What rifle am I trying to buy?

[Muttly]

A T3x stainless in 7 Mag followed me home on Friday, was thinking about putting that same scope with a B&C reticle on it. Got the limbsaver in the cart at Mtn Tactical.. As far as a removable brake, shouldn't be too tough to thread the barrel for a micro bastard or some such.

That being said, I,'ve still got a wild hair to get a Ridgeline in 7 Mag, get a slight rechamber to 7-300. Realistically though, just going 300 Win would likely be a more practical and effective approach.

 

[JigStick]

for $2200 you could build a custom rifle. That's what I would do. McMillan ultralite stock. Stiller predator action. Custom barrel. Jewell or Timney trigger.

 

[FURMAN]

Under your budget I would look at the Fierce Fury or Christensen Ridgeline. I would suggest stretching the budget a little and getting a Fierce Edge.

 

[robtattoo]

I DETEST being in the Tikka camp (owning several custom guns and all) but dammit all they're just really, really good quality rifles. I've got a .30-06 wearing a Vx2 2-7x32 & the thing just shoots everything I feed it. If I were ever in the market for another hunting rifle in .300wm, another T3x would be the tippy top of my list, budget considerations be damned.

 

[Huntindog45]

The rifle is going to come down to what feels best for you. So many opinions on that one. Frankly i don’t think you could go wrong with the weatherby. There are so many good options now for calibers. I personally love the 300 WSM and 300 weatherby magnum. I love the WSM because recoil is very manageable and there is no need for a muzzle brake. Then again I don’t generally think there is ever much need for a brake so I am not a good judge of that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ReddingArcher]

I've also got to put in a suggestion for the tikka. They flat out shoot and you'll save yourself about $1400. I've got one in 7-08 and a superlite in 300 WM. I was expecting the 300 to wallop pretty good but it's quite manageable with the limbsaver. I shot 10 or so rounds as fast as I could through it and it was 1.5 inches or just a little less. Whatever you get post up pictures for us to see!

 

[GKPrice]

agreed.
my tikka t3 superlite in 30-06 with a simple vx3 3.5-10 with CDS hits what I aim at out to 450 and carries over 1500 ft-lb of energy to boot, I know you wanted a removeable brake, but shouldn't need one with an 06 especially if you put a limbsaver on the tikka.
it seems funny to think about, but hand loading a 30-06 and you should be able to get some real capable loads. i know stid2667 on here has a load shooting 180 grain accubonds out of his 06 at over 2900 fps.
I know the tikka isn't flashy, or fancy..but you could upgrade the stock and it would probably feel a whole lot nicer.
now...if i wanted to shoot past 450 yards...i'd be looking at a magnum.
good luck, buying new guns is always fun

I have found my '06's to be plenty capable to 600 yds

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[flyfishaz]

Fierce Edge .300 Win Mag.

 

[GKPrice]

A .280 AI would be another option and I'd almost recommend it over the 28 Nosler if you reload.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[okie john]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest a 308. The 150-grain Barnes TTSX has killed enough elk that that there's no disputing how well it works, and you can handload it fast and flatten out the trajectory enough to get you well past any reasonable range.

As for the rifle, I bought a used Tikka T3 a few months ago. With 155-grain Hornady American Gunner ammo at 200 yards, it shoots like this:



and this



This load is cheap and widely available, so my search for a load could have ended right here, but I don't feel comfortable using a target bullet on game and it only does about 2,550 out of my rifle. So I tested a bunch of cheap factory loads in this rifle and found several that chronograph over 2,850 fps and shoot into right around 1 MOA with no mods to the gun. It doesn't have a fluted barrel or a brake, but you don't think you need them on a 308. You could add a Limbsaver pad, but a 308 doesn't need one. Gunsinternational has used ones for around $500, which leaves you $1,700 to invest in a hunt. If I was going to put money into this rifle (which I'm not) then I'd invest in a McMillan stock.

I should also add that I’m a hand loader so there is that but I also want to be able to afford shooting the thing.

My handloading is limited at the moment due to my living situation but I had very good results with Varget and 150-grain bullets. Some folks recommend CCI primers, but I got smaller groups with Federal primers. To find a cheap practice load, I tested a bunch of milspec 7.62 NATO ammo. Several loads shot into 1.5 MOA, and I had no problem ringing an 8" steel gong out to just over 400 yards with one of them while shooting from prone using a pack as a rest. An elk's vital zone is the size of a toilet seat, so 1.5 MOA is plenty for most practice needs.

Good luck with your choice and keep us posted.


Okie John