Langdon Tactical Technologies is well known for the excellent aftermarket upgrade work they do with Beretta's legendary 92 series of pistols, as well as the company's other handguns and semi-auto shotguns. Now, LTT is getting into the precision rifle game by tricking out a gun from a company under the Beretta umbrella: Tikka. The brand new LTT Impact rifle, built on the Tikka T3x action, is now available as a rifle package with an optic and other accessories to give shooters an out-of-the-box turnkey way to get into precision shooting.
Tikka is based in Finland and is, in my opinion, the unsung hero of the many brands beneath the Beretta umbrella. The company operates under Sako to produce rifles of exceptional accuracy without the price tag that typically accompanies Finnish firearms.
As the Beretta 92 serves as a blank canvas for Langdon, so does the Tikka T3x, one of the company's top precision rifles. Fitted with a heavy barrel and employing a relatively simple but smooth two-lug bolt, these guns can be cleaned up not only to compete, but to win.
Looking back at LTT and its long-standing relationship with Tikka's parent company, many hoped we'd someday see a project come along that combines the strengths of both shops. That project is now complete, and the result is the well-polished LTT Impact rifle.
The LTT Impact’s Roots
Released earlier this year, the Tikka T3x ACE Target became the company’s answer to the demands of PRS shooters, while the T3x ACE Game is geared toward sport shooters and hunters.
While the rifle certainly answered that call mechanically, it takes some work and a few added accessories to become truly out-of-the-box range-ready. For starters, like most rifles, the Tikka doesn’t include an optic or mounting hardware. If you’re new to the sport, making the right choices in these departments is difficult and getting it wrong can cost a shooter thousands.
Even if a new PRS shooter makes the right equipment choices, few have the tools or knowledge to mount everything correctly. I’m suddenly reminded of the hundreds of scopes that I’ve had to fix on the firing line while teaching, sometimes swapping them out for a loaner that is more appropriate. The same holds true for peripheral gear, and during this stage of unconscious incompetence, most do not realize what they are missing in their kit.
To create the Impact, Langdon Tactical stripped the T3x down to just a barreled action and got to work. The first order of business was to select a stock that's more fitting for the American market. The T3x is currently available in several lightweight hunting versions, and a heavier competition version.
Langdon Tactical’s Choice of Components
Chassis
LTT paired the Tikka T3x action and barrel with a Kenetic Research Group X-Ray chassis. This polymer-over-aluminum chassis provides a rigid solution without adding mass. This opens the gun up to use in the field for hunting four-legged creatures, or two-legged ones for those in uniform.
The X-Ray affords the end user with endless adjustability as well as the option to add MLOK accessories or a bolt-on ARCA rail. Best of all, adding the X-Ray ditches Tikka’s proprietary magazine system, now enabling the gun to accept the less expensive and more common AICS-pattern mags.
Optics
In efforts to keep the MSRP affordable on this rifle package without cheaping out on glass, LTT selected the versatile Burris’s XTR III scope to pair with the new Impact. Like all of its other optics, Burris developed the XTR III with input from those who best understand this style of shooting and work painstakingly to ensure quality control.
Its generous 5.5-30x range can be zoomed out for closer urban-style engagements, or in for extreme distances. The knurled magnification knob helps to make these adjustments, which is crucial when shooting on the clock during competition.
More rarely mentioned is the oversized 56mm objective lens that offers a wider field of view than many other scopes in its class, allowing the user to find targets faster and offer more forgiveness for spotting impacts under recoil. Aiding this is the SCR 2 reticle, which is of the “Christmas-tree” configuration and can be illuminated if needed.
Scope Mount
The scope is mounted to the rifle using the one-piece American Rifle Company M-BRACE, which is milled from solid aluminum. The modular mount is made to host a bevy of accessories, like a left-or-right-mounted bubble level to monitor rifle cant, which is included with the Impact package.
This mount is affixed to a Mountain Tactical 20 MOA rail that integrates with the lug on the T3 receiver, fortifying it for rough service. Being canted, it borrows from the low side of the elevation turret to provide more come-up for distant targets.
Barrel
Little work was done to the barrel, but Tikka ships it with a naked muzzle, save a thread protector. To that end, LTT caps the Impact off with an Area 419 Hellfire self timing muzzle brake. This caliber-specific system can be removed or installed by hand.
The thoughtful port design eliminates more than half of the felt recoil and controls muzzle rise without having to resort to 12 o’clock porting that would vent gas in front of the optic. This allows 100% of the escaping gas to be used to mitigate kick, saving the shoulder and helping to keep the reticle on target while the gun is firing.
Case
Langdon Tactical ships the Impact rifle kit in a bomb proof (and waterproof) deployment case, courtesy of Condition One. The case is lockable and lined with customizable foam that also has a spot for a handgun.
Sidearm inclusion is getting increasingly popular in sniper matches, plus it’s a handy addition for those fielding the Impact for duty. A spare magazine and Harris Bipod are also packed into the case, giving you everything you need for a seamless first day at the range.
The LTT Impact at the Range
As the gun arrived ready to shoot, all I had to do was select ammunition. The 6.5 Creedmoor chambering gave me several options. Earlier this year, Black Hills released its consumer version of its M1200 round, and since the LTT Impact would be perfect for agency use, I felt it was fitting to include it.
Around the same time, Federal released its 140-grain CenterStrike 6.5 Creedmoor load, which answers the industry shortage with its version of this iconic projectile. Lastly, I selected Hornady’s 147-grain ELD Match load, as I have found that some guns prefer one weight over the other.
Using the included bipod and a rear shooting bag, I fired my first shots into the 100-yard berm, expecting to need a gross zeroing adjustment. To my surprise, I nearly hit the pebble that I had my crosshairs on.
The LTT Impact is Truly Ready to Shoot Right Out of the Box
Taking it to paper, I was pleased to see that I was within one inch of the paster. When they say the gun comes “set up,” they mean it, as even the elevation turret was reset, making this thing ready to rock.
Like most precision rifles, the Impact carries a sub-MOA guarantee; however, unlike most, it met it with almost every group across all three types of ammo. This across-the-board consistency was so uncanny that I had to use a pair of calipers to determine the best group of the day.
Taking the LTT Impact to 1,000 Yards
Guns like this aren’t made for 100-yard shooting; they are built to be stretched out. To that end, I threw some data into a ballistic calculator, dialed, and scored a first-round hit on the 1,000-yard target with the Black Hills ammunition. As the wind was dead calm, I followed it up with four more shots, generating a group that was just shy of 7 inches. This is quite impressive for a gun that I'd just pulled from its case shooting factory ammo.
Taking things a step further, I moved over to one of the club’s PRS props and set the rifle into an Armageddon Gear Game Changer shooting bag. Balancing just forward of the magazine well, this makes the gun perfect for this style of shooting. Engaging a 12-inch plate at 600 yards, I got to experience the benefit of the Hellfire brake, as I was able to watch each shot arrive on target.
During this time, I gained an appreciation for the rifle's two-stage trigger, as the first stage affords you the chance to stop and readjust if the press is starting to look faulty. When I missed, which I’m not too shy to report, I had the opportunity to use the SCR2 reticle to determine my correction and re-engage without missing a beat.
Stepping off the range, I was impressed with the Impact, especially as LTT’s first foray into the precision rifle field. Sticking a toe in the water can be an expensive endeavor if one misjudges the market, so going with a gun that can handle a plethora of roles was a great idea, and in true company fashion, it excels at all of them.
This makes an excellent addition for the established rifle shooter looking for a serious upgrade, a newcomer who doesn’t want to “buy twice,” or a hunter who wants to increase their ethical range. Overall, Langdon Tactical hit the mark on what they set out to do.
LTT Impact Range Results – 6.5 CM @ 100 yards
| Ammo | Avg. Velocity | Smallest Group | Avg. Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hills M1200-C 140-grain OTM | 2,684 fps | 0.58 | 0.79 |
| Federal CenterSTrike 140-grain OTM | 2,662 fps | 0.64 | 0.92 |
| Hornady Match 147-grain ELD Match | 2,664 fps | 0.79 | 1.08 |
Measured average velocity for 10 shots with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph placed 10 inches from the muzzle. Accuracy results for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yards from a bipod and rear rest. Temperature: 78 degrees. Humidity: 30%.
Gear Recommendation: Armageddon Gear Shooting Bags
It has been said that the sport of precision shooting is the art of applying sand to a rifle. While this started with crude socks full of actual sand, bags have evolved exponentially. Credited with the first designs engineered for the way we shoot today, Armageddon Gear still stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Their waxed-canvas material holds up to the rigors of shooting better than cotton or polyester, and common sand is replaced with denser fill to maximize their effectiveness. I used a Game Changer extensively in this story; however, they also make some excellent pads that attach to the gun, freeing up a hand.
LTT Impact Rifle: Specs
Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Action: Bolt action
Barrel: 24-inch Super Varmint, 1:8” twist, Threaded 5/8-24 TPI with Area 419 Hellfire Brake
OA Length: 44.75 inches
Weight: 14 pounds, 14 ounces (With optic and accessories)
Stock: KRG X-Ray Chassis
Sights: Burris XTR III 5.5x-30x
Receiver Color: Black
Capacity: 10
MSRP: $4999
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