Tikka T3X Drover Carbine Rifle: Ranch and Field Ready

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There was a time when rifles that wore stubby barrels, running from 16 to 20 inches, were commonly called “carbines” after, you guessed it, the Old French word carabin, which in fact meant something totally different. Go figure.

Tikka’s new offering, the T3x Drover, fits the description of a carbine in that it has a 19-inch barrel and is short, light, handy and fast to the shoulder. Fitted with a European-style Battue-ramp rear sight illuminated with bring green fiber optic “runway lamps” that direct the eye to the hooded red fiber-optic front sight, its initial intent was for use on running or driven game, but these attributes also make it just about perfect as a rancher’s truck gun or a guide’s backup. It would also be a great choice for those who hunt whitetails in the deep woods or elk in the dark timber.

Chambered for the extremely versatile and popular .308 Winchester short-action cartridge, the barreled action is nestled within an attractive forest green Roughtech synthetic stock that is reinforced with carbon-fiber along the bedding channel. This creates a very stiff and rugged stock that in theory will contribute to accuracy.

Another asset of the Drover, and all Tikka rifles, is the adjustable trigger. Pull weights from 3.5 to around 2 pounds are accomplished via a single screw once the barreled action is removed from the stock. Set at the factory at 3.5 pounds, I found the trigger to be crisp with a clean break with no take up or overtravel. The carbine’s trigger and hammer-forged barrel lived up to the brands reputation for accuracy, as we will see from our range results.

The sandpaper-like finish on the Roughtech stock provides positive purchase, as does the aggressively textured pattern of the carbine’s black plastic pistolgrip. Bottom metal is an aluminum alloy and the large, dual magazine release catches at the front of the trigger guard, creating a very practical release that is easy to locate and engage. Twin sling swivel studs are located fore and aft. Ergonomically, the stock is comfortable for use by both right and left-handed shooters.

The Drover is supplied with a single, 10-round CTR magazine with a high impact, polymer floorplate with a protective, rubberized insert at its base.

Initial Impressions

Overall, the Drover made a favorable impression, but there are a few things I did not personally care for, the foremost being the 10-round magazine. I see no need for a hunting rifle to carry ten rounds and the way it protrudes from the bottom of the stock makes for uncomfortable carrying. I would much prefer a 5-round magazine fitted flush with the underside of the stock. This would still allow the rifle to hold six loads with one in the chamber, which should suffice for any game to be taken with a .308 Winchester.

The second thing is the Battue-ramp rear sight. While excellent if used without an optic, it gets in the way of using low scope rings, and a scope should be fitted as low to the bore as possible. I used medium rings to mount a very nice Leupold VX-5HD 2-10x42 scope and still clear the surface of the ramp by a thin hair’s width. Tikka rifles have long held a well-earned reputation for rugged reliability, and I would expect nothing less from the Drover. Like all Tikka’s, its action is glass-smooth in cycling which allows for very fast follow-up shots from the shoulder. The triple-lug bolt permits a sixty-degree lift and the nicely angled bolt-handle, with its large bolt knob with textured insert, provide for rapid acquisition thereof and excellent torque when cocking and cycling.

The real proof of what a new rifle is made of comes at the range and in the field. I carried the Drover on six separate attempts to drop a feral hog in my Central California hills over the course of two weeks, but hogs are notoriously more difficult to hunt during our short winters. Rain and a lack of crops scatters the sounders and it becomes nearly impossible to pattern the hogs for a successful hunt.

Because of that, I can only report from the results I obtained at my range, and those were very good. I had a wide selection of .308 Winchester ammo that had accumulated over years of testing. I fired groups with Federal, Hornady, Winchester, Remington, Fiocchi and Sako ammunition. Average group size over all of those offerings measured exactly 1.00-inch. The two best groups were obtained with ammo by the home team, Sako’s 162-grain Powerhead Blade copper bullets printed a 1.18-inch group and SAKO’s TRG Match ammo, loaded with 175-grain Scenar-L bullets, printed an impressive .591-inch center-to-center group. Most impressive was the consistent accuracy within better-than-average hunting specs with all loads tried.

Tikka T3X Drover Specs

• Type: Bolt-action
• Caliber: .308 Winchester
• Barrel: 20-inches, 1:10 twist, threaded 5/8x24
• Weight: 6.4 pounds
• Sights: Battue ramp rear, hooded fiber optic front
• Trigger: Single-stage adjustable
• MSRP: $1,299
• Manufacturer: Tikka, sako.global

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