Shooting Times & Country Magazine
NEED TO KNOW
Manufacturer
Model
Type
Overall length
Barrel length
Calibre
Finish
Weight
Magazine
Stock
Trigger
Safety
Sights
Importer
Price
Tikka
T1X
Bolt action
33.75in (16in barrel)
16in, threaded 0.5in UNF
.22 LR
Blued steel
5.3lb
Detachable, 10 shot
Black moulded synthetic
Single stage
Lever type
None, 11mm dovetails
for scope mount
GMK, tel 01489 579999
£575 (spare magazine £35)
through the centre. It handles well and, despite the plastic bolt shroud, where the cocking indicator protrudes when cocked, it is a good, reliable bolt system. You also have a full-length, 11mm dovetail rail and additional screw fitments, so any scope mount can be fitted, two or one piece.
The action is bedded via a steel lug in the stock that corresponds to a slot in the base of the action. Other than that, it has no other bedding compound. The barrel is secured to the action via three Allen screws and is free-floated 5in from the action union.
It has a semi-weight profile: 0.895in at the action, tapering to 0.728in at the muzzle, ending with a 0.5in UNF thread and concave crown. The finish is the same as the action. It has your typical one-in-16.5in rifling twist rate, with six grooves and the whole is coldhammer forged.
The trigger-guard is polymer and so will not rust when rested in wet grass and the design will accept aftermarket metal alternatives if you prefer. The magazine is detachable and pops out via a small catch in front of the magazine that is easily accessible. The magazine is allpolymer construction and a 10-shot only option at present. This model had a large polymer attachment at the base to increase the grip area, which is a great idea, but for me it ruins the graceful lines of the T1X.
The trigger is, again, T3 with adjustment for weight, but this singlestage trigger broke cleanly at 4.25lb.
On the range
I fitted a one-piece Apel rimfire mount that had windage adjustment and a Zeiss Terra scope, along with an A-TEC CMM-4 aluminium sound moderator to keep the weight down.
I chose a wide variety of ammunition styles and velocities to test as I wanted to see how accurate this Tikka was.
Zeroed at 50 yards, the first on test were the two Winchester subsonic ammunition choices — the 40-gr or newer 42-gr Max loads. Both are good, achieving a velocity of 1,167fps and 1,181fps and 121ft/lb and 130ft/lb enerɒy respectively. Group sizes were 0.65in and 0.55in for five shots at 50 yards.
Eley subsonics have had a weight change to 38-gr and use a lighter lubricant to stop gumming up the action. These shot 0.65in groups and achieved 1,047fps and 93ft/lb enerɒy.
RWS subsonics always hit the mark and have an overall lower velocity, so nice and quiet, too. Accuracy was great at 0.40in with 984fps for 86ft/lb.
CCI segmented ammunition, whose 40-gr bullet splits into three segments to reduce ricochets and increase lethality, gave a quite high 1,078fps for 103ft/lb enerɒy and good accuracy at 50 yards of 0.75in.
RWS HV is high-velocity ammunition that, like its slower sibling, the .22 subsonic, shoots remarkably well. Accuracy at 50 yards was 0.55in and at 100 yards was only 0.85in. Velocity is 1,244fps and enerɒy 138ft/lb, so above the speed of sound and therefore making a loud crack on firing.
CCI CB Long is one of my favourite reduced loads, ideal for close range and lowest noise disturbance. The
T1X grouped five shots into 0.75in at 20 yards and achieved 761fps and 37ft/lb enerɒy from its lighter 29-gr bullet.