Our Three Amigos take on the Magnificent Seven

TK: There were three .22s on our shoot and this was the most surprising. I hadn’t used a Lithgow rifle before (my 1941 .303 aside) and wasn’t sure what to expect. It has a synthetic stock which alludes to ‘tactical’ in style but is light and functional, certainly much lighter than it looks like it should be. The stainless barrel was the longest of the three .22s though not by much.

The rifle was supplied with a bipod and, using it on the bench, I was able to shoot good groups, actually the best .22 groups. The action was smooth and didn’t catch in any part of the motion of reloading a round. Unfortunately, this came with only a five-round magazine which is fine when walking, though a little frustrating when there are chances for more shots (I’m a firm believer in 10-round minimum for .22 mags).

The bipod makes it difficult to compare the balance of this with the other .22s, yet even with it fitted it felt fine. Time restraints didn’t permit us the chance to shoot without the bipod but even so, after a bit of getting used to, this is another rile that would have bunnies in danger when shooting freehand. I suspect without the bipod it would be as balanced and natural as the Tikka for freehand shooting.

I can see why they call this model the Crossover as it’s as comfortable on the range as in the hills or on the go. I couldn’t single it out for a specific use due to its all-round ability, though if I had to pick one I’d love to see how well I could tune it to be a good target rifle. Yes, I’d buy this one and would be perfectly happy walking for rabbits with it.

The folks at Lithgow have done the name proud and produced a great Aussie-made .22. If only they made left-handed centrefires! Please consider it. Oh, and keep an eye out later in the year for our tour of the Lithgow factory.

PM: Having never handled a Lithgow rifle I was keen to get to grips with this Aussie-made offering. The test rifle was chambered in .22LR and is also available in .17 HMR and .22 HMR. I was immediately impressed by its looks, not too ‘militaristic’ yet modern with an adjustable black polymer stock and weighing around 3.1kg, nice in the hand and ideal for field or target shooting.

It’s another man-sized firearm which shot well over the bags and felt natural in freehand use, proving extremely accurate with the selection of ammo provided. The crisp, single-stage trigger let off at around 1.5kg and while the rifle comes with a five-shot single-stack magazine, aftermarket ones are available if increased firepower is required.

The action/receiver is high tensile steel, Weaver bases are Cerakote coated and a Picatinny rail is available as an optional extra. The 531mm barrel is made from Lithgow’s proprietary military grade steel, hammer forged with six grooves and a twist rate of 1:16^. It would be best described as a medium-weight varmint barrel with a target crown and muzzle threaded for use with a brake where permitted. The bolt action is robust, smooth and fed and ejected perfectly without exception.

This is a highly modern firearm in terms of looks, ideal for small-game hunting though would also acquit itself admirably in various target shooting disciplines due to its obvious accuracy and quality of build. A proud Australian offering. But would I buy it: In a minute!

MvdB: This was a whole new experience for me. I’ve been interested in the Crossover for a while after first seeing them in a local gun shop, though sadly a lack of left-hand options in the centrefire range has meant so far I’ve only admired them from afar. I’ve hunted with others carrying the Lithgow and they’ve all expressed their happiness with its performance and build (I even watched a new hunter take his first pig with a Crossover last year).

I’ve visited the town and factory but it wasn’t until I came to Adelaide I’d my first chance to look at one up close. It’s obvious the Crossover is a contemporary interpretation of a sporting rifle, angular in design looking modern and purposeful. The shape of the stock, position of the safety and Cerakote finish make it just a little different from its contemporaries, though what really sets it apart is that ‘Australian made’ just in front of the bolt. It was nice to have a local connection in the test group and, topped with the ZeroTech Thrive scope, this was our homegrown entrant.

Sitting down with the Lithgow at Monarto, you realise the stock design promotes shooting from a supported position. Off the bench, bonnet of a car or tree stump, the flat edge extending to the toe of the butt combined with a high, flat comb and open pistol grip make it a very comfortable rifle to shoulder in a set position.

Used in conjunction with a bipod (the test rifle was supplied with a quality Magpul), the Crossover sits low and steady. I’m unsure how this translates to a rifle shot primarily in the off-hand position, but if you shoot from a rest or supported position, Lithgow was thinking of you when they designed the stock.

Overall the LA101 Crossover with ZeroTech scope performed extremely well. With a solid action, clean trigger and well-supported shooting position, I felt if there was one rifle I needed a little more time with, it was probably this one. The build quality and attention to detail combined with its shooting performance make it a strong contender for Australian shooters and I’d really like to see a lefty option in their centrefire range.

TK: CZ don’t make bad rifles and this one lived up to their reputation. It looked beautiful with its wooden stock and a heavy barrel which promised accuracy. The action is smooth, probably the best of the three .22s, which is saying something as they all had excellent actions. Again, a five-round magazine which is a personal bugbear but it’s a CZ thing stretching back to the Brno days, though 10-round mags are available.

This rifle is even heavier than it looks, yet despite the weight is well balanced and while not ideal for freehand shooting it’s still accurate. From the bench it produced great groups and I suspect would do better with different ammo. With three writers shooting all seven rifles we didn’t have time to play with ammo, yet I feel this one would eat up a good target load and spit out clover leaves or better. The supplied Meopta scope was fine but the Varmint could easily carry a bigger optic for target shooting.

The barrel and wooden stock (which was very comfortable) combine to make this a heavy rifle. I wouldn’t be keen on lugging it around paddocks and hills and was a bit wobbly on freehand shots anyway, so I don’t think this is a walking rifle. Where it would excel would be from a decent rest. I don’t know enough about target shooting to know if it would make a good option over longer distances given the relatively short barrel, but I suspect it would.

If I was doing a lot of shooting standing outside a vehicle with a rest, I’d buy this rifle. Its relative shortness makes it quite practical to rest on a window or on the tray, meaning I could take full advantage of its strengths (I’d buy a bigger mag though).

PM: I tend to confuse older Brno ZKM .22 rifles with the more recent CZ .22s. According to Guns & Ammo magazine: “CZ and Brno rifles aren’t made in the same factory, though they are both part of the same company, Colt CZ Group.” There’s much talk among shooters that newer ‘Brnos’ (the CZs) aren’t as well made or accurate as the older models many of us grew up with. Either way this is a fine firearm which, coupled with the Meopro Optika 6 scope performed very well indeed.

The substantial American walnut stock, to accommodate a 20^ heavy cold hammer-forged barrel with excellent laser checkering (especially over the pistol grip), creates a man-sized firearm which looks purposeful and handles exceptionally well. The stock’s ergonomics not only made it look good, it felt great in the hands and shot well over the bag and front rest, due in part to the flattened area under the fore-end.

The bolt looks like a traditional Brno in the action and was very slick to use, trigger pull adjustable and crisp as we’ve come to expect from Brno/CZ rifles of all ages. A five-round magazine allows for reasonable shooting, though you can always buy a spare if you feel need to increase potential firepower when shooting off the back of a ute, or wherever you find yourself with an abundance of small game. This model also features easy barrel change if you choose to acquire another in .17.HMR or .22 Magnum.

I see this one as an accurate option which could easily double both as a target and highly effective field rifle. In combination with the clarity and power range of the Meopta MeoPro Optika 6 2.5-15 you have a highly versatile firearm indeed. Would I buy it? Most certainly and it would see plenty of use at the range as well as chasing rabbits, while for whistling foxes I’d buy a spare barrel in 17HMR.

MvdB: Of the three .22LRs I’ve owned one was a CZ, a beautiful rifle with fancy timber stock shaped in the Bavarian style. It was an older LUX model and I bought it one afternoon from Stevens & Sons in Brisbane. I’d often stop at the gunshop on the way home from the range and one afternoon there was the CZ, which I decided to buy as a way of introducing my then-girlfriend and soon to be wife to the shooting sports.

I liked the idea, she liked the idea but after a half dozen visits to the range the idea stayed just that, so the CZ sat in my safe until sold a few years later. To the shooter in the know it was something worth owning and I hope its new owner gets more use from it than I did. At first glance the test rifle demonstrates a connection to previous CZs and the Brno rifles which built such a well-earned following in Australia. Yet unlike my own CZ, this one features a heavy cold hammer-forged barrel that’s solid, very bull like and obviously intended to improve accuracy and shot placement.

Complementing the barrel is a Turkish walnut stock cut in a straight-comb style, with chequering quite pronounced on the fore-end and pistol grip, making for a large contact area. The barrelled action is colour matched and threaded for those trusted enough to hunt with suppressors. This one has a two-position push-to-fire safety and the bolt a positive, 60-degree cycle. The open receiver is cut with an 11mm dovetail allowing for ease of scope-mounting, while the action’s fed by a small detachable box mag.

Off the bench it was a confident shooter, ably complemented by the Meopta scope. It grouped well, cycled likewise and generally felt like a well-built and robust rifle, much like past experiences with CZ. This is a well presented firearm designed for both the range and in the field and if you’re after a .22LR this should certainly be on your list.

TK: This is Tikka’s .22 offering which really delivers. It’s accurate and light with a smooth action and from the outset I liked its feel and balance, with the supplied Burris scope ideally suited. From the bench it shot good groups, not super-tight but definitely accurate. I didn’t try any ammunition other than Winchester Super X, so there may be a better load which tightens groups a bit.

The barrel’s relatively short which seems to be about standard for a lot of factory .22s these days. It was heavier or at least looked thicker than standard with a nice carbon look. The synthetic stock’s a traditional style but you know it’s designed with weight in mind, so there’s nothing superfluous on the rifle. The barrel, action and stock are just what they need to be to ensure the rifle delivers and no more. I liked the feel shooting freehand especially, as it came to shoulder naturally and its lightness and balance mean this is a great gun for walking the hills, shooting bunnies.

While I believe you could do well target shooting, for me this is a hunting rifle and one made for doing so on foot. That’s what I’d use it for. A light, low-powered scope such as the Burris really suits and I could happily spend a lot of time with it, as it’s the sort of rifle you can take camping to teach beginners. It has a larger capacity 10-round magazine and I’ve always found a bigger mag better, especially if spotlighting from a vehicle. Would I buy this gun? Yes I would as it’s a great all-round .22 which could stay in the family for a while.

PM: This is more of a classic-looking rifle compared to the Lithgow Crossover, exactly the sort of clean ‘look’ I like and complements the centrefire Tikkas perfectly. There’s a sharpness in its appearance and I know all three of us were impressed visually. The rifle’s nicely balanced in the hands with the black synthetic stock robust, contributing to its bare weight of just 2.6kg. You can change the pistol grip for a steeper version which, from experience with the centrefire Tikka T3x Wideland Veil, promotes better trigger finger alignment to aid consistent pull.

The rimfire action was typically slick like its Tikka centrefire cousins and was a pleasure to use, loading and ejecting perfectly every time. The 10-shot polymer magazine presented each cartridge exactly like the previous one and sat firmly in the stock and action. The trigger’s a single-stage, fully adjustable affair which appears to be the same one used in the centrefires, can be scaled down to about 1.5lb and is crisp and reassuringly predictable.

The 20” barrel with 1:16½” twist rate is ideal for .22LR ammo and if you were to buy this rifle and a new chassis system, it would also make an impressive long-range rimfire competition firearm (as tested it’s a great hunting option). Combined with the affordable yet super-clear Burris ‘Dropline’ scope, it was still easily the lightest of the rimfires tested and would be a delight to carry afield.

Super-accurate with all ammo tested though it did prefer one or two above the others, a classic example of where you’d have to experiment with various target or hunting loads depending on the rifle’s intended use. If it wasn’t for a lovely old right-handed Brno ZKM452 in my safe I’d buy this one in a heartbeat.

MvdB: I’m a self-confessed .22LR novice, having owned just three during almost 40 years of shooting and hunting. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just I hunt more than I range shoot and target medium to large game. When I’ve chased rabbits, foxes and hares it’s been with a shotgun so the .22LR has never been a standing calibre in my armoury.

After several years living rimfire-free, I decided to buy my eldest son a .22LR as part of his introduction to shooting. He’s currently qualified and we’re awaiting his Junior Licence approval to come through, then we’ll turn our attention to a NSW Junior R-Licence.

As these things happen I bought him a Tikka T1x Hunter, so while I’m generally under-qualified on .22LRs, as the test rifle is a T1x I do have some credentials as a .22LR reviewer. This range shares much of the design philosophy and build quality of the T3x. In this case the test rifle makes use of a synthetic stock with reported length of pull of 13.25” which means, thankfully, it’s more adult than junior-sized. For me this was real departure from previous experiences with .22LR. Many seem to be youth orientated and feel short and cramped, though not this one. My wallet’s also happy about it, with my son already more than five feet tall at age 12.

At the range the MTR performed as you’d expect a Tikka would. Very accurate with a clean, crisp trigger and smooth cycling action, the teardrop-shaped magazine also doing well feeding new rounds into action. When you do cycle that action, apart from the smoothness you notice something a little different about this rifle. Tikka make use of a 45-degree opening angle as opposed to the more commonly used 60-degree, the benefit being the bolt lift is shorter and consequently not so cramped for larger hands.

Maybe it’s designed that way to accommodate the need for gloves in cold northern European winters, though whatever the reason it’s something which makes the rifle more user-friendly for shooters of all sizes. The only downside I encountered with the shorter throw is you need to be a little more positive to produce a clean eject and reload. The Tikka T1x MTR performed just as impressively as my Hunter, shooting cleanly at the 50m target, so to ask the obvious question: Would I buy one? I already have.

TK: This is probably the prettiest rifle in the line-up. A walnut stock with matt finish and beautifully machined, blued metal work along with the straight-pull action combine to form a sleek, elegant shooting machine. Aside from Mauser’s recently released straight-pull which I shot at its release (see last month’s Australian Shooter), I’ve not spent any time on a straight-pull before, so having one in left-hand meant I was able to experience all its joys. Once you get the hang of the action, which doesn’t take long, this is fast and smooth and deserving of a larger magazine, rather than the compact and helpfully orange composite six-round double-stacker, which is still way better than three or four rounds.

This one’s fully ambidextrous though it’s not a matter of a quick flick, as you need to change the bolt face over to go to right-hand case ejection. What this means is with bolt removed, you have a very open back end of the breech with a long overhang extending from the barrel, which is a little disconcerting when you first see it but incredibly practical. It’s a great rifle.

This performed well from the bench with good groups, it’s well balanced and also shoots nicely freehand. It’s a good hunting rifle for sure and having this in .308 as well as the Savage straight-pull in 6.5mm Creedmoor, meant I was able to make an informed comparison between recoil of the .308 and that of the 6.5mm (the former kicks harder).

It’s short enough to be manageable in close scrub, so would be a good deer gun in hilly country such as the Snowy Mountains where I hunt a bit during summer. The larger mag and quick action mean it would also be a handy goat and pig gun. I have a Marlin .30-30 for just that sort of hunting and this would be an excellent replacement when the time comes.

Aside from wishing it had a 10-round mag to take full advantage of the speed and smoothness of the action, the bolt moves back quite a long way as you cycle it and came perilously close to my cheek. However, the rifle comes with different sized recoil pads so that issue can be easily solved. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to and along with the Savage, it has really opened my eyes to the benefits a straight-pull has to offer.

PM: This is the other straight-pull in the mix and was scaled with the addition of the superb Steiner 2.5-10x 42 scope, which looked perfectly in balance. From the moment I picked up the rifle I could feel the quality of construction and appreciate the amount of research and engineering that’s gone into its design.

Featuring an ambidextrous straight-pull action, the difference between this and the Savage Impulse is you can choose the side for ejecting shells, so either way shells are ejecting from the opposite side of the action to the shooter’s face. It’s a ‘one rifle fits all’ scenario, perfect for a hunting  family with a lefty in its ranks. The bolt’s locked in place by an eight-lug rotating head complete with extractor claw and ejector.

This one was apparently born out of Beretta military technology with the 22.4” barrel burnished black and chambered in .308 Winchester, with a 1:11” twist to stabilize some of the long high-BC hunting bullets available in 30 calibre. As you might expect it’s threaded for a muzzle brake or similar where permitted.

The action’s not like an enclosed straight-pull bolt, rather a carriage which moves back and forth to lock up the action or eject a fired cartridge then reload another, incredibly slick and effective. The scope’s mounted on a Picatinny rail above and independent of the carriage, to facilitate swapping barrels and bolt heads without having to remove the scope. Zero returns every time you switch barrels, such is the precision of this system.

There’s a five-shot bright orange magazine which sits flush and the bolt handle’s angled rearward at 45 degrees to facilitate easy grip and super-fast reloading, something easily achieved from the outset. The three-position safety works effectively on each of its settings, while the polymer stock is robust, streamlined and has an excellent recoil pad. Would I buy this rifle? I think I’m feeling the ‘need’ for it, though the pigs, goats and deer in the hills around Bigga and Binda in the NSW Southern Tablelands wouldn’t like it in .308 Win one bit.

MvdB: This is a straight-pull bolt-action that’s testament to almost 500 years of Beretta innovation as a truly modern, modular rifle which offers left-handed shooters the same calibre, stock and accessory options as righties. Housed within an angular and ergonomically adaptable polymer stock, the bolt carriage is the beating heart of the BRX1. Fed by an external box magazine and controlled by a rear-mounted three-position safety, the straight-pull action promotes fast follow-up shots while allowing the shooter to stay focused on the target.

Further enhancing the modular ethos and, unlike several other European straight-pulls, this one incorporates a Picatinny rail for ease of optics and accessory mounting. With barrel and bolt face interchangeability, you can find a calibre to suit whatever game you’re chasing. In conversation with Beretta Australia, I believe a safari calibre is on the way and with that you have a rifle for hunting game from foxes to buffaloes.

It’s fair to say I’m mightily impressed by the BRX1. I own one, a project rifle I built in partnership with SSAA and Berretta Australia. And Ian, my partner in crime from The Hunters’ Campfire, hunts with a BRX1 right through the season starting with .30-06 for red, fallow, sambar and ferals before swapping the barrel to a .300 Win Mag for NT Buffalo.

Consequently I was comfortable with the BRX1/Steiner set-up on the bench as it shot with a high level of accuracy and repeatability. I run Sako Super Hammerhead in my .308 Win, though this one performed well with all ammo available. Being so comfortable with the rifle, I spent a little more time focusing on my compadres as they were generally first-time users.

There are two thing first-timers can find a little tricky about this rifle, the first being installing the bolt carriage. Admittedly it does look complicated and can seem a little daunting but you must be confident fitting it within the receiver. There’s a point of resistance which you push through as, if you don’t, the carriage can jump out of the slide rails.

The second is when reloading after a shot, as new users tend to yank the carriage open and slam it forward (some unconsciously try to rotate the action rather than sliding it straight back). Good news is the action can handle rough treatment and, after a short time, a level of finesse sneaks into the operation. A sliding bolt is a learning experience for traditional bolt-action shooters, though in my experience it’s generally a quick lesson.

TK: This one has a synthetic, camouflaged stock with blued metal and, along with the Beretta BRX, is a straight-pull, the main difference between the two being the Savage only ejects to the right. The bolt handle swaps sides easily and so is able to be switched quickly from left to right and back again. Right-side ejection has never bothered me so I hardly noticed it but joy of joys, the rifle comes with a solid, old-school metal 10-round box magazine, reminiscent of that on an M-14. It’s the right magazine for this rifle, as it means you can take full advantage of the speed of the straight-pull action.

The action was slightly different to the Beretta with a more definite forward movement required to lock the bolt home, but it’s a case of different rather than better or worse and is easily mastered. Like many Savages I’ve used, it requires positive cycling of the action to ensure the spent cartridge is properly ejected.

Bench shooting produced tight groups and it was well balanced and easy to shoot freehand. The Savage AccuTrigger is excellent as you’d expect and I enjoyed shooting this rifle. The bolt’s not as instinctive to remove or insert as you’d like but again, the quirks of this one are easily mastered and don’t hamper the shooting experience.

Savage is clearly focused on the entry-level sector of the market and this rifle is exactly that for a straight-pull, as well as value for money. The speed of the action along with the larger capacity mag make it an excellent starting point goat and pig gun. Buy a second mag and you can do the environment a favour when you encounter a mob of either. The straight-pull combined with its big mag mean I’ll be giving this rifle a lot of thought when the old lever gun grows a bit long in the tooth.

PM: I’ve long been a fan of Savage rifles due to their level of quality and they accuracy they provide at a reasonable price. I’ve tested several down the years and this one’s of a specification and novel action well beyond those in the past.

It features a quick to operate straight-pull action which took a little getting used to, was rather stiff in operation but loosened up during the test and became pretty slick. It was easy to remove from the action but difficult to replace, until Mark finally worked out the tricky manipulation required to deactivate the ball bearings which securely lock it in place when loaded prior to firing. Once this was mastered it was easy to put back in the action.

The Predator has a matt black aluminium receiver with 20 MOA rail machined into it and 20” carbon steel medium contour barrel, threaded for suppressor or muzzle brake where permitted. There’s a substantial metal 10-shot magazine which greatly assists in the firepower department and can be detached ambidextrously. It protrudes well below the stock and looked a bit unwieldy, though that’s just a personal opinion.

One of the rifle’s most significant features is it can easily be changed from left to right-handed straight-pull action and back again. The down side is ejection is only to the right so, when operated in left-handed configuration from the left shoulder, spent shells are ejected across and close to the face, which can be a bit disconcerting.

The Savage AccuTrigger worked a charm as always and the rifle was more than adequately accurate in 6.5 Creedmoor. This would seem an ideal cartridge for predator hunting in the US and equally suitable here for goats, pigs and deer. The stock is synthetic with adjustable length of pull by way of supplied spacers with a recoil-absorbing pad. The comb is a nice rubber in a slightly Monte Carlo shape with the stock itself a Mossy Oak ‘Terra’ pattern, comfortable to hold yet quite heavy at 4kg (about 8.8lbs) without scope and mounts.

Despite loving the trigger and cartridge choice I wouldn’t buy this rifle, as being a lefty and having shells eject across my face would deter me. Perfect for right-handers and easily adjusted for that configuration, so if I were a ‘righty’ I’d certainly be tempted.

MvdB: To put it plainly I’m in two minds about this one. I previously reviewed a Savage 110 High Country and while impressed by the rifle, I was a little bewildered by the complexity of the bolt assembly. The Impulse’s straight-pull design takes that complexity (and my bewilderment) to a whole new level.

Many moons ago I hunted pigs with a bunch of guys who all carried self-loaders. I was surrounded by SKS and SKK variants except for one who owned an FN 49. I must’ve felt a little inadequate as, after our third or fourth outing, I put away my Model 94 lever-action and bought myself a little M1 Carbine. As a young man I felt I could probably keep my M1 running with a handful of tools, and for the SKS all you needed was a pointy stick and some mud. On the other hand the FN challenged me a little.

Sure it was a hog hammer and I saw it drop more bacon that a butcher’s shop, yet it was just a little out of my wheelhouse. The Savage Impulse reminds me of how I felt back then. There’s no doubt it’s a shooter and while its straight-pull action would, along with the large capacity box magazine, make it a feral flattener I’m still a little unsure.

A case in point was when we first looked over the review rifles. We went through each in turn and when we reached the Impulse the question was asked as how best to remove and install the bolt. Removing it was obvious but reinstalling not so much. There was a knack to it which to my mind seemed unnecessarily complicated for a hunting rifle.

Off the bench the rifle did go some way to alleviating my feelings about it. Like the action it’s a straight-shooter and, combined with the Leupold scope, lived up to Savage’s reputation for accuracy, while the big box magazine would give you plenty in the tank if you had to put away a mob of ferals. Through my own experiences off the bench and watching others do likewise, the action takes some getting used to. Initially we all tended to slam it then, over time, began to replace brute force with skill.

Aside from our initial challenges with its operation, like the Savage 110 High Country I reviewed previously, the Impulse Predator is feature-packed and represents good value for money. From its camo-finished polymer stock, integrated Picatinny rail, unique Savage AccuTrigger system and colour-coded barrelled action, you have plenty of bang for your buck.

TK: I’ll give it away up front: I’m buying this gun. My current .223 will be going on SSAA Gun Sales with my SSAA member discount and this little beauty is coming home with me instead. The Aspire version of the T3x was designed exclusively for the Australian and New Zealand markets, has a synthetic stock, stainless steel barrel and action and the barrel is threaded and fluted.

The Burris scope was well matched and the rifle shot tight groups from the bench. In fact, after the ‘Tacticool’ T3x, I shot my next-best groups with this. I like the larger bolt handle, the action is quick and smooth, while the six-round plastic magazine gives useful capacity and is more than enough to deal with the odd fox or cat.

This is a light rifle suited to hunting, though if you swung past the odd target competition with it you wouldn’t be embarrassed. It’s beautifully balanced and my freehand groups were tight enough to give me the confidence I’d be able to deal with cats and foxes at 70-100m without looking for a rest.

This is a rifle you can carry with you all day and rely on consistently. The use of a stainless barrel and synthetic stock mean it can handle rough conditions and survive the unsympathetic treatment my gear often endures. I’m looking forward to having it in my quiver.

PM: Designed by the Beretta team in Melbourne for Australian conditions, this has a nice combination colour scheme in green synthetic stock with black accents in the pistol grip and raised cheekpiece. The stainless fluted barrel and action make it ideal for this country. It looks nice, streamlined and well-proportioned and well matched with the Burris Fullfield 2.5-10×42 scope with Z-Plex reticle.

It felt typically Tikka and the soft fore-end and cheekpiece panels accentuated this. The pistol grip has a comfortable radius and aligned the trigger finger for excellent control, the single-stage adjustable affair being crisp and letting go at about 2lb (it must’ve been reset as they normally come from the factory at the 4lb max). Easily adjusted, it’s a fine trigger which lends confidence whether shooting groups or in the field. Working the bolt was typically Tikka ‘smoooth’ and I know one of the others fell a little head-over-heels for this one.

Chambered in .223 Rem it was a delight to handle and shoot. This model’s available in most popular cartridges up to .300 Win Mag, though lefty choices may be more limited. The stainless barrel is 24.3^ and appeared to be free-floating in the rigid synthetic stock (choice of twist of 1:8 or 1:12 available). Results spoke for themselves. The T3x Aspire is a lightweight and highly accurate rifle, ideal for hunting and carrying significant distances and absolutely fit for purpose. I’d certainly buy this if I needed another .223, as its accuracy and clever design would perfectly complement my left-handed T3x Veil Wideland in 6.5 Creedmoor.

MvdB: There are many challenges in writing professionally, one being that sometimes a subject is just tough to make interesting. I once reviewed eight pairs of binoculars one after the other and eventually ran out of new things to say. A case in point is Tikka rifles as I currently have three and have owned five during my hunting life. Love the accuracy, reliability, repeatability, build quality and, most importantly, lefty options. Tikka tick all my boxes for a hunting rifle but as a writer there’s a downside: Predictability. All that good stuff can make them challenging to write about as it can become a little repetitive.

Luckily there are exceptions. I found the T3x Tactical extremely interesting and so to with the T3x Aspire. What makes this one stand out immediately is it’s an all-Aussie edition. Designed in consultation with the team at Beretta Australia, it combines a solid green synthetic stock, soft-touch pistol grip and cheek pad along with a lightweight, stainless fluted barrel (threaded for New Zealand) and that ever-reliable Tikka action.

It’s a pack rifle built to be carried and, when needed, give you the confidence to make that all-important shot. It’s also designed to be robust enough to survive those less-than-comfortable conditions associated with pack hunting and be ready to go, year after year. Cycling the action, the Aspire demonstrated all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect being smooth, positive and confidence inspiring. Overall this was a very pleasant rifle to shoot both from the bench and offhand.

Discussing the gun later with Paul, I mentioned it would also make a good youth rifle. It’s combination of lightweight design, robust finish and calibre selection make it one I’ll be considering for my eldest in a year or two. The Aspire is a visually appealing rifle which lives up to Tikka’s well-earned reputation and interestingly, one of our party aspired to own it and I believe that aspiration was realised not long after the event.

TK: This is a smile machine which I loved shooting and, like most of us on the day, I managed my best groups with it. The 6.5mm Creedmoor has a reputation for accuracy and maybe it was the inherent accuracy of the round, though I’m pretty sure the rifle itself had a lot to do with it (it certainly wasn’t the operator).

The action was smooth and tight and reloading was a breeze, which is just as well as there was a lot of reloading to do. In this I was aided and abetted by the 10-round box mag which gets a big thumbs-up from me, maybe even a double thumbs-up. This gun was so much fun I wanted to shoot it all day but reluctantly had to give the others a go.

It has a long barrel, adjustable stock and cheekpiece, full-length Picatinny rail for scopes etc. and is threaded for the addition of a muzzle brake or sound moderator where permitted. The fore-end is a metal shroud around the barrel. Add in a big target scope such as the supplied Burris Veracity PH and this is a heavy rifle, so lugging it for kilometres is a non-starter.

It’s definitely a target rifle and I’d add a bipod if it was mine. Long Range Precision is the fastest-growing SSAA discipline and this one is suited to that, though I can see a hunting use for it, unlikely as that may seem. If there’s a watering hole where you know animals came to drink, you could set up a hide a good distance away with a clear field of fire.

The 10-round magazine and buttery smooth action means you could take out quite a few goats or pigs before they got away from you, though you’d want a vehicle or horse to take you and this beast there. If I was getting into target shooting I’d buy one. It’s excellent so well done Tikka.

PM: This was something of a revelation for me as I’ve never liked the look of ‘tactical’ rifles and feel that look isn’t particularly favourable with the general public with no understanding of firearms. These designs are the opposite of classic sporting rifle configurations, meant more for military or target shooters using them in competition. To be fair, I always had in the back of my mind these were based around self-loading actions, designed for combat and not sporting use.

This bolt-action Tikka has been specifically designed for Long-Range Precision and Tactical shooting and, as such, it’s hard to imagine a better factory option. It still appears very military, though I’m aware the tactical look has become hugely popular worldwide. The thought and engineering built in to this rifle and its sheer quality of construction has to be seen to be believed. Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor as well as .223 Remington, .260 Remington and .308 Winchester, you’ll have long-range target shooting out to 1200m covered.

Tikka have used a 24” medium contour barrel with a fast 1:8” twist to stabilize the long, super high-BC 6.5mm bullets needed to hold their trajectory, and help cheat the wind at some of the longer distances in competition shooting nowadays. The muzzle’s threaded, the bolt-action typically Tikka and super-smooth to operate. The double-stage trigger is superb, adjustable for weight of pull and incredibly crisp and repeatable in use. The rifle has a Picatinny rail on the receiver for day scope mounting, while the substantial steel box magazine fed flawlessly and fitted perfectly in the sculptured stock. For someone a bit shallow like me where looks count, this is very smart and not unwieldy.

A rigid 13.5” M-Lok five-slot Picatinny rail covers roughly half the length of the barrel from the interface of the action and barrel forward, for adding other accessories. The stock is skeletonized with a simple but effective cheek rest adjustment to facilitate perfect and repeatable cheek weld, while it also folds to make it more compact to carry or transport.

All these features contributed to the smallest groups I’ve ever shot at 100m, two Fiochi Competition and Federal Premium Gold Medal loads all producing three-shot groups which were one elongated near round hole.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this if I was into PRS or some other long-range game. It’s a competition rifle and about 7kg all-up with Burris scope and mounts. If I ever take up PRS or, as an old chap, just want an incredible rifle for range work and the satisfaction of shooting ridiculously tiny groups, the bank manager will definitely be getting a call.

MvdB: This is by design, operation and appearance a precision centrefire rifle built for long-range and practical shooting disciplines. Yes, you could effectively hunt with it but it’s not a carry around-style rifle. The barrelled action sits within a sturdy aluminium chassis that’s complemented by an extended heatshield-style fore-end, which surrounds the barrel and continues towards the threaded muzzle.

Topped with a matching Picatinny rail, the fore-end provides contact points for your supporting hand as well as plenty of mounting options for optics and accessories. The controls are every bit a Tikka though for me at least, the pronounced pistol grip and adjustable folding AR-style stock were a real departure from my experiences with the Finnish brand.

On the bench I shouldered it with no previous experience of a precision rifle. It felt decidedly foreign, so I adjusted the stock and reset the height of the cheek piece. The Burris Veracity scope seemed an appropriate match and after finetuning the focus, I single-loaded the rifle with 6.5CM. The two-stage trigger did catch me a little off-guard, though the steady long squeeze wasn’t awkward, just different. The trigger felt more like a long controlled single-stage with a very clean break and as the 6.5CM is hardly a kicker, recoil was mild.

Checking the target I was a long way off the V-Bull, so adjusted accordingly via the large windage turret. On the next shot I’d over corrected a little, so again readjusted windage and this time elevation as well. The third shot was wholly acceptable so I fired my remaining allotted rounds, delivering a sub-MOA group. Job done.

The gun undoubtedly has ‘wow’ factor and results generated, along with the conversation between us, spoke volumes for its completeness as a shooting package. Like me, no-one else had any real experience with this kind of rifle, though it turned us into sharpshooting converts.

Yes it’s heavy, its look won’t appeal to everyone and owning a Creedmoor will invite plenty of backhanded comments about ‘manbuns’. That said, the Tikka T3x Tactical is something special and as you’ll see from the cover photo I’m the one carrying it but no, they wouldn’t let me take it home.