t3 Archives

Introduction

My first 5.56 can was a Yankee Hill Machine Turbo, and having used it heavily over the last few years I have become quite fond of it. Working across various rifle platforms and even various calibers it has earned a safe place in my suppressor lineup. So today I bring you a new version of the Turbo, the Yankee Hill Machine Turbo T3. To see if this new unit stands up the great performance of its predecessor.

desert tech Quattro 15, eotech vudu, yhm turbo t2

The YHM Turbo T3

The Turbo T3 is a the latest in the development of the Turbo line of suppressors. Preceded by the T2, with which it shares a great deal of features. With an upgrade in baffle design, the T3 added some additional porting to the internal baffles that reduced backpressure to the host firearm. Other than that the T2 and T3 are about the same thing.

Both use the same hub mounting system, which allows the user to change the mounting configuration. You can use either a direct thread cap of various different thread pitches, or other options. I really like using the Phantom QD system, as I have a variety of muzzle devices that my various YHM suppressors can mount to. Both models also use inconel for a blast baffle which is significantly more resistant to erosion.

desert tech wlvrn, us optics txh, yhm turbo t3 suppressor — the YHM Turbo in the wild, seen here shooting prairie dogs on my **Desert Tech WLVRN**

The muzzle of the T3 has a couple port facets that I assume are made to add additional turbulence as gas escapes. Together with several other tiny scallop cuts it gives a handsome finished look to the Turbos. At the breach end of the suppressor you will also find some tool engagement cuts to allow you to tighten or loosen the mounting hub of your choice. Turbos come with a couple tools as well that allow you to do this service.

The whole thing is finished with a black Cerakote finish for durability and a non-reflective finish. My older Turbo has been repainted at least once, not because the finish isn’t durable but because I am a little hard on them. So in an act of some vanity I repaint them every so often to keep up my drip.

Specifications

Caliber: 5.56mm
Weight: 12.8 oz. w/adapter
Length: 5.59”/6.5” w/adapter
Diameter: 1.5625”
Construction: 17-4 Ph SS/Inconel 718 Blast Baffle
Mount: Phantom 1/2” x 28 Q.D. HUB adapter
Decibel Rating: 134 dB
Minimum Barrel Lengths:
5.56 NATO: 10” Minimum barrel length.
Full Auto Rated

Shooting the Turbo T3

Both the T2 and T3 models fit snugly to my mounts, which made it easy to run back and forth between a few different rifles. One of the rifles I tested it on was a pretty standard Aero Precision 16″ direct impingement rifle, as well as my Desert Tech WLVRN which is a 20″ piston gun.

quattro 15 AR15 yhm turbo t3 — the YHM Turbo did great on this **Aero Precision** concoction, **read more about it here**

The larger AR rifle ran like a champ, and sounded fantastic. Accuracy from the rifle suffered no degradation while suppressed, in fact it might have been better. Dedicated 5.56 cans like this one seem to always sound so good to me. The sharpness of the report removed entirely leaving only a pleasant hiss. On the downside however, I did notice a larger gas exhaust from the ejection port. This was expected as it is pretty stereotypical when shooting suppressed, and as long as its done outside it doesn’t bother me at all. For the record most of my shooting is done outside.

When shooting the new Turbo on my WLVRN rifle, I was able to use the adjustable gas valve to lower the flow of gas coming back. Additionally, since this little bullpup uses a piston there is less gas coming out of the ejection port, which is nice since it’s next to your face. While it was a little better than on my AR, it was still a touch more noticeable gas than unsuppressed. Again I’ll stress the point, this is pretty common with suppressed shooting. Some designs have improved gas flow designs to reduce backpressure, and they are somewhat better in my opinion but still its not perfect.

desert tech wlvrn, yankee hill machine Turbo T3 — the Turbo made an excellent match with my Desert Tech WLVRN, read more about the rifle here

I took the Turbo along for a prairie dog hunt a few weeks ago, attached to the WLVRN. It definitely seemed to help the accuracy during that hunt, as we scattered the little varmints all over the desert. Shooting my rifle next to my buddies we all got an earful from each can. The noise from the Turbo T3 compared to a YHM Turbo K and a SiCo Omega 30 was excellent. We were all shooting .223 rifles, and it was hard to tell which was the better sounding can, at least without professional testing equipment.

yhm turbo t3 suppressor — the Turbo is easy on and easy off with the QD mounting system

My Recommendation

If you are looking to get into a 5.56 suppressor, there are a million options to choose from at this point. In my opinion, the YHM Turbo series is a great line of suppressors. They provide excellent sound suppression, and quality construction for a very affordable price. Whether you choose to go with the Turbo T2, the Turbo T3, or the shorter Turbo K, I think you will be happy with your purchase. These suppressors are built for durability, I have not been easy on them. I have even shot limited amounts of full-auto through them, limited because I am not a rich man. And I expect unless you are a rich guy with pallets of ammo and machine guns, these suppressors will last you a lifetime.

-CBM

Rifle fanatic

Being nothing short of a rifle fanatic, I’ve had a bad case of Tikka Fever for some time. No it’s not from licking hand-rails in the Helsinki Airport, but it does come from hands-on experience. I bought my first Tikka a few years back, and it has changed my perspective on a few things. But today we are talking about another Tikka, the T3X TACT A1. This one happens to chambered in one of my favorite calibers, the .260 Remington. Everything seems to be going my way here doesn’t it?

HOW MANY K’s DO YOU NEED?

Sako Tikka T3x TACT — The Tikka T3X TACT lives up to the brand’s record for quality and precision

Tikka is a brand manufactured by Sako – If you haven’t already, go read my piece on the Sako 85 Finnlight – both Sako and their Tikka brand are well known for their quality. They are manufactured in Finland and imported to the U.S. through Beretta.

SHOP TIKKA T3X

The T3X is a two-lug, 90-degree, bolt-action rifle. It features a Sako-style extractor, a two-position safety, and a machined bolt release opposite the bolt handle. The TACT 260 as I tested it also featured a two-stage trigger. Like the other Tikka’s I’ve shot, it is an outstanding trigger. This model featured a 24-inch barrel with a 1-8 twist and 5/8-24 muzzle threads to accept the portly muzzle brake.

The TACT 260 comes in a chassis, making it very adaptable to specific purposes and users. The chassis incorporates detachable 10-round box magazines that are surprisingly short. The handguard of the chassis features a full-length optics rail to adapt to multi-role optics. There is no canted angle in the optics rail.

The buttstock of the chassis folds to the weak side of the rifle, and it locks both in the folded and unfolded positions, which I found to be a welcome feature. The buttstock is compatible with AR-style accessories for those that wish to customize their rifles, a desire I found completely unnecessary. The fully adjustable buttstock can adjust for length of pull, riser height, and angle. There are several QD sling mounts on the chassis as well that are placed strategically for carrying the rifle in either the folded or unfolded configuration.

TO THE RANGE!

After thoroughly fiddling with the rifle and adjusting all the settings to my taste, I grabbed some ammo and headed for the hills where I do my shooting. Ammunition being what it is these days, I couldn’t find what I wanted in the shops. So instead, I found some component bullets, copied some data from a load book, and pressed out a few rounds of my own. After attaching an Atlas Bipod to the front of the rifle, I mounted a Kahles 318i rifle scope. These are two great accessories that are a perfect fit for this rifle. After bore sighting, I stuffed a bunch of cartridges into the magazines and laid behind the Tikka.

My first impression of this rifle seemed to echo my former experiences with Tikka and Sako both – extremely easy feeding and flawless function as cartridges flow through the action. The two-stage trigger feels even crisper when it’s sharpened by recoil. I could run that bolt all day. It was short work to confirm zero, and a few minutes later I was stretching its legs.

The .260 Remington is an impressive performer. It was doing what the Creedmoor does now but even better and a decade earlier. Shooting 140-grain bullets or heavier puts the cartridge well beyond 1,000 yards in my neck of the woods, so I wasted no time getting there. The Kahles scope and hand-loaded Tikka made hits at 950 yards look easy. I was stacking bullets into the hole in the dirt left by the previous shot. The rifle seemed to perform even better when I added a suppressor to the muzzle.

Continue Reading Here…

ACCURACY

As usual, the accuracy of this Tikka was excellent. Groups under an inch are typical and, when using top quality match grade ammunition, half-inch groups are also possible. I was able to find a box of Federal Fusion 120 grain, and it shot very well in the Tikka.

With accuracy potential that good, this would be a superb rifle for shooting Precision Rifle Competition matches. I’d also imagine there are a few police agencies that would choose this rifle for marksmen.

WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE?

So far, it’s been a pretty positive review, right? It’s hard to hide my admiration of this rifle, but there are a couple of things I’d change about it.

First on the list is the weight. At 10.4 pounds, it’s a little tubby. That may sound unfair coming from a guy with an affinity for fat rifles, but that brings me to my second gripe. This thing is a bit long for my taste. A 10-pound rifle with an overall length of 30 inches isn’t too bad. But when it’s 45 inches long, there is a lot of weight out there in the end. This makes the rifle a little more difficult to maneuver and handle, but it shoots like a dream once you get it in place.

That’s it. If I had my way, the rifle would be a 20-inch barrel that had been put on the carbon diet, which is nice because Tikka offers several different barrel options on this rifle.

CONCLUSION

I could very easily overlook my gripes with this rifle because it is just such a smooth character. I let a few buddies run some shots through the gun, and they were equally impressed. If you are looking for a precision chassis rifle right from the factory, you’d be a fool to look past the Tikka. You would need to spend a lot more to get anything significantly better than the T3X TACT.

One thing I can guarantee is that there are more Tikkas in my future.

-CBM