Impressions of the Tikka T1x rimfire rifle in 22LR

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Had a range trip with this new offering from the Finnish firearms company Sako/Tikka, and it seems to live up to this guarantee on the box (pictured below), which is impressive for a 22LR rifle at its pricepoint. Had a shootout with one of my reliable CZ rifles, a 455 Varmint, and it was nominally a draw, but the Tikka may have the edge as I get more rounds through it. I'll be posting some of these results below, but would be interested in learning some early experiences from other MDSers testing out this platform.
    ec0d8509968d32b96196790281622bab.jpg
    1011964bb749c0d9bc3f1ff02406ba86.jpg


    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Fidelity did you take out the barrel shoe horn or leave it in? I have read mixed results. Mine seems to shoot better with it out.

    I didn't know about this potential issue until you posted. After you did, I ran an Andrew Jackson under the barrel, and it stopped at the point in the picture. I'm guessing this where the shoe horn (or one end of it) is located? Do you have a pic of a disassembly by chance? I obviously shot with it in place.
    3352ff9c2d093573dfd0278fa3cb62c3.jpg


    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    gmharle

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 29, 2015
    824
    Millers, MD
    I didn't know about this potential issue until you posted. After you did, I ran an Andrew Jackson under the barrel, and it stopped at the point in the picture. I'm guessing this where the shoe horn (or one end of it) is located? Do you have a pic of a disassembly by chance? I obviously shot with it in place.

    It is super easy to remove. Just remove the action from the stock and there is just one single screw that holds the shoehorn in place. I can snap a photos of mine tomorrow. Here is a little more info.

    Tikka T1x shoehorn
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Tikka T1x vs CZ 455 Varmint 22LR shoot out

    I took the new Tikka rifle through its paces yesterday when we had unusually warm and sunny weather with mild breezes. I first thought my CZ 452 American might be a good foil to compare against because of its sporter rifle form, but I went with a CZ 455 Varmint because it had similar glass. The T1x has a Weaver Super Slam 3-15x 42mm scope whereas the 455 has a Weaver Grand Slam 4-16x 44mm optic. Both have adjustable parallax and a dual-X reticle. The 455 has been a consistent performer shooting sub 0.5 inch 5-shot groups at 50 yards if one feeds it certain manufacturer 22LR brands.

    The CZ 455 was possibly the better value, coming with threaded and interchangeable 22LR and 17HMR barrels as well as a walnut stock for approximately the same price as the plastic stock Tikka T1x.

    The T1x has a more modern design with a superior trigger and 60-degree bolt throw with a more efficient movement. It is a pleasure to manipulate the bolt and shoot it. The 455 has a higher bolt throw necessitating a higher scope mount. My 455 Varmint's trigger is actually quite good, but offers more resistance than the gentle break of the T1x. CZ has addressed some of these issues in their new 457 line, both the bolt throw and trigger, while retaining the convenience of easy barrel and caliber changes between 22LR, 17HMR, and 22WMR. There have been reports that some of the 457 rifles have firing pin or muzzle crown issues, but there have also been reports of terrific performance by the new 457 rifles as well.

    In performing a shooting comparison, both rifles were shot from a rest and used the same boxes of ammo.

    There are two concepts that one often reads about when perusing threads on rimfire rifles. One is the concept of "settling" the barrel, and the other is the related notion of "seasoning" the barrel. Both require rounds to be shot through the barrel. With settling, experienced shooters note that accuracy increases after a certain round count has been achieved. Often this is in the 200-500 round count range for a new barrel. Thereafter some competitive shooters clean their barrels every 500 rounds or simply after accuracy degrades. I presume that some are under the impression that a new barrel benefits from getting worn in. What exactly is achieved in terms of physical alteration of the firing mechanism, chamber, or barrel, I'm not sure.

    The concept of "seasoning" is more straightforward to grasp. 22LR rounds have different waxes and lubes applied to them. These impact accuracy, and possibly the critical departure from the muzzle crown such that the projectile maintains a tight, high speed spiral. Because different ammo brands use different lubes, in ammo comparisons, it's good to either do a quick clean with dry patch of the bore and then "re-lube" it with your new sample before performing the comparison, or simply shoot some of the next round to be compared for a bit before assessing accuracy on targets. I've seen it noted on threads that a lesser brand will often shoot well for the first few rounds out of a rimfire rifle if it was preceded by even a mid level brand if it was one with more lube. Competitive shooters will also re-season their barrels after a cleaning by putting 20-30 rounds through the barrel before shooting for scored results.

    Thus, in this comparison, while I didn't run a dry patch down the barrel, I shot ten rounds of the ammo being tested in the rifle before shooting for a "score". I shot these rounds into a test target that I won't show the picture of before shooting the 50 yard targets. A few times, I also shot a brand of ammo at 100 yards, and these were after the 50 yard targets with the same ammo, so had 20 rounds down the pipe before the evaluation. I also shot 10-shot groups because I felt that these would reveal small differences in performance more easily. With a good rimfire rifle, hitting dime sized 5-shot groups at 50 yards is straightforward. Thus with two capable platforms, I wanted to see if 10 shots could fit under a dime at 50 yards (which for me, was less easy).

    Picture heavy posts to follow.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     
    Last edited:

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Rifles and ammo used in the comparison, bolt throws, and shooting rest.
    f9d84d45d2ddd19653e7f2eae4fbe151.jpg

    3f174974879ee232456f178e4b0047d3.jpg

    2a04fd304a02c8391d9eb7be5d8f1829.jpg

    554c9788fce32ef0b197883f02244d98.jpg

    1ac763b92044b6590c0d3d7b3d77bcf5.jpg

    fc09ac6d472fadc5fbe1f2a575155f02.jpg

    3e344f8221d0e0d017965665f7d19e77.jpg


    Differences in firing pin strikes. Top with round strikes are casings from the Tikka, bottom shells with square strikes are from the CZ.
    d854f946835ce8aa8c92a59884c28b92.jpg
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    CZ 455 Varmint performance at 50 yards. 10 shot groups. Close up pics of the individual ammo types.
    7bc276bbc8a000510121a79bc21546a7.jpg

    36cd8f423b26385bfe7e649d6ced8302.jpg

    c41658a5eb5f06ee45a08068e2553d14.jpg


    CCI Standard Velocity
    04e86e659af6ba531d8630afa8b87742.jpg


    Eley Target
    c0b2b9b36fdfbe6dbfd1f41ecd08a789.jpg


    Norma Match-22
    01f9737fbdaaee88ac479245a15e24a7.jpg


    Wolf Match Target
    6ec4c30fde5c479b399a481c3918cdd5.jpg


    Federal Ultramatch
    04e9a558d24cf9d7670971a509a54d9f.jpg


    RWS R-50
    e7e80e154a601cf056d8e8ed09740ee8.jpg


    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    CZ 455 Varmint performance at 100 yards. 10 shot groups. I wouldn't use these to compare against the Tikka in subsequent posts. I forgot to change parallax twice with this set and it was rushed because I was running low on time. I think I can do better with this rifle at 100 yards when I focus on this distance on a future range day. Only the Federal Ultramatch close-up is shown. Squares are 1x1-inch.
    c5d532b556d2393a24648a26aee00943.jpg
    51d03b795f7366e675bf974c14ff83ef.jpg
    9a35658cfb6d0fef07d7e5e41b34084d.jpg
    60a99ab6c76ea3a137de1a70b09e36d5.jpg


    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    Picture heavy posts to follow.

    Congrats to you and everyone else who managed to get their hands on a T1x because I know that supply is short and demand is high and that = not easy to obtain. Definitely worth the effort!

    Thank you again for letting me try it out!
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Tikka T1x performance at 50 yards. 10 shot groups. Close up pics of the individual ammo types.

    36e8448c8a854b00766dc9da47dfa4c1.jpg

    5996c6c6a4748e8f9fd4086a861f2deb.jpg

    7343ac755f6ea39091b46d984ec2aedd.jpg


    CCI Standard Velocity
    cbbbc029befa785888c22cbdf47221d9.jpg


    Eley Target
    dda15144258bc58b3f1740022e12566e.jpg


    Norma Match-22
    fb58febf8b54413007517a36becf3490.jpg


    Wolf Match Target
    21f8b7d1fde695cfe5029fa00f0946df.jpg


    Federal Ultramatch
    9d73038971f5bbc6cf7715f0a4effefa.jpg


    RWS R-50
    0b0fd8bc69559b77c0d7efa7ecf507fb.jpg


    CCI Blazer
    083055d82992ef5f313ae06a0dfd2474.jpg
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    T1x performance at 100 yards. 10 shot groups. Squares are 1x1-inch. Point of aim was 7-8 inches above impact at this distance.
    55915617b63699066a73e67a87ebadc0.jpg

    cb92ffd2d14d871695aeee396986e8b8.jpg

    41b9940923cb0669909cd87c023b5c45.jpg


    Federal Ultramatch
    41781fbcb1fe415fb3464620aab6d438.jpg


    CCI Blazer
    67299f90cf2ee7f5bad545ce8033a36c.jpg


    RWS R-50
    46cb80d7c8c3b0975c99fcbd6a814114.jpg


    Doh, I missed testing CCI Standard Velocity at this distance.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Conclusions, I think the Tikka T1x lives up to the hype. Without much effort and no modification to the rifle (trigger was even left at the factory setting), it's easy to shoot decent groups at 50-yards with different types of ammo. With this rifle, CCI Standard Velocity did really well. I hope this is reproducible in the future as its obviously cheaper than most of the other ammo used in the comparison. I'd love to see what it does at 100 yards. As mentioned earlier, the bolt throw is also very economical. It's nearly as fast as a T-bolt in execution and very smooth. I was among those not happy with the Beretta/Sako/Tikka slowness in getting this rifle to the US, but it's been worth the wait.

    One small aesthetic issue that others have noted is the lack of a flush fitting mag. Hopefully Tikka will address this in the future with a 5-rd mag. As it is, the current 10-rd mags seem to be 9-rd mags unless one really forces that last round in. Maybe this will loosen up over time.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Congrats to you and everyone else who managed to get their hands on a T1x because I know that supply is short and demand is high and that = not easy to obtain. Definitely worth the effort!



    Thank you again for letting me try it out!

    You're very welcome, of course.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Rob R.

    Active Member
    Oct 29, 2016
    771
    Harford Co
    Awesome thread!! Don’t recall seeing a better more detailed review in my short time on this group!
    Shouldn’t have clicked on this dang post as I just went from hardly lukewarm (maybe one day) to a must have rimfire alongside my 10/22 and 455
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Awesome thread!! Don’t recall seeing a better more detailed review in my short time on this group!
    Shouldn’t have clicked on this dang post as I just went from hardly lukewarm (maybe one day) to a must have rimfire alongside my 10/22 and 455

    Hey, you set me down this path with the CZ 455 Varmint recommendation from KGS. Never used to shoot groups with rimfire rifles much until this rifle surprised me with what it could do. :)

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,666
    Not Far Enough from the City
    Fidelity, you’ve outdone yourself with this most recent review. If you aren’t already, you should be writing for a gun publication. Just an outstanding review that was an absolute pleasure to read, right down to your mention of bolt throw and trigger differences.

    Nice shooting as well! I’m very much a believer in 10 shot groups also. 10 tight shots aren’t an accident. But I also am very much aware that it isn’t easy (for me at least) to consistently put 10 well executed shots together without meat bagging one of them, much less to do it with 7 different brands of ammo at 2 different distances, and all in one day.

    Just a great job with this review! Yeah, given your level of detail here, I can believe you found yourself running out of time! :)
     

    dreadpirate

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 7, 2010
    5,521
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    What an awesome thread to sit and read on a Sunday morning with a cup of hot black coffee! I have been thinking about a getting a magnum rimfire. Even though I have a Tika T3x Lite in 223, and 223 is about the same price per round as 17HMR (if you shop around), rimfires are fun, and a 17HMR would be a flat shooter. Heck, maybe I should just get yet another 22 bolt gun. Why not? What ever the reason or use case, I have been looking at these two rifles and this thread is very useful.
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    Fidelity, you’ve outdone yourself with this most recent review. If you aren’t already, you should be writing for a gun publication. Just an outstanding review that was an absolute pleasure to read, right down to your mention of bolt throw and trigger differences.

    Nice shooting as well! I’m very much a believer in 10 shot groups also. 10 tight shots aren’t an accident. But I also am very much aware that it isn’t easy (for me at least) to consistently put 10 well executed shots together without meat bagging one of them, much less to do it with 7 different brands of ammo at 2 different distances, and all in one day.

    Just a great job with this review! Yeah, given your level of detail here, I can believe you found yourself running out of time! :)

    I agree. The man does gun geeks, like us, proud.

    6hWtY6G.jpg


    Not for nothin, here's my 10 shot group @ 50 yards with it. I got to take a total of 20 shots with the T1x, 10 @ 25 yards to check zero and another 10 @ the 50 yard target.

    Maybe it was just due to the fact that I hadn't shot anything except CZ .22 rifles in quite awhile but, the T1x's trigger blew me away. I hadn't felt a rifle trigger that good since the Timney I installed in a Rem 700 several years ago. It's that good. Build quality is exactly what you'd expect from something that came out of the Sako factory.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,924
    Messages
    7,259,189
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom