Tikka T3x vs Model 70
- Thread starter mproof
- Start date
I’ve owned a bunch of T3s and this last year I picked up an Extreme weather Model 70. Both are very nicely produced rifles, it just depends what features you want. Both have shot well under MOA. My personal recommendation would be to save the cash and grab a Tikka. Detachable magazine and better safety location. I also have come to prefer push feed actions. Just my 2 cents.
- Location
- Steel Town
I like both, but Tikka seemed to win out in my safe until I discovered CZ557.
I'd buy the Winchester! I prefer floorplates for hunting. When Winchester also has a much better safety IMO and I like the CRF.
Tikka's have a smooth action but I do not like their stock.
Wildcat Composites makes after market for both rifles you are considering.
Tikka's have a smooth action but I do not like their stock.
Wildcat Composites makes after market for both rifles you are considering.
Dorian Gray
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
As another poster said, it all boils down to the features that you want. Both are great rifles. I have a lot of Tikka's in my safe and no Winchester's. But that's mainly because I prefer detachable magazines and I fell in love with the buttery smooth action of the Tikka's. You won't go wrong with either one, you just have to think about the features that will be right for you and your style of hunting.
Tikka CTR with mid weight barrel is a good compromise between hunting and range. The mag sticking out I always think is a bonus as a carry point when holding barrel down also the aluminium of the mag system allows for better torque on the action screws than the plastic Lite version. It is only a myth that one can't hunt with a magazine rifle. I'd go stainless. Of course most factory stocks are made super cheap and one would be better off with an aftermarket alternative.
edi
edi
As mentioned, both are good rifles but with different features. You will need to decide which features you like/need best. I would suggest trying to have each in hand and see how they suit you and decide from there. The T3 will be lighter and seems to have a better reputation for accuracy. I've not much experience with the M70 so that statement is based off internet hearsay.
Assuming you are planning on deer hunting with this rifle, I highly suggest that you do not buy a varmint weight rifle for hunting. When lugging on of them around, they get to be no fun, real fast.
Jeronimoe83
CGN Regular
- Location
- Prince George, BC
I have a model 70 in 30-06 since I was 10 or 11. It shoots 178gr Eld-x great and has taken a few moose and sheep. I love it. Recently added a triggertech and a vx5hd. Mine has the detachable mag, which seems to be quite uncommon in model 70s. Its only a matter of time until I buy another.
As for tikka. Ive bought one, and sold it before I shot it regrettably. Apparently they shoot top notch and have an excellent trigger.
As for tikka. Ive bought one, and sold it before I shot it regrettably. Apparently they shoot top notch and have an excellent trigger.
ALBERTA BOY
Regular
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
Definitely not Tikka. They may be manufactured to a high standard of quality control but ultimately, they're designed to be built as cheaply as possible rather than to be the best it can be. They have a cheap bar stock receiver, a bedding system that is designed to be made cheaply, push feed, relatively tiny cheap extractor, cheap plunger ejector, mutli-piece bolt, etc. Oh they're accurate enough, but so is a ruger american or savage or Mossberg. They're polished up to a high standard but make no mistake, the Tikka is designed from the ground up to be made cheaply and is not a quality design.
The modern Model 70 is a spiritual successor to the pre-64. It's got a solid machined receiver with a flat bottom and fully integrated recoil lug. The bolt is a one piece design with an excellent CRF hybrid design. Just unscrew the back of the bolt and the entire firing pin and spring will come out for incredibly easy field cleaning and very reliable operation in cold weather. The extractor is clearly superior and the proper ejector means the shooter can control exactly the ejection power of the round; the cartridge can be delicately angled out about 30 degrees from the action and be plucked out manually, if desired or thrown out with authority. The tikka can only eject one way, of course. The safety on the M70 is a better design as engaging it applies extra compression on the spring which disengages the firing pin from the sear. If there was any mechanical failure or a really bad drop, the sear disengaging will not cause the firearm to discharge because the firing pin is held back away from the sear. You definitely can't say the same about the Tikka. The model 70 has nice steel parts throughout and doesn't use plastic, period. If you opt for the featherweight you get a gorgeous walnut stock which is glass bedded. Their stainless is nice, too, if you're into that.
They both have great triggers that break cleanly without creep. They both have smooth bolts; a lot of people rave about the smoothness of the Tikka's bolt. In my experience, the M70 generally will have a smoother bolt, especially once all the factory rest preventative gunk is removed and things are worked in a bit.
It's up to you but if I were in your shoes (and I have been) I would opt for the design which prioritizes doing things the "right way" or the best way to do things without exception rather than prioritizing being cheaper for them to manufacture. Tikka has a very high standard of manufacturing, but their design is really NO DIFFERENT than a Ruger American. It's just a really well made Ruger American. Does that stack up against a M70? Definitely not.
I've got a M70 that's many decades old. When it came into my hands, it had obviously been hunted a lot and had seen some hard service. It's still doing well and impressed me very much when I tested it at the range. It's got some battle scars, especially on the all steel trigger guard which, though marred, is still intact. Actually the wear on the steel and walnut has left the rifle with a rather attractive patina. I wonder how the plastic part on the tikka would stack up to a similar lifetime of use and abuse. I've seen no indication that the two 'modern' M70s I have are lesser in quality to this great old one. In fact, the machining is smoother and nicer and the bolts are smoother.
The only thing the Tikka does better than the M70 is have a lower cost of manufacture and make more money for Tikka. The M70 is VERY expensive to manufacture. VERY. Their markup is probably not much, but as a consumer that's not your problem. Buy the better quality rifle, you won't regret it.
The modern Model 70 is a spiritual successor to the pre-64. It's got a solid machined receiver with a flat bottom and fully integrated recoil lug. The bolt is a one piece design with an excellent CRF hybrid design. Just unscrew the back of the bolt and the entire firing pin and spring will come out for incredibly easy field cleaning and very reliable operation in cold weather. The extractor is clearly superior and the proper ejector means the shooter can control exactly the ejection power of the round; the cartridge can be delicately angled out about 30 degrees from the action and be plucked out manually, if desired or thrown out with authority. The tikka can only eject one way, of course. The safety on the M70 is a better design as engaging it applies extra compression on the spring which disengages the firing pin from the sear. If there was any mechanical failure or a really bad drop, the sear disengaging will not cause the firearm to discharge because the firing pin is held back away from the sear. You definitely can't say the same about the Tikka. The model 70 has nice steel parts throughout and doesn't use plastic, period. If you opt for the featherweight you get a gorgeous walnut stock which is glass bedded. Their stainless is nice, too, if you're into that.
They both have great triggers that break cleanly without creep. They both have smooth bolts; a lot of people rave about the smoothness of the Tikka's bolt. In my experience, the M70 generally will have a smoother bolt, especially once all the factory rest preventative gunk is removed and things are worked in a bit.
It's up to you but if I were in your shoes (and I have been) I would opt for the design which prioritizes doing things the "right way" or the best way to do things without exception rather than prioritizing being cheaper for them to manufacture. Tikka has a very high standard of manufacturing, but their design is really NO DIFFERENT than a Ruger American. It's just a really well made Ruger American. Does that stack up against a M70? Definitely not.
I've got a M70 that's many decades old. When it came into my hands, it had obviously been hunted a lot and had seen some hard service. It's still doing well and impressed me very much when I tested it at the range. It's got some battle scars, especially on the all steel trigger guard which, though marred, is still intact. Actually the wear on the steel and walnut has left the rifle with a rather attractive patina. I wonder how the plastic part on the tikka would stack up to a similar lifetime of use and abuse. I've seen no indication that the two 'modern' M70s I have are lesser in quality to this great old one. In fact, the machining is smoother and nicer and the bolts are smoother.
The only thing the Tikka does better than the M70 is have a lower cost of manufacture and make more money for Tikka. The M70 is VERY expensive to manufacture. VERY. Their markup is probably not much, but as a consumer that's not your problem. Buy the better quality rifle, you won't regret it.
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I've got a couple of both.
The Tikka actions are smooth as glass and consistently more accurate and less fussy than the Winchester Mod 70s I have.
I have Winchesters dating back to the early sixties and they can be hit and miss for acceptable accuracy. Not nearly as fussy as Brownings though.
If I were stuck with just one rifle rifle and it was either a Tikka or a Winchester, I wouldn't feel under gunned.
I like the Mod 70 to build custom rifles on though. Less work than a Tikka.
The Tikka actions are smooth as glass and consistently more accurate and less fussy than the Winchester Mod 70s I have.
I have Winchesters dating back to the early sixties and they can be hit and miss for acceptable accuracy. Not nearly as fussy as Brownings though.
If I were stuck with just one rifle rifle and it was either a Tikka or a Winchester, I wouldn't feel under gunned.
I like the Mod 70 to build custom rifles on though. Less work than a Tikka.
Nothing wrong with Tikka, but like others have said it's a cheaper built rifle for a similar price to a a nice cz or a feather weight model 70. I'd personally go model 70. Honestly some of the best built rifles around and a reasonable price.
Nothing wrong with Tikka, but like others have said it's a cheaper built rifle for a similar price to a a nice cz or a feather weight model 70. I'd personally go model 70. Honestly some of the best built rifles around and a reasonable price.
