First tikka build

[Nevrsummr]

I'm kinda leaning towards a bartlein in 3b or 4 contour with spiral flutes and let the needle on the scale land where it lands. 26" is a hard number however.

I built a 25" 3B with spiral flutes. Was surprised at how heavy it was. If i were to do it again i would go down to a #3. Thats for 7mm. Keep in mind the relation of the bore diameter to barrel diameter. With 6.5 you can go a little thinner profile and still have plenty of barrel thickness around it. Case in point. One day i got to hold a 26" 3B in 33xc. That felt really light compared to my 7mm.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

When a gun shoots like I want it to consistently, it seems to be plenty light in weight for some reason.
I'm not a mountain climbing extreme hiker though. Flatlander here.

 

[HuntnPack]

Do you happen to know what material the HCA magazines are made from?

Machined Aluminum. Very Nice stuff.
Mike built me a Nice Tikka in 6.5 Max.
Highly recommend his work.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

@HuntnPack yes sir they look to be quality

 

[bonie]

My 6.5 PRC with 143 ELDXs is a hammer, mines a Hells Canyon LR 26" using Staball HD near max load. 2992FPS at muzzle. Groups are less than 1/2 moa consistantly.

 

[7.62 Gunner]

I'm looking for yalls opinions on components for my first tikka build.

I currently have a T3x magnum bolt face "long" action.......thats it.

I've also decided on 6.5mm projectiles and have the cartridge mostly narrowed down to 6.5max or 6.5 mega. My goal is to have a 26" deer rifle that weighs about 10lbs ready to hunt.

I'm looking for recommendations on stocks, bottom metal, rings, bases etc

What mags are you tikka guys running to get the most internal magazine length? Who makes a great stock with a vertical grip that I don't have to wait till after the next election to get? Should I go with a CFW barrel to save weight or #2-#3 contour all steel with flutes?

Just looking for options and opinions and hopefully some first hand experience from the folks who have built off a tikka action.

Thanks in advance

I have a Tikka 6.5 saum with a 16" barrel, I'd go 24"if you don't plan on using a suppressor.

Use a factory contour steel barrel over CF, trust me it'll be extremely accurate if the quality is high.
I'm running a mountain tactical magazine and Talley one piece mounts.

For a stock give these a look
https://www.stockysstocks.com/stock...cks/carbon-fiber/tikka-t3/tikka-vg-61774.html

 

[DUCKMAN11]

I have a Tikka 6.5 saum with a 16" barrel, I'd go 24"if you don't plan on using a suppressor.

Use a factory contour steel barrel over CF, trust me it'll be extremely accurate if the quality is high.
I'm running a mountain tactical magazine and Talley one piece mounts.

For a stock give these a look
https://www.stockysstocks.com/stock...cks/carbon-fiber/tikka-t3/tikka-vg-61774.html

Why do you say go steel instead of CFW? And it's going to be 26" ..... im not a short barrel guy

 

[Phil Rizzo]

I thought 16" was a pistol….?

 

[tahoe1305]

I thought 16" was a pistol….?

Less than 16 need to be stockless or an SBR.

16" is the min rifle length.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Less than 16 need to be stockless or an SBR.

16" is the min rifle length.

Man I'm only kidding here.
I like long barrels to snag brush, bang off windows and get me some more get gone, though.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

Less than 16 need to be stockless or an SBR.

16" is the min rifle length.

There are ways around the SBR BS

 

[kdstitt]

Am I the only one that reads these threads and thinks... Do none of these people have electric or water bills to pay. I mean every other thread is about some $3k rifle build while they casually mention about 10 other $3k rifle builds. Am I the only chump hunting with factory rifles? And yes I am looking to build a custom rifle. Like once in a lifetime dream rifle... It's why I troll here. But in the meantime... Maybe not specific to just this thread but when I read all the comments... Who knew so many people built custom rifles, like once a year? Maybe I'm just Jealous that I don't have as much time to spend on just guns and shooting. (just a minor rant, not intended at anyone, more of self-awareness type post)

 

[pburton]

I am a steel barrel guy. I have never really liked the looks of the CF barrels, nor wanted the pay the extra cost for them. If you are looking for the rifle to be on the lighter side, I would go with a Bartlein #3 contour which is the same as a Benchmark or Brux #4 contour. (.660" at the muzzle at 26") and have it fluted. As far as stocks go, I like the Pure Precision (Mesa) stocks. I normally just use the factory bottom metal and mags. The Hells Canyon mags are very good though. I ran them on a 7 SAUM and it worked great.

 

[belldar]

Am I the only one that reads these threads and thinks... Do none of these people have electric or water bills to pay. I mean every other thread is about some $3k rifle build while they casually mention about 10 other $3k rifle builds. Am I the only chump hunting with factory rifles? And yes I am looking to build a custom rifle. Like once in a lifetime dream rifle... It's why I troll here. But in the meantime... Maybe not specific to just this thread but when I read all the comments... Who knew so many people built custom rifles, like once a year? Maybe I'm just Jealous that I don't have as much time to spend on just guns and shooting. (just a minor rant, not intended at anyone, more of self-awareness type post)

You sound like all my friends and family! Not a bad thing. Everyone is into something that helps them relax and enjoy life a bit more. To a lot of the regulars you are talking about here, that is our vise. Besides doing things with my family, firearms and outdoors are my life. Nothing better than trying out new things and helping others out along the way. Besides the cost of ammo, at least it's a hobby that you can possibly get some return on your investment. And not all of our rifles are 3k. I would say that is the median. Most builds are under that.