Tikka T3 Lite vs. Winchester 70 Featherlite?

Fassteel said:
What do the winny's cost these days, are they more than $300 more expensive than the Tikka? FS
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What?

At WSS, the T3 hunter which is a wood stocked rifle for an apples to apples comparison is $849 while the W70 FW is $799.

Even the plastic fantastic Tikka is $599 which is a $200 difference, not $300.

Of course, the comparable M70 is $699, a $100 difference.
 
I have shot both and wouldn't hesitate to buy either:depending on the deal.
All things being equal though, the m70 for me.
Actually, the a bolt micro Hunter is a little lighter and feels very nice too and it comes in left hand. The xbolt micro hunt is another great choice. In Stock at p and d
I suggest you go Window shopping after you make up your short list, you have a lot of good ones to choose from. Good luck
 
Interesting points for both rifles. Can't say the debate has made the choice any easier though... I guess sub MOA isn't a huge issue, it is gonna be for short-mid range hunting after all. And silly me, if i DO go with the Tikka, it'll be the hunter, not the lite. Plastic, bah(handguns and tac rifles a different story...). Oh, and stainless barrel, if I can find one. It seems to be a split down the middle... I guess I should go fondle some at the local shop. Further question, is 30-06 too much kick for a lightweight rifle? Or is it... dare I say... Fun? I am a big guy
 
My fw is 30-06. Recoil is minimal for me. The fw isnt that light though either. My axis the recoil was retry noticeable but not to much with the fw. I've shot a few 308's and I like shooting the 30-06 more.
 
I shot my brand new Winchester Model 70 FW last week about 25 rounds. I don't have a problem with the kick at all. I am hardly a big guy - 5'6" 170 lb. I have found that I am not particularly recoil sensitive. Also helps if the rifle fits you well. The recoil pad in the Winchester is decent. If the Tikka does not have a good one, you can install a Limbsaver which is great.
 
I looked at a Model 70 Super Grade at WSS almost two years ago. The wood was just fantastic. I'm still hooked. I can't get it out of my head and I am afraid I may go ape sh*t with my income tax refund in the spring. It will have to be a .270 though or not at all. I have a FW in .243 and a Pre-64 (circa 1947) in .30-06 and I can lap shots sometimes at 100 yds. with either. I had a M70 FW in .243WSSM and accuracy was terrible. One of the last of the New Haven FW M70's. Got rid of it real quick. I think the barrels on these were too thin for the power and I am loath to risk the higher calibers in the FW to this day.

I have handled the Tikkas and I don't like the feel of that bolt. It is like it runs on well-oiled ball bearings and it just ain't "right". Sorry Tikka guys!:stirthepot2:

I'd sure go for the M70 FW but avoid the new magnums. However, that's just me and I guess in the end it is whatever blows the OP's hair back.
 
The recoil pad in the Winchester is decent
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A Pachmayer Decelerator is "decent"? Funny - they're on most high end and custom rifles. They're not "decent" they're "the best".

Limbsavers are actually kind of poor. They may or may not be able to soak up as much recoil at the Decelerator (I find not) but they do it by being much thicker and being VERY tacky which garners frequent complaints about sticking on clothes while the rifle is being shouldered. They have also had some defective batches which had the material they were made from breaking down in the safe and when the firearm was removed it had glued itself to the floor...

Regardless, the recoil pad on the T3 is not known to be very effective...


The OP has said he's interested in a wood stocked T3 if he's going that route. They're actually more expensive than the M70 FW. That's just insane.
 
Personally if going for Winchester i would go for extreme weather,if go for tikka i would take stainless laminated and maybe .270 wsm since barell is two inches longer,gun is a just a little heavier and 270wsm and 3006 have similar recoil.
If just have option between fw and t3 than t3 all the way but stainless.
FW is too gentle for me all that wood and engraving are not my type of thing.
Try to hunt some lake and use the boat for two weeks like i did on last two seasons,draging that gun on aluminium boat will change personal description,even on mounting it on atv and driving through bushes would look like WW2 gun after moose hunt for two weeks. Magazine vs floor plate are no point comparing. Tikka are Finns and FW is made in portugal,so it is not gun it used to be tikka is still the same quality gun.
 
^^^^

Awfully defensive about the model 70. It's like you own stocks in the company or something.
You're quick to give your opinion like its a fact. You have already falsely stated that single loading a T3 is not possible and that there is a MOA guarantee on the 70.

This thread has gone awry.

To the OP, I have not yet owned a model 70 but would like an extreme weather in 300 wsm.

If you're ok with the looks of the tikka and don't mind being oal limited on your reloaded rounds they generally shoot well and the triggers are great and easily adjusted out of the box.
 
.284 said:
^^^^

Awfully defensive about the model 70. It's like you own stocks in the company or something.
You're quick to give your opinion like its a fact. You have already falsely stated that single loading a T3 is not possible and that there is a MOA guarantee on the 70.

This thread has gone awry.

To the OP, I have not yet owned a model 70 but would like an extreme weather in 300 wsm.

If you're ok with the looks of the tikka and don't mind being oal limited on your reloaded rounds they generally shoot well and the triggers are great and easily adjusted out of the box.
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Because what he just said is fact. Winchester said that in 2013 they will be moving assembly to Portugal but all parts will still be made in the USA
 
You have already falsely stated that single loading a T3 is not possible
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That's not what I said at all. I said it was impossible to load the rifle through the ejection port. Meaning, it's impossible to load the rifle as you normally would. Many firearms can have the magazine loaded through the ejection port. The Tikka can not. You have to remove the magazine which is exactly what I said. Can you single load? Sure. Can you actually load the firearm as you normally would? Absolutely not. For example, you can load nearly any Savage rifle with a DBM directly through the ejection port - except the Axis. The Axis is designed to be as cheap as possible to manufacture, just like the T3. That's why you can not load the mag through the ejection port on either.

In fact, if you look at the feature on the Axis and T3 side by side you'll see that they're identical. Well, the Axis has a superior recoil lug, I suppose. Other than that, by design and features, the T3 is basically an Axis with more quality control and a hand tuned trigger.

The M70 does have an MOA guarantee. You can read all about it in two links I posted. Winchester says they will repair the rifle if it doesn't meet the advertised MOA shooting ability.

Everything else I said is absolutely true. There are huge differences in these rifles. One is at a level 8, the other a level 3 by design, features, and materials. The only saving grace of the Tikka is its quality control.

Even if you insist on picking on those two points which are correct - even if they weren't, the scales are still tipped heavily in favor of the M70. There are a slew of differences.
 
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Okay AlbertaBoy , I think you made your point you like Winchester, your making this thread a chit show, move on.
 
I like the Tikka T3. I own a T3 Hunter. It shoots very nicely.
However, I'd have to say that the T3 is probably more expensive than it has a right to be. I bought mine used for $500 at a gunshow before they became over hyped.
For the cost, I'd have to say the Winchester FW is a better value for the money. My T3's plastic bolt shroud cracked and broke after I owned the gun for 4 years or so. I now have an aluminum replacement. So I wonder how the plastic will be 10 or 15 or even 20 years from now.
If it's true that there is an accuracy guarantee on the Winch FW, and I couldn't say one way or another, then that's where my money would go. That rifle, assuming it shoots moa or better, will certainly last 50 years or more. That tells you about real quality. No, I don't currently own a FN Winny. My Winny is a pre-64. But if I were to pick today between these 2 rifles the OP mentioned, I'd take the FN Winchester FW. And then hope like heck it shoots well. Maybe have it blessed by a preist or something. I hate dealing with customer service warranty crap.

I do like my Tikka, but the market value of these is way too high for what it is. Sure, it shoots well, but how will it be doing over the long haul? That's what I wonder.
 
Winchester catalog http://media.winchesterguns.com/pdf/catalogs/2012-winchester-repeatingarms-catalog.pdf
on page 5 describing M70 states:

"You can expect 1 MOA ACCURACY for three-shot groups from your Model 70® using premium ammo and quality optics under suitable weather and range conditions."

It mentions "M.O.A. TRIGGER SYSTEM" a lot, like of every page, which is explained on page 2 and is a TRADE MARK of their trigger assembly. Nothing to do with any guarantee or group size at all.

To be fair they never say they guarantee 1 MOA groups. They say you can expect. I personally can expect a lot of things, but they don't happen that way. Not that I'm against or for M70, I'm just saying that in fact neither their website, no print version of catalog guarantee 1 MOA group.


PS
If you search www.winchesterguns.com for "guarantee" it says:

Sorry but there are no records that match the keywords that you entered in the Entire Site.
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and if you search for "warranty" it says

Winchester Repeating Arms does not provide written warranties on most of our products and currently there is no “lifetime” warranty on any Winchester Repeating Arms Company product....
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Just kinda funny I think. It has to be very valuable guarantee and warranty on their products if its hidden so well you can't even find it.
 
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ALBERTA BOY said:
That's not what I said at all. I said it was impossible to load the rifle through the ejection port. Meaning, it's impossible to load the rifle as you normally would. Many firearms can have the magazine loaded through the ejection port. The Tikka can not. You have to remove the magazine which is exactly what I said. Can you single load? Sure. Can you actually load the firearm as you normally would? Absolutely not. For example, you can load nearly any Savage rifle with a DBM directly through the ejection port - except the Axis. The Axis is designed to be as cheap as possible to manufacture, just like the T3. That's why you can not load the mag through the ejection port on either.

In fact, if you look at the feature on the Axis and T3 side by side you'll see that they're identical. Well, the Axis has a superior recoil lug, I suppose. Other than that, by design and features, the T3 is basically an Axis with more quality control and a hand tuned trigger.

The M70 does have an MOA guarantee. You can read all about it in two links I posted. Winchester says they will repair the rifle if it doesn't meet the advertised MOA shooting ability.

Everything else I said is absolutely true. There are huge differences in these rifles. One is at a level 8, the other a level 3 by design, features, and materials. The only saving grace of the Tikka is its quality control.

Even if you insist on picking on those two points which are correct - even if they weren't, the scales are still tipped heavily in favor of the M70. There are a slew of differences.
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I have a tikka t3 lite in left hand and to tell you the truth the gun is made pretty cheap and you can only load it through the magazine which is a PITA. If Winchester made the Featherlite in left handed other than wsm chambering I would be all over it like a fat kid in a candy store. One think I do like is that the tikka is available for left handed shooters and is damn accurate. Also available in 6.5x55. One thing I do not understand is why it is called a featherlite. Pretty heavy guns compared to a tikka t3 lite.
 
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