Tikka T3X Lite Roughtech

Sneaking around to the other side of my horse, I pulled the Tikka out of the scabbard as we readied for the hunt. I had grabbed the lead ropes of my hunting partners’ horses, handing them their rifles before taking care of my own horse and gear. As I tied Ralph’s horse, I heard him whisper his rifle was jammed and the bolt wouldn’t raise. It’s not the first time I’d been with a hunter who’d had difficulty with their rifle due to the cold.

Then, I heard Jason struggling with his rifle. “My safety won’t move,” he whispered. I walked over just as Jason managed to drive his safety forward, crank his bolt open and chamber a round. Next, Ralph had his bolt moving finally. Thoughts of the wet snow and freezing temperatures ran through my mind. The snow’s already piling up on my saddle and my hat and I caught myself hoping my rifle would run smoothly. With temperatures below freezing, metal is the first thing to seize up, and that’s just what had happened to Ralph and Jason’s rifles.

Standing beside my horse, I flicked the safety forward on my rifle, tapping the large handle of the bolt up and back — just as smooth as butter on a hot day in Miami. I closed the bolt, engaged the safety and slung the rifle over my shoulder remembering how much I enjoyed using Tika rifles. With full confidence in my rifle, I was ready to hike through the two-feet of fresh powder. The game was afoot, literally.

Lite Rifle

After traveling to the Sako/Tikka plant in Finland a few years back, one of the things I’ve raved about is their bolt action rifles. They’re some of the smoothest around. And, when looking for a Tikka to hunt big game during spot-and-stalk hunts in the high country of Colorado, weight and caliber are the first things coming to mind.

Just as the name suggests, the Tikka T3X Lite Roughtech rifle is lightweight. The rifle weighs in at just under 6-1/2 lbs. (before mounting a scope or adding a sling) and has an overall length of 42-1/2″. My decision was sound, as it feels good on my shoulder as I hike up and down the mountains during the nine-day hunting season.

One quality likely not occurring to many hunters is how a heavy rifle will weigh down a hunter’s saddle, causing the saddle to “roll” or slide sideways on the horse’s back. When we’re using a horse as our means of transportation during a hunt, we don’t want a rolled saddle as it’s hard on the horse and the rider, who has to constantly make adjustments as they ride.

With the Tikka rifle stowed in a saddle-scabbard, my horse and I jockeyed up and down the Colorado mountains’ steep terrain comfortably. Whether you’re on foot or on a horse, treacherous topography requires balance, and any off-center weight might throw you and your gear to the side. I found the lightweight Tikka rifle to be an able companion on my hunts.

Scoping It

Since I managed to find a lightweight rifle, I selected what might be quite an upgrade in optics for the humble .270 Win. caliber I chose. The T3x model rifles have extra screw holes on top of the receiver, so mounting a scope like the slightly brawny Steiner GS3 4-20×50 with plex reticle required no modification or additional parts. Never shy away from spending money on good optics!

A fluted bolt and barrel additionally lend to the T3x Lite’s slight design, and I like the look of the worked steel. This precision rifle has a 1:20″ rate of twist and I spent some time at the range testing ammunition to see which rounds the barrel favors. I found the Norma Professional Hunter Medium Game 140-grain load won the competition handily, showing great hunting accuracy.

In addressing the issue of recoil in a light rifle, the T3x comes with a muzzle brake. Tikka also designed a large, contoured recoil pad for recoil absorption. The length of pull is 13.2″, but the rifle comes with additional spacers to customize it to fit you exactly.

The Action

The Finnish bolt runs smoothly; opening, closing and locking without a second thought. Things can get exciting in a hurry when you’re hunting. Once you make your shot, you want to run the bolt, cycling in a fresh round fast and this smoothness helps things along. The wide, angular ejection port and spring-loaded plunger ejector adds to the peace of mind.

The Tikka stainless-steel bolt has a two-locking lug-system, and the stainless construction performs well in all weather conditions. With a large bolt-handle allowing for a 70-degree opening angle, it’s easy to grip even when you’re wearing winter gloves.

Hunting with the Tikka

Opening morning we headed up the trail to a secret spot where I hoped to see my daughter tag another buck. She’s experienced, so there’s not much coaching involved. We watch through the fog and see movement at the top of the meadow. I raise my binoculars, making the call at 415 yards. She settles in and squeezes the trigger. I watch through my binoculars as she takes her longest shot on a big game animal — and the buck goes down.

Street price: Around $1,000

Tikka.fi

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