rochelle

What are the pros and cons of each rifle?

jtb1967

I can't really help you with the Howas, but I do like the Tikka rifles. Everyone I've fired has been very accurate. The biggest thing I don't like is lack of short actions inthe newer T3 rifles. The older Tikkas offered a short action, but Tikka went to one long action. I assume like everyone else they were looking to save a buck.

ohiohillbilly

Just got a new Tikka T3 Lite Stainless .308and heres what i think of it so far.(haven't gotten a chance to shoot it yet)
Pros:
1:The integralmounting rail and free scope rings will save you some money/trouble on bases and rings. Some people say they don't like the rings but they seem nice enough to me.
2: The bolt is very smooth; operating it takes almost no effort at all.
3: As I said I haven't shot it yet but they have a 1moa guarantee and in all the research I’ve done I haven't found anybody that complained of accuracy issues.
4. You can set the trigger pull to between 2-4 pounds yourself without having to take it to a gunsmith. I think it comes out of the factory at 3lbs.

Cons: 1: The main issue I have with the rifle right now is that the price for spare magazines is insane. A 3 round .308 mag costs an average ofalmost $70 and the lowest I’ve found them is $54 but they get bought up almost as fast as they're stocked.
2: The magazine and trigger guard are made of some kind ofplastic polymer or whatever. They seem sturdy enough to me but that’s what a lot of people complained about when Iwas researching.
3: This could be a con or a pro depending on how you look at it. It's very light so it'll be easy to haul around but you're gonna feel the recoil in the bigger calibers.

Hoping to get out and shoot it sometime before next weekendso I can give a range report.

Don't know anything about Howa except that they make Weatherby's Vanguard models.

oldelkhunter

Tikka:

Pros:
[ol][*]Light weight[*]Accuracy warranty and are very accurate out of the box[*]Great factory trigger[*]Less bolt lift then the Howa[/ol]
Cons:
[ol][*]One size fits all action[*]Lots of plastic[*]RIfle has to be loaded from the Magazine..sure you can drop a round in the receiver and chamber it, but you cannot load it from the top and if you do it won't be easy.[*]Very Small ejection port..this is done to make the action stiffer.[*]YOu have to deal with Beretta and pay exorbitant prices on parts[/ol]

[ol][*]Pros:[*]Drop Forged steel action with 2 action sizes[*]Better floorplate system[*]Extractor is a wash with Tikkas[*]Can be customized whereas the Tikka is what you get is what you can ultimately end up with[*]Multiple piece bolt[/ol]

Howa Pros:
[ol][*]Drop forged steel action with generous ejection/loading port[*]1 piece drop forged bolt[*]Great floorplate system 1piece combo of aluminum and steel[*]Gun can be loaded from the magazine opening[*]Bolt is field strippable[*]Gun can be modified and rebarrelled easily..replacement stocks exist for it both fiberglass and wood/laminate.[*]Cost's less then a Tikka[*]Build quality equal to most bolt rifles made and exceeds US models[*]Any mount that fits a Remington 700will fit a Howa[/ol]
Howa Cons:
[ol][*]Heavier then a Tikka[*]Trigger is not as good but can be modified and or replaced with a Timney[/ol]
Weatherby Vangaurd Pros:
[ol][*]Stainless action is 410 steel which is an upgrade over 416 used in most guns[*]Barrels are 24" in standard calibers[*]They have an accuracy guarantee that is 1 1/2" at 100 yards but I haven't had one that couldn't do much much better then that..if you want a factory nail driver buy a SUB MOA.[/ol]
Other then that the same pro's and cons as a Howa. Good luck in your decision