at home before you leave and can rectify it rather than out in the field when your life may depend on it. The European manufacturers like Sako, TIkka, Anschutz, etc should realize this aspect of safety design & upgrade their bolt / safety designs accordingly IMHO to 3 stage safety's. I happen to love my Winchester Model 70 featherweight in .243 for this reason, I feel safer cycling all my reloaded rounds thru the rifle at home... without fearing an accidental discharge. I do like the European rifles largely - and own one myself, but after owning the Winchester with 3 stage safety - I miss that aspect it on my Anschutz rifle. My lads new Tikka T3 Forest in .223 also has this same 2 position safety... I personally wish it didn't, but had a 3 position safety, because like the .22 Hornet Anschutz that I own - we will now reload for this rifle also. So we now have 2 such euro design rifles we reload for, that only have 2 stage safety's. You buy what you can afford basically.... but the designers / manufacturers should know better I reckon. Maybe it will take a law suit after an accidental discharge / injury death before they start to get the urge to update their designs to 3 position safety's. Having the worlds most accurate rifle that's basically unsafe to cycle reloaded rounds thru, is probably not the smartest design idea policy for any gun manufacturing company in today's litigious world. I do happen to like the Euro rifles a LOT but would LOVE them a heck of a lot MORE if they fixed these 2 position safety switch design flaw/s bye upgradiong to 3 positions safety's for us re-loaders.
GREETINGS FROM AMERICA! NICE! NICE! NICE! Looks like a kid in a candy store smile there buddy. You have my stamp of approval on it! I personally shoot a Rem. 6mm (.244) but they are so close to the same it's a no difference. I shoot a 25-06 also, even more blistering speed, and flatter longer. NOW that one's got a little more bang than the .22 😀 Just a little more practice and those targets won't have centers. It's a fine looking rifle, you will be grinning for a good long time. I use a NV unit for coyotes, they get wise to the lamp real quick. Turn it on and they scat quick. NV they never see it coming. I imagine foxes are the same, don't see many foxes here. Coyotes run them off or kill them. Anyhow those vids will be good. Can't wait to see that smile! 😁 Best Wishes. 😀
srspower Yea! Some NVs have the video out jack, that would make it easier. Mine has one, but it cost a good amount of coin also. So I know it might be awhile for that hunt vid. Night shooting is trickier than some think. Not so easy to see what's behind your target. ie "your horizon". Not as important with much lesser rifles, but shooting center fire's it very much is.
I have done it before with the rimfire, surprising amount of rabbits and foxes are around at night. My only conern with NV kits I have seen is that they completely change how you shoot as in you look at a screen rather than the scope.
srspower My current NV is a digital scope, it is a true scope being all inline with the eyepiece. Just you can't see thru it. It is a high resolution digital NV camera on the front and by looking in the eyepiece you see what the camera sees. It is all built together as a single unit. The picture is in black and white. I have seem the add-ons that would utilize a conventional scope, they operate on the same principle but you view it on a screen on the back of the scope. Never use this type. Mine is a true NV rifle scope. I scout with a NV monocular than make the shot with the scope. True night vision makes the shooting eye dilated, it will appear a purple color. It leaves me my left eye to use for regular sight. Takes a lot of getting use to, closing one or the other depending on what you are doing. If you use NV binoculars, both eyes dilate and close up equipment manipulation is difficult. My digital scope has a out-put jack for adding a recorder. You could "scout" with it, but you are pointing a loaded weapon at everything you look at.😑 I think this might take you sometime to get going. It took me a few years to get the current system I have perfected. But I would settle for some 100m and 200m targets with no center in them from ya for now. 😀 Good precision marksmanship is where it should start. You got a good start with that nice little rifle, the rest will come with some time, money, and a bit of trial and error. Make a few long range targets with no center in them for me. 😀😀 Best of luck on this project.
sako or federal ammo are superb through them and will tighten up the groups at 100 yards.dont get me wrong hit a fox just about anywhere with it and the bullet is devastating
You need to cure your flinch first - before you go wounding any deer!. If you watch the end of your video at 11.42 and advance it one frame at a time - you can see you close your Right aiming eye and pull your shot. The guns more accurate than you are. If your not used to shooting a .243/6mm round - its dead easy to develop a flinch, because the sound is pretty loud - the recoil is greater than your used too and there's a substantial muzzle flash from un-burnt powder exiting the crown in the shorter barrelled rifles firing this cartridge. This all tends to help cause a flinch in first time users - something that takes range practice to keep your shooting eye OPEN thru the actual shot!. If necessary go back to basics... air rifle even if you have too - and train yourself NOT to flinch. Don't be embarrassed about it, its obviously a new rifle and (larger) caliber to you than your used too. Just practice and filming yourself and watching it back frame by frame thru the shot is the best way to detect a flinch. Just fix it before it becomes a habit you can't cure is all. Not knowing you have it and repeating it over and over just makes it harder to fix in the end.
Completely agree. He needs to learn on a calibre like .223 with minimal recoil, as you say he should not be blinking/fliching when he breaks the shot, you need to have your eyes open all the way through and your head should have a tight cheekweld and be unmoving. I learned to shoot properly on a Tikka .223 and now shoot military rifles ie .303s, 7.62x54 with no flinch to disturb the follow-through of the shot whatsoever.
Love you enthusiasm also! But, is it you, the ammo, or the rifle, because at 50m they should all be in the same hole, heck even at 100m they should all be in the same hole!!
I thought the same, but the problem is not in the rifle, that's for sure :) Last summer i was shooting with my .222 Sako hunting rifle to 90-95 meters using also sako ammo, got pretty good groups, best was 4 shots and group was in 2 cm area. I need better scope tho, now i have over 30 yrs. old bushnell in it, and the lenses are not that clear anymore. Lapua is best ammo imo, but Sako makes also good ammunition.
Holy hell, I've been shocked looking at firearm prices in different nations all over the globe. I could get your rifle in the US for around $600 off an online auction site, and gun prices here will probably plummet after Trump. A hunter in Japan would have to pay around $2,400 USD with current exchange rates for the same rifle. Be interesting to see how the final pricing comes out with taxes and tariffs and all that.... What was your main deciding factor in choosing 243 anyhow?
The main reason was the land I have permission on had been previously checked by the Police and cleared for up to .243 calibre. If I wanted a .308 I would have had to get them to do a new land inspection. But having previously shot a fair bit of .308 I do find the .243 a much nicer round to shoot and it's so flat!
Liam Stephenson ppu is half the price of Winchester and considerably better quality. It does the job and is less than half price of premium brands like sako. Anyone would be insane not to buy it.
srspower It is cheap rubbish. Don't kid yourself. Out of all the factory ammunition I have shot, it is by far the worst. Hornady is great, OSA is great, Winchester is great, some Remington is good, but still far and above better Than PPU rubbish
Look 100 grain PPU costs me £14 for a box of 20. All other brands cost between £25 and £35 for a box of 20. And so far I have not had anything I have shot complain it was shot by sub standard ammo.
Tikka should shoot a lot better than that with decent ammunition and £25 - £35 is not expensive I bought a box of Sako 130gr for my .270 on Monday €53 for the box but 3 bullets in one hole at 100m speaks for itself
