Caribou Gear

Sing your Tikka praises!

Dougfirtree said:
Lately, I've been thinking about trading in my primary hunting rifle. It's a Winchester M-70 featherweight (one of the newer FN ones) in 7mm-08. It's a beautiful rifle and I love the way it feels. I've been able to get some good-shootin' loads for it and overall, it's been a good rifle for me. Here are the things that are making me want to change:

1. I just hate wing safeties. They're awkward and this one is very loud if you take it off with just your thumb, which I sometimes have to do.

2. As pretty as I find the walnut/blued combo, I can't deny the practicality of a synthetic stock and a weatherproof finish.

3. My current rifle is picky and often takes some work to get a good load for. I've found it especially tricky since I've switched to lead-free. I have one halfway decent load for the 140 E tip, but have had terrible results with 3 different Barnes bullets.

4. I'd love it if my rifle weighed just a tad less.

As I look around for what I might switch it out for, the Tikka T3x lite keeps coming up as a potential solution. It's weatherproof, of similar value, has a safety that I like better (I think) and I keep hearing people talk about how darn accurate they are. Do you have one? What do you think of them? It's been a little while since I held a Tikka, but my memory is that I liked the feel of them, but the stock seemed a bit cheap and the recoil pad was crap. Have any of you put a different stock on one? How did that go? If you feel like it, sell me on the Tikka, or on something else (but keep in mind I don't have a ton of money to invest. Hoping that the money I get from selling the Winchester and a bit more will suffice). Thanks!
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I have never seen the sound of taking a safety off spook a game animal. maybe if you had to hit it with a hammer but gennerally the noise a saftey might make create's no problem other than imagined.

I have never owned a rifle with stainless steel and only one with a comp stock. I have never had a blued and wood stock rifle cause me any trouble at all no matter the weather. My impression of people that claim the easy maintance of comp stock's and stainless metal don't make any effort to take care of the weapon ot the throw in in the boat and leave it there all season!

Found finding a good load difficult after switching to lead free? Switch back! Every game animal I have ever shot I have had no problem killing so long as I choose a proper bullet. All I've ever used is cup and core bullet's. After 50 yrs of success with them you would have a hard time convincing me more expensive bullet's are better. They are more expensive and they are different but actually better? Define better!

Not sure what anyone actually consider's a light weight rifle but I'm certain this search for light weight rifles has created the market for not only under 6# rifles but also for after market recoil pads and options to reduce recoil. Has it actually done anything to improve handling? I doubt it. I have no problem hauling around an 8 to 9# rifle. In fact I seldom know how much a rifle weight's just weather I want to carry it or not.
 
Don Fischer said:
I have never seen the sound of taking a safety off spook a game animal. maybe if you had to hit it with a hammer but gennerally the noise a saftey might make create's no problem other than imagined.

I have never owned a rifle with stainless steel and only one with a comp stock. I have never had a blued and wood stock rifle cause me any trouble at all no matter the weather. My impression of people that claim the easy maintance of comp stock's and stainless metal don't make any effort to take care of the weapon ot the throw in in the boat and leave it there all season!

Found finding a good load difficult after switching to lead free? Switch back! Every game animal I have ever shot I have had no problem killing so long as I choose a proper bullet. All I've ever used is cup and core bullet's. After 50 yrs of success with them you would have a hard time convincing me more expensive bullet's are better. They are more expensive and they are different but actually better? Define better!

Not sure what anyone actually consider's a light weight rifle but I'm certain this search for light weight rifles has created the market for not only under 6# rifles but also for after market recoil pads and options to reduce recoil. Has it actually done anything to improve handling? I doubt it. I have no problem hauling around an 8 to 9# rifle. In fact I seldom know how much a rifle weight's just weather I want to carry it or not.
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If I did most of my hunting from a stand, or out west, the safety wouldn't bother me. It's easy enough to just use two hands, or ignore the sound, when you're setting up shot on an elk that is 200 yards away and unaware of your presence and in an open area. Much of my hunting is tracking whitetails in extremely thick cover, where a normal shot opportunity might be spotting a bedded buck at 25 yards and getting off a shot quickly without him realizing what's up. It's quite helpful if you can disengage the safety with just your thumb and without a sound.
The norm is for my rifle to get covered in snow, as we work our way through the thick, snowy woods. I work hard to take care of it and clean it, but that's a big job when it's getting soaked all the time, so a little leeway would be appreciated.
I have no issues with the performance of lead bullets. Some of them, like the Accubond, are truly awesome and I've used them a bunch. It's the issue of getting the lead out of my food and the food of all those scavengers that makes me want to shoot copper.
And, I definitely do mind 8-9 pound rifles. I've carried them around and I don't like it. I don't like the 4.5 pound rifles either, but something that weighs about 7.5 with a scope feels just right to me.
 
A) I’ve spooked a whitetail taking a safety off VERY CAREFULLY.

B) Rust can form between morning and evening before I get back to truck. I might not even be back at the truck every night. How could anyone think stainless isn’t an advantage?
 
Bought my wife a Tikka from ShedHorn Sports about 21 years ago. Had never heard of them, but Rob raved about them. Great rifle. Easy to load for, pretty good trigger. I hate the new plastic stocks, but they sure are functional.
 
fowl punishment said:
My only complaint about mine outside of what others have said is the clip kinda sucks, not a fan. It limits OAL on my loads to factory length so I can't load to optimum distance off the lands. Also, having to unload chamber, drop the clip, put cartridge back in clip, reinsert clip is a pain in the ass. Doesn't happen a lot since I never carry loaded but still a pain. I deal with this cause the gun shoots lights out, about 1/2 moa at 300 yards. They are great guns, I like mine.
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How in the hell do you use a "clip" in your Tikka? I have clips, but they are for my Garand......
 
I never liked them much. I din't have a good reason. Where I work they fly off the shelf during Spring through hunting season and the feedback is all positive. Last month, I ran into a customer at the range and he offered his for a couple shots. I now own one in 300win and have one in 243 on the way. Very impressed with the triggers and groups with factory ammo.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I checked a few out at a gun store yesterday. I really like that safety... I wish the magazine was flush with the bottom of the rifle. recoil pad is better than they used to be, but not great. Frankly, I think an 800 dollar rifle should have a better stock/pad, but overall, I really liked them. I'm thinking seriously of making the switch and getting a B and C stock for it. Those of you who have done that, did you glass bed it?
 
My bone stock T3 SS shoots pretty well with just about anything that I feed it. I painted the stock with some textured spray paint to give it a little more grip, and added a limbsaver recoil pad, but nothing to accurize it
 

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EastTNHunter said:
My bone stock T3 SS shoots pretty well with just about anything that I feed it. I painted the stock with some textured spray paint to give it a little more grip, and added a limbsaver recoil pad, but nothing to accurize it
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Jeez. Whatever you do, don't change anything!
 
nrpate05 said:
This group from my T3x superlite in 30-06 is why I'll never get rid of mine. Sure, the stock and recoil pad aren't the greatest but as a working rifle that weighs 7.5 lbs or so rigged and ready to go its hard to beat. That said, I really want a featherweight M70 in .270! Tough to beat the feel and look of that rifle.View attachment 129708
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How do you find the recoil of the Superlite in '06? trying to decide on '06 or 308 in an SL from sportsmans
 
ImBillT said:
A) I’ve spooked a whitetail taking a safety off VERY CAREFULLY.

B) Rust can form between morning and evening before I get back to truck. I might not even be back at the truck every night. How could anyone think stainless isn’t an advantage?
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So have I, not with a Tikka, but with a Remington 700 BDL, at a distance of probably 40 yards.
 
roberte65 said:
Great looking rig! I'm looking to pick one up, likely in .308 (perhaps '06). How do you find the recoil on .308? What's the overall weight your running?
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Thanks. The recoil to me is very manageable. Before this rig, my primary rifle was a Winchester model 70 featherweight in .30-06 that I have owned for nearly 30 years. That gun kicks like a mule and when I switched to .308 the kick felt like nothing at all in comparison.
Overall weight, with the Nikon Monarch 3 4-16 scope and rings is 7lbs. 4oz. When using the bipod that adds another 1lb. 4. oz.
 
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