Xbolt vs T3 in 30-06, Pros/Cons?

and yes tikkas have all the manufacturing shortcuts on them but like I said there done right and nice. the stocks are very stiff. the stiffest of the cheap synthetic stocks out there. nothing like the wet noodle savages (which seem to be getting worse with every upgrade). a stiff stock to me is a must. I have nothing really to complain about them except the price. for a gun so loaded with manufacturing shortcuts which means cnc machines spit parts out extremely fast, it should be cheaper as it was 8-10 years ago. I remember them being legally imported back in the gun registry days by buddies and those guns cost them less than 500 bucks. the dollar was about par then. as they got popular the price went up. look at a Winchester model 70 and all the fancy machining done on them. same money. guaranteed one has a much higher profit margin. but that's the way the whole industry is going. look at the cz 452 vs 455. the company meetings don't go like -how can we make it better. they go how can we make it for less but sell it for more.

don't get me wrong tikkas are nice guns. but when you look under the surface I think you have to admit they are priced a little steep. SAYS THE OWNER OF 2 TIKKA T3s. not a hater.
 
I had a xbolt it was pretty nice except for the trigger which is unforgivable, but my tikka hunter 30 06 open sight is golden. Nobody shortcutted their way to a great rifle like tikka,although my bdl is pretty nice also open sights, cheap too, but not quite the unified ethos and execution of the tikka. The browning mag is nice, the curve gives you an extra round.
 
The changes in the Tikka's happened after Sako bought out Tikka. Instead of competing directly with the Sako rifles, Sako wanted the Tikka rifles to compete with less expensive rifles. And compete they do. You will be hard pressed to find any rifle that will outshoot a Tikka right out of the box. Brian you had better check your scale because the Tikka's are lighter !

Brianma65 said:
Ok , why did Tikka just change their design? If they were so great, why make 2 major design changes?
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prairie lover said:
ha ha good one. I own and shoot and like both brownings and tikkas. I have owned both ford and gm products. I grew up farming but don't anymore. there is a green tractor on the yard right now, its very nice. but it was not the only option considered. my point is I personally know and have seen online many tikka fans that belittle most other guns simply cause there not a tikka. I have half a dozen friends that wouldn't buy nothing but, and actually have never owned another brand centerfire. plenty of other fine rifles out there. and wouldn't you know it they all drive fords and if u listened to them u would think they are designed and assembled right inside the pearly gates of heaven. they also all don't put 40 rounds through there tikkas a year.
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Fair enough. I apologize for my earlier post.

I've owned a ton of different rifles, I've got or have had Xbolts, Tikkas, Sakos, winchesters, remingtons... I keep taking the tikkas hunting. Light accurate, dependable, and cheap enough that a mishap is just a bummer, not a catastrophe.

And I drive a Toyota.
 
I've had both and my vote goes to the Tikka.
The Xbolt's trigger is over rated. It's made of cast pot metal. Mine never adjusted below 5lbs so I had to take it apart each time to get it at a nice 3.5lb pull. There not meant to be repeatably stripped down that's for sure.
The only problem I had with Tikka was I didn't hold on to the two that I had.
 
prairie lover said:
and yes tikkas have all the manufacturing shortcuts on them but like I said there done right and nice. the stocks are very stiff. the stiffest of the cheap synthetic stocks out there. nothing like the wet noodle savages (which seem to be getting worse with every upgrade). a stiff stock to me is a must. I have nothing really to complain about them except the price. for a gun so loaded with manufacturing shortcuts which means cnc machines spit parts out extremely fast, it should be cheaper as it was 8-10 years ago. I remember them being legally imported back in the gun registry days by buddies and those guns cost them less than 500 bucks. the dollar was about par then. as they got popular the price went up. look at a Winchester model 70 and all the fancy machining done on them. same money. guaranteed one has a much higher profit margin. but that's the way the whole industry is going. look at the cz 452 vs 455. the company meetings don't go like -how can we make it better. they go how can we make it for less but sell it for more.

don't get me wrong tikkas are nice guns. but when you look under the surface I think you have to admit they are priced a little steep. SAYS THE OWNER OF 2 TIKKA T3s. not a hater.
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If they were any less expensive, they'd be Ruger Americans... :rolleyes: I'll stick with the Tikka...
 
I like my tikkas. the stocks arent pretty but they are hard, light, and durable enough to break branches on the quad rack all winter without major blemishes. All mine shoot .5-.75 with handloads, get the odd sub .5 but not consistent enough to call it one.

My friend has the xbolt, in the same calibre, and we both did load development with each other with the same gear, (different/same/bullets/powder etc) he cant tweak his to shoot as well as mine. I know some guns in the same models can vary in accuracy, so that could be luck of the draw.

I really would have to disagree with whoever said the xbolts triggers are better...And whoever said the bolts are sloppy...Chamber one off the mag side by side and see what feels better. I've done it, I know where my vote goes...And his lol. But he will never concede that his $1300 gun cant keep up with my $750 one. They are both nice guns though, this is just my experience. More aftermarket support for tikkas, especially left hand.

But are you sure you want a left hand? Im lefty, and have been shooting righty's backwards for so long, that my ONE lefty bolt tikka I have just ****s with me now.....:mad:
 
I have owned several Browning bolt action rifles over the years, and in my opinion, the last quality Browning was the BBR.
Not that the newer stuff doesn't shoot....had an A-Bolt in 338 that was very accurate, Buddy has an X-Bolt in 270 that is plenty accurate.
However, the newer Brownings have a following, and that is fine. Just not my cup of tea.

Also owned a number of Tikkas over the years, and I just cannot seem to get to love the T3.
Positively loved the M595 I owned, but after 3 - T3 Tikkas, I have put them on the "not for me" list as well.

If you are making a choice between these two rifles, you need to handle them, possibly shoot them also.
Then you might be in a better position to choose. [or reject both] Regards, Dave.
 
I like the older A bolt medallions. They had a fluted bolt like weatherby has. I have a micro medallion chambered in 284win. I like the 60 degree bolt throw and the tang safety. I have never really cared for browning trigger's but the rifle has never let me down and I've owned it almost 30 years. I have never owned a tikka, but have heard good things about them. You couldn't go wrong with either one. I also drive a Toyota! lol.
 
You are comparing a 2 lug action with a 3 lug action... as far as I am concerned the 3 lug is a superior action if you ever have a case failure. The extractor can not blow out as shrapnel.

The X Bolt has many nice features. My choice for sure.
 
guntech said:
You are comparing a 2 lug action with a 3 lug action... as far as I am concerned the 3 lug is a superior action if you ever have a case failure. The extractor can not blow out as shrapnel.

The X Bolt has many nice features. My choice for sure.
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You keep saying that, but I strongly suggest you draw the two on paper, because your extractor thing ain't what you think it is. My Xbolt and sako both put the extractor directly in line with a lug groove, and *none* of my 2 lug actions, Tikka included, do.
 
Brianma65 said:
Tikka = Toyota! Xbolt = Lexus. Just my opinion, no disrespect meant.
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I got to agree with this. I think my brownings look better and have better cleaner lines than my tikkas, especially if the browning is a stainless stalker, the stainless colored bottom metal just looks superb. yes yes I know its rough on the inside when you take the bottom metal off, but come on. and tikkas are done very nice too, don't get me wrong, just for my taste brownings just look better to me and the safety is way better especially with gloves on.

my main complaint and something id like the tikka fans to answer is why do tikka t3s kick so hard even with a limbsaver pad? the brownings weigh the same(I gave the weights of mine earlier and the t3 lights are slightly heavier, and that's actual weights scoped, not advertised weights) yet they shoot much softer. a tikka in 243 with the factory pad is unbelievable, that a 243 can kick so hard. a limbsaver makes it much better. but they still kick hard even then. compare a browning stock to a tikka in 7mm mag with a limbsaver, its not even close. something about the stock design.
 
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