Two years ago, Tikka placed high in Ballistic’s Best with their T3x Tac A1. This rifle has the same action but lacks the chassis and higher Picatinny rail of its more tactical sibling. Instead, it has a much lighter and minimal stock as well as lighter barrel profile. This is all fine and dandy, but UPR stands for Ultimate Precision Rifle and in our minds we feel things need to be a bit more substantial for that moniker. We simply thought it was a hunting rig.
While desolate, the stock did have a height adjustable comb, and that’s about it. The website claims the grip area is modular, but ours wasn’t, although we looked high and low online for proof. It also has two sling swivels for a Harris type bipod, which struggles in this crowd of M-Lok-cloaked forends that are able to accept Pic rail and even RRS Standard Dovetail/Arca rail attachments.
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It might appear that Tikka really skimped on this rifle but one area they for sure didn’t skimp on was accuracy. This was one of the best shooters of the lot, even with the thin barrel. I went on to shoot a 0.5-inch group with the Tikka, using Hornady ELD-M, coming off the rifle twice to retrieve rounds from the back of the vehicle so that I could finish the group. That’s impressive to say the least. No muzzle brake was included, so it moved quite a bit. And as remembered, the action was silky, fast and easy to run—an equally impressive feat.
But is accuracy and an excellent action enough to win Ballistic’s Best? It remains to be seen.
