Do any other guns have a better bang for your buck than the Tikka ?

When you consider accuracy out of the box, trigger quality, cartridge handling/feeding, and price... do what I did and get a T3 Lite in .308 Win. Even with a decent scope you're going to be under $1500 after tax.
Ammo is definitely available, both in factory rounds and components if you handload.
Buy two Limbsaver pads, one for the new rifle (kicks like a mule even in the 308!) and one for the old rifle in 7mm Mag that you're going to keep for when you want to really reach out and touch something!
Mine replaced a Model 70 Featherweight 270 Win. that never really impressed me other than looking great. Mediocre accuracy, okay trigger, clattery action. Meh.
Factory ammo availability wasn't too bad, but not in a country corner store kinda way.
 
Don't take the following as testy, this is the fun that makes a discussion forum go round. Please educate me on what the T3 offers so much better than a Model 70. :) I've shot a T3 that wasn't mine and well, it was a rifle. It felt a lot like any other economy rifle, significant plastic usage, push fed, and given they're the same price as a Model 70 I struggle with why one would want a much simplified design with a lot more cost cutting, for the same price. It was accurate, but then again a Savage shoots as well too for half the price if that's all that matters.

-New Model 70's do not chatter, with the anti-bind "device" and well, legendary slickness I'm afraid after owning dozens of Model 70's I have trouble accepting yours was "chattery" :) You should have requested a warranty replacement
-You have a short action cartridge bastardized into a standard action now, essentially every other manufacturer scales their actions to the cartridge
-The trigger of the Model 70 is fully adjustable down to 3lbs, and excellent
-Your accuracy claims are curious, the FN Model 70s in my cabinet are amongst the most accurate factory rifles I've ever toyed with
-You gave up controlled round feed for push feed
-You gave up all steel construction for a plastic stock, magazine, trigger guard, bolt knob, bolt shroud...
-You gave up the best safety in the business, there's a reason it's shamelessly copied for $50,000 Holland & Hollands
-You're trying to tell me you couldn't find .270 Winchester on the dusty shelf of a small town home hardware? Really? :)
 
In a word, "yep", and I'd do it again. The only Winchester I have left is an old 1958 vintage model 94 in 32 Special. The quality in that gun is very good. Browning "rescued" Winchester too late in the game for this old dog. I'm not interested in arguing the point, either.
When you ignore the quality of your competition for 40 years the world slowly passes you by, and so do your customers.
 
When I decided that I needed a heave barreled 223 rifle for the range, I purchased a Tikka Varmint Stainless. My first range visit produced a .350" five shot group at 100m. Since then , I have worked up the load a bit, adding about 140fps, and five shot groups at 100m are averaging just under 1/2". This is the third Tikka rifle that I have owned, and all three averaged 1/2moa or better for five shots, with my handloads.
 
Ardent said:
Don't take the following as testy, this is the fun that makes a discussion forum go round. Please educate me on what the T3 offers so much better than a Model 70. :) I've shot a T3 that wasn't mine and well, it was a rifle. It felt a lot like any other economy rifle, significant plastic usage, push fed, and given they're the same price as a Model 70 I struggle with why one would want a much simplified design with a lot more cost cutting, for the same price. It was accurate, but then again a Savage shoots as well too for half the price if that's all that matters.

-New Model 70's do not chatter, with the anti-bind "device" and well, legendary slickness I'm afraid after owning dozens of Model 70's I have trouble accepting yours was "chattery" :) You should have requested a warranty replacement
-You have a short action cartridge bastardized into a standard action now, essentially every other manufacturer scales their actions to the cartridge
-The trigger of the Model 70 is fully adjustable down to 3lbs, and excellent
-Your accuracy claims are curious, the FN Model 70s in my cabinet are amongst the most accurate factory rifles I've ever toyed with
-You gave up controlled round feed for push feed
-You gave up all steel construction for a plastic stock, magazine, trigger guard, bolt knob, bolt shroud...
-You gave up the best safety in the business, there's a reason it's shamelessly copied for $50,000 Holland & Hollands
-You're trying to tell me you couldn't find .270 Winchester on the dusty shelf of a small town home hardware? Really? :)
Click to expand...

Well said. My experience mirrors yours.
 
Angus,

i agree on the price wise for the Tikka. but there is a but for the mod 70 no way to get an actual one in left handed since they stopped that production a while ago.

Phil
 
Ardent said:
That really answered nothing, in impressive fashion. You also realise many Model 70 models can't be found at present because they're back ordered out for months? How many T3s do you figure sell for every new Model 70 on our continent? ;)
Click to expand...

I'd be perfectly happy with a Model 70 instead of any of my Tikkas... Well, I do like a magazine, but that's pretty subjective.

I like the weight of my T3 6.5x55, which can't be matched in a Model 70, nor can the chambering, I think. Again, the weight difference is negligible, and 7-08 would be just as good.

Also, we're talking about highly theoretical Mode 70s... Can't find them anywhere! :)
 
Got my t3 lite for $580 out the door in September. Couldn't be happier for the price, but at $1000, there are a lot of other rifles that come into play.
 
picked up a used tikka t3 lite and buddy before me musta ran the barrel out or smoking hot at the range... It didn't shoot worth crap... Went with the vanguard now and im loving it.
 
I see model 70's on the shelf, but I sure as hell don't see one in .338 WM for 699.00.

The Portuguese model 70's are very nice guns. I've not seen one below 1k though.
 
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