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> Tikka T3 vs Browning X Bolt
Tikka T3 vs Browning X Bolt
@ 02:43 am (GMT) |
Buck SlammerHi shooters, I am looking to buy a factory rifle to shoot relatively long distances and as such I wanted to buy a rifle which is likely to shoot well straight out of the box as I am sick of gambling on whether a rifle will shoot or not. I know Tikka's will shoot and are popular because they shoot and are affordable, but ?I can get a new x bolt for the same price at the moment and wondered if they were as accurate out of the box as a Tikka? The Browning is finished much better and feels better. I would appreciate the feedback. Also, chambering would be 7 mag or 300 mags. Cheers. |
Replies
@ 04:32 am (GMT) |
G DogRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHey Buck Slammer,I ve never owned a tikka and I never will. The only reason I say that is because I dont like the feel of them and they're just too plastic for my liking. I've owned 3 x browning a-bolts and love them. Like the x-bolts, they have a much better stock and action (my opinion) than the tikka. Only problem I have is the lack of adjustments on the triggers, but you can get a spring kit cheap enough. Heres the kicker though, im going to go against what I would personally do and suggest the tikka for accuracy and trigger adjustments. I also prefer the a-bolt over the x-bolt too, but you haven't asked about them, lol. I personally don't know anyone who hasn't a tikka that hasn't shot well. I know in Nathans book he's come across quit a few. Good luck in your decision. Grant |
@ 04:45 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHi Buck, neither is suitable for what you are wanting sorry. The Tikka magazine is much too short for hand loading the .300, still has a long jump in 7mm Rem Mag and both the Tikka and Browning recoil too much for the .300 chambering if you want LR accuracy. I could go on about other problems but the book series goes into far greater detail with full explanations. |
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@ 06:00 am (GMT) |
Buck SlammerRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltThanks G Dog, good point on trigger. I didn't consider the a bolt because it is being phased out, at least in many configurations.Nathan, perhaps I should have been more specific; I am presently using a Rifles Inc. strata in 270 Weatherby Mag which I have used perfectly well out to 400-450 yards with a normal 3-9 Swarovski scope. Now, that rifle weighs 6 lbs including the scope, and shoots 140gn Noslers about 0.5-0.6 MOA. I am after something in sporter weight class to shoot maybe 600 yards at the most. I would prefer to carry a portable rifle and put up with a boot to my shoulder which I will temper with a muzzle brake if necessary. I would use the rifle I have, but I want more bullet at longer ranges than .277" Nathan, is the x bolt mag ok for the long bullets in either 7mm mag or 300 Win mag? And the Browning an accurate out of the box rifle like the Tikka's? Should I consider the WSM, if so is a Tikka or Browning better for the short mags? Thanks heaps |
@ 06:46 am (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHi buckbest thing is buy Nathans book specially first 2 and then make a decision it'll save a lot of tears and frustration later. the other thing is you might be able to get the range your thinking of out of your current gun with some tweaking. i would look into upgrading your scope first?? hopefully some more experience guys can give some advice but Nathans books are a seriously good investment and will save a lot of repeated information on here. |
@ 03:25 pm (GMT) |
Thomas PavelkaRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHi there Buck Slammer. I especially like your initial comment; "I wanted to buy a rifle which is likely to shoot well straight out of the box as I am sick of gambling on whether a rifle will shoot or not."In my life I've been through well over a thousand rifles, and regrettably, most of them were junk. And I'm not talking Wal Mart guns either. Names like Sauer, Remington, Winchester, Savage, Browning, Benelli, and the list goes on and on. It is possible to pick up a used rifle that is a tack driver but you better know how to read bores, throats, and chambers in a rifle barrel. In general, the older rifles in the used racks are the ones to really consider because current day production borders on criminal manufacturing. In new manufacture, if I had to pick one that measures up and still is highest quality it would be Weatherby. Even their Vanguards will print sub MOA right out of the box with factory ammo. While not so important to some, ALL of the Weatherby rifles will let you rape the bolt and not jam up the rifle. Good luck in your quest and keep us posted on which way you go. |
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@ 08:39 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltThe question becomes a bit more difficult when we want to shoot long. This is the crux of the matter. Once we reach out, we find that smaller things make a big difference. For example, a light rifle that recoils heavily will produce fliers in the field if technique is not exact and identical with each shot, regardless of what the rifle is capable of at the bench. Such a rifle will not perform so well with a bipod either, shifting around 1 MOA from shot to shot with changes in terrain / ground hardness. Then there are the magazine issues and so forth.As a person dishing out advice, I try to take on board all of these potential problems. Expecations are a key factor here. We have to ask, is it realistic to expect a budget built rifle to achieve X result. We want to pay a low price for premium, long range performance and this is where we can come unstuck and have to start making sacrifices. You can take a Tikka 7mm Mag with its short magazine, make up hand loads with neck dies and so long as runnout is kept down to 2 thou or less, you can set yourself up with an accurate rifle. You will have to seat ammo short and there is no room for seating depth experimentation- the only gamble with this rifle. The next challenge is actually shooting the rifle. This rifle cannot be shot crossed arm, the forend has to be held tight and it will always try to leave your grip. So you have to control it and really put time into practice. Such a rifle can teach a person how to shoot which is a good thing). Finally, you need to able to make all of this happen under field conditions. And we have to ask, what are our accuracy expectations? For me, under .5 MOA because I want to achieve a clean kill. Can I do this with a Tikka T3- yes I can, I have these down pat. Lucky me, how cool, how smug, aren't I just the ducks nuts expert. Does that help folk- not really. Not when I see the difficulty clients have getting up to speed with the lightweights versus the time it takes to get up to speed with heavier rifles. Still, the light rifles are good teachers and the long route can make for a solid foundation- if the client stays the course and keeps up with practice after finishing up with me. We can add suppressors to our pencil thin barrels and give them a right old cooking, we can add brakes to deafen our friends and pets. Neither are my preferred course of action when using ultra lights with very little meat for muzzle threading. One of the major troubles we face today is that we see rifles in the extreme- either too light or too heavy. Its hard to find something super accurate off the shelf that is right in between. I do not have an easy answer for this. And again, this is why I wrote the book series, to help work through all of these issues. Ideally, the books should help save the reader money and headaches while fortuitously providing Steph, Riley and I with income in lieu of the years worth of research presented freely on the site. Does that help at all? I suppose not. |
@ 10:54 pm (GMT) |
Warwick MarflittRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltNathan you have done an exceptional job collecting and documenting rifle accuracy and cartridge information provided by the book series. All we have to do is read them carefully and use the information contained within the pages to make a well informed decision . people need to realize that "THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN GOOD ADVICE? IS NOT LISTENING TO IT"!!!! The best way to solve these problems is to "USE WHAT YOU KNOW TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW "! Like buying a cheap car, drill, lawn mower, you will always get what you got. People believe what they want to believe? If you want to live a good life. You need to make good life choices. This requires good though processing skills. For our group with an interest in accurate shooting your book series are the best KNOWLEDGE BASE available in one place for a moderate outlay. Your books put the required information into our heads. You have done us proud mate. We are lucky to have access to all of your information. Like the Horses and water tale. You can't make a stubborn ass drink? For those who are willing to pay attention, read, take in and follow the wealth of information the books provide there's no excuse for not having a good day at the range or hunting in the hills. Thanks to you and your family and friends for the Good Advice. The only question is. Mate what's next? |
@ 03:38 pm (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHello Buck Slammer.Just my personal likes here, however for myself, for an off the shelf factory rifle, I would buy a Remington Sendero in 7mm Remington Magnum, and hunt with it for a season. I have seen several off the rack shoot around an MOA. Mine all did. If you use some 162 grain Hornady A-Max or SST bullet loads to start, you should do well. Then in the off-season, I would get all of Nathan's books, read them, then get the rifle (properly) epoxy bedded or better yet, follow Nathan's methods as laid out in the books, and use his bedding materials, do it yourself. After that and load workups most result in sub 0.5 MOA groups. Some are even better. The net result will be far more reliable, easier to settle accuracy issues in my opinion, and you will have one heck of a comfortable shooting rifle when topped with a decent Nightforce or Sightron scope. I have had friends and family be disappointed in both Browning and Tikka rifles and found both are not so simple to learn to shoot in lightweight rifles as well as being 'different' to glass bed, most require a new rifle stock to get shooting right. |
@ 10:27 pm (GMT) |
Martin TaylorRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltI own a Tikka that's .5 moa easily, is it one of my LR rigs....no, because of the reasons laid out by Nathan. We have a Remington in the same calibre that is so much easier to shoot under LR field conditions.And as for the Browning, nice looking, pretty rifles, but if it doesn't shoot out of the box, good bloody luck making it work as a friend of mine has found out when he tried to fit it into a "better stock". But as already said spend the small amount on Nathan's books, then you will be able to make your own, well informed decision, knowing what your rifle is realistically capable of! |
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@ 11:54 am (GMT) |
Buck SlammerRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHi, thanks to all who responded. I believe I have located the answer is a thread titled "Best WSM and/or 600 yd Elk Slayer" in the Long range hunting and shooting category of this forum. Nathan suggested the Winchester Extreme Weather in 300 WSM. Perfect - not too heavy, not too light and I love that action. Although, if someone could help with their personal knowledge regarding the magazine box and if it is long enough to seat those long and heavy A-max bullets in the 300 Win Mag (not WSM) and 7mm Rem Mag? I'd prefer those to the WSM's.Cheers, Buck. |
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@ 10:15 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltHi Buck, The M70 Magazine is perfect. There are only a few cartridges that the M70 magazine does not handle so well- the longest and largest magnums.On this rifle, you can afford to put a reasonably heavy optic on it without weight problems. So, if you want to, you could fit an NXS 5.5-22 power scope. This of course is entirely up to you, am just putting ideas out there. |
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@ 12:40 am (GMT) |
Buck SlammerRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltNathan, Thanks for confirming the rifle and mag length. The new Winchester rifles sure are a quality rifle, and I reckon they're good value for the money. I will take your advice on the scope. 👍 |
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@ 04:42 am (GMT) |
Buck SlammerRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltG'day Nathan and fellow riflemen. Did a bit more internet digging and discovered a variation of the Winchester model 70 which might best suit my portable long range rifle I am seeking; it's the Coyote Light which has a slightly heavier profile barrel than the Extreme weather but only a tad more weight. The only downside is that the magnum chamberings are only in WSM. Thought you might be interested to know. Cheers gentlemen. |
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@ 05:59 am (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: Tikka T3 vs Browning X BoltCould work for you but consider the Model 70 Extreme Weather Stainless steel as well. I like it a bit better and have had them shoot really well with a wee bit of encouragement.From Winchester web site: Model 70 Extreme Weather SS Bell and Carlson stock, aluminum bedding block, matte stainless action and fluted barrel, M.O.A. trigger system, Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad |
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