Continued From Part 2
The Barrel
In Parts 1 and 2 of the Tikka T3X Lite review, I’ve described many parts or manufacturing strategies that Tikka employs to help keep these rifles affordable.
On the flip side, Tikka barrels are an area where this Finnish rifle maker doesn’t gloss over any detail. Tikka barrels are a big source of Tikka rifles’ “notoriety,” reputation for accuracy, and pride. In true European fashion, Tikka cold hammer forges all of its barrels.
Ironically, the Tikka isn’t the only hunting rifle with a hammer-forged barrel that I’m currently reviewing. The other would be the Taurus Expedition bolt-action rifle. While conducting some background research for that project, I took a deeper dive into the process of cold hammer forging gun barrels.
To keep it short and sweet, the molecular structure of metal morphs, hardens, and ultimately becomes stronger when metals are stressed with external mechanical or kinetic forces, including impacts, hammer blows, repetitive bending, etc.
The phenomenon is known as work-hardening. With regards to the manufacture of gun barrels, barrel blanks are placed on mandrels and then passed through massive hammer machines that strike the blank from all directions. These violent impacts not only work to harden the barrel, but the blows transfer the mandrel’s external shape onto the interior of the blank to form rifling.
When executed properly, cold hammer-forged barrels can be extremely durable and accurate.
24 inches x 6.5 mm Creedmoor
The particular Tikka T3X Lite that’s the subject of this review has a 24.1-inch barrel with a 1:8 rifling twist. A benefit of fielding a rifle with a 24-inch barrel is that the extra length promotes higher muzzle velocities by giving the propellant plenty of bore space to fully combust and develop.
1:8 rifling tends to be on the faster side of twist rates, but for 6.5 mm Creedmoor, it is the default. Barrels with 1:8 twists have no issue stabilizing projectiles ranging from 100 grains to 140 grains. This practically envelops the entire spectrum of .264” bullets meant for 6.5mm Creedmoor loads, from light hyper-fast varmint rounds to heavy game bullets.
Because the Tikka T3X is a hunting rifle, its barrel sports a lighter contour and can withstand 3 to 5 fired rounds before it starts to heat up. As the Tikka T3X Lite is technically a [really nice] “budget rifle,” its muzzle is plain without any fancy crown, cut threads, or any other additional features.
Visually, the barrel does not appear to be fully free-floated, given the way it makes contact with the stock. But this also doesn’t seem like a hindrance to the gun’s ability to shoot.
Grouping The Tikka T3X Lite Stainless
Due to the nature of this Christmastime review, I had the honor of mounting and leveling the Leupold Mark4 HD scope to this Tikka T3X Lite along with a Leupold 20 MOA scope base and Leupold 34mm Backcountry rings. This means I also got to take the first shots through the brand-new rifle in order to zero the Mark4 HD.
The round count at the time of this writing is nearly 100 rounds, with roughly half of them fired to group the rifle and the other half at steel targets from distances covering 300 to 830 yards. (And this 24-inch barrel and fantastic scope will have no problem pushing projectiles further).
Over two different range sessions in overcast and chilly 40°F weather, I fired each of the three factory 6.5mm Creedmoor loads that I already had on hand. These included the 129-grain SIG-Sauer Venari soft points, the 125-grain Winchester Copper Impact (copper solid polymer tip) and the 140 grain Hornady American Gunner Match boat tail hollow point.
With each cartridge*, I fired two 10-round groups slowly, while making sure the barrel didn’t get too hot. During the second range session, I also fired a 3-round group to confirm Tikka’s sub-MOA 3-shot group guarantee that they stake on the Tikka T3X Lite. Even with my modest rifle-shooting skills, I was able to verify that this claim was true.
For all shots taken, I relied on the Magpul MOE bipod that directly clamps to the sling swivel stud and a rear bag.
Author’s Note
*I had to shoot on separate trips because of very cold rain and the loss of daylight towards the end of the first session. While the 140-grain Hornady American Gunner BTHP is a target/match round and not a hunting round, I decided to shoot one 10-round and one 3-round group because I wanted to have something to check off the 140-grain category.
Tikka T3X Lite Range Results (100 Yards)
Winchester 125 Grain Copper Impact
Notes: Because solid copper is less dense than lead, copper projectiles have more volume for the same amount of weight. In this case, the 125-grain Winchester Copper Impact bullet is closer in size to traditional lead core 140-grain bullets. It’s just my hunch and nothing more, but it seems that the Tikka performs a tad better with longer projectiles. (Look at the mean radius of the Hornady American Gunner groups below, too). I’d bring this Winchester Copper Impact cartridge + this Tikka T3X Lite on a hunt with confidence.
SIG-Sauer Venari 129 Grain Soft Point
Notes: You’ll notice that the Garmin chrono data has two separate dates because I got rained out during the first session and simply continued chronographing the box the next day. The 2.42-inch 10-shot group was fired in cold rain during twilight, and I decided to call it a day. I fired the other 10-shot group the next day.
Even though this ammo has the widest mean radii, biggest groups, and worst numbers on paper, I still managed to ding a coyote steel silhouette with these SIG Venari rounds at 830 yards on the first shot (I had to dial 26.75 MOA of elevation and hold at least 4-5 MOA to the left in order to account for spin drift at that distance).
Given that a deer’s vitals are approximately 8 MOA, even with the slightly wider groups (no doubt some of this is on me as the shooter), this rifle and cartridge combination is likely fine for standard deer hunting at standard distances—call it 300 yards.
Hornady American Gunner 140 Grain BTHP
Notes: I bought this ammo for a different 6.5mm Creedmoor rifle review. Because it comes in boxes of 50 rounds, I took aside 13 rounds just to shoot through the Tikka. The official 3-shot group isn’t technically sub-MOA and that was partially my fault with the third bullet hole.
In spite of the overall lateral dispersion, the core of the Hornady American Gunner ammo’s 10-shot group is the tightest, especially if one were to ignore holes #9 and #10.
I will address some of this lateral movement in the next installment of my Tikka T3X Lite hunting rifle review.
To Be Continued In Part 4
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