Tikka T3 Stock problems

[Ripper Bloke]

Hi there
Got new Tikka T3 forest blued 243. after being away from hunting for several years. thinking Tikka was the best of the Cheap and nasties out there.
Being old school I thought I'd give the wood stock a good oiling as the stock seemed bland. so put a bit of paint tripper on the stock to rid the varnish.
what I found was basically a reject stock. a black wood knot in the centre of the pistol grip with hair line cracks running up both sides of the stock up to both sides of the receiver area. It is obvious has had a coating of synthetic wood to hide imperfections and faults, Barretta here in Australia tried to palm me off with it's only wood grain and my rifle has been sitting in the gun shop still waiting in the gun shop for the last 2 months :banghead:waiting for Barretta to get off there butt to send a replacement. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar problem with their Tikka wooden stocks? or if they are actually aware of any problem as these oil stocks are coated with a silicon wood which hides the true state of the stocks. Shows the quality control and what Tikka/Sako think about their customers.

It makes me question how safe are these cheap economical rifles are?
most of them seem to have serious safety issues.
And these are with new rifles so what happens in 5 - 10 years down the track with wear and tare. Should they come with a use by date?
Should governments be enforcing some minimum safety standards on manufacturers to rid the market of these deposable firearms that have flooded the market

it's sad to see how Sako has denigrated the Tikka brand since taking control of the Tikka company.

 

[jmr40]

I stopped using wood stocks over 30 years ago. Tikka makes one of the better synthetics and all of their wood stocks are made of some of the worst wood I've ever seen. Even cheap synthetics are better in every way. Wood just can't compete with the better synthetics, and while not top end the Tikka synthetic is better than most. There are lots of take off factory Tikka synthetics floating around used on Gunbroker, e-bay etc cheap.

 

[RainDodger]

I have a Tikka Forest in .30-'06. The stock is fine, and it has an oil finish. Nope, it's not a gorgeous piece of wood, but it is totally functional. In fact, my Tikka is extremely accurate. I was very pleasantly surprised when I took it to the range the first time. I wouldn't call it a cheap rifle by any means, if you're referring to the way it shoots.

In fact, it doesn't shoot any different than my heavy barrel Sako L579, and the trigger is every bit as nice, right out of the box. Plastic parts or not, it is a very tough and accurate rifle. I've had no stock problems (or any other problems) at all.

 

[loosehorse]

I have a wood stocked Hunter in 6.5x55 that I love.
The wood is not real pretty but it looks fine.
when the stock removed it looks good underneath.
And it is a very accurate rifle.
I am not sure there are quality control issues now but I am on the lookout
For another Tikka. As for Ripper Bloke's issue maybe beretta should send him a
Synthetic stock? Good luck!

 

[ngnrd]

...It makes me question how safe are these cheap economical rifles are?
most of them seem to have serious safety issues.
...

By all means, please substantiate this claim, Ripper.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I've got several Tikka's & have had some since the Whitetail Hunter days. Beretta, yeah their customer service/warranty has a well deserved reputation for being third-world shoddy compared to companies like Ruger, Dillon, and RCBS. But the guns themselves sure seem to be fine by me.

900F

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Have a synthetic stock Tikka T3 Lite in .270 Winchester and it is by far the most accurate rifle I've ever shot. I am kinda young (28yrs old) so I didn't get used to the amazing wood that others have gotten. The Tikka's stock is definitely nicer than other synthetic stocks I've touched. OP you can just get an aftermarket stock it won't be cracked and will be nicer than you think that your stock is.

 

[Fremmer]

Or I think you can just apply epoxy inside the cracks, sand it, and then add a varnish finish to protect and seal the wood from the elements. Buff it up and it might look nice. As long as she shoots...

I agree it sounds like cheap wood, but cheap wood stocks have worked for a long time on a lot of rifles. It may be a quality control issue, but I don't think it is a safety issue.

 

[JeffDilla]

most of them seem to have serious safety issues.

Is that so? Please enlighten us.

 

[downunderhunter]

I have a Tikka T3 Hunter stainless in .308 and it is a beautiful rifle that shoots way beyond my skill level. In fact, just last Friday I dropped the hammer on 30 of my first hand loads and by some miracle it shot SUB-MOA! I have never owned a gun that cost more than $1500 so I don't have much experience with quality of wood but I can honestly say that my stock is both beautiful and functional.

IMHO, replace the plastic bolt cap - the only bad part i've found - with a machined one (~$50) before it cracks and, at least in the .308, replace the recoil pad with a limbsaver (#10011). Mine is now incredibly fun to shoot and will knock down anything here in Australia.

Tikka's are made by Sako. The quality is right up there. I would definitely not put them into the cheap and nasty category, not even at the top.

YMMV.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Ripper, check out Tikkapreformance.com, Greg and or Jason are great peoples and they offer aftermarket stocks for your rifle from a traditional hunting style to light benchrest to thumbhole and tactical.

They also have the much needed oversized recoil lugs (for you magnum guys) and several different styles of shrouds.
Everything one needs to trick-out ones Tikka!

A LOT of woodden stocks that are overfinished have small hairline cracks, sometimes everywhere,(that's why they are overfinished) these are, for the most part harmless and will not affect your rifles safety or preformance.

Oh BTW, good luck with our friends at Berretta's Cust. serv.:banghead: