Squat Squad — I rolled into northern Utah with almost zero Tikka experience and sat down with Aaron at Anarchy Outdoors to find out why these Finnish bolt guns keep showing up in precision circles. Same company family as Sako (think Honda vs Acura), smooth out of the box, and — according to Aaron — one of the best factory actions you can buy without going full custom-snob.
I sat down with Aaron at Anarchy Outdoors to answer the question every RPR owner already knows from our upgrades talk: if the factory gun is already that good, why does Anarchy still make a pile of parts for it?
Tikka / T3x / T1x accessories and more: Anarchy Outdoors — use code SlavGuns on Anarchy-manufactured products only (not third-party brands they carry). Everyday gear: SlavGuns Amazon. Support the channel: join on YouTube.
Why Tikka is “all the rage”
Aaron’s take is blunt: Tikka is slow to chase every market fad, but the actions are excellent. Bergara has been stomping configurations and stock options; Tikka has started catching up with newer stocks and adjustability. On the table we had a newer-config Tikka in 6.5 PRC (they had run out of Tikkas and needed another) and a T1x rimfire — and the footprint story is the real party trick.
- Same action size story: Magnum and short-action Tikkas share a lot of accessory compatibility. Magazine stop / mag-release length helps control where the bolt stops, so the platform stays interchangeable.
- Chassis flexibility: You can move an action toward a magnum setup with a different bolt and a chassis that takes a magnum magazine.
- Smoothness: Aaron shot his first mule deer with a Tikka in 7mm Rem Mag — “smooth out of the box” is the recurring theme.
- The catch: Less aftermarket than a Remington 700. Remington is still the accessory king; Tikka is the “it just runs” foundation.
1. Bolt handle: leverage + that Accuracy International sweep
Factory Tikka handles work — better than a Ruger American’s stubby handle — but they’re short and not really meant to be customized.
- The Upgrade: Anarchy’s swept handle, AI-inspired geometry. Palm it, drive it home, stay tight to the rifle.
- Why it matters: Back around 2015–16, a lot of PRS guns started life as donor Tikkas — gunsmiths buying actions, tossing stock and barrel, and building. The action was that good as a foundation.
- Design note: Aaron says only a couple of companies world-wide do this particular swept style (Anarchy in the US; another shop in Australia). Most competitors do a simpler threaded handle.
First time I ran a Tikka with that angle, it felt natural — especially for shorter hands. Flip, run back with the finger, drive home with the swell under the thumb.
2. Bolt shroud, scope bases, and “looks factory”
Anarchy’s Tikka lineup (as covered on camera) is focused, not endless:
- Bolt shrouds: Cheap T3x shrouds are plastic; CRT gets aluminum. Anarchy’s shroud is about sharp lines and a one-piece look with the handle more than a hard performance must — unless you crack the plastic one (which happens).
- Scope bases: They make Tikka bases; a bubble-level version was in the works at the time of the sit-down.
- Bolt knobs: Multiple shapes for different applications — same philosophy as their Ruger work.
3. Trigger spring: factory Tikka is already excellent
Unlike the RPR conversation (where the factory trigger is the weak link), Aaron calls the Tikka factory trigger one of the best on any factory rifle. Anarchy’s add-on is a drop-in trigger spring (Yo Dave–style sourcing / research path) that can cut pull weight roughly in half — down toward just above a pound.
- Precision use: Makes sense for match work if you know your rifle.
- Hunting: Personal preference and skill. Aaron still frames it as drop-safe on Tikkas, but he’s careful recommending ultra-light pulls for hunters. His hunting Tikka example was roughly in the two-and-a-half-pound neighborhood without that spring.
They also carry the Chimney two-stage trigger path (shown in the rimfire / T1x context elsewhere in the Anarchy sit-downs).
4. T1x rimfire: self-timing handle + Bravo package
The T1x is the rimfire sibling in the same conversation. Anarchy’s T1x handle uses a self-timing nut (think self-timing muzzle brake) so you can rotate the handle through a wide arc and lock it where your hand lives — including tucked-in setups for bag work and content shooting (Clark Shooter’s gun on the table).
- Same concept carries to Bergara B-14 handles with a small flange for the aesthetic transition.
- Muzzle brake sized to the barrel diameter — because why not.
- Scope base with level for the T1x footprint (shorter action than the centerfire Tikkas, so not the same base).
5. KRG Bravo + fat mag release
Anarchy sells a lot of KRG Bravo stocks (KRG is close enough that they get shipments multiple times a week). Sub-$400 class chassis vibe that gives you a vertical grip story and the features people chase in much more expensive stocks.
- Extended mag release: Big pad that fills your fingertip — designed with competition input from Aaron’s brother-in-law. On camera it was framed as a low-cost upgrade that makes running a T1x in a Bravo feel phenomenal.
- Compatibility caveat: That fat release is not for the factory stock — Bravo chassis territory.
- Weights / balance: Weighted Bravos that settle into the shoulder pocket when you shoot properly.
6. What’s still on the roadmap (no invented specs)
Aaron was clear they don’t make a ton of Tikka SKUs — about a half-dozen products — with more flushing out of the line:
- Better bolt releases
- Stainless free-float lug under the receiver (replacing the factory free-floating lug idea)
- Experimenting with bottom metals, including for the T1x factory stock
Proprietary magazines remain the Tikka headache. CRT / Tac-A1 style guns get praise as “comp-ready out of the box” with a Bravo — and side-eye for non-AICS mags and (on some models) integrated / non-standard optic interface choices. Anarchy’s message to Tikka at SHOT years ago: fix those two things and they sell a lot more.
SlavGuns Take: Do you need Anarchy parts on a Tikka?
If you want Remington-700-level aftermarket depth, buy a Remington (or a Bergara on that footprint). If you want a factory action that already feels custom-smooth, Tikka is why the rage exists — donor-gun history included.
The “low hanging fruit” here is different from the RPR list: swept bolt handle for feel and speed, trigger spring if you want match weight on an already excellent trigger, and on the T1x side a Bravo + extended mag release + self-timing handle package that turns a great shooter into a competition-friendly runner.
Keep on squatting. I’ll see you in the next video.
T3x hunter, T1x trainer, or full Bravo PRS toy — which Tikka are you building first?
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