Tikka T3X TAC A1 vs Lite - Performance Comparison Review

[@jimjones9239]

The weight has to do with the chasis and the barrel profile, the T3x lite is a light profile barrel versus the medium profile of the TAC A1. A five shot group may be similar on both, but as the barrel heats up, the groups in the light will open up dramatically.

[@ridetillidieharleyyamaha4063]

Picked up my tikka t3x tac a1 308 the other day and now I know what the "TAC" in tikka t3x tac a1 means i thought it was short for " TACTICAL" But I was wrong its short for " TAC DRIVER" .... god bless you Tikka for making a precision super accurate long range rifle for the price it sells for .. Amen 🙏🏼

[@mwmag]

It's definitely an amazingly awesome and accurate rifle. Thanks for watching.

[@ericbutler856]

What's the difference in barrel thickness I was thinking about getting the lite and putting it in the chassis .do you think the lite barrel without heat up to much after 20 rounds

[@johnm8891]

Nice comparison and good shooting. You guys deserve more views.

[@mwmag]

Thanks John. Appreciate it. Thanks for watching.

[@kennethrutt7986]

I bet if you had a bipod on the Lite, and held the Lite the same way you held the TAC A-1, that your grouping would be indistinguishable between the two models.

[@robertpagel8951]

Dig this, I have a t-3 light in .308 stainless fluted barrel. Few years back I somehow got a boresnake jammed in my barrel nothing I could do to get it out. Carful not to damage the crown and bore. So I carry it to my local gunsmith, he checks it out and said yeah buddy this the worst I've ever seen, leave it with me and I'll call ya in a week or so. I get it back he said he had to pull out all the stops to get that snake out of the bore. Well I took it to the range and it shot about the same, lights out half to 3/4 moa. About six months later I put my first bore scope down the barrel and holy crap, it looks like machine chatter swirls about halfway down the bore. You'd think after seeing that it wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Since then I started reloading, put it in a chassis, better scope and I shot my first sub .5 minute group with it. The rifle is amazing. I will eventually te barrel her and put a heavy Palma barrel in it but hard to mess with something that still shoots as tight as it does. Only 2 pitfalls for me, barrel heats up to fast do to barrel diameter and its not threaded so I can't use my can. I smack tight groups right up there with the bench rest guys. With a mangled looking bore no less lol... love Tikkas

[@davecollins6113]

Bought the TAC first for a range gun. Added an Arca rail and a bag rider, scope, rings, sling & swivels, vertical grip, Yo Dave trigger spring. People complain about the zero deg rail, pull adjustability, mag pricing, all easily fixed other than the mag pricing, but, they are good mags. Can always change the buttstock if you really want to, or even go with a different chassis and mag system, it's your money, no shortage of accessories avail, but, it works pretty well for the money you pay, and has a lot of features you won't get elsewhere, without spending the same or more money. LIked it enough to buy a T3X lite, no real beefs with it other than I do prefer a hinged floorplate mag to DM's, that's just me. Both shoot the same with the same load, 5/8MOA, how can I argue with that, it gets exponentially harder to improve on that. I'd like to see the TAC with more cartridges available.

[@cptnscoob]

what vertical grip did you go with?

[@anthonysullivan4311]

Get a Tikka UPR and meet in the middle At 8lbs. Mine is in .308. Love it.

[@mathewinnes6931]

Thanks for doing the comparison!

[@damnedyankee5]

Thanks for the great video! Just picked up a 20” T3x .308 in Coyote Brown.

[@markn4526]

Interesting comparison. Would you say the Tikka T3x Compact Tactical is a compromise between the TAC A1 and the Lite?

[@mwmag]

Could definitely say that.

[@michaelhill6451]

I have a Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor and the accuracy is similar to the TAC A1. I think the major difference between the two is the stock. The TAC A-1 has a chassis and the CTR has plastic stock. That said, you can get a 24" Stainless CTR for ~$1,150, so it might be worth it to buy a CTR and upgrade to a chassis of your choosing instead of getting the TAC A1. The ~$1,000 price difference could buy you a really high end chassis. P.S. When you say the 300 yard targets are 0.5 inch MOA and 0.75 inch MOA, are the groups 0.5 in and 0.75 or 0.5 MOA and 0.75 MOA? 1 MOA is ~1 inch at 100 yards but ~3 inches at 300 yards.

[@mwmag]

Sorry. Sho I ld have been more clear about that. .05 a d 0.75 inch, not moa. Crazy huh?

[@michaelhill6451]

@@mwmag That is crazy. I’m not surprised though. Tikka makes a hell of a rifle. With a rifle that accurate you almost feel guilty shooting it because you're putting wear on the barrel.

[@darkmoonbeam666]

@@michaelhill6451 You can put between 2500 and 5000 rounds of 6.5CM down that barrel and still have 3/4" accuracy before you would consider to re-barrel it. Shooting slow and allowing it to cool between 5-to-10 shot strings will significantly improve barrel life.

[@michaelhill6451]

@@darkmoonbeam666 Yes, and I shoot that number of rounds in ~2-3 years.

[@snowplow7883]

Recommend putting a Simms vibration recoil pad on, especially for the boomer calibers… to improve the shooting experience… Simms makes a prefit one for the Tikka

[@andymann271]

TAC A1 has an ambidextrous magazine release but I'm not so sure about the ambidextrous safety you mentioned.

[@mouxi3439]

Hey just wondering why tac a1 still has a medium contour barrel, for the price they really should give it a proper heavy barrel

[@InSightFreedom]

Love my T3X TAC A1. Wish I had a Lite to go along with it. Not sure if I sub'd or if YT unsub'd me but I'm sub'd now for sure.

[@mwmag]

Awesome and thanks. Welcome to the midmagger community.

[@saloneju]

At the start of the video, KZbin autosubbing interpreted firing and reloading TAX A1 as [music], but firing and reloading Lite as [applause]. Crucial difference! 😂

[@DrInk-pl2ns]

I own the tac in 6.5 cm and the light in 7 rem mag. As a lefty especially I love them.

[@smody121]

Did you get both in lefty? Which do you prefer? I'm considering the TAC A1 or the CTR as a lefty, leaning towards the TAC but not sure if the massive premium is worth the cost difference.

[@Hunting_Grt_whiteNorth]

Hello Kirt, if you have not purchased your second tikka yet, I'd suggest a further consideration ( so you can achieve the best bang for the $) 😮 As such, look at the tikka t3x light in a 280 ackley improved combo in a light mdt stock. Esp if you want to play at 500 yards or more!

[@winstonskafte5505]

Well I would say the stainless varmint in 300 mag .

[@brisckets]

How about the barrel profile? The TAC A1 barrel looks thicker?

[@mwmag]

TAC A1 The cold-hammer-forged, 24-inch barrel has a 1-in-8-inch twist rate and a medium contour. The muzzle sports 5/8×24-tpi threading. LITE Mid contour barrel cold hammer forged wtih 5/8 x 24 muzzle thread As far as diameter, I do not have those numbers but TAC A1 is a bit larger in diameter. Thanks for watching.

[@razmikartashes9992]

Great comparison! How was the barrel heating on the lite compared to the Tac A1? I'm guessing you had wait longer in between shots with the lite?

[@mwmag]

Not too much but there was a difference. Lite got slightly hotter than TAC A1 but nothing substantial. Thanks for watching.

[@canoori]

If the action is the same, does that mean the only difference is the chassis? So you can just swap the stock and chassis and that’s it? If yes, then can i buy the lite for $800 and get MDT chassis for $500 and now i have an equivalent of Tac A1? Any info would help, completely new shooter here

[@Beebop-ow9ge]

Tac a1 comes with threaded barrel, muzzle brake, picatinny rail, and heavier barrel, but yes you could put together a budget precision rifle for less

[@ravenstylea2]

I wouldn't have shot a 300 yd target with the Lite if I didn't already get a solid zero with my 100 yd target SMH.

[@Hunting_Grt_whiteNorth]

So you're not accounting for the 6.5x55 actual case capacity. Not to mention, norma bullets are loaded to higher velocity. You should have run the numbers with 129 grain norma @ 2900 ft per sec. I'm just saying cause if you're going to compare the latest bullets, you should also compare the older rounds in the latest actions to keep it fair. Eg. The tikka T3x lite in 6.5x55

[@johnbooth3073]

He was using 6.5 Creedmore which is 6.5x 48.8. NOT 6.5x55 which is 6.5 Swedish.

[@robertjackson1407]

Thank you 😊

[@AllThingsLoud_]

Got a question. Which rifle would you get out of the cva cascade xt or weatherby vanguard 2 sporter as a first deer rifle? The vanguard is cheaper by like $40, has the walnut stock, and 24” barrel instead of 22” like the Cva. Think it’s only 6 oz heavier. The Cva does have a threaded and fluted barrel, and adj length of pull. I like em both and can’t decide.

[@mwmag]

That's totally a personal preference. These are both great guns with guaranteed SUB-MOA accuracy. Don't think you can go wrong with either of these as first deer rifle. Would have loved either of these rifles for my first. However, if I absolutely had to pick, I think the Weatherby would be my choice, but very close. But the choice should be yours. Hope that helps and thanks for watching.

[@Hunting_Grt_whiteNorth]

If you don't mind my input, I'd say get a 300 PRC cascade. You can always use reduced recoil rounds for deer & still have an increadable moose, bison & brown bear. If you only hunt deer than a Vanguard in 7mm-08, 257 weatherby mag or 25-06 would suit your needs, esp. if you pick up an aftermarket boyds A-one or thumb hole percision stock. A 6.5 PRC in either world be just as good.

[@AllThingsLoud_]

@@Hunting_Grt_whiteNorth I decided not to get one this year. I found a load that gets moa in my sfar and plan to use it for my hunting this season.

[@fabianvaras1273]

Yes Sr I got my last tikka on 6.5 creedmoor in bull barrel shoots light out

[@mwmag]

It's awesome isn't it. Love it! Thanks for watching.

[@acushley1]

I think the price difference is bigger than the weight difference! Correct me if I'm wrong, but the barrel contour is different with the TAC A1 being a heavier barrel, so it's not just the difference in stock. Does the TAC A1 come with a muzzle brake? At the price point I find the TAC A1 kind of dissappointing with its buffer tube style but-stock design and it's really hard to believe there is no length of pull adjustment and only a cheap fixed cheek piece at this price point. I think I'd rather start with a T3X Lite or CTR and then get a better chassis.

[@Salty-Frenchy]

the chassis is pretty good though, the cheek piece is adjustable and the stock is a really tight foldable stock... but yeah I agree there doesn't seem like there is much difference between the synthetic stocks and the chassis. But I think it's more of a testament of their synthetic stocks that seem basic but are pretty rigid and allow a great accuracy even with a light stock. That may illustrate also that the quality of the action and barrel are what is the more important in a rifle and not that much the chassis or stock unless you have a completely crappy one... Anyway that's why I went with a 20" CTR inox with adjustable cheek piece in 308, great rifle, compact light 10 rnd mag and basically same performance than a chassis gun without having to drag it's 10 pounds around...

[@darkmoonbeam666]

The TAC A1 comes with a threaded barrel and a very effective muzzle brake, some shims and spacers for your LOP, and the cheek riser is nicely coated. You can put any Magpul grips and accessories on it. The action is super smooth and the overall build quality is exceptional for a factory rifle.

[@acushley1]

@@darkmoonbeam666 the barreled actions are great, but the TAC A1 chassis is junk. Much better off getting a CTR and buying a higher quality aftermarket chassis, and muzzle brake (if you don’t have one, or a suppressor already)

[@ttss5726]

Love my tac a1 im so glad i dont have to pay those crazy prices for weapons walked out with my tac a1 for 1650 the mark up is on them is crazy at 2100 to 2200. Hint hint the lower number is dealer pricing where i am….. and its a one women shop and she doesnt sell any where close to what big and fancy shops sell.

[@frankzhandamo]

Where can I get that price? Lowest I can find online is 1850

[@giddyupmofo1277]

In Australia they are 5k

[@davestynes]

Another main differences are the tac 1 has the top end sako barrel fitted and the lite is the cheaper tikka which with it been thinner does it does warm quickly when rapid firing 👍

[@miheadhurts]

The barrels are made in the same factory.

[@ttss5726]

@@miheadhurtsthat means nothing where its made the fact is the tac has the sakko barrel vs the lessor made barrel on the light.

[@halfdollar86]

@moheadhurts is correct. Sako makes all Tikka rifles/ barrels. The main difference is profile and contour. The barrel isn’t more accurate because Sako made it. Because they make the sporter barrels as well. It’s more accurate because it’s a heavier profile out of a platform that has been built for accuracy.

[@Salty-Frenchy]

yeah the barrels are the same except for contour, I have a tikka CTR with medium contour that is exactly the same as the tacA1

[@jonnc.5364]

Wonder how the lite would shoot with a two stage trigger in a different chassis? Would be tempted due to price difference.

[@marcatkinson5187]

T3x Tac in 6.5 here.... First shot out if the box, before zeroing at 100..,. Hit a lemon at 750 yards. Blew me away.

[@LooxJJ]

When you tikataka with a Tika, you can tic the tack off the ticks like Touka.

[@mwmag]

Lol. Thanks for watching.

[@derricksmoothy4392]

Say that really fast😂😂😂🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾

[@giorgikaishauri8615]

A1 has an adjustable trigger, I'm not sure about the Lite trigger.

[@ttss5726]

Which was mentioned in the video more then once

[@proaquatics4005]

Can the lite be put into the tac A1 chassis?

[@dongkumong]

That opening section with the dramatic music was dorky as hell.

[@xinhongtong4357]

so is it worth 3x the price?

[@mwmag]

Honestly, not if you don't have the money. They are equally great guns and will be great for hunting. So the real answer would be it depends on your preference and budget.

[@ridetillidieharleyyamaha4063]

Well its been about a year now and I'll stand by mu earlier statment its a tac driver at a awesome price its top quality and anyone that loves a bit of long range varmit busting your missing out , ive even been carrying my t3x tac a1 all over the hills she a bit heavy but if you have a bit of grit in you you'll be just fine

[@KevinWood44]

are the barrel contours the same??

[@jonbirchall4665]

What’s the point in doing a side by side comparison and free handing it off a bench. The TAC is bound to shoot more accurately with the way you were cradling the stock but the Lite was completely unsupported (unless I have missed something). Waste of your own time and ammunition and everyone else’s.

[@johnbooth3073]

No it’s not! It shows that if you can shoot straight you don’t need a bipod ( but it helps).

[@Ace-wu4zm]

You would wanna hope theres a difference

[@Eric-bh7jy]

5lbs extra to carry around sucks for hiking around hunting.

[@sgav8r]

No… the Lite (while great) is simply NOT going to be capable of the same repeatable accuracy as the TAC A1. To believe different is to be fooling oneself.

[@Guide504]

Not a reasonable test your right elbow was floating for the hunting rifle.

[@johnbooth3073]

Consistently floating, that’s amazing shooting at 300 m . Most people can’t get that group with a bipod.