Tikka CTR vs Superlite (Practice/Volume Gun & Hunting Rifle)

OP
treillw

treillw

WKR
Joined
Mar 31, 2017
Messages
1,933
Location
MT
Anyone have experience with the Superlight in 7mm08? I'd like it to have a little more juice for elk, but the recoil be tolerable for my wife. (She shoots my 300 win Cooper Model 92 with 215 Bergers, so she can take a fair amount of recoil. I'm sure she wouldn't like it if I unscrewed the brake though and I probably wouldn't either.)
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
991
Location
SW Idaho
I’ve got 3 Tikkas, 2 Lites and 1 SuperLite. I shoot the crap out of them a few times a month. Even with a hot barrel I get consistent hits at 600y with the SuperLite (223) and my 6.5 Lite. Beyond that I take more time (I’m still practicing).

If it’s truly serving dual purpose I’d go Lite or SL. I think shooting a light profile barrel a bunch is less bothersome than humping a heavy rifle up and down the mountains. If it’s just for targets/practice I’d do a CTR in a heartbeat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Messages
1,544
Location
W. Wa
Are there any other rifles out there that shoot as good as the Superlight? If it weren't for the fact that they are known to be accurate, I wouldn't be too terribly interested in them.

I think the reason the superlite gets the love it does is a combination of accuracy, weight and price. It ticks all those boxes.

Bergara has been getting great reviews, but their stuff is too heavy for a mountain gun imo.

Browning xbolts are awesome as well - the ones I’ve had have been accurate, and the weight isn’t bad, but the price is somewhat higher.

Some people swear by Weatherby Vanguards. I’ve owned a few and didn’t understand. Another one that is supposedly accurate, but loses on weight. Same goes for Howa.

Don’t know enough about the sauer and new Mauser.

The Savages I’ve had have also been incredibly accurate, weight isn’t killer depending on model, but the resale value is non-existent.

I’m staying within the superlite price. If you want to go more expensive there are certainly rifles that are as accurate(if not more) that cost more.
 
Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
1,774
Tikka superlite in 7mm/08 is the standard in New Zealand for good reason. It just flat knocks things down near and far. Both my close hunting mates use them. Ones a straight t3

The 1-9.5 twist rules out the really heavy 180gr eld-m and it’s monster ballistics coefficient... but

162gr hornady amax (now eld-m) will do everything you can expect to encounter in North America.

I find 7mm-08 ammunition selection a bit lacking compared to more common cartridges like 308 or creedmoor, even at sportsmanswarehouse or cabelas but buying online 150gr hornady precision eld-x does match up pretty well with 6.5 creedmoor ballistics within the realm of hunting bullets. And recoil impulse is pretty similar between a 143gr eld-x and the 150 7mm-08

I go back and forth between 7mm-08 and creedmoor..

at 1$ a pop 147gr factory ammo is just hard to look past in the creedmoor. Factor in cheap 70cent 140gr hornady gunner and a guy can do a lot of shooting for cheap without ever pulling a reloading lever. Pretty ez to sell once fired brass.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Messages
1,544
Location
W. Wa
The 1-9.5 twist rules out the really heavy 180gr eld-m and it’s monster ballistics coefficient... but

I really wish Tikka would start twisting their barrels correctly.

They got the creed right, why not go ahead and update the rest of your line you know?
 
Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
1,774
243, 7mm-08, 22-250, 308, 30-06, 7mm mag, 300 mag.

For starters.

Basically they only hit 223 and 6.5 creedmoor correctly.

Abysmal magazine COAL makes no sense either. The damn thing is built on a long action.
 
OP
treillw

treillw

WKR
Joined
Mar 31, 2017
Messages
1,933
Location
MT
243, 7mm-08, 22-250, 308, 30-06, 7mm mag, 300 mag.

For starters.

Basically they only hit 223 and 6.5 creedmoor correctly.

Abysmal magazine COAL makes no sense either. The damn thing is built on a long action.

Is the creedmoor the only hunting caliber that you can seat the bullets to the lands and mag feed with?
 

mt100gr.

WKR
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
2,908
Location
NW MT
Not sure if it's helpful, but I did take delivery of my CTR today.

20" stainless, factory rail removed. Bare rifle weight is 120.4 oz on my scale. 7.52lbs. That includes the magazine.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Messages
1,544
Location
W. Wa
Is the creedmoor the only hunting caliber that you can seat the bullets to the lands and mag feed with?
You may be able to do it with the other short action chamberings, but youre not going to be able to with the long/magnums.
 

EmanP223

WKR
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
714
So I have a 6.5 CTR and a lite in 30-06. Have 3 friends with 6.5 CTR's and another 3 with super lites. The CTR's can be shot in matches with no problems. The Lites can't go more than 3 to 5 rounds max without needing to wait at least 10 minutes to get the barrels cool enough to shoot again. It's not really the overall volume that makes it a bad idea to shoot a bunch through thinner barrels, but how hot the barrels get and continuing to shoot them. That'll burn out a barrel in half the time. And I've carried my 24" CTR in a Bravo stock with NF ATACR (13lb total) without issue all day for several days. I mean you're not actually 'carrying' it for 8 hours at a time.
 

Tahoe1305

WKR
Joined
Jun 9, 2019
Messages
1,987
Location
CO
You can load a new t3x superlite to COAL and most of the time it will fit in the mag. Mine measured with Hornady COL gauge is 2.940” using 143 ELDX. My mag is 2.97”. I load using a comparator to 2.935 coal and using superformance and the longer length am getting way better velocity than I ever expected out of a 6.5. Nearly 350fps over factory loads using superformance. Hand loads and tikka in 6.5 are definitely the way to go. Otherwise the chamber is too big and the pressures stay low, slightly under delivering on velocity. Hope that helps.
 
Top