Tikka T3x UPR

The T3x UPR is what a Tikka CTR becomes when Tikka stops compromising for hunters. It keeps the Sako-built T3x action and the cold-hammer-forged barrel, then adds the parts a CTR owner usually buys afterward: a full-length 20 MOA Picatinny rail, an oversized tactical bolt knob, a 24.3-inch threaded barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor, and a glass-fiber-reinforced stock built around a nearly vertical grip, a 1.75-inch flat forend, and a sniper hook on the underside of the buttstock.

The cheekpiece adjusts across eight positions, which is the single biggest reason this rifle shoots better than a CTR for most people. Outdoor Life measured the barrel at 23.7 inches with a 1:8 twist and a 5/8-24 muzzle thread, and weighed the rifle at 7 lb 14 oz, which is light for something this stable off a bipod.

The factory single-stage trigger is user-adjustable and came in at 3 lb 13 oz on that test rifle, with room to go lighter on the adjustment screw. The trade against a Bergara HMR or a Howa HCR is magazine standard: the UPR uses CTR-style Tikka bottom metal and proprietary Tikka magazines, so spares cost meaningfully more than AICS.