First off I want to thank all you folks that gave me input & helped me decide between the .243 & 7mm08.I haven't hunted in 10-12 years & was "out of the loop"so to speak.
Thanks for your patience!!
Only a few more questions then I'm done being a PITA.
Question #1 Tica T3 good,just ok,or junk. This rifle is the one that felt the best in my hands.I also "fondled" the Rem.700,Browning A bolt & X bolt,but the Tica felt right.
Next question,scopes I was shown the Swarovski {out of my price range}Zeiss conquest 3-9 Nikon Monarch 2.5-8 & a Bushnell Elite 3-9. The Bushnell & Nikon came in @ Under $300 the Zeiss @ $500.
All 3 scopes seemed good to me.I have Buhnell on my Marlin for years & never had a problem.Is the Zeiss worth the xtra $200? What is your opinions on the scopes that I was shown?
The Tikka is a great rifle and will likely out shoot most of the people who buy it. It has a little plastic but if you don't mind and it feels good to you get the Tikka. As for the scope the 7mm-08 and the 243 have little recoil and you won't need a super expesive scope to handle either of them. I would go for the Nikon then the Bushnell.
Good choice on the Tikka. Are you SURE you'll be more satisfied with the .243 over the 7mm08? Just be sure to get a decent scope. They can be had for 150$ on the bottom end, but naturally the better lines should feature better optics and tracking/adjustments. Nikon, Bushnell elite, Leupold vx2, Burris fullfield 2 are all decent scopes that'll serve you well.
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Sometimes you earthlings REALLY amaze me!
The Tikka is an excellent rifle and should prove to be very accurate. IMO the 7-08 would be a better choice than the .243. As far as the scope, I really like my Nikon Monarch and feel thatoptically, it isthe equal or very close to the VX-3. I had a Bushnell Elite 3200 and it is an excellent scope for the money but mine was very picky when it came to eye relief and eye position.
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"Never stand and take a charge...charge them too."
Well after doing a little more research I found that the Tikka is a fairly light gun,6.44 lbs,so because I'm looking for a mild recoil & I will not be hunting anything larger than deer I think I'm going to stick with the .243. Also the availibility of ammo with the .243 is greater.
Well after doing a little more research I found that the Tikka is a fairly light gun,6.44 lbs,so because I'm looking for a mild recoil & I will not be hunting anything larger than deer I think I'm going to stick with the .243. Also the availibility of ammo with the .243 is greater.
Great chioce. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the Tika.I convinced 2 of my buddys who are brothers to buy 7-08s. They have killed 5 deer this year between the 2 of them. didnt notice anything different in killing or damage between the 7 and the .243. One of them killed a doe with his .243 and dropped it on the spot with a body shot. He himself said the .243 is still a bad mutha in his opinion, and still doesnt have a preference between his 7-08 or .243. What I like is ammo availability in the .243 and I just like smaller calibers, I am just more confident with them. They are point and click, go retrieve your game type weapons, well for me they are.
I owned a Tikka T3 243 for about 5 years and shot the barrel out of it, roughly 4500 rounds thru it. I purchased a brand new Tikka T3 Lite 243 last week, I will be scoping it today and sighting it in. They are excellent firearms and are very accurate, with a great user-friendly ajustable trigger.
As for optics, the Nikon Buckmasters is a great optic for a pretty good price. If not the Buckmaster I would step into a Leupold VX-II. I have no experience with the Bushnell higher end optics, but will strongly reccomend staying away from their "Trophy" series. Zeiss are great scopes as well, I have one, but I'm not sure its worth the extra costs over the Leupold VX-IIs, and I'm not sure its any better than any of my Leupold VX-IIIs.
TICA T3 in .243cal
