# Custom Tikka T3



## avidhunter20 (Jan 29, 2019)

I'm still pretty new to the area but I'm looking to customize my tikka t3 .270. I want to put a different barrel and stock on it. It shoots great as it is but I'm wanting to make it lighter. I thought about just selling it and buying the superlight but of course they don't offer it in .270 for lefties so this will do. Does anyone recommend a gun smith around Ogden or even as Salt Lake and surrounding areas.


----------



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Just mildly curious, how much weight do you think you can trim off the thing and to what end. Seems to me that a few oz one way of the other won't make much difference at the end of the day. 
I'd think long and hard before I handed a perfectly good shooting rifle over to some gunsmith to dismantle and rebuild. In short what you would be buying is a completely new rifle. You're going to spend a ton of money with no promises or guarantees of what you're going to get back.
Maybe if you want a custom rifle, buy a nice action, take it to your favorite smith along with a stack of hunnies and turn him loose.


----------



## avidhunter20 (Jan 29, 2019)

BPturkeys said:


> Just mildly curious, how much weight do you think you can trim off the thing and to what end. Seems to me that a few oz one way of the other won't make much difference at the end of the day.
> I'd think long and hard before I handed a perfectly good shooting rifle over to some gunsmith to dismantle and rebuild. In short what you would be buying is a completely new rifle. You're going to spend a ton of money with no promises or guarantees of what you're going to get back.
> Maybe if you want a custom rifle, buy a nice action, take it to your favorite smith along with a stack of hunnies and turn him loose.


Well I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of a custom rifle but I don't have a favorite smith because as I said I'm new to the area. I am no expert on gunsmithing but could one not use the same tikka action that's already in it. And as far as shedding weight I'm not sure how much weight I would shed, a lighter stock and a fluted barrel wouldn't be a massive change, but it would be a change nonetheless. I understand it wouldn't be cheap and may not make sense to some. I was just asking for a reputable gunsmith that I can bring up these kind of questions to and see what I'm looking at. The whole idea came from research and apparently customizing tikkas is pretty common. I was originally looking at investing in one of weatherbys new backcountry rifles in .257 which aren't cheap but I figured I see what I can do with my .270 first since I have so much love for the cartridge.


----------



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Got ya. Try SubM.O.A in Henefer, Ut. Not sure of contact info but Google him up.


----------



## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

What does your Tikka weight? I assume around 7 pounds without scope? If its close to 7 pounds your looking at spending a bunch of money to maybe shave 6 oz off the weight. Fluting a barrel and bolt plus skeletonizing the bolt handle removes very little weight. Chances are a custom stock will weight more then your current stock due to there nature. Your best place to look at weight savings is the scope and mounts, big high magnification scopes add ounces along with steel rings and mounts, you could probably drop 6 ounces of weight by using light weight rings and a light weight 3x9 or 4x12 power scope.

If the weight really bothers you I would look at a new light weight rifle which will still be in the 6 pound range.

As for asking a gun smith these questions good luck. You will need to find one that specializes in custom light weight rifles and even then will you know your getting the best bang for your bucks. Best to do your own research, all the info you need is out there on the web. 

First thing you should do is take your rifle apart and weight the stock, scope rings, scope mount, scope and barreled action so you have numbers to compare to when researching new stocks and other components.

I went through this last year with my old Win model 70 Sporter 7mm RM. Rifle weighted in at 9.5 pounds with wood stock and 4x16 scope in 30 year old Leopold rings. I researched the heck out of how to reduce weight and in the end decided that I would be looking at trimming less then 6 ounces off the steel for about a $1000 bill. All the stocks I looked at were the same weight or just a few ounces less and started at about $500. Conclusion I came to was I could purchase a nice light weight rifle for the $1500 it would take to lighten up the old 7mm a few ounces. As luck would have it one day on the KSL classifieds I ran across someone selling a factory original Win synthetic stock that fit my rifle. The stock is nothing fancy, heck its at least a 20 year old stock. Picked it up for $150 and was able to bring the rifle weight down to 8 pounds.


----------



## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

Here's a few lightweight Tikka stock options:

Wildcat stocks (Canada)
Manners
AG composite
McMillan


----------



## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

get a wildcat or this:
https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/mesa-precision-arms-carbon-fiber-altitude-stock.120083/

don't spend money on a new barrel unless you've put more than 5,000-10,000 rounds through your factory bbl. there are upgrades but honestly you don't have to do much to a tikka to make it shoot well. typically you buy it, load it and shoot it.

if you want lighter, look into a kimber hunter and hope you get a good one.


----------



## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I wouldn’t bother- you probably wouldn’t save much weight by swapping stocks. At least not enough to make me want to spend $300-600. You’re already using a sporter contour, so I wouldn’t expect to save weight by swapping barrels (even by going carbon fiber wrapped).


----------



## avidhunter20 (Jan 29, 2019)

BPturkeys said:


> Got ya. Try SubM.O.A in Henefer, Ut. Not sure of contact info but Google him up.


Ill check them out, thanks.


----------



## avidhunter20 (Jan 29, 2019)

APD said:


> get a wildcat or this:
> https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/mesa-precision-arms-carbon-fiber-altitude-stock.120083/
> 
> don't spend money on a new barrel unless you've put more than 5,000-10,000 rounds through your factory bbl. there are upgrades but honestly you don't have to do much to a tikka to make it shoot well. typically you buy it, load it and shoot it.
> ...


I wouldnt mind a kimber but they dont make rifles for lefties, i think im just going to end up getting the new weatherby backcountry in .257, ive always wanted a .257 and while its obviously not needed when i have a .270 one can never have too many guns.


----------



## avidhunter20 (Jan 29, 2019)

muddydogs said:


> What does your Tikka weight? I assume around 7 pounds without scope? If its close to 7 pounds your looking at spending a bunch of money to maybe shave 6 oz off the weight. Fluting a barrel and bolt plus skeletonizing the bolt handle removes very little weight. Chances are a custom stock will weight more then your current stock due to there nature. Your best place to look at weight savings is the scope and mounts, big high magnification scopes add ounces along with steel rings and mounts, you could probably drop 6 ounces of weight by using light weight rings and a light weight 3x9 or 4x12 power scope.
> 
> If the weight really bothers you I would look at a new light weight rifle which will still be in the 6 pound range.
> 
> ...


Thanks for reply, i am probably just going to end up purchasing another rifle and adding to the collection.


----------



## tshuntin (Jul 13, 2008)

If you decide you want to turn your tikka into something different (different stock and barrel), as others have said, you aren’t likely to save much weight, but if you want to do it anyway, Garret Preece of Preece Precision is your man. He is in Ogden.


----------

