So I walk into a gunshow a few months ago and spotted a left-hand bolt action (am right handed but shoot left handed cause am left-eye dominant). Tikka T3 Lite, stainless steel, beautiful shape, smooth as a baby's behind...30-06 Springfield..dont like the caliber..I put it back and the guy behind the counter tells me $399..well, is one hell of a deal, but I am a 7mm guy, preferably a short action..so I put it down and walked away. Two days later I am kicking myself in the @$$ for turning down such a deal. So I decided to drop by the gun shop who was selling the gun (local guy) and pretend I did not know anything. Walk in, asked "Do you, by any chance, have any left handed bolt guns?".. the guy pulls the Tikka out and tells me "$350 including a box of ammo and a gun sock." Pulled out my credit card and took the rifle home. I had a local riflesmith install a Holland "Quick Discharge" muzzlebreak, so I went to the range to try out some handloads I put together from donated shells (different brands). Well, I get to the range and was shooting next to people with some very expensive equipment: HS Precision tactical rifles, Nightforce scopes...custom bases..THE WORKS. I proceeded to outshoot them with a hunting rifle sporting a pencil-thin factory barrel and handloads that were really not meant to be accurate. I shot 8 three shot groups under 1/2 moa (measured with a digital caliper "outside to outside" minus .308). At that time, the winds started to pick up and the new target stands my range uses started shaking (they use a flimpsy wood frame with legs that fit inside pvc pipes buried on the ground - a piece of cr@p system not good for serious target shooting). Anyway, at that time my groups opened up...to .6, still better than my buddies !!! I had heard a lot of good things about Tikkas, but I was not expecting to get this kind of accuracy from this gun. This will certainly not be my last Tikka. I will post pictures as soon as I receive a data cable for my Sony cybershot camera.
Nice going! Ain't it great when a good deal you missed out on becomes a super deal you take advantage of?
good job
Where do you find a deal like that?!! Was that price because it was left handed? Please PM me with info. I'd like to buy a rifle like that for sure!
Tikka is or was a part of sako I believe and have their distinctive very smooth action and good accuracy, congrats. and if you re-load their really aren't many calibers you can't mimic with the 06 by using different wt bullets.
