Tikka t3 lite stainless in 30-06?

[kyelkhunter3006]

This tread started off examining my crush on the Tikka t3 lite stainless in 30-06.  I have always been a sucker for something with a smooth action and a foreign sounding name.  I read some things about the Tikka that concern me. I still like the relatively heavy barrel  (the rifle is barrel heavy) and that wonderfully smooth action.

As my shopping has moved along I have reexamined my inner Remington. Fully 3/4 of the rifles and shotguns in my safe are Remington.  I looked at a Remington 700 sps (the synthetic 700 with the floorplate) and a Remington 700 adl at Walmart (the discontinued model without a floor plate.)  I talked to my brother, the owner of a 700 adl and he tells me that the floorplate is a worth the 60 or 70 dollar premium. He told me a horror story of being in the line of fire as elk hunting buddy unloaded an 700 adl by cycling the action.  Others say the older adl (they are all new in the box) designs lack of a hole in the bottom of the stock makes it a stronger design. 

Right now I am going to buy a 700.  The question is do I buy an sps or the adl.  Anybody have any thoughts?  Should I just do it?  After all the Remington 700 is the most popular bolt action rifle in America. I just can't go wrong, and the rifle is made in America. 

Get the one you like best.  I don't care for the idea of unloading by the cycling the action with the safety off, personally.  BUT, I like the blind mags like the ADL better than the floorplates when it comes to shooting and handling the gun.  How's that for an oxymoron?    

Unloading the the ADL isn't an issue as long as the gun is pointed in a safe direction, ie: straight up or straight down, or anywhere that's not got a person or property in the line of fire.  You buddy should have told that guy to stop and wait when he started unloading the gun.  Blind mags have several advantages:  lighter stock weight, no metal to transfer heat or cold to your hand, stiffer stock, and you don't have to worry about the floorplate poping open on you (rare but it can happen).

Advantage of the floor plate is easy unloading of the mag, and personal taste.

[Bart Solo]

It was my brother. He was packing up a pickup after a day elk hunting. He heard the sound of a recycling rifle bolt, turned around and saw the muzzle of the rifle aimed directly at his leg.  His hunting buddy wasn't paying attention to where the muzzle was turned. Knowing my brother he was less than polite when he asked the fellow to aim the muzzle in a different direction.  He never hunted with that guy again. 

It only takes one mistake to really ruin somebody's whole day.

[Brithunter]

The Remington 700 action in all its variations is the most popular new rifle action in America if not the world.  That doesn't mean that it is the best, but it is right up there.  My reference to buy American is because I believe that right now if given a choice between two products of roughly equal quality Americans should support American made products.  Our economy has gone to hell because we have bought too many trinkets from Asia and too much oil from the house of Saud.  I am also considering buying a Leupold scope for the same reason, not that I believe they are superior to other brands, but Leupold scopes are made in America and they are world class. 

Ahhh Ron I hear you and I completely understand the desire to support the local economy. The fast money folks have destroyed a lot of the skilled manufacturing base in the US and here in the UK. They don't give a "Rats arse" for quality only how much profit they can rip from their often shoddy mechandise. I am sorry to say these same folks are running companies like Remington and Leupold and it's only a matter of time before their production is moved too, Remington is way ahead in this field just look how much the have made in Eastern Europe and put their name on  In one of our UK gun magazines they recently did a test accompanied with a competition to win the "New Remington O/U shotgun" which is actually a Baikal Model 27, sure Remington restyled the wood slightly added their name and tripled the price  . The Baikal's have been available here with upgraded wood for many years and as a matter of fact I picked one up used several years ago to use with non toxic shot for wildfowling  .

Now whilst I whole-heartedly support buying national products that does not mean we should accept shoddy quality and the dropping of quality. We need to stand up and insist on better products not just cheaper ones I cannot see why we need to keep buying Chinese made stuff a lot of which is pure rubbish, sure they CAN make quality stuff, but let's face it most of it is junk made as cheaply as possible to maximise profits  .

[Bart Solo]

Did you ever read Kevin Phillips "Bad Money?"  It seems the British economy went to hell when you stopped building things and began importing finished goods from your empire. You tried to create a "service" economy centered on banking and trading.  The same with the Dutch, Spanish and a bunch of other economies.  In your case some say your economy collapsed when you lost your empire, others say you lost your empire because you stopped importing raw materials and started importing finished goods.  Whatever happened after WWII Britain went through a really rough patch and emerged a second tier country.  Well for a couple of decades, and for the last decade in spades, America has stopped making a lot of finished goods.  There are a lot of categories of finished goods that are simply not made in America anymore at any price. We only have one manufacturer of rifle scopes and it imports its optics from China.  It is only a matter of time until the race for short term profits "requires" Leupold to move its operation overseas.  Once Leupold moves out, America will no longer have the ability to build its own rifle scopes.     

We have been fooling ourselves by creating phony real estate bubbles.  We have been living off our fat.  That is what all those sub-prime and second mortgages are about.  Lots of people make their living pushing paper "serving" others who are doing the same thing. Things have gone to hell when we send our raw materials to China, India and Japan to be turned into finished goods to be shipped back to us.  That is the way the economy of a banana republic works. 

In the long run you either buy things or you sell things. The countries who build and sell things win. 

If we Americans don't support American manufacturers we lose.     

[poncaguy]

I just got a Tikka heavy barrel Varmit in 308.  Very smooth and a great trigger, less than an inch at 100 yards, 2 bullets in same hole with Winchester 150's. Very Pleased with it. But, also have recently got a 270 Marlin XL7 270 that is just as accurate with a trigger almost as good. Action is not as smooth though. Marlin, $309, Tikka $728............

[Old English]

What a mixed up thread this has become. End of the world as we know it and poncaguy is bolstering the economy with 2 rifle purchases. I don't know how to react to the demise of Western influence/affluence and the purchase of a Tikka? I think the Tikka was a good buy and I'm glad the Marlin works.

[Bart Solo]

You came to a rifle site and a serious conversation broke out. Damn those gun nuts. 

[kyelkhunter3006]

What in the world were we thinking?   

[Bart Solo]

Well, I bought my rifle.  I started with the Tikka, I looked hard at Remington, but in the end I bought a Weatherby Vanguard. I wanted to buy American, but I looked at both the Remington 700 ADL and the Remington 700 SPS over very carefully and concluded I really wanted a floor plate which ruled out the ADL and the fit and finish of the SPS just wasn't that good.  I think it is kinda ugly but the tan and black spiderweb Bell and Carlson stock gives every appearance of being very durable.   

Oh,  the Vanguard isn't one of their MOA models but looking at the target that came with the rifle, it sure looks like about .85" between the center of the two farthest bullet holes to me.   What is the definition of MOA anyway? 

I did buy a Leupold.  Now to get the scope mounted and break the rifle in.  I had planned to spend about $800 and ended up spending less.

Thanks to everybody for all your help.  It is much appreciated.

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi

Congratulations, enjoy your rifle (and the breaking in).
Now you know you will have to post pics of your targets and
the first deer!

Cheers
Sweet
 

[Swampman]

What is the definition of MOA anyway?

Knowing what MOA represents allows us to calculate its value to any distance.
Six inches (the radius of the above example) is 1/600th of 100 yards: (100 yards x 36 inches) / 6 inches = 600
Therefore, the value of MOA at 100 yards is 1.047 inches (0.001745 x 600 = 1.047)
At 50 yards 1/2 the 100 yard value; 70% @ 70 yards; twice @ 200 yards; 6 times @ 600 yards; and so on.
So, the difference between thinking in inches as opposed to MOA is 0.47 inch @ 1000 yards

[Bart Solo]

I took my new Vanguard 30-06 to the range today.  It dialed right in. Three shots at 25 yards and 3 at 100 yards. It is now right on at 100.  The last two shots were about 3/4" apart on the bull.  I cleaned it carefully and it is in my safe until next week. Now to start working up some ammunition.

[03A2]

Ron-
I bought the adl from wal-mart last fall in 270 for an elk hunt for $360 and thought I had made a great deal.  I had been hearing that they were going to go on clearance and so kept waiting for them to go down, I grabbed it when it went down to 360 (from ~450) thinking they wouldn't last.  Later I saw this rifle for $300!  My points for you to consider are these 1) in my haste to make a good deal I overlooked the bolt locking "safety device" that I personally do not like 2) the actual trigger on my rifle is a stamped piece of steel that is substantially different from the trigger on another remington I own.  3)The rifle shoots very well for me and I am now stuck with another rifle that on close inspection, after the gun buying fever passed, that I find distasteful but shoots so well that I can't quite get rid of it.  Basically, even though many people swear that Wal-Mart  sells the same rifle as everyone else, Look it over very carefully before making your decision.  Hope this helps you somewhat.

[Bart Solo]

I bought a Weatherby Vanguard that was built before Weatherby started charging extra for subMOA rifles.  It has the Bell and Carlson tan and black stock.  It came with a subMOA target.  I took it to the range last weekend and discovered it shoots as well as the target that came with the rifle.   

I decided to pass on the ADL because I really wanted a floor plate. I didn't like the fit and finish I saw on a Remington SPS.  I might regret not buying the light weight Tikka, but so far I am happy. 

[Swampman]

Ron-
I bought the adl from wal-mart last fall in 270 for an elk hunt for $360 and thought I had made a great deal.  I had been hearing that they were going to go on clearance and so kept waiting for them to go down, I grabbed it when it went down to 360 (from ~450) thinking they wouldn't last.  Later I saw this rifle for $300!  My points for you to consider are these 1) in my haste to make a good deal I overlooked the bolt locking "safety device" that I personally do not like 2) the actual trigger on my rifle is a stamped piece of steel that is substantially different from the trigger on another remington I own.  3)The rifle shoots very well for me and I am now stuck with another rifle that on close inspection, after the gun buying fever passed, that I find distasteful but shoots so well that I can't quite get rid of it.  Basically, even though many people swear that Wal-Mart  sells the same rifle as everyone else, Look it over very carefully before making your decision.  Hope this helps you somewhat.

Walmart guns are exactly the same as the guns sold in gun shops....exactly!

[Bart Solo]

Swampman, I agree. As long as a gun maker's name is on the firearm, I can't see why guns sold at Wal-Mart would differ from guns sold at Gander Mountain.  Once the first sale is made nobody will remember the rifle was sold by Wal-Mart, but everybody will know it is a Remington or whatever.  There is just no upside for Remington or Savage or any other manufacturer to damage its reputation by selling lesser rifles to Wal-Mart.