Tikka is well known for offering quality rifles at a budget-friendly price. The new Tikka T1x is no exception. With the growing popularity of .22LR precision rifle competitions (such as the NRL 22 matches), more manufacturers have been adding heavy barreled accuracy oriented models to their lineup. The Tikka T3x rifles, chambered in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor are common sights at precision rifle competitions. It made perfect sense for Tikka to release a .22LR version for rimfire matches.

The T1x is not a T3x chambered in .22LR. There are more differences than similarities. However the T1x will fit in many stocks and chassis designed for the T3x. The T1x will also accept triggers designed for the T3x. This opens up a wide range of accessories for the rifle and will allow shooters to setup a “trainer” T1x to duplicate their full-size rifle.

My original purpose for the T1x was to evaluate it as a National Rifle League 22 (NRL22) Base-Class competition rifle. NRL22 Base Class limits the total cost of the rifle and optic to $1050. The Tikka T1x carries an MSRP of $499. This leaves a respectable budget for a full-featured optic.

The T1x is available chambered in .22LR or .17HMR. NRL22 rules restrict rifles to .22LR only. This made our choice of caliber easy. The T1x is also available with a 16″ or 20″ barrel. I would have chosen the 16″ barrel if I was able to find it in stock at any of our usual sources. We usually shoot standard velocity match ammunition. The longer barrel does not offer any advantage in muzzle velocity and it does offer a disadvantage to handling when working on barricade ports. All versions are threaded 1/2-28 to accept suppressors or muzzle devices. This is another good reason to go with the shorter barrel.

I tracked down a 20″, .22LR version at Whitaker Guns in Owensboro, KY. The rifle comes equipped with one, ten-round magazine. This is a bonus for NRL22 shooters since most stages require ten rounds. Unfortunately, Whitaker’s did not have any more magazines in stock. Those we had to order from EuroOptic at $35 a piece. The magazines are plastic and don’t inspire a great deal of confidence, but they seem up to the task for range use. They have a well contoured extension that makes removing them from the rifle very easy.

Unlike other rifles in this price point, the T1x does not come equipped with a Picatinny scope base. Instead, the receiver is dovetailed to accept 11mm rings. The receiver is also drilled and tapped to accept a scope base. There are several companies that make acceptable scope bases to fit the T1x. T3x bases will not fit.

Since this was a budget oriented project, I chose a base manufactured by Diversified Innovative Products Inc. The DIP scope base slides on to the dovetail and then screws down into the receiver. It is a very secure mounting strategy for a .22LR rifle.

The stock on the T1x is a light weight plastic piece. Tikka did a good job of using an adult length of pull for the buttstock. All too often, rifles of this type are handicapped with a “youth” length of pull. The 13.25″ length of pull on the T1x will fit average sized adults and many larger children.

The T1x pistol grip is a swept back in a more hunting oriented fashion and the comb of the stock is a little short for use with large-objective magnified optics. The pistol grip issue is easily resolved. Tikka offers a bolt-on vertical grip module that will place your hand at an angle that is better suited to precision rifle work. The grip is actually marketed as a T3x piece, but fits just fine on the T1x. There is also a T3x Beavertail Synthetic Forend that will fit the T1x. The fit is not perfect though and was obviously made with the larger barrel contour of the T3x in mind. The low comb is easily addressed with bolt on or strap on cheek risers. The stock does come equipped with a front and rear sling stud. The front stud is sufficient for mounting a Harris-type bipod. The bipod will need to be removed when attaching a sling.

The trigger of the T1x was the biggest surprise. It is a single stage pull with a clean and crisp 3 lbs. 13.8 oz. average. The trigger is equipped with a pull weight adjustment screw that can be accessed with the stock removed. Backing the screw out as far as possible reduced the pull to a consistent 1 lb. 5.8 oz. This is excellent for a factor rifle and beats many of the centerfire triggers on the market. The results were good enough that there is little reason to replace the factory trigger. However, there are trigger springs that will allow you to go lighter and complete replacement triggers that will give you super-light single or two stage pulls.

The bolt throw on the T1x is as short as you would expect on a rimfire rifle. It appears that the trend of mimicking the centerfire bolt throw is still limited to a few rimfire. However, the bolt is relatively smooth and the sixty degree bolt lift makes for quick bolt manipulation without running into clearance issues with larger scopes. The cocking effort on bolt lift was a little heavy for a small and light rifle, but not something that overly distracts from the experience. The bolt knob is replaceable, but it is not compatible with the T3x part. Several companies are currently making replacement knobs. We picked up one from DIP Inc. and I am impressed with the quality.

The Tikka T1x performed well with Norma Match 22 ammunition.

The T1x looks and feels good, but the true test is at the range. I fired several types of ammunition through it and Wolf Match Extra, Lapua Center-X and Norma Match all shot well. The Norma Match seemed to do the best for us routinely turning in half-MOA groups at 50 yards.

Overall, I am highly impressed with the Tikka T1x. I am looking forward to shooting the next NRL22 match with it and hope to have it available for new competitors who are interested in jumping into the .22 game. I still love shooting open-class rimfire rifles, but the T1x offers up a competitive Base-Class option with tons of room to grow into Open-class.