A couple of years ago it all started off with me buying a Tikka T3 .223 and over the years the gun has been evolving nicely.

In the beginning
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1265284661

Then it got a suppressor
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1315438546

I then fluted the bolt
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1319666480

Then I pimped my rifle & added some bling
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1336655010/all

I then updated my suppressor
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1401860437/all

Even though I have a few rifles in the safe the .223 (Mighty Mouse) has always been a hard rifle not to take on a trip as I simply love it as I find the caliber punches well above its weight where I've shot in excess of 60 sika and a couple of Fallow.

So here we are at the present where for some time I'd been weighing up going lighter on the rifle by means of obtaining a lighter stock but the question was what and from whom.

There is senator stocks https://www.facebook.com/senator.riflestocks/ based on Tauranga which I'd seen at the Sika Show which are well made and contemplated the idea.

Then there is our very own forum member "Stug" who also makes stocks http://www.sggunstocks.co.nz/ who I came across the first time I went hunting in Fiordland a few years back.

Due to Stug having a full time job and the stocks are made on the side, there is a lengthy waiting time once you've made your order to get a stock but for me I wasn't in any rush and the months flew by quickly.

I had the stock made up to the same specs as the T3 stock as I quite liked it and had stainless steel studs installed along with a lightweight pachmayr recoil pad not that the .223 was going to give me big recoil!

The only thing I had to do was send the action and barrel down to Stug where he bedded the rifle for me into the stock and then return it back to me.

At the same time I sent the rifle down I also sent down to him some stainless steel action screws to replace the factory Tikka screws which I obtained through Gunworks and at the same time I ordered those I also ordered a set of screws to replace the current factory screws in the Tikka rings so I knew that the rifle was as weather resistant as I could make it.

The rifle came back to me beautifully done where the carbon fibre stock weighed in at 559 grams as opposed to 805 grams for the standard T3 stock.

It was at around the same time I sent the scope that was on the rifle which is a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x38 through to the Leupold custom shop in the states where I had them install a CDS elevation turret and fortunately I did this before the exchange rate went to shit!

Once the rifle was back and the scope arrived I put the scope back on with the Tikka rings and sighted her in.













As for accuracy its still punching nice little clover leaf groups at 100 metres with the 55 gr Sierras.



Since having the rifle back its been out on a few walks since.

Perfect gun for kids to shoot

yip thats a sexy wee beast of a rifle.

Interesting thread - nice looking rifle too 

My rifle has taken a similar progression to yours. Numerous changes of scopes, barrel being cut down and suppressed, change of suppressor, bolt getting fluted and now it's currently getting a STUG stock fitted too.

Can't wait to get it back

Shit thats big John

MikeB wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2016 at 4:44am:


G'Day Fella's,

+1

Doh!
Homer

Those round bolt knobs are now about $41.00 - Tikka brand and come with an allen screw to fit over the bolt end. There are other types - rubber ball than is a force fit for about $21.00. Available at places like Guncity.

@seventenths:

Wouldn't mind getting my hand loaded 53gr Vmax, the 55gr Nosler BST and the 55gr Barnes TTSX out of the 16" .223 measured one day. Please let me know if you are ever in Tokoroa on a weekend

Cheers,
JaSa