The company was founded by Martin Stenij as a metal workshop next to the Jyväsjoki mill and saw, but experienced several bankruptcies and changes in ownership as a result. From 1927 to 1940 the company made the M27 rifle, a rebuild of the Mosin-Nagant for the Finnish Army. In 1930, the company was purchased by a German armsdealer Willi Daugs and the next year the production of the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun was started. After 1933, Tikkakoski also produced machine gun ammo belts and the Maxim M/09-21.[1]
During World War II, they manufactured the aforementioned submachine and machine guns and gun barrels. They also produced .50 Browning and 20×138mmB Solothurn Long ammunition.
After the war, Tikkakoski was considered to be a German-owned company and its assets were confiscated for the Soviet Union in 1947, discontinuing firearms production and focusing on sewing machines.[1] Finnish businessmen however bought the company from the Soviets in 1957.[2]
Tikkakoski was merged into the other Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO in 1983 to form Oy Sako-Tikka Ab.[3] Later, Tikkakoski was omitted from the company name but SAKO continues to use the Tikka brand for a series of rifles, mostly the T3X model. SAKO's merger with Valmet to form Sako-Valmet in 1986 led to the closure of Tikkakoski's arms division in 1987.
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