Tikka vs Savage - Is the Tikka worth the extra money?

Have you thought of another Savage model that's a really good bang for your buck? Take a look at this thread here:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1019704-Savage-10TR-le-military

Then see here, because they're for sale to everyone now:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1238076-Savage-mod-10tr-308-20-quot-barrel

And buy from here:

http://northprosports.com/shop/product.php?id_product=5209

Then ask yourself $699 versus $1,119, is it worth the extra $420?

From most of the posts in that first thread, and of the 5 guys I know that have 10TRs, including myself, sub MOA rifle out of the box for $700 isn't bad, one guy even swears by Federal Blue Box, but he's moved on to Hornady Steel Match. If you're taking it out to 200m only, it's more than enough gun. Condomboy took his out to 958m with Hornady Steel Match, hitting a torso sized gong.
 
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frigpig said:
That's a pretty bold statement considering what your comparing it to.

I have no skin in the game but out the box the accuracy of the Savage is not disputed. Because the fit and finish "feels" better is irrelevant. You want an accurate rifle right?

I'd shoot a chewed up rusted beast that smelled like crap if it shot 1/4 MOA. Weather the action is slightly less "smooth" than another firearm is of little consequence.
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I have no skin in the game either. With Tikka, you get the same barrel as you would on a much more expensive Sako (and Sako barrels are universally recognized as being very high quality). With Savage, you get a typical Walmart-grade American rifle, which means that price will be low and QC hit and miss. You could get a gun that shoots well but you could also get something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShghJddIy50
 
Tikka overall quality and accuracy will beat the Savage, the thing with savage is every once in a while savages produce a zinger of a barrel, the stars align and bingo bango out comes a stunner. There are enough around to give the impression that savages are very accurate. I have been around the 22br crowd long enough and seen enough 22's to know what is exceptionally accurate. To date the most accurate 22 I have seen is a bone stock savage, that sold for under $200. it outshoots $6000 customs... I realize your are looking at center, however I shared that story to emphasize that Savage can make accurate rifles. Zingers happen more so with savage than tikka, but its like playing the lottery, chances of getting one is relatively small. buy the tikka.
 
Tikka's are the type of rifles you keep for a very long time. Savages are the type of rifles you bang on or experiment with to figure out your likes and dislikes. If you are just starting out in the long distance game and see yourself moving up to a custom build in a year or two or five, go with the Savage. There is an initial savings and you will also save on the mods. When you figure out what you like, you could put that saving towards a custom build. When you start building custom, you will wonder why you ever considered a Tikka. But if you want something better than a Savage in terms of fit and finish and know for certain that competitive distance shooting such as Fclass is not your thing, then you will have to satisfy yourself with the type of accuracy from a Tikka.
 
I have spent literally tens of thousands of dollars over the years on several custom rifles, and they are great to own and shoot. You get exactly what you want if you hold out and get the parts and smith to assemble it the way you want. I have a custom rifle now, built on a stiller action, and another build that I am assembling parts for. I also own a Tikka T3 Tactical with some minor mods that shoots as well as my current custom rifle for about 1/3 of the price. The Tikka is a solid rifle and offers incredible accuracy right out of the box. Last year I ran a match in Utah with a Tikka varmint in 6.5 swede and ran her right out to 1200 yards and while I did not win, I was competitive and was very happy with my results.

I think the Savage is a great rifle too, but anyone that argues that one is better than the other or there are more after market options obviously does not know where to look. It comes down to what you want, please yourself because in the end that is all that matters!
 
I got a t3 varmint 2 years ago and threw on a Burris scope at the time, first load (reload) and started shooting groups smaller then 0.400. No modification whatsoever. Get the tikka, u won't be sorry.....I think tikka has every accessory available anyone could want. There are all kinds of stocks and chassis available already
 
Thanks a bunch for all the great feedback everyone!

I think I'm set on the Tikka. Headed to Cabela's next weekend to pick her up. I've been debating this for far too long. I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed wth either rifle but I'm dying to get shooting. Time to pull the trigger (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...). Will post pics shortly. :D

Once again, thanks for all the help. I'm sure many other readers would benefit from more of your experiences, so please keep the posts coming!


JohnnyKCCO


P.S. Should I consider 7mm RM over the .308? I'd love to reach out and touch something at 1200m, but maybe that's a topic for a seperate thread... :)
 
Check out 6.5x55. Its a great ballistic preformer and it doesn't recoil to hard.

7mm rm is a great caliber as well but it comes with a healthy amount of recoil.

308 sucks. :)
 
I've had both and currently have a Tikka.
In my experiences accuracy is a dead heat- both brands are probably more accurate than me.
But if they were not all the parts required to remedy that are available for either platform.
I prefer the Tikka for several reasons:
1) Other than the plastic stock the Tikka doesn't look or feel cheap (i.e.: poor fit and finish); If Savage was a tailor I'd fire them.
2) They're ugly. the last attractive gun Savage made was the 99 (and that's arguable). Their bolts hit just about every branch when it fell out of the ugly tree...
3) If your after stainless the Tikka has more of the little bits corrosion resistant than the Savage.
 
JohnnyKCCO said:
Thanks a bunch for all the great feedback everyone!

I think I'm set on the Tikka. Headed to Cabela's next weekend to pick her up. I've been debating this for far too long. I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed wth either rifle but I'm dying to get shooting. Time to pull the trigger (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...). Will post pics shortly. :D

Once again, thanks for all the help. I'm sure many other readers would benefit from more of your experiences, so please keep the posts coming!


JohnnyKCCO


P.S. Should I consider 7mm RM over the .308? I'd love to reach out and touch something at 1200m, but maybe that's a topic for a seperate thread... :)
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I have the same Tikka s/s .308 varmint and love it. I'm sure you won't look back.
 
I was in the same debate a few months ago. I ended up getting a savage because that's what I could find at that moment and it was on sale. The accuracy is great.. Under 1moa all day with reloads and I ordered a chassis for it so it will look nice. Either way you won't be disappointed
 
chrismc said:
Get a good savage, and you can tweak it for accuracy and customize as you wish. You can with a Tikka too, just not as easy to find parts.
Tikka is no doubt a quality built rifle - just cycle it and you'll see.

However, I owned 5 Tikkas, and they were all about 1 MOA shooters. Despite my time, efforts and $$$, never got the accuracy i wanted. I outgrew that MOA only accuracy pretty quick with my long distance hunger, so went custom barrels (pick action of your choice) and am very happy. Of the 3 Tikkas I had that were HB, the best ever 5 shot 500 yd group I got was 5.5 inches, most were 7-8"(after spending $$$ to bed/lug change). My rifles (savage/rem) that I changed barrels (Krieger/benchmarks) shoot 3" consistently.

I realize I may be the minority when it comes to liking Tikkas accuracy, but mine (and buddy's) sucked for precision. I would get one group 3/4 MOA and the next 2moa, then 1moa, then 3/4 moa, then 3 moa - same gun, same load, same everything- very inconsistent. As a matter of fact, my buddies own T3's, reg and Varm models, and they too struggle with inconsistent precision shooting.... Great hunting rifles tho.

You won't see many, if any, tikkas at competitions or long range shoots, with the exception of their sporter models maybe. Then, if you have issues, you have to deal with their distributor. I sent two guns to them for accuracy issues, they had for 4-6 months, sent back, and did nothing - they told me that their MOA guarantee is for factory loaded rounds only, and the MOA guarantee is void with handholds. Upon getting that info/treatment, I sold every single Tikka I owned, and won't buy another. The support i got (or didn't get) was what determined what rifles i want in my safe.

However, if you want to get yours to shoot without too many mods, bed the stock, throw out the aluminum lug and put a steel one in (bed it in), and change the trigger guard to a metal one (proper torque on action screws) and see what happens. Their stocks are good and solid (even the plastic ones) and respond well to bedding; their mags are tough and well made - don't let that plastic fool you - it is not the same plastic found on the entry level rem/savages/marlins, etc - this stuff is strong!

Again, just my opinion, based on first hand info on these rifles.
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Every manufacturer is the same, handloads void the factory warranty. Be it handgun, hunting rifle, or target rifle. Weatherby does not warranty their sub MOA rifles with handloads either, they have set factory loads they warranty the gun for. No company can guarantee how you hand load, so they cant say how consistent your loads are, or how safe they are.
 
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