Browning A-bolt Vs. Tikka T3

GEORGE7mm said:
Thanks manbearpig for the info, I dont care if it was 1-2 or 3 people that happened to, thats good enough for me, I wont put a tikka in my hands after seeing that.
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that really wasnt my intention by posting those pics. if anything im sure theyve learned from their mistake and are extra careful about their metal now, so youd probably have less of a chance of a new Tikka/Sako blowup than with another brand. just check that range of serial numbers if you are buying used, some people dont read forums and recall notices.
just pointing out that every rifle company has QC issues, some small, some big. one guy #####ing about a bolt is hardly a reason to discount an entire line of highly regarded rifles, just like my one post about the faulty barrels shouldnt put you off of a new Tikka/Sako. go look them all over yourself.

I think I would rather pick up a Mark ll and give it a try than the Hawkeye...
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i only own M77 MarkIIs... AFAIK the MkII and Hawkeye bolts and receivers are identical. the Hawkeye is an M77, just with a new trigger and new checkering, and i think a slight reshape of the stock. thats all. ive never had a problem with the old Ruger triggers but it has been a complaint of many people so the new adjustable LC6 trigger on the Hawkeyes should help address that.
 
I prefer the finish on the Mark ll's to the matte finish on the Hawkeyes and I am wondering if that is not where the roughness comes in is because of the finish on the Hawkeye's as opposed to the Mark ll.

I seen there is still some new Mark ll's on sale in 350 Remington mag, that have my interest, or a new one in 257 roberts would also be cool to have... I have read a lot of people complain on the mark 2 triggers, but I have read its also an easy and cheap fix, so that is not a big issue.
 
i dont think you should worry.
if you are concerned about the binding phenomenon that he described, simply sit down and work the bolt for a few minutes when you take the rifle home - before you shoot it - and im sure it would take care of it.

how did this thread get turned around from Tikka/Browning to Rugers? if i did it i didnt mean to, sorry :(
 
I find that smearing a little valve grinding compound into the raceways and lugs, and then working the bolt about a million times (while watching your favourite programs on TV, for example) is a good way to get that 'slick as glass' feel - though it's a ##### to clean out all the lapping compound afterward. Works wonders on 10/22's.

I'd hardly let a little thing like a few minor burrs in the bolt operation deter me from a purchase. As far as the blow'd up Tikka's - that's disturbing, but I wouldn't let that deter me from purchasing them, either. A bad batch of steel, years ago - unfortunate, but it's been corrected. It does highlite very nicely though that Tikka's and Sako's aren't anything magic, despite the impression the magazine articles and interweb nerds try to cultivate.
 
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the photos i posted were Sakos. one of the main Tikka fanboy points is that their barrels are the same as higher end Sako barrels. both companies are owned by Beretta of Italy now anyway.

i also noted that there were photos of a blown up Tikka on accuratereloading.com but the forum link changed and i am not going to spend an hour looking for it again - im not a member so i cant search there. the recall was on both Tikka and Sako rifles - not just Sako. Tikkas blew up too.

also, if all the Barrels that blew up were Tikkas, and you said 'they werent Sakos', youd have a point. but its generally common knowledge even among Tikka fans that the Sako rifles are manufactured to a much higher standard - so if they were blowing up it was even more suprising.
 
There is nothing magical about the Tikka's in anyway.

I personally like their triggers, (even my replacements timneys are not that nice) only the Kimber trigger was comparable out of the box.

I like the smoothness of their feeding, it was especially noticable with the WSM calibers. I had a Remington, Winchester, Savage and Kimber in WSM calibers and the tikka fed the smoothest by far of those. I also like the detachable mag, personal preferance, actually the feeding from the mag on the T3 was smoother than the metal mag on my SAKO trg-s (M995)

But they are not magically or exceptionally more accurate than the others, I did personally prefer them to the Savages that I have owned but I like the Weatherby Vanguards as much, if not more than the Tikka.....
 
but its generally common knowledge even among Tikka fans that the Sako rifles are manufactured to a much higher standard -
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The barrels that ruptured did so due to barrel blanks supplied to Sako that weren't properly heat treated.This has nothing to do with the quality of the machining or assembly.
 
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mylesrom said:
There is nothing magical about the Tikka's in anyway.

I personally like their triggers, (even my replacements timneys are not that nice) only the Kimber trigger was comparable out of the box.

I like the smoothness of their feeding, it was especially noticable with the WSM calibers. I had a Remington, Winchester, Savage and Kimber in WSM calibers and the tikka fed the smoothest by far of those. I also like the detachable mag, personal preferance, actually the feeding from the mag on the T3 was smoother than the metal mag on my SAKO trg-s (M995)

But they are not magically or exceptionally more accurate than the others, I did personally prefer them to the Savages that I have owned but I like the Weatherby Vanguards as much, if not more than the Tikka.....
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now there is a the type of objective review people should be looking for when they want to buy a gun. this man deserves a cookie. :cheers:

not the 'i got a ______ and it changed my life!!!' or 'its so ackewrit, liek a lazorbeem pewpew-- type 'reviews' that populate so many threads.
 
I would personally go fo the a-bolt having handled both. For $200 dollars you get a lot more rifle from browning than you do from that cheap tikka. The only reason the t3 has been so sucessful is because of the sub moa accuracy guarantee. In the end who cares about sub moa these rifles are for hunting, and are both accurate enough to get the job done.

We can't all be military snipers!
 
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T3 I was in the same boat couple years ago. I was totally going to go with the Browningbut every gun shop owner tryed talking me into a T3 and i'm glad I did. ended up with Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in .270 win

No Regrets
 
In total aggrement with you, I prefer Tikka all the way.

For "manbearpig"

why do you compare a wooden stocked rifle with a synthetic?
it's like saying an apple is better than an orange.
 
bigrigdawson said:
I would personally go fo the a-bolt having handled both. For $200 dollars you get a lot more rifle from browning than you do from that cheap tikka. The only reason the t3 has been so sucessful is because of the sub moa accuracy guarantee. In the end who cares about sub moa these rifles are for hunting, and are both accurate enough to get the job done.

We can't all be military snipers!
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When it comes to accuracy, I want to be able to put the blame on myself, not the rifle.
at 100 yds, who cares if you are off by an inch, but at 200 or 300 in a hunting situation, that 1" can easily turn into 6"-10". At least I know with my Tikka, if I miss, then it was my fault.
 
manbearpig said:
I agree that its all about personal preference - after all its your money. but Tikka does not belong in the same sentence as the words 'fine firearm' any more than a Stevens, Savage, Remington 710/770, H&R Ultra, Mossberg 4x4, etc do.
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That is interesting that you should say that as the old TIKKA M55 and LSA55 were as reliable as anything ever made..........granted the current T3 looks like something that a pox doctors clerk would own, for that matter so does the A-BOLT, however personal choice is still the governing criteria.
 
J Stuart said:
That is interesting that you should say that as the old TIKKA M55 and LSA55 were as reliable as anything ever made..........granted the current T3 looks like something that a pox doctors clerk would own, for that matter so does the A-BOLT, however personal choice is still the governing criteria.
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i have a nasty habit of saying 'Tikka' instead of the more specific 'T3', sorry. its just that T3s are all i see these days so i forget to emphasize the distinction. i like the old Tikkas, my local smith never has any used ones for sale long enough for me to get down there though.
 
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