Tikka M551

About the Tikka M551

The Tikka M551, nicknamed the 'Satikka', is a Finnish bolt-action sporting rifle developed as a collaboration between SAKO and Tikkakoski after SAKO's acquisition of Tikkakoski in the early 1980s. Based on a 1981 Tikkakoski prototype and derived from the short-action Tikka M55 platform, it retained the one-piece machined receiver, dual opposed front locking lugs and detachable single-column magazine of the M55 while incorporating modernised design changes. It was chambered for short-action cartridges such as the .222 Remington, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester. Only 1,777 rifles were produced during its brief 1982-1983 run before the project was shelved.

Nicknamed the 'Satikka' - a portmanteau of SAKO and Tikka - the M551 was a short-lived attempt to modernise Tikkakoski's proven M55 action after SAKO absorbed the company. Just 1,777 were built over two years before a scathing review by gunsmith Jali Timari helped kill the project, making surviving examples a curiosity among Finnish rifle collectors.

Tikka M551 specifications

M551-specific physical dimensions are sparsely documented; barrel length, overall length and weight given here are representative of the short-action M55 sporter platform on which the M551 is based. The nickname 'Satikka' combines SAKO and Tikka. An improved prototype, the Tikka M555, was developed alongside it but never entered production. The M551 project was ultimately shelved after a critical review by Finnish gunsmith Jali Timari.