Unknown Munitions Tikka T3x Custom Rifle Review

The Unknown Munitions Tikka T3x is a custom rifle based around the popular, reliable, and accurate T3x action. Hunters around the world love the Tikka rifles that use this action, but as always there are ways to improve it. Among Unknown’s specialties are lightening the standard Tikka action and re-fitting it with a premium cut-rifled barrel. Their complete T3x build keeps what’s great about the platform, improves what could be better, and gives you a rifle you won’t want to stop shooting.

Unknown Munitions Custom Tikka T3x Specs

• Action: Tikka T3x, two-lug
• Stock: Rokstok, carbon-fiber, manufactured by Stocky’s Stocks
• Cartridge: 6 CM (tested), 22 CM, 6 UM, 6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC, 6.5 SAUM IMP, 6.5/7 PRC IMP, 7 SAUM, 7 PRC, .308 Win., .300 WSM
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Weight: 6 pounds, 7 ounces (measured without rings or muzzle device)
• Trigger: Trigger spring upgrade,  1 pound, 9 ounces (measured)
• Barrel: 20 inches, 1:7.5 twist, Ace cut-rifled barrel, No.3 profile, fluted, thread adapter to ⅝-24
• Length: 40 inches, 44 inches (with OG suppressor)
• Price: Starting at $2,850

Key Features

• Lightened Tikka action and fluted bolt
• Rokstok carbon-fiber stock
• Ace cut-rifled barrel, fluted and threaded
• SRS Picatinny rail on fore-end
• QD sling cups
• Side port muzzle brake 
• UM Tikka scope rings

Unknown Munitions Custom Tikka T3x Accuracy

Tikkas are known for delivering fine precision, and for under a thousand bucks, the T3x has gathered a rabid cult following of hunters and shooters who stand ready to brag on its accuracy. 

Standard Tikka T3x Accuracy

The factory Tikka T3x is a good shooter, but performance of standard hunting models is often exaggerated. A few tiny groups doesn’t accurately represent how a gun can be expected to shoot, so you’ll see our recent results also tabulated in 20-shot group-size aggregates. It’s a change we’ve been compelled to make after realizing that five-shot data just doesn’t tell us much. Mean radius is the most telling metric for these samples because it takes every shot into account, not just the worst two. Many folks like to claim their Tikka is a half-MOA-all-day rifle, so it’s important that, when considering expensive upgrades, we take a look at some hard baseline data first. Here’s a look at accuracy data I recently gathered from a factory Tikka T3x Laminate Stainless rifle chambered in 6.5 CM

Accuracy Results for the Unknown Munitions Tikka T3x

My customized Unknown Munitions — or UM for short — Tikka is chambered in 6mm Creedmoor and I primarily want to hand load for it. I tested it with two different factory offerings, and it’s notably more accurate than the production hunting Tikkas I have evaluated. In addition to results listed below, I loaded Hornady 103-grain ELD-X bullets and Tubbs’s 115-grain DTAC with nosering and both loads produced 20-shot group aggregates of about 1.25 inches and Mean radii in the mid .3 inches.

Keep in mind that factory Tikkas are certainly accurate enough to hunt at any reasonable range, but there is a real performance jump with the upgrade to the Ace barrel. Over thousands of rounds of testing, we’ve learned that a standard or lightweight hunting rifle that can produce a  mean radius of .3 inches or less over 20 shots is superb. 

Anatomy of the Unknown Munitions Upgraded Tikka T3x

Unknown Munitions takes a factory Tikka T3x and tears it down to the studs. They do their own machine work on the action, chamber a barrel, add an improved stock, and no major component is left untouched.

Action and Barrel

Two of the three most characteristic features of this custom Tikka are its lightened action and Ace barrel — the third being the stock, which I’ll touch on in a minute. They then machine pockets into the outside of the receiver and flute the bolt to remove about four ounces of steel. The work is precise and compliments the already good-quality machining done at the factory.

The factory barrel is spun off and replaced with a No. 3 profile Ace premium barrel. This is similar to a light sporter or similar-weight barrel that is found on many standard hunting rifles, and the fluting lightens it up significantly. Due to the small diameter at the muzzle, it’s threaded and capped with a thread adapter to increase thread size to ⅝-24 — standard for mounting hunting suppressors larger than .224-cal.

I had the action and barrel finished in Cerakote, but both the bolt and raceways are nitride coated. Many actions that are fully Cerakoted get gummy and sticky, but the ultra-slick nitride coating allows the two-lug bolt to glide to and fro like a Prius on black ice. 

The trigger is factory but has an upgraded trigger spring that reduces pull weight to one pound, nine ounces on my rifle. It’s crisp and wonderful, and all the screws and fasteners have been thread-locked with a paint pen. Atop the action is a set of Unknown Munitions proprietary Tikka scope rings. Tikkas still feature an odd dovetail optic mounting system and these rings are made to clamp onto that and are secured from linear movement by posts that fit into the holes atop the action. They are heavy-duty, durable rings, and they eliminate the need for additional rails on the action.

The Rokstok

The stock is the third notable upgrade from factory condition on this T3x — and the most eye-catching. It’s the Rokstok (inspired by the hunting forum Rokslide) that was developed and is sold through Unknown Munitions and made by Stocky’s Stocks. It’s a TK-ounce carbon-fiber stock with a solid bedding block and a unique steep negative comb. It comes with a flush fitting Salmon River Solutions fore-end rail that’s available in different configurations. Mine is Picatinny with a QD sling cup and socket for the Spartan Precision Javelin bipod system. The stock also has a QD sling cup embedded on the left side of the fore-end and on the left side of the buttstock. It has a near vertical grip with grippy texturing on the grip and fore-end.

The stock fits well and the barrel channel is even. Some of the meeting points of steel and carbon aren’t quite as refined as what you’ll see on top-end hand-fit stocks — this one could be beveled to meet the metal at the bottom of the ejection port, along with a couple other custom-level touches. UM has added the recoil lug, which is embedded in the stock and, overall, it’s very nice work. My rifle uses the original polymer bottom metal and magazine, but the stock is exponentially better than what you’ll find on a basic T3x. One drawback is that the steep comb forces you to remove the action to clean with a standard cleaning rod.

The Rokstok is an ugly duckling, but its design serves a purpose. The steep reverse comb and flat bottom of the buttstock make it look like some sort of upside-down factory mixup, but it is designed to aid recoil management. The buckaroos rolling their eyes should note that this improved recoil management isn’t meant to keep sissy boys from bruising their delicate shoulders. It simply reduces disruption of the sight picture during recoil, enhancing the shooter’s ability to call their shot and see the impact. 

Recoil Management

The reverse comb pulls the stock to pull away from your face during recoil rather than bumping your head out of position, and the flat bottom moves smoothly front to back on a rear support. A more traditional stock that angles upward on the bottom tends to drop the butt of the gun and raise the muzzle as it moves across a rear support due to recoil.

The Rokstok has a 13.5-inch length of pull, which is about a half-inch short for me, and the distance from the grip to the trigger is also short for my hands. Despite that, the stock tracks wonderfully under recoil. I’ve fired it from various rests including bags and bipods, and I shoot it very well with minimal sight disruption. 

My favorite position to shoot with this rifle has been standing, supported by a shooting bag atop a tripod. The flat-bottomed fore-end nestles nicely into a bag and there is enough ledge alongside the barrel channel for my thumb to grasp and pinch the fore-end of the stock onto the bag. On the range, I can reliably hit 1.5-MOA plates to distances of 500 and 600 yards from this standing position if the wind isn’t too sporty. I recently took the rifle to California to hunt pigs and in two run-and-gun stalks I found that carrying my tripod allowed me to set up for standing shots quickly.  I took two pigs at over 250 yards in that manner. 

The rifle’s quick handling and intuitive operation make it effective up close. I shot a black bear from about 20 yards and was surprised by the speed with which I could chamber another round. My 9-year-old-son also enjoys shooting it. After trying a few different rifles from 22 Creedmoor to 6.5 Creedmoor, it’s the rifle he felt he shot the best. He was plastering steel out to 350 yards with ease, and took a nice black bear with it for himself a few weeks ago. 

Finishes

In addition to their machine work, Unkown Munitions has an excellent Cerakote shop. There are several standard patterns you can choose from when selecting features for your Tikka, or you can have them do something unique. The coatings on the barrel, fluting, and action are all fabulously executed, and with some general direction, they created an awesome pattern and color scheme for my rifle. 

The OG Suppressor

In conjunction with their rifle building, Unknown Munitions also recently released the OG, their first in a lineup of 3D-printed titanium hunting suppressors. It’s a monolithic, single-piece can that features a large reflex chamber — commonly referred to as the blast chamber and only extends four inches beyond the muzzle. The reflex chamber extends back over the barrel and adds expansion space for muzzle exit gasses while keeping a shorter overall rifle length — one of the most important considerations for hunters who use suppressors. 

The OG weighs 10.5 ounces and is slightly louder than some other lightweight hunting cans, but it’s not designed to be the absolute quietest. It does have a notably lower-pitched, softer, thumpy-sounding tone than other popular cans like the Silencerco Scythe or KGM R30K. Those suppressors sound a bit wispy and cracky, and some other suppressors have a metallic ring. Sound level is one of my lower considerations for a hunting suppressor, and you shouldn’t be shooting any significant volume of supersonic ammunition without hearing protection, even while using a can. What I do prioritize is overall length, balance, weight, recoil reduction, and simplicity.

In 6mm Creedmoor, the .30-cal OG suppressor cuts recoil very well. In spicier rounds like the 7mm Backcountry, it didn’t soften recoil as much as suppressors with endcap or flow-through brakes like the KGM R30. That’s to be expected. Also, being a one-piece printed can, there’s no removable endcap or rear cap to clean out all the printing remnants and stray granules of titanium, so it produced a lot of sparking the first 20 to 40 shots and after the first range session I had to shake out a couple remnant pebbles left from the printing process. 

I think this will become one of my favorite hunting suppressors, and it works wonderfully on the custom Tikka. With the 20-inch barrel, it’s the same overall length, 44 inches, as if I had a standard 24-inch barrel and the balance is better with more of the suppressor weight to the rear. An added and not-so-obvious bonus is the flat endcap can easily be covered with a piece of electrical tape, which keeps moisture out and blows off before the bullet reaches it. Most other suppressors have front caps that aren’t so friendly to that.

Final Thoughts

Many hunters who are considering a custom rifle are doing so because they want one high-performance gun that can do just about everything. Though it’s easy to come up with new projects and aspirations, that’s really what a custom hunting rifle should be. If you are going to save up for a premium, custom-upgraded gun, it needs to be demonstrably better than the original and leave you with nothing to complain about. The objective accuracy performance along with the ergonomics and shootability make this a rifle I want to shoot and hunt with. Hell, I’ve already burned through almost half the life of this barrel. 

 

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