# Firearms and Shooting > Projects and Home Builds >  Tikka T3 SS Superlight - Pimped

## KiwiinSeattle

Tikka TS SS Superlight .223 REM

Purchased in the US with a factory fluted barrel

I added:
Bolt fluting
Bell and Carlson Medalist stock
Warne Maxima SS rings
Leupold VX1 3-9x40 LR duplex scope
New bolt handle with oversized knob
Steel bolt shroud



I have no idea how this shoots because I have been catching up at work after a month down South over Christmas and New Year !!

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## Toby

Looks pretty nice

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## sakokid

its upside down!  its not really a tikka anymore tho is it?

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## KiwiinSeattle

There is a common saying over here.
_You can put lipstick and a dress on a pig . . . . but it is still a pig !_

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## Nibblet

> There is a common saying over here.
> _You can put lipstick and a dress on a pig . . . . but it is still a pig !_


She made a real good breakfast the morning after though....... Sheep, pigs, they all love the same.

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## Rushy

> She made a real good breakfast the morning after though....... Sheep, pigs, they all love the same.


Spoken like a true Kiwi

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## Timmay

was pissing me off

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## kiwijames

VX1?

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## Nibblet

Thanks Timmay.

"Anti-gravity mode disabled".

That bolt handle looks pretty robust, good grip in an oil spill. Love the look of bolt fluting.

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## Matt2308

> There is a common saying over here.
> _You can put lipstick and a dress on a pig . . . . but it is still a pig !_


I'll bet that pig shot MOA easily even before the mods though!  Seems almost all the T3's do straight out of the box.  They may not be expensive or to everyone's tastes but they're functional and damn accurate!

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## kimjon

Looks cool. 

I've been toying with making something similar in .223 as my main work rifle is shot out and long overdue for replacement. Only thing I don't like about the tikka is that you can't top load bullets inot the mag and the flush fitting mags don't hold enough (bullets)...but maybe some time on the milling machine could fix this issue by installing a rem700 BDL type mag box?

Q: Whats it weigh as you have it set up? Does the B&C stock add weight, or reduce weight?

kj

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## Happy

> Q: Whats it weigh as you have it set up? Does the B&C stock add weight, or reduce weight?
> 
> kj


The BC stocks are heavier than original but its actually a good thing as it tightens the whole gun up it certainly made this gun a heap more accurate and reduced felt recoil some as well.



4.2 or 4.3 Kgs without Bi Pod so manage to carry.

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## KiwiinSeattle

Some specs:
T3 Superlight - ex factory 5lbs 13oz / 2.64kg (per the MFR tag)
B&C stock 34oz / 965g 
Factory stock 25oz / 720g

The B&C stock adds 9oz / 255g approx.

My pimped T3 as pictured 7lb 8oz / 3.4kg

The scope is a Leupold VX1 newer model with finger adjustable turrets in lieu of the older slot type that required a coin or screw driver. Looks like the same turrets as the Redfield Revolution that is made by Leupold in the US - not to be confused with the Redfield Revenge that are made somewhere else.

I won't claim these weights are exact. I used an inexpensive kitchen scale !

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## Happy

> Some specs:
> T3 Superlight - ex factory 5lbs 13oz / 2.64kg (per the MFR tag)
> B&C stock 34oz / 965g 
> Factory stock 25oz / 720g
> 
> The B&C stock adds 9oz / 255g approx.
> 
> My pimped T3 as pictured 7lb 8oz / 3.4kg
> 
> ...


Is the bolt fluting done simply to reduce weight or what other benefits does that offer ? Your gun looks awesome too !!!

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## KiwiinSeattle

> Is the bolt fluting done simply to reduce weight or what other benefits does that offer ? Your gun looks awesome too !!!


The bolt fluting may have taken a few grams off but there is no practical reason. Put it down to vanity. Some will also say that the fluting will trap dust and debris. A valid point but I have no plans to take this one (.223 REM) into the bush so I am not too concerned. Thanks for the comments.

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## Toby

Less friction?

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## Tahr

> Less friction?


Its more about fiction than friction.

I did read somewhere that the spiral fluting cuts through ice accumulated on the bolt. What the hey?

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## Pointer

That bolt handle!

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## JoshC

The fluting may have taken the weight off that you added on by putting that bolt knob on  :Grin: 

Never understood those big bolt knobs on a hunting rifle. Can't see anything practical about them.

Nice gun though mate, like the stock.

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## KiwiinSeattle

Someone mentioned ice . . There are some people who hunt in very cold temps over here and one theory is that the big bolt handle is easy to cycle when wearing gloves. NZ is blessed with a mild temperate climate for the most part so that may not be a consideration for many.

I got curious and weighed two Tikka T3 bolts.
Top - T3 .308, fluted with standard handle and shroud = 280 gms
Lower - T3, fluted with large bolt hand and steel shroud = 320 gms**

**the bolt knob is aluminium and the shroud is anodized steel - not aluminium

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## JoshC

Ok that makes sense. Thanks

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## Bill999

> Looks cool. 
> 
> I've been toying with making something similar in .223 as my main work rifle is shot out and long overdue for replacement. Only thing I don't like about the tikka is that you can't top load bullets inot the mag and the flush fitting mags don't hold enough (bullets)...but maybe some time on the milling machine could fix this issue by installing a rem700 BDL type mag box?
> 
> Q: Whats it weigh as you have it set up? Does the B&C stock add weight, or reduce weight?
> 
> kj


I honestly was thinking the same thing last night, the only short fall would be no top loading due to the tiny tikka ejection port. 
I was thinking more along the lines of a flush fitting double stack mag, 
due mainly to the fact that you cant load from the top, and that 3 shots isnt as ideal as 5

the other idea I had was just to use it as it is. I rarely use more than the second shot, so 1 + 3 is perfectly adequate. 
a top feed and double stack with a floor plate would right up my alley tho, for a few hundred more you can have a sako A7 which is basically as light with the top load option, but still the magizine feed

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## SenatorStocks

Real nice looking rig, the bolt does look great I reacon, should be a tac driver

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## Bagheera

The spiral fluting looks real nice but I wonder why not do it straight so the bolt slides smoother in and out ?  Or perpendicular into rings which might cope better with ice, for that matter ?

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## .22-250 everything

I love those b and c stocks. Could I bring one home in my luggage from the USA with no permits?

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## Kiwi Greg

> The spiral fluting looks real nice but I wonder why not do it straight so the bolt slides smoother in and out ?  Or perpendicular into rings which might cope better with ice, for that matter ?


I have a straight fluted 700 bolt that was done a while ago, it feels like crap to use compared to plenty of other spiral fluted ones I have.

The straight flutes pick up on the rounds in the mag....& mark them... :Oh Noes: 

I have my Barnard actions straight fluted, they are mint, but completely different being single shot competition actions.

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