Need your opinions on a rifle, boys...

For all those who expressed their love for wood stocks, I want you to know that I am 100% in your camp.
There is no such thing as a rifle too pretty to hunt with!
See the Walnut on my 8x57, 700 Classic, below.
Regards, Dave.

 
I absolutely hate tikka T3 rifles but for everything that you want I think it may be your best bet...Just be warned that adding a B&C stock will add a lot of weight. I bought a rem 700 that had a B&C stock on it and couldn't believe how heavy and bulky the stock was. It was heavier than a wood CDL stock. So if you're looking for a utilitarian gun then I would suck it up in the looks department and just stick with the plastic tikka stock. If you are set on the B&C stock then I would get the new rem 700 mountain that comes with it. Everyone is so enamoured with the sloppy bolt of the tikka, and mistake sloppy machining tolerances for a "buttery smooth action" but the rem 700 action is much better. The best action of the 3 is the winchester model 70, but it is in no way a lightweight rifle. If I were truly in your situation I would be patient since hunting season is a ways off for next year and wait for a kimber montana to come up on the EE, lighter than any of these offering and and action/trigger that is better than the 3.
 
canoetrpr said:
I keep telling myself that the next rifle I buy will sport a utilitarian fiberglass / plastic stock. When push comes to shove, I never do it as I can never emotionally pass up nice walnut for the same price as at synthetic. The only firearm I own that is plastic is a Beretta 12g Xtrema.

Maybe if I had experience hunting in inclement weather, that would teach me.

Although my next rifle, a 35 Whelen, really ought to be synthetic. Lets see if I can hold to it ;-) betting I'm going to end up with Remington CDL with lovely walnut!

I figure the stock can always be refinished!
Click to expand...

I don't own a hunting rifle with a wood stock...I'm emotionally okay with that ;)
 
canoetrpr said:
Considering I've only been out on one hunting trip in my whole life, I suspect I might pass up on the wood stocks eventually once I start doing it frequently in inclement weather. But wood is oh so gorgeous ;-)
Click to expand...

Just giving you a hard time. I've got zero appreciation for wood stocks but I get there are those that do.
 
All three are perfectly capable and very dependable rifles. One person reccomending one over another means little for me in this case because you get different people that have different desires in their rifles as to balance, action, and weight distribution. What works for them may not work for you.

Get to a local store or range and try to handle them yourself for a true measure of what works for you.
 
I hunt with both. Love wood, but a rugged synthetic has its place. On my phone so I can't type too long a message, but an all weather Ruger would take the cake for the rifle that can take the biggest pounding and keep on going.

Of your choices mine would be: Win, Rem and Tikka third. The Winchester is heavy, but well made. Tikkas have plasticc bolt shrouds, plastic bottom metal, flimsy and expensive plastic mags and only have a small ejection port. Lots swear by them, but they are not for me.

Have you considered a Kimber Montana? Way lighter than a Tikka, excellent stock, widley considered the best factory trigger in the sub $2000 catagory. The pencil barrel can be finiky, but no problem if you can tinker with loads or bedding.
 
Eagleye said:
For all those who expressed their love for wood stocks, I want you to know that I am 100% in your camp.
There is no such thing as a rifle too pretty to hunt with!
See the Walnut on my 8x57, 700 Classic, below.
Regards, Dave.

Click to expand...


I'm with you Dave... The beauty of wood is not just in the warm appearance, but in how easy it is to restore... My feeling is hunt hard with your rifles and when the dings and scrapes and scratches start bothering you spend a few hours in front of the "boob tube" with sandpaper and elbow grease and refinish it, restoring all of the original beauty and more... It takes no special skill to do so...
 
I hunted 18 days straight this November in Two feet of snow -10°C To -35°C.......When we would take our rifles in to the cabin at night
Click to expand...

Keeping a rifle looking good is pretty easy when you can make it to a nice dry, heated cabin everyday or leave it cold and dry outside. Its different when you spend couple weeks in the rain, and sleep in a two man mountain tent that is about as wet on the inside as it is outside. In between it might get used as a walking stick in the mountains or go for a boat ride. I left a rifle hanging in a tree for two weeks in the rain once, if someone would have told me I'd do that to a rifle I'd have told him he was crazy. All considered it wasn't any worse than the other options.

I like a nice walnut stock as much as the next guy, but there are times when they should be left home. A guy could argue that there's times when the hunter should just stay home or inside too, but that's not always possible.
 
Last edited:
Out of the three you listed I would absolutely go with a T3 stainless. If you're open to suggestions I'd look at a stainless Weatherby Vanguard. If you like the accutriggers I'd get a Savage model 16 FCSS.
 
i would go t3 with b&c stock. there not to heavy and only require minor fitting. second would be the rem 700 mountain rifle but that may require trigger work and bedding to get it shooting as well as the t3. personally i like the rem mountain rifles but my tikkas almost always out shoot a stock rem. once the rem 700 are tuned up a bit there isn't much difference between them.
 
sheephunter said:
Just giving you a hard time. I've got zero appreciation for wood stocks but I get there are those that do.
Click to expand...

Now you are breaking my heart sheephunter ;-) Zero appreciation? come on my man! Seriously though, after reading some of the responses here, I'm thinking if it ever come down to embarking on the type of hunt that you guys that swear by synthetic stocks seem to do, I'll go out and buy a rifle with one. Cause I ain't planning on hanging one off a tree or using it as a walking stick!

Till then, I might as well stick to wood since it gives me such a woody ;-) and plan on restoring the stock if it gets too beat up. You're right, different strokes for different folks I guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom