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Home»Hunting»Tikka Ace Target: The Best Competition Rifle Under $2,000 (Full Review)
Hunting

Tikka Ace Target: The Best Competition Rifle Under $2,000 (Full Review)

Tim HuntBy Tim HuntOctober 10, 20259 Mins Read
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Tikka Ace Target: The Best Competition Rifle Under ,000 (Full Review)

When you hear the terms “long-range shooting,” “competition rifle,” and “sniper,” what gunmakers come to mind? “Tikka” might not top your list, but I think that could be about to change.

Especially in disciplines like NRL Hunter, competitive shooters are turning to Tikka’s T3x platform, swapping out the factory stock for a chassis, and hitting the circuit. Tikka has taken notice of this trend, and their new line of Ace rifles is designed to give shooters an out-of-the-box option with no need for a stock swap.

I think they’re onto something. As long as this test rifle isn’t an outlier, the Ace has a shot to become one of the best factory competition rifles on the market today.

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Specifications and Chamberings

The Target model I received from our friends at Scheels was chambered in .308 Winchester and featured an all-black chassis and 23.6-inch barrel. The Target is also available in .223 Rem. and 6.5 Creedmoor, and all three chamberings can be had with a black or tan chassis. The barrel on the .223 Rem. model measures 23.6 inches, but the .308 Win. and 6.5 Creedmoor are available with 23.6- or 26-inch barrels, so you can match the barrel length to your muzzle brake or suppressor setup.

Tikka Feature This is the Target version of the Ace.

The Game version of the Ace is designed with hunters in mind. It features a slimmer profile, fluted barrel, a shorter handguard, and a smaller, more flush fitting magazine. Weighing between 8.8 and 9.3 pounds unloaded, it’s still on the heavier side for a hunting rifle. But it might be the perfect hunting/competition crossover, provided that slimmer barrel can handle long shot strings. It’s being offered in 223 Rem., 22-250 Rem., 7mm Rem. Mag., 308 Win., 300 Win. Mag., 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 7mm PRC.

Tikka Ace Game The Ace Game is lighter and features a fluted barrel and shorter handguard.

The price for a Tikka Ace ranges between $1,700 and $2,000. That’s a nice chunk of change, but it’s easy to spend twice that on a rifle with similar features and performance. You have to decide for yourself whether the Ace is worth it, but I would say Tikka’s price is totally fair based on the other options on the market.

Here are more specifications for the model I used in my testing:

Cartridge: .308 Winchester

Overall Weight: 10.4 lbs.

Trigger: Two-stage, adjustable

Feature-Rich Chassis

There’s something utilitarian about the all-aluminum Ace chassis, but it includes all the features you might want on a competition rifle.

Starting at the rear, the buttstock has a simple mechanism for adjusting the comb that doesn’t require any tools to operate: you simply rotate the wheel to the desired position, press the button, and the comb pops up to the pre-set height. The unit appears to be sturdy and well-built, and the comb never slipped or moved throughout the course of my testing.

Tikka Stock Tikka Stock 2

The recoil pad can be adjusted vertically and horizontally using a single screw, and the length of pull can be reduced by removing the two stock spacers that come with the rifle. The pistol grip is also adjustable. One grip screw adjusts the angle while the other allows it to be moved forwards and backwards. This allows users to maximize comfort and adjust the grip depending on shooting position or hand size.

Tikka Pistol

Speaking of comfort, the Ace also features a small post designed to allow shooters to rest their thumb along the side of the receiver. This post can be rotated to three different positions or moved to the other side of the rifle.

Tikka Thumb Rest

Continuing our march down the length of the stock, the magazine well features a robust and aggressively textured barricade stop. The mag well itself only accepts Tikka’s proprietary 5 or 10 round magazines, though you can swap out mag wells if you want to use the T3x metal or polymer magazines or (for some reason) the T1x rimfire magazines.

The mag well is, in my opinion, one of the only big misses on the Ace chassis system. Most aftermarket chassis can accept ACIS magazines, and most hunters and competitive shooters already have a box of them. I’ve heard that Tikka plans to release an ACIS-compatible magazine well, but it seems like they should have gone with that out of the gate.

Tikka Mag

They did release a suite of accessories that can be used with the Tikka Ace chassis, including a bagrider and weights for the stock, and weights and an upper rail for the handguard. There are also two different handguard lengths and colors that can be purchased separately if, for example, you buy the Ace Game but want to use the longer guard that comes with the Target model.

The handguard itself features M-LOK slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions and an ARCA rail along the length, which allows for easy attachment to a bipod or tripod.

Tikka Handguard

Overall, while the Ace chassis may not be compatible with some of the more popular aftermarket accessories, it’s still a well-built, feature-rich system. Plus, it’s compatible with current T3x or T1x rifles, so you can purchase an Ace Target for competition and swap in a lighter barreled action for the field.

At the Range

The chassis is thoughtfully designed, but how does the rifle shoot? In a word, great.

Tikka Shooting 1

I had no issues feeding or extracting while operating the T3x action. I single-load when I test for a bolt gun for accuracy, but I try to take time to run it quickly to make sure I don’t uncover any cycling issues. (As a side note, it’s important to test this whether you’re hunting or shooting competitively–the field or a match isn’t the time to discover your gun can’t feed the ammo you’re using.)

I’m pleased to report that the Ace Target ran through all three ammo/bullet types without so much as a hiccup. The bolt is smooth, and it stripped each cartridge from the 10-round magazine without issue. The Sako-style extractor and spring-loaded ejector also functioned flawlessly as they ripped spent cases from the chamber and tossed them to the side.

Tikka Bolt

The bolt features dual lugs and an oversize polymer knob with a 70-degree throw. This, combined with the overall smoothness of the action, made it easy to operate the gun quickly, as you would in a match.

The two-stage trigger is adjustable via an adjustment screw that can be accessed by removing the receiver from the chassis. Mine came from the factory set at exactly three pounds, and I had no complaints about it as I tested the rifle through multiple range sessions. It’s clean, consistent, and will help rather than hinder making a good shot.

Tikka Trigger

I tested for accuracy at 100 yards using a Sig Sauer TANGO-DMR (5-30×56) mounted to the built-in 20-MOA rail. I tested three different bullets and two different weights, and I shot five, five-shot groups with each. As you can see, the Ace Target (as with most rifles) prefers some load combinations over others.

Ammo 165g Platinum Hunter (Accubond) 165g Match Hunter (GameKing) 168g Elite Match (OTM)
Small Group 1.3 0.3 0.4
Average Group 1.46 0.7 0.53
Average Velocity 2714 2749 2644
SD 10 6.3 9.5

Tikka Target

The results with the Accubond were a little disappointing, but I was blown away by the GameKing and OTM bullets. I’ve tested dozens of rifles in .308 Win., and this may be the most accurate factory rifle I’ve ever shot. I know the .308 can be accurate, but my limited success with that cartridge is what convinced me to switch to the 6.5 Creedmoor. The Tikka Ace Target has me thinking about switching back.

The Ace Target retained its point-of-impact consistently from group to group as well as during long shot strings. As you can see in the image above, the middle, top-left, top-right, and bottom-right groups all landed about a half-inch left of the point of aim. If I had shot all 20 shots at the same bull’s eye, they would have ripped a single, ragged hole with a diameter of approximately 0.75 inches. The last group, the one on the bottom-right, shifted simply because I adjusted the scope to try to center the group on the bull’s eye (obviously, either I messed up that adjustment or the scope didn’t track properly).

Tikka Barrel The heavy barrel maintains a consistent point of impact even as it heats up.

What’s more, the final three groups (top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right) were all shot without allowing the barrel to cool. A competition rifle should maintain its point of impact even as the barrel heats up during a stage. The Tikka Ace Target handled that test without any trouble, and I wouldn’t worry about POI shifts during a 10- or 5-round stage.

My only gripe about the Target is that it doesn’t come in a wider range of calibers. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a fine competition cartridge, but it’s hardly the only one, and the .308 isn’t designed for those high-BC bullets that buck the wind at long distance. A .308 can get the job done, but I’d love to see the Ace Target in a 6mm Creedmoor or 7mm PRC.

Still, a half-MOA gun out of the box is the kind of thing previous generations of hunters and sport shooters could only dream about. Based on other reports of the Ace I’ve seen, I think you can expect the same if you decide to pull the trigger and order one of your own.

The Ace Target combines that stellar accuracy with excellent ergonomics and a comfortable shooting experience. Especially with a MeatEater Banish suppressor attached to the 5/8×24 threaded muzzle, the rifle’s 10+ pounds of weight control recoil and make the rifle extremely pleasant to shoot. It might not be the kind of thing you want to lug around the backcountry, but it would excel in any scenario that didn’t require much transport and in which a hunter could get into a stable position from a bipod or tripod. I had my 10-year-old son shoot the Ace while he was with me at the range, and even though the large, black rifle looked more intimidating than his usual stable of .22’s, he reported zero discomfort firing at 300 and 400-yard targets.

Tikka Shooting 2

Last Shot

I often read reviews of a rifle I’m testing just to see what others’ experiences have been. I don’t always agree with the consensus, but in this case, I do. One reviewer said the Ace Game is the most accurate 6.5 Creedmoor he’s ever shot, and I’d say the same about the Ace Target in .308 Win. This thing just shoots, plain and simple. There’s really no higher praise, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ace rifles popping up on the competition circuit very soon.

Read the full article here

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