Talk me out of a Tikka t3 Lite

C

CourtenayBoy

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I have my eye set on my *****FIRST***** all weather hunting rifle in a Stainless/Synthetic combo. I have never had a NEW center fire hunting rig. Shotguns and 22's yes, but not my go to rifle.

I have about $1000 to play with being a family man, raising a couple kids and keeping my sweety on the homefront.

Sooooooo. For whatever reason I feel extremely compelled to hop on the "Tikka" bandwagon.
I want it in 7mm Rem Mag.


What other sub $1000 combos would you recommend and why?

I sincerely value everyone's opinion here, so a big thank you in advance.

PS- If you know of a bargain that would be great. I am not in a huge rush as hunting season is now over, but I am definitely itching to get a new rig and work up some loads

Cheers

Mike
 
I refuse to talk you out of one. Very accurate and high quality. Stock feels cheap but that goes with 99% of synthetic stocks in my opinion. The weatherby vangaurd series 2 is another nice rifle if you find them attractive. I prefer the tikka just because of the craftsmanship
 
I don't know if you will find a T3 7 mag for that, but if you do get it. i have a T3 30-06 stainless synthetic with a Leupold VxI 3-9x40. It just seems to find its way into my hands whenever its time to take a gun for a walk. From the very beginning it was a tack driver, so much so that i have never bothered to tune it by loading for it. It doesn't need a tune, everything i point it at goes in the freezer.

If you search the web, there is one common article that slams the T3, because of the production shortcuts they take. On the negative, they look a lot like the Rem788 from years ago with a very small ejection port, have cheap looking plastic magazines,and because of their featherweight they kick beyond caliber. From the positive perspective they use the same barrels as Sako, which i think explains their accuracy. The recoil on my 30-06 was really tamed by using the precision fit Limb Saver pad, it now recoils more like a 243. They are about 50-55.
 
Buy a T3 Hunter, not a "lite"
Much more attractive, and with enough weight
to take the bite out of the recoil.
The Vanguard S2 is also a fine rifle to look at.
Regards, Dave.
 
I'm a fan of the Vanguards as far as synthetic stocks go. Still a few 1st series Vanguards around that can be had for cheap, but no stainless. The Tikkas are nice, but a little light for my taste in the heavier calibers.
 
I've never handled a Tikka before.

I will suggest the CZ 550 Kevlar Carbine for an all weather rifle. Not available in stainless.

Kevlar Carbine is only available in 30-06 or 9.3x62 but the Kevlar Medium is available in 7mm Rem Mag.
 
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You won't get any help from me talking you out of it - I like em. Like you I've never owned a new centerfire rifle till yesterday! I've been oohing over a t3 for a while and the final straw was yesterday when they had a 6.5x55 stainless lite on the shelf with my name on it!
 
The only bad thing about the Tikka T3, (at least in my son's 7-08) is the magazine will not allow anything over the SAAMI spec COL. Otherwise it's great. If you want to custom load with bullet seated farther out get a Remington SPS DM for about the same price.
 
I have a T3 Lite SS in 300WSM. As others have said, the synthetic stock is it's only short coming. I'll swap it out for a Boyd's Classic in the new year at some point. The 7mm RM is a great cal, owned & hunted with a Browning A-Bolt (Belgium) for many seasons. IIRC, 150gr Nos BTs' were my choice load.
 
I love my T3 Lite...
This is a .223 Rem with hand loads at 100 yds
Tikkahole_zpsc025b760.jpg
 
I love my T3's , the 7mm has a bit of kick but nothing a limbsaver pad cant fix, as far as the magazine they look cheap but in 9 years I wasn't able to break one, The bolt is the best bolt i ever had , I tried ruger, remington, browning ,savage and none of them had a smoother bolt

Go for it and if you decide you want a wood stock give Boyds a call they have all kinds that looks pretty nice i put a nutmeg thumbhole on mine with the ss barrel it is very nice
 
They are smooth and shoot well. On the downside, the shroud is crap and arguably dangerous, the bottom 'metal' is plastic, and the stock is cheap. Factor in $50-60 for an aluminum shroud, and $300 for a B&C stock and now you are in used Sako prices.
 
I have the T3 lite in 7mag. I use it for 90% of my hunting. My T3 is the only factory rifle that I have ever owned that needed absolutely nothing done to it to make work perfectly. That includes factory rifles from $300 to $9000. Not only do I own many other rifles but I can build whatever I want in my garage the T3 still comes with me most of the time. As for recoil, the T3 lite in 7 rem mag with 160 grain bullets is not bad, I shoot mine like its a 22.
As for the synthetic stock, it is by far one of the stiffest in the price range. I can shoot mine better than MOA out to 500 yards off a bipod and I think it is better than some McMillan's I have had.
 
Tikkas are decent other than the flaws mentioned.
The Weatherby S2 is a good choice with the wee bit more weight.
Stock design is good.

Now..........if'n it were me, I'd be looking for an older wood/blue in a BBR
or lest I say, a Model 65DL or 68DL Schultz.

A great well built to last accurate rifle that will last far into the future.
 
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