So I thought I wanted to wait on the Super Varmint, glad it wasn't available because I'd probably have buyers remorse. After being reminded how heavy it was, and me recalling why I sold one of the most accurate rifles I ever owned (a Remington 5R Milspec) due to weight I'm considering one of several in their line up. The only real reason I was leaning towards the Super Varmint was the heavy barrel and my opinion that there would be an accuracy enhancement along with it. I do have a CTR 20" in .308 and a T3 in 6.5 Creedmoor in an after market stock with upgraded bottom metal that are both great shooters, so I have no reason to feel that some of their T3's wouldn't be great shooters as well. They have a few with fluted 24.3" barrels that come with brakes and spiral fluted bolts. Who has one? On the range, during sighting in did your groups open when barrel heated up? This will be a mule deer set up. I'll sight it in, confirm zero with one group once in the Fall and hunt with it off of a bipod. It won't see a lot of rounds.

I wouldn't hesitate to order the base T3, and put it in a Bell and Carlson aluminum block stock and use bottom metal from Mountain Tactical or High Desert Rifle Works. I did this with good results on my 6.5, but not totally confident at this point in the Tikka barrel profile for 7mm Rem. Mag.

The T-3 Lite will for sure keep two consecutive rounds sub-MOA. The third round may fly astray a little bit. I've worked up loads for a whole bunch of them, they were all shooters for 2 rounds, some for 3 rounds. When someone calls and say they are bringing me a Tikka (of any kind) or a Sako, I am always happy. They are going to shoot well, and are not going to cause me a whole lot of fuss to make them do it. I wish Tikka would not give them so much free-bore. But Red Snake makes some bottom metal to afford you longer ammo.

Open up the forearm, because it will be touching the barrel. Put a good scope on it, and it will do what you ask of it.

1:9 twist, get some 175 gr or 180 gr and a full house load of a slow burn powder. It will be a killer, and from far away if you need it to.

For a mule deer gun, by any T3 you feel comfortable carrying and do work. You're not laying down a 5-10 shot string. The only Roughtechs or Veil models I've seen for sale used are 6.5 PRC and the owner did not speak ill of them. I think if you're buying a hunting rifle either of these would be a great choice in 7RM.

For a standard T3, FJG is right, that third shot may open up a touch. I had an older T3 stainless in .308 and the first two (factory rounds) were always about .5"; the third round was guaranteed to open the group to .75-1.25".

Thanks for the comments. I may go the route of getting T3 lite, base plastic stock, no xtra features and up grade to Bell and Carlson stock with bottom metal from High Desert Rifle works, since it worked out so well on my 6.5 Creedmoor.

I have a 16" CTR in a McMillan carbon stock and a 7mm mag also in a McMillan carbon stock
The 7 mag is a superlight that I had threaded by Morgan.
I use a 1/2x28 flashhider mount that has a 30 cal bore for my suppressor.

The 308 has Mountain Tactical AI compatible DBM, I have to use an actual AI mag, the pmag wouldn't feed.
For the 7 mag I stuck with the factory mag setup and for a hunting rifle actually prefer it.

It shoots multiple factory rounds exceptionally well, I settled on the 162G ELDX and feel very confident with it.
With the can (6" Crux TI) and the great stock recoil is surprisingly mild considering how light the rifle is

Love it..
I have taken a few does with headshots out to 500 yards..
Suffice it to say, it's highly effective!

Does that stock have an aluminum bedding block, like the B&C?

yes
https://mcmillanusa.com/stock/game-scout/

I didn't bed the action

Details:
https://tacticalgunreview.com/tikka-semi-custom-7mm-mag/

Mcmillans are awesome, but was going to be like $400 more than what I paid for an HS precision.

This is a three shot 100 yard group from my Tikka T3X stainless light with the 24” barrel. 6.5 CM with ammo it likes:



I have done nothing to the rifle but clean it initially and ensure all the parts that should be lubricated are.

I've had a Tikka 695 Whitetail 7mag for 22 years. I've never had any trouble with load development, shooting groups, etc, and pretty much settled on a fairly stout RL22 load with 160 AB's/Partitions. Killed almost 60 animals in Africa with it.

nice, that i what is nice about Tikkas, at least all the ones I have had, they just SHOOT, right from the factory with ZERO work needed.
Anything you want to do is because you just want to do it..

Bad [censored] report, glad to hear it. I have two, this will be a mule deer set up.

Can't go wrong with 140 AB's in that 7mag either. Running about 3200 they are a wicked killer. I love the performance of Accubond bullets, and/or partitions. They work every time.

For a hunting rifle, suggest staying with the stock Tikka bottom plastic and mags. And make sure to use thread locker on the base and rings.

If I can keep it at or under my weight requirement, why not upgrade stock & bottom metal? It worked great on my 6.5 Creedmoor. And, you know I think JBweld is better than loctite so why do you bring that up? I want my stuff tight!

Don't we all....

tighter than a nun's a__

agreed, I ran 140 ABs when I had a 280AI, I think they averaged around 3150 or so. Deadly

Absolutely upgrade the stock but what do you gain by changing the bottom metal?

Nice

A more rigid platform. I wouldn't tighten a stock with a stock with an aluminum bedding block to a plastic bottom any tighter than I would the original plastic stock. With bottom metal machined from billet aluminum, I would, and have. Factory, original mags still work.

Skip the BC and get a Mcmillan or AG

That Mcmillan is twice the price of the B&C. I'm not convinced that it will take me from a 1/2" group to a 1/4" group, or if I need it. Once I find something that works, it's hard to go away from it. I have decided to stay away from the heavy barrel Super Varmint, may get one of the T3'such as the Roughtek, they come threaded with a brake. Taking a T3 and putting it in a B&C stock and going to bottom metal won't get me threaded with a brake, and I'm thinking the 7mm Rem. Mag would need it. This rifle is going to maybe have 6-7 rounds per year through it, once I get it set up.

The B&C is a very solid upgrade from the factory stock. I spent weeks looking at every stock available for my lefty T3. There's absolutely nothing better for the price and immediate shipping. I love McMillan but they were $400 more with a delivery date of ain't-no-telling-when. My little cheap-o rifle has already killed a bunch of chit in the meantime. In fact, it dropped a nice sambar in Port O'Connor yesterday.

Did you draw a hunt on the Powderhorn WMA?