What are the differences between these two tikkas, along with price. And are they really better than a browning a bolt. I am looking for a smooth long lasting bolt to last me 30 years or more of constant use. I will use it for deer hunting and target shooting to hone my skills.
i never owned a tikka. but i do own a browning A-bolt medallion chambered in the 30-06sprg. without the BOSS. i find the action to be nice and smooth as snot and i get constant groups with it using federal ammo. 1.080" at 100yds.
i was gonna buy a tikka as my next rifle but i am contempt with what the browning has done for me.
The Tika White-tail hunter is a very nice rifle for the price,I looked @ one before I bought my 25-06 in a Ruger #1.I have freinds that have them and they all praise them.
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"When the moment of truth comes,and it's time to dance.You better get jiggy with it or find a new partner."
In my opinion the T3 was Tikka' s attempt to keep manufacturing costs down and still offer an affordable rifle. The Whitetail has the advantage of a short and long action whereas the T3 is all one long action. The Brownings are fine rifles, but for my own use I prefer the Tikka Whitetail Hunters.
I' ve not seen the T-3. But, I' ve had several Browning A-bolts and fondled a few Whitetail Hunters. The smoothness of the WH action is unbelievable!!! I loved my Brownings, but my next rifle is going to be a Tikka.
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Danny
Life Member, North American Hunting Club
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Life Member, Buckmasters
Oklahoma Hunter Education Instructor
the tika actions are that smooth? i have seen some but never actually cycled the bolt.
do they have that weird reciever still? so it is hard to put a round in the reciver instead of the mag? i know the one i saw the opening was tight.
Yes, the opening did seem a little small. I never tried to load a cartridge (management at the sporting goods store where I worked frowned on that ).
And YES!!! They are that smooth! If I had to rate it, I' d say it was 3 times smoother than any of my A-Bolts were.
And don' t forget, the WH has a 1" guarentee from the factory.
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Danny
Life Member, North American Hunting Club
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Life Member, Buckmasters
Oklahoma Hunter Education Instructor
I used to have an A-Bolt. Great gun but didn' t shoot better than 1 1/2" to 2" at 100 yards, even with handloads and glass-bedding. Action was ok but not great. Trigger was supurb and over-all I was satisfied with the rifle.
I sold it and bought a WH Tikka. Best thing I' ve ever done. The WH comes in either short or long action. The T3 is long action only but they have spacers in the magazine to accomodate short actions so they have essentially the same T3 coming off the line but just change barrel and mag to have either long or short action.
The bolt is the smoothest running I' ve ever felt in any rifle ever! To demonstrate I can take the (unloaded of course) rifle and rotate the bolt to an unlatched position. Tip the barrel up about 2 inches and the bolt slides back to the stop! No binding, no grinding, just silky smooth. You really should try it next chance you get. Plus the trigger is adjustable between 2-4 lbs. (as was my A-bolt) and is just as good as the A-bolt. And a guarentee of 1" or better at 100 yards. All for the price of between $500-$600 (maybe less depending on model and features).
I really don' t see how any other rifle even compares. Oh, one more thing, the external removable magazine. The Browning was close but you had to attach the mag to the hinged floor plate which is not nearly as quick or easy as slapping in a mag.
I can' t see buying any other rifle for quite some time other than Tikka' s as long as they keep the WH model. Although I do like the Kimber' s too and the Howa I think would be a good choice as well.
I recently bought a Tikka WH in stainless/synthetic in 308 win. Previously I had the same caliber in the Remington bdl walnut blued action. The two rifles do not compare!! The tikka outshoots the remington hands down, plus the action is smoother than greased goose poop on a hand rail (that' s pretty smooth!!). I also got the tikka optilock scope bases and rings with the rifle......talk about a slick design!! Very solid and positive hook up, plus the rings use a polymer insert to cushion the scope inside the rings. Overall, I rate the tikka very high, accuracy is excellent, and I love that palm swell!!!!!
Tikka T3 vs. tikka thitail hunter vs. a-bolt
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