Tikka T3 SS Varmint Heavy Barrel vs Savage 12 LRP

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fugawi

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I'm looking for opinions on these two rifles. I'm thinking that this is not a fair comparison as the Tikka is a varmint rifle and I think that the Savage is more of a precision/bench rest rifle but could be used to take varmints.

That said would recommend either and one over the other for someone wanting to buy a coyote gun but also to try precision rifle.

My hunting buddy has the Tikka in .223. That's not the caliber of choice for me - but the Tikka T3 SS Varmint Heavy Barrel also comes chambered for .22-250 and .308. In any case his Tikka is very nice.

The Savage 12 LRP is chambered in .260 Rem and is what I would prefer for a long distance varmint rifle. Not too familiar with this rifle and have never seen one in person.

The Tikka weighs 8 lbs from the Cabela's web site; the Savage 12 LRP comes in around 11 lbs.

Or is there something better as an out of the box introductory varmint/precision rifle that folks would recommend?

Thanks for your replies.
 
Both rifles will be great shooters.

The Savage will be A LOT more barrel heavy then the Tikka varmint so the Tikka will be nicer to shoot out of position or off hand if need be. So it depends on how your want to use the rifle.

If your looking at the Tikka have a real long and hard look at 6.5x55 and what velocities guys are getting the 140's to in modern firearms.
 
I have both, Tikka Varmint in 223 Rem with 1:8 twist bbl and a Savage LRP in 260Rem. The Tikka is more portable, very precise with 75gr A-Maxes ( its a single loader due to the seating depth of the bullet, magazine can be altered however) out to 600 yards after that it becomes a challenge with the wind but stays super sonic to ~1000 yards depending on elevation so 1000 yds is doable on ideal conditions. The Savage is heavy and not something you want to travel to far with, the Tikka offhand shots are no problem where as the Savage takes some doing, the 260 with any off the high BC 139-142 gr bullets MOA sized targets to 1100+ yards are easy on calm days.
The Tikka costs less than half the $$$ per round to shoot, the Savage is better past 600yds.
 
I also have a T3 Varmint in .223 & to echo what BCBRAD says, it's at what I'd consider the outside weight limits of a rifle that's reasonable to hump around in the field. The T3 Varmint is available in 6.5x55, unfortunately the .260 T3 Varmint isn't brought into Canada I don't believe - though it is in the standard T3 synthetic model.

Unless $$$ is no object, it's hard to beat .223 for a first precision / varmint rifle. Factory ammo is half the price of .308, same with components for reloading. Barrel life is excellent, as is accuracy potential. Not knowing your background or experience, I'd also say that wringing the .223 out will test the abilities of anyone new to precision rifle - things get exponentially more challenging after 300 yds no matter the caliber, so really, are you going to take advantage of what the .260 offers in the immediate future? Just food for thought; it may be better to shoot twice as much with a .223 as you develop, depending on what you need your rifle / ammo package to do. The round is a great teaching tool as well, its limitations as a competition / sniping round are what make it so great to teach reading wind and applying corrections.

The Tikka will make an excellent dual purpose varmint / precision rifle - truly it needs nothing out of the box to shoot tiny groups; anything you add will be a nice to have vice a necessity. When it was box stock, mine shot a consistent .75 MOA with factory Hornady ammo from 53 - 75 gr. Reloads shrink that considerably. Now that it's in a chassis with AI mags, I can seat the 75gr AMax to 2.440" which really unlocks the potential of the caliber. Loaded rounds look like mini 6.5x55s LOL...

For the $$, I honestly don't think you can beat the Tikka varmint. If you're dead set on .308, take a look at the new T3 CTR - same price as the Varmint but with a 20" tube, 10 rd metal mag, aluminum trigger guard and rail already mounted. Smoking value if you ask me.
 
I have the Tikka T3 Varmint in 6.5X55 swede, it no longer looks like it did when I bought as I have done a few modifications. GRS laminate stock, Near Manufacturing 20 MOA picatinny rail, Lumley Arms stainless steel recoil lug, Atlasworx tactical bolt handle and bolt shroud, YoDave trigger spring, Harrel Precision muzzle brake and a DIY pillar/Devcon bedding job. It is a fine shooter and I do believe it will contend with most rifles out there.

I have no experience with the Savage you mentioned, but I have shot my friends 10TR extensively. It is accurate and dependable, but no where near as smooth or stylish.
 
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Crashman said:
I have the Tikka T3 Varmint in 6.5X55 swede, it no longer looks like it did when I bought as I have done a few modifications. GRS laminate stock, Near Manufacturing 20 picatinny rail, Lumley Arms stainless steel recoil lug, Atlasworx tactical bolt handle and bolt shroud, YoDave trigger spring, Harrel Precision muzzle brake and a DIY pillar/Devcon bedding job. It is a fine shooter and I do believe it will contend with most rifles out there.

I have no experience with the Savage you mentioned, but I have shot my friends 10TR extensively. It is accurate and dependable, but no where near as smooth or stylish.
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You should post a pic of your rifle.

PM inbound about bedding a Tikka.
 
What caliber are you after...260? Keep in mind the Tikka Sporter comes in .260 as well.
Of the two rifles you mentioned, the Savage has a better stock (HS Precision), but it's a Savage beyond that.
The Tikka in my opinion is a better rifle, but I don't care for the plastic stock.
Tikka in an aftermarket stock would be the one.
 
I'm leaning towards .260 Rem for yotes and to stay in the .308 family since I'm getting into reloading and my other hunting rifles are .243/.308/.358. That said I wouldn't mind trying some precision shooting as well.

I do like my friend's Tikka .223 SS HB but I'm not currently a .223 shooter. That could change if I get an AR and start handloading for .223.

I've pretty much eliminated the Savage 12 LRP as a yote gun due to weight/barrel heavy. Too bad we can't get the Tikka in .260 here.

I'm in no rush.

flashman said:
Unless $$$ is no object, it's hard to beat .223 for a first precision / varmint rifle. Factory ammo is half the price of .308, same with components for reloading. Barrel life is excellent, as is accuracy potential. Not knowing your background or experience, I'd also say that wringing the .223 out will test the abilities of anyone new to precision rifle - things get exponentially more challenging after 300 yds no matter the caliber, so really, are you going to take advantage of what the .260 offers in the immediate future? Just food for thought; it may be better to shoot twice as much with a .223 as you develop, depending on what you need your rifle / ammo package to do. The round is a great teaching tool as well, its limitations as a competition / sniping round are what make it so great to teach reading wind and applying corrections.
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You have a good point there about my precision shooting limitations and the .223 as a teaching tool.

flashman said:
For the $$, I honestly don't think you can beat the Tikka varmint. If you're dead set on .308, take a look at the new T3 CTR - same price as the Varmint but with a 20" tube, 10 rd metal mag, aluminum trigger guard and rail already mounted. Smoking value if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. And thank you all for your advice and opinions.
 
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308 family? I love 'em too, no doubt about that. But don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Even if you could find a 260, you still need dies, brass and bullets. Sure maybe you can make brass from some other member of the family, but that is work, and Lapua makes the best 6.5X55 brass right now anyways, so there is NO disadvantage of buying the Varmint in that chambering. In fact it is kinda cool plinking plates at 1K and beyond with one of the oldest smokeless rounds still available today, the swede has a lot of history, and in a modern firearm can be driven safely at speeds that factory ammo can't match.
 
Crashman said:
308 family? I love 'em too, no doubt about that. But don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Even if you could find a 260, you still need dies, brass and bullets. Sure maybe you can make brass from some other member of the family, but that is work, and Lapua makes the best 6.5X55 brass right now anyways, so there is NO disadvantage of buying the Varmint in that chambering. In fact it is kinda cool plinking plates at 1K and beyond with one of the oldest smokeless rounds still available today, the swede has a lot of history, and in a modern firearm can be driven safely at speeds that factory ammo can't match.
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That may be so but I have a 260 Rem die already and brass is no problem as .243/.260/.308/.358 are all the same parent case. I might need to buy new brass for busting paper but for yotes it won't matter if I neck down.

More interested in hunting than plinking but I want to keep some options open. I don't think bullets would be any problem.
 
And my deer hunting partner shoots .308 in a Sako A7. He doesn't reload and gives me all his once fired brass for free.

Plus I hunt with .243/.308/.358 now and have an Norc M305 for fun... so I have lots of brass already
 
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