My M65

[SgS]

View attachment 27714

So hear she is this I believe is a M65 Super Sporter lefthanded and a late model.

If there is interest I can try to upload more pictures. It will be used for hunting and will sport a meopta optica 6 5-30 56mm and have a hauksen suppressor

It is chamberd in 308 and has a box magazine.

It came to me via the Netherlands where it was a target rifle. I still have the iron sights.

 

[SgS]

 

[sakojim]

I wish you many years of enjoyable use. Congratulations for acquiring a rare item. Sakojim.

 

[icebear]

That is indeed a rare item. I didn't know that Tikka even made a left-handed M55/M65, and the Super Sporter version is quite rare in itself. The rifle appears to be in beautiful condition.

Are you sure that is an M65, not an M55? The .308 was normally produced in the M55 action; the longer M65 was used for .30-06 and similar length cartridges. I believe that M55 and M65 refer to the maximum length, in millimeters, of the cartridge the action will accommodate.

What will you be hunting with it, and where?

 

[SgS]

Hello iceberg
Yes it is a M65 in 308 Winchester.
The is a plastic insert in the front of the magazine to compensate for the short 308 cartridge.

I will mostly be varmiting. Artic fox and a single type of seagull. There is a type of seal I could hunt but it's not my thing.

The only meat game in Iceland is reindeer (hreindýr in Icelandic) but that is a expensive hobby.
Most of the hunting I have been doing since I was a youth is waterfowl gray goose and duck
There is a type of grouse and some seabirds (we call them black birds ) related to the puffin.
As to the the rifle it was being sold for a fair price less then 600 euros

 

[paulsonconstruction]

Very nice rifle. Thanks for sharing it with us! Pictures of your hunts would be welcome.

 

[icebear]

Thanks for the very interesting information. I am surprised to see a Tikka M65 action chambered in .308. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the Super Sporter was a special item and only built on the long action. I am assuming that your rifle has the original Tikka marked .308 barrel, and was not converted from another caliber by a previous owner.

The price of 600 euros sounds like a very good deal indeed. Such a rifle would cost a few hundred more here in the USA.

The information about hunting reindeer is interesting. In some countries the reindeer is hunted wild; in others it is mainly a domestic animal, as in Finland where the Sami still herd reindeer and you can buy reindeer meat in the market. It is delicious if it is properly prepared. In the USA we hunt reindeer, only we call them caribou. Same animal, different name.

 

[SgS]

I think the chambering in 308 is down to competitive shooting. 308 was a standard in 100 m centerfier.

I will try to upload some hunting pictures the goose season is starting soon.
And Iceland is big sky country (I hope I'm using the term as intended) so there is always wind. That is the reason for shooting artic fox with a 308 . Just for comparison it is smaller then a red fox.

 

[gunner620]

SgS I hunted the goose a few times when I was stationed in Iceland in the mid 1970's. We were allowed to shoot them with a rifle, so I loaded up some Sako full metal jacket bullets for my 243 and they worked quite well . Hard to get very close to them and most shots were 2 or 3 hundred yards. I also had a chance to hunt the black sea bird with a fisherman. I really enjoyed my 2 years in Iceland .Beautiful scenery and nice people. We made friends and stayed in contact with them for years, Good luck with your rifle and welcome to the forum. Jim

 

[SgS]

Hello Jim
I hope to take some geese with this M65 and I worked in Njardvik for 5 years at the shipyard.
Me and my father have a small craft for black bird hunting. He likes to fish but I don't care for it my self.

 

[gunner620]

SgS, I was stationed there at the NATO base and maintained aircraft ground equipment for station and NATO. Our best Islandic friends lived in Njardvik. I remember the bakeries and the wonderful smell of fresh bread. Not so much the smell from the fish factory. Had no trouble adjusting to the all dark winter or all light summers. Fun times. Jim

 

[fw71]

M65 is my favourite action and your rifle is one of the best made in Finland. Tikkakoski barrels are cut rifled and accuracy is very good. Sometimes coppering is a problem with those barrels. M55-action have never been manufactured left handed version, but factory made LH.stocks for M55. Both M65 and M55 were chambered in 308win caliber. I think one reason why, is M65 bigger standart magazine . Early years was 308win chambered only in 55-action.

 

[fw71]

Thanks for the very interesting information. I am surprised to see a Tikka M65 action chambered in .308. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the Super Sporter was a special item and only built on the long action. I am assuming that your rifle has the original Tikka marked .308 barrel, and was not converted from another caliber by a previous owner.

The price of 600 euros sounds like a very good deal indeed. Such a rifle would cost a few hundred more here in the USA.

The information about hunting reindeer is interesting. In some countries the reindeer is hunted wild; in others it is mainly a domestic animal, as in Finland where the Sami still herd reindeer and you can buy reindeer meat in the market. It is delicious if it is properly prepared. In the USA we hunt reindeer, only we call them caribou. Same animal, different name.

65/308win was first time on the list 1978 or 1979.

 

[CIOTACH]

Just registered, after spotting the Tikka sub forum for the first time.
More M65 LEFTHAND models ordered direct from the factory in Tikkakoski in 1989-90 as production ended.
The top one is an M65LH Deluxe in .308, and the lower is a M65LH Continental HB in 7mm RM (5-shot staggered box mag in each, with a spacer block in the .308).Although I've been tempted by the later LH M595/M695 models, these have an all-metal action and better fitting stocks.
Rollover cheekpieces & white line spacers were in vogue then, but I can live with them.