Ruger vs. Tikka... Thoughts?

MattLS said:
Just take a look at what Tikka manufactures compared to Ruger. Tikka is a decent rifle, but Ruger is a well built rifle, for a better price. Isn't Tikka a cheaper Sako, possibly made with cheaper parts.
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Sako makes tikka like you said, so you comparing the entire ruger line to just tikka and not the entire line of rifles produced by sako leaves me wondering............
 
mlehtovaara said:
I couldn't buy the Tikka after handling it, and the Ruger synthetic fit and finish was lacking, so I chose a Browning Xbolt, and have no regrets.

If I were looking at wood I probably still would have gone Browning, but the Ruger is very nice.

Take a look at Browning......... ;)
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browning x bolt is a whole other price point, now you could look at sako, steyr and other rifles for the money
 
pbonura said:
Yes but tikka's do one thing better than a ruger and shoot better and more accurate. Just what a rifle is suppose to do. For that my next rifle will be another tikka.
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What a hunting rifle needs to do is be durable and reliable and shoot reasonably well. Rugers shoot more than reasonably well, and they are durable and reliable, made out of metal parts not plastic. Tikkas may have a slight edge on Rugers for accuracy but you will never notice it when hunting. Nice groups from the bench aren't everything when it comes to a hunting rifle.
 
Gatehouse said:
What a hunting rifle needs to do is be durable and reliable and shoot reasonably well. Rugers shoot more than reasonably well, and they are durable and reliable, made out of metal parts not plastic. Tikkas may have a slight edge on Rugers for accuracy but you will never notice it when hunting. Nice groups from the bench aren't everything when it comes to a hunting rifle.
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True...

I wouldn't be shooting a T3 Lite in any big game cal. off the bench all day either! Ouch
 
Gatehouse said:
What a hunting rifle needs to do is be durable and reliable and shoot reasonably well. Rugers shoot more than reasonably well, and they are durable and reliable, made out of metal parts not plastic. Tikkas may have a slight edge on Rugers for accuracy but you will never notice it when hunting. Nice groups from the bench aren't everything when it comes to a hunting rifle.
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Because stamped and pot metal parts are so much more durable than plastic....lol Where do guys come up with this stuff. If we were talking about jack-alls here you'd likely have a point but with big game rifles, not so much. It's not like the action and barrel are made from plastic. Sure the odd shroud has blown off a Tikka but it's not a problem endemic to the rifle nor does it effect the functionality of the rifle. If it really bothers a person it's a simple upgrade to aluminum. I've never seen the need.
 
sheephunter said:
Because stamped and pot metal parts are so much more durable than plastic....lol Where do guys come up with this stuff. If we were talking about jack-alls here you'd likely have a point but with big game rifles, not so much. It's not like the action and barrel are made from plastic. Sure the odd shroud has blown off a Tikka but it's not a problem endemic to the rifle nor does it effect the functionality of the rifle. If it really bothers a person it's a simple upgrade to aluminum. I've never seen the need.
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It's not the action and barrel that is at question. It's the plastic triggerguards, bolt shrouds, magazines, etc. The only reason to use plastic for these parts is as a cost cutting measure. When the T3 came out it was an affordable bargain rifle. Now it's overpriced and as such needs to be looked at differently. The T3 isn't a horrible rifle but it is closer to a bargain grade Savage than a Ruger bolt action- except for it's price tag.
 
Ive had a few of each. They all worked fine, the T3s were lighter, but M77s feel tougher. My favorite one though was the Tikka 595 SS.
 
Have you heard of those parts, other than the bolt shroud breaking with any more regularity than the "steel" parts on the Ruger? Come on, you sound like the old man next door talking about cars in the 50s. The plastics now a days are super durable and I'd wager money that a Tikka magazine could withstand a lot more abuse than any of the pressed metal ones out there today. It's hardly a bargain rifle...it's a more affordable option than a Sako but hardly in the realm of a Savage...or Ruger for that matter.
 
sheephunter said:
Have you heard of those parts, other than the bolt shroud breaking with any more regularity than the "steel" parts on the Ruger? Come on, you sound like the old man next door talking about cars in the 50s. The plastics now a days are super durable and I'd wager money that a Tikka magazine could withstand a lot more abuse than any of the pressed metal ones out there today. It's hardly a bargain rifle...it's a more affordable option than a Sako but hardly in the realm of a Savage...or Ruger for that matter.
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All you have to do is search CGN for Tikka Bolt shrouds and see how many people werent' happy with thier plastic shrouds and sought to replace them. Multiple threads on the topic, actually. Why do you excuse the bolt shroud? It's a significant part of the rifle if there were ever a blown primer.

You are correct, it is not a bargain rifle. It's has the same qualities as a bargain rifle but with a higher price tag. Although that bolt sure is smooth and that's impressive to some! ;)
 
Gatehouse said:
All you have to do is search CGN for Tikka Bolt shrouds and see how many people werent' happy with thier plastic shrouds and sought to replace them. Multiple threads on the topic, actually. Why do you excuse the bolt shroud? It's a significant part of the rifle if there were ever a blown primer.

You are correct, it is not a bargain rifle. It's has the same qualities as a bargain rifle but with a higher price tag. Although that bolt sure is smooth and that's impressive to some! ;)
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I didn't excuse anything...I'm just not caught up in the hysteria. A handful bolt shrouds have blown off, sure but it's hardly as common as you are trying to portray. Could it be better? Sure but that one requirement of an improvement hardly makes it a bargain rifle. You mare right, the bolt is smooth, the rifle is super durable and it's far more accurate than most off the shelf offerings. That's a bit more important to me than it having some pressed and pot metal parts.
 
Gatehouse said:
It's not the action and barrel that is at question. It's the plastic triggerguards, bolt shrouds, magazines, etc. The only reason to use plastic for these parts is as a cost cutting measure. When the T3 came out it was an affordable bargain rifle. Now it's overpriced and as such needs to be looked at differently. The T3 isn't a horrible rifle but it is closer to a bargain grade Savage than a Ruger bolt action- except for it's price tag.
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I've never had a problem with any of my T3s, triggerguard, bolt shroud, magazine, etc.
One thing I have found severely lacking on my Rugers is quality control, poorly fitted stocks, feeding issues, crappy scope rings, etc.
I don't have a personal hate for either as I still have both T3s and fairly new Rugers, but in my findings the older Rugers are a far better built rifle.
My favourite Ruger is a 1976 vintage 257 Roberts that is a fine quality rifle and a tackdriver to boot.
 
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