Zachary, let me ask you a question. If the Tikka's are this good then what about the Sako 75's. How much better are they then the White Hunter. Are we getting close to the ulimate rifle out of the box.
dbuck,
The Sako 75s do not have the plastic pieces like the Tikkas do. Also, the bolt action of the Sakos are different than the Tikkas. Of other notable difference is that the Sakos have 4 different action, with each action designed for a specific group of cartridges. For example, you don't need a heavy magnum action for a .243. As such, Sako 243s are offered in smaller, lighter weight actions, hence Sako Action I, then it goes up to II, III, and finally IV.
The Sakos also have nicer stocks, and have a bit more hand-labor than the Tikkas.
Other than that, (which is actually quite a bit), the Sakos are similar to the Tikkas. The barrels, for example, are essentially the same - both match grade and hand crowned - which contributes, in part, to their excellent accuracy. In fact, from what I understand, when the barrels come off of the line and are hand crowned, some go to the Tikkas, and the others go to the Sakos - so your Tikka barrel could have easily gone onto a Sako rifle.
For me, the finest production rifle is first the Sako, and Tikka as second. A lot of people rave about Weatherbys, but, in my opinion, the Weatherbys are not as nice as the Sakos. Plus, the Weatherbys are, at least in some cases, more expensive than the Sakos. Thus, if I am going to spend $1000 on a production rifle, it will be Sako.
The problem is that, for roughly half the money, you can get a Tikka which is almost as good.
The Europeans say that the Tikka is the best value in Europe. Well, little do they, and we Americans, realize, that Tikkas are also the Best Value anywhere - including the good 'ole U.S. of A.
Zachary
