Tikka T3 Lite .270 questions

[MrFiveDime]

Thanks to a fellow CalGunner, I picked up my first bolt action rifle, a brand new Tikka T3 Lite chambered in .270 at an amazing price! I cant wait to pick it up (good ol' 10 day waiting period), add a scope and put some rounds through it to familiarize myself with it. I plan on hunting with it, which I am also new at. With that said, I have a couple questions...Thanks in advance.

1. What is recommended for cleaning of the barrel, cloth patches or a Bore Snake?

2. I read on another CG thread that this rifle has a thin barrel, which is fine for hunting but not so much for target shooting as it gets hot pretty much after the first round is fired. Obviously, I won't be rapid firing, but do I need to worry about the barrel getting too hot and possibly cause damage or anything?

Any other suggestions/recommendations surrounding the Tikka T3 Lite (Blued barrel) are greatly appreciated.

[SMarquez]

A rod, brush and swab will get your bore cleaner than a bore snake.

The hunter profile barrel will hold for probably 3 shots. You won't hurt anything but your consistency. Try some Sako ammo for .270. I shot some Sako 156gr. Hammerhead from my Tikka in 6.5 Swede and got 1" groups. I got really good groups from the Sako .223 stuff from my AR and from a Remington 783.

[FishnHunt]

The tikka will eat anything. No need for premium ammo for getting trigger time.
You can do more than 3 shots and still get good groups.

[roostersgt]

Good groups for hunting purposes are much more forgiving than competition shooting. It's a fine hunting rifle. Put a Leupold scope on it and call it good. Nothing wrong with the VX-1 line, especially for the sale price, after rebate, at Cabelas right now. $149 after rebate with lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

[Divernhunter]

You have a great rifle. I usually shoot 5 shot groups when I am testing and the 3 I have group all 5 super good. Tikka's group most ammo well.
Just do not let the barrel get hotter than you can hold it in your hand and no harm will come to it.
Put a Leupold 3X9X40 or 3.5X10X40 duplex reticle, Non-AO scope on it sighted in 2.75" high at 100 yards and hold on animal for any shot you get and you will have meat in the freezer.
Get a Claw sling and a Limbsaver direct replacement recoil pad for it and you are set for life. You might also pick up a spare mag for it.

[FishnHunt]

+1 on the leupold. Stores like optics planet have 10% coupon so that's another 20$ off. I'm more of a 2.5-10 kinda guy. But 3-9 is just about a perfect hunting scope.
No BDC, get turrets for your caliber and 270 will reach out there.
I get the 2.75" high at hundred to get a good MPBR. That has to be close to 300? Yard zero.
my 270 is .5" high at hundred and that's 150 yard 0 and it's about 1" low at 200.
I know I'm good for 200 as straight As it gets off hand. Anything further you usually have time to adjust. To each his own. Most of my kills are with in that range.
I recommend talley or dnz rings. Nothing wrong with factory, but you don't want to re sight twice.
+1 on limb saver, and I like the safari sling, but also have a regular swing.

[MrFiveDime]

A rod, brush and swab will get your bore cleaner than a bore snake.
The hunter profile barrel will hold for probably 3 shots. You won't hurt anything but your consistency. Try some Sako ammo for .270. I shot some Sako 156gr. Hammerhead from my Tikka in 6.5 Swede and got 1" groups. I got really good groups from the Sako .223 stuff from my AR and from a Remington 783.

Interesting but makes perfect sense. I guess it's time to buy a rod, brush and patches. Thanks.

Good groups for hunting purposes are much more forgiving than competition shooting. It's a fine hunting rifle. Put a Leupold scope on it and call it good. Nothing wrong with the VX-1 line, especially for the sale price, after rebate, at Cabelas right now. $149 after rebate with lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

Sounds like 'Leupold' scopes are the consensus for hunting rifles from what I've been researching. I don't have a Cabela's nearby, but Bass Pro is running the same sale and I have a BPS less than 30 min away...PLUS I have a $100 BPS Gift Card I've been saving, perfect time to use it now!

You have a great rifle. I usually shoot 5 shot groups when I am testing and the 3 I have group all 5 super good. Tikka's group most ammo well.
Just do not let the barrel get hotter than you can hold it in your hand and no harm will come to it.
Put a Leupold 3X9X40 or 3.5X10X40 duplex reticle, Non-AO scope on it sighted in 2.75" high at 100 yards and hold on animal for any shot you get and you will have meat in the freezer.
Get a Claw sling and a Limbsaver direct replacement recoil pad for it and you are set for life. You might also pick up a spare mag for it.

Thanks, I'm super excited! Appreciate the info, will look into a 'Claw sling' and the 'Limbsaver' pad. Agree, for the price of a mag, definitely worth picking an extra one up just in case...

+1 on the leupold. Stores like optics planet have 10% coupon so that's another 20$ off. I'm more of a 2.5-10 kinda guy. But 3-9 is just about a perfect hunting scope.
No BDC, get turrets for your caliber and 270 will reach out there.
I get the 2.75" high at hundred to get a good MPBR. That has to be close to 300? Yard zero.
my 270 is .5" high at hundred and that's 150 yard 0 and it's about 1" low at 200.
I know I'm good for 200 as straight As it gets off hand. Anything further you usually have time to adjust. To each his own. Most of my kills are with in that range.
I recommend talley or dnz rings. Nothing wrong with factory, but you don't want to re sight twice.
+1 on limb saver, and I like the safari sling, but also have a regular swing.

Thanks for the 'rings' info, I'll look into those.

The tikka will eat anything. No need for premium ammo for getting trigger time.
You can do more than 3 shots and still get good groups.

Any recommendations on ammo for sighting in the scope once I get it?

[SMarquez]

Good groups for hunting purposes are much more forgiving than competition shooting. It's a fine hunting rifle. Put a Leupold scope on it and call it good. Nothing wrong with the VX-1 line, especially for the sale price, after rebate, at Cabelas right now. $149 after rebate with lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

Good call, I have a VX-I sitting on my Tikka. I wish I had found Tikkas along time ago.

[FishnHunt]

Different ammo shoots little different in different guns..
But I've noticed my 06 tikka shoots any ammo almost the same as my premium ammo. even the cheapest stuff from wallmart is the same as my TTSX at 100 yards.
For me...you can to shoot the blue box federals or what ever you want and you'll see what your gun likes. I like cheap ammo to get on paper and to sighted it in.
Then try your hunting premium ammo and see the difference.

[ar15barrels]

Any recommendations on ammo for sighting in the scope once I get it?

Sight in the rifle with the ammo you intend to hunt with.

[lewdogg21]

If you want to hunt in CA the entire state will be lead free in 2019, large areas of the southern part of the state are lead free now. Thus invest in some Barnes TTSX 110 or 130 grain bullets and use those to hunt with. The other advice above is spot on.

I bought t3 lite in 270 last year.

[BigBamBoo]

The hunter profile barrel will hold for probably 3 shots.

I will dig out a picture of my T3 Lite and targets shot back to back to back. In a matter min.s.

I would not own a rifle...hunting or any other type of rifle....that would only shoot 3 rounds before being inaccurate. YMMV.


Here ya go. Five, 5 shot groups shot in 10 minutes.

upload gif from url

imagen

.

[SMarquez]

I will dig out a picture of my T3 Lite and targets shot back to back to back. In a matter min.s.

I would not own a rifle...hunting or any other type of rifle....that would only shoot 3 rounds before being inaccurate. YMMV.


Here ya go. Five, 5 shot groups shot in 10 minutes.

upload gif from url

imagen

.

Maybe its just me but I can get 3 in an inch and then my groups open. Not horrible groups, they just start to open past an inch. Hardly an inaccurate rifle even if you could get the barrel hot enough.

[BigBamBoo]

Hard to say. Could be flinching, loading the bipod (if using one) differently, different grip on the rifle, or any number of shooting fundamentals.

Or, something with the rifle. But three shots is really nothing as far as heating up a rifle barrel to the point of thermal shift.

Again, I have a few hunting (slim barrel) rigs and they will shoot multiple back to back groups without any noticeable opening up of groups.

But hey....in a hunting rig, the first shot is the important one. So if it goes into the bullseye every time for the first ****. Your GTG.

.

[NaClAddict]

Limbsaver first. It makes it a whole new (better) rifle.

Leupold 3-9x40. VX whatever you can afford. Gold ring preferable.

Claw sling.

2.75" high at 100 yds sounds right. Look at Chuck Hawks's ballistic table to understand trajectory. Also if hunting research and understand why you need to shoot low when aiming up or downhill. Animal in the crosshairs is no time to be making calculations or second guesses.

Sight in with lead. Dial in with copper. Shoot both for practice. I'll usually shoot lead and then a little copper just for reaffirmation. Cleaning is overrated. Clean with patches until accuracy drops off. Then use a brush and copper solvent if necessary.