dean790

I found a Tikka at Sportsman Warehouse for about $550.It is synthetic / blue and seems to be verylight in weight.They have it in both 270 and 30-06.

Is there that much difference between these two calibers? Does the 270 have a little less recoil? What is the advantage of one over the other?

HEAD0001

I would go with the 30-06. The cartridge's are very similar. IMO the 30-06 has a slight edge. There are more bullet's available for 30 caliber if you reload. There is more factory rounds chambered for the 30-06. And if you would like to shoot the rifle more, the 30-06 ammo would be slightly cheaper, which would save you some money. If you decide to sell the rifle later on, the 30-06 would hold a slightly better resale value.

As far as recoil is concerned, the real difference is in rifle design and bullet size. If you shoot bullet's of the same size then the recoil will basically be the same. If you shoot the heavier bullets in the 30-06 then the recoil will be higher, but not much higher. Anyone who says they can tell the difference in recoil for hunting loads in these two caliber's is just fooling themselves.

Buy the 30-06 with a 150 grain factory load, and go deer hunting. You will not be sorry.

There will probably be some guy's who pull out a bunch of charts and graphs. I do not care too much about charts and graphs. The 30 caliber will give you a slight edge in killing power over the .277. Notice I said slight. I have seen a lot of deer killed with these two cartridges. And as I said, I would give the slight edge to the 30-06. Tom.

Retaks

I agree with what Head has said about teh cartridges. $550 for a new Tikka is a little more then i would pay. I see them on a regular basis around here for $500.

salukipv1

recoil should be the same, couple differing philosophies on recoil, either way I'd say the kick of either from 130gr-220gr bullets won't be felt much differently, some would say a .270 would kick more due to a larger reduction in case size to caliber. This I wouldn't worry about.

If you only have 1 rifle, I'd say .30-06, but if you don't then I'd say the .270 is better for antelope/deer and long ranges, flatter shooting, I"m sure someone will disagree and say otherwise, but if you compare common bullets, in a .270 you tend to shoot 130 140 or 150, 30.06 many think only shoot 150 for deer etc...at long range and 180 for anythign else big. So if you compare a .270 130gr to a .30-06 150gr, the .270 is flatter. if youre going for elk, bear etc...and want a bigger bullet, id rather have the 180gr .30-06 over the .270 150gr, though both calibers have probably killed everything in NA fairly well. I have a .270 for deer/antelope, dad did use it to kill a large black bear with 150gr premium bullets and it did the job in spades. That being said, if its going to be your deer/antelope gun get a .270, super accurate too, if you want to hunt it all get a .30-06, for the big stuff, I prefer a .300 mag over a .30-06. If you're a handloader I read that you can load a .30-06 with 200gr bullets, and almost match a .300 win mag, and would certainly be a deadly combo. So tell us what you're planning to hunt would be more helpful, and what you paln to hunt int he future with it, and if you have only 1 rifle or others, and if so what other calibers.

I think most agree that the .30-06 is the most versatile rifle we have. Though like anything it can't do it all great. You need other rifles if you want to do it all great. for deer id rather have a .270 with 130gr, for elk id rather have a 300 mag or .338mag with 180 or 225gr. but you can hunt it all with a .30-06 and have it do everything you ask of it well.

dean790

Yes, this will be my one and only high power rifle. I'll probably hunt hog, deer and what ever else is in season. I doubt very seriously I'll ever go elk or moose hunting...but who knows. It would be nice to havea gun that would allow for most any type of hunting. Most of my shooting with be at paper targets. I am looking for extreme accuracy at 150 - 200 yards. From all of the research I've gathered, they are both good choices for all around calibers. Although, like Head said, the 30-06 would be the best choice for several reasons. Many of the old timers where I work have told me the same. I am shy of recoil, and I've even considered the 243.

Yesterday I saw some unusual bullets in 30-06. They were 55 grain with hard plastic making up the outer diameter of the bullet. Are these varment loads?

Also, why is the Sako more than double the price of the Tikka? I thought they were nearly idendical rifles.

Retaks

The 30-06 rounds you saw were 30-06 Accelerator rounds. They are for varmint hunting. I tryed them and couldnt get any accuracy with them. As for the Sako being more then the Tikka. The Sako is alot better gun then the Tikka. If you are so recoil shy then i would recomend going with a 243 or 25-06 instead of a 30-06 or 270.

starhunter21

I looked at the T3 lite yesterday at cabelas, its normal retail is $499 for blue, $559 SS. IMHO the T3 is the best value on the market under $1000, but the stock is a bit plastic'y. If it fits you when you shoulder it, you will not be disappointed. If you are a bit recoil shy, I would also consider a 7mm08. Not quite a '06, but under 300 yds it will get the job done if you do your part.

dean790

star, i believe the one I looked at was a T3 lite too. It was syn. stock in 270. It felt really good when I shouldered it, but also felt extremely light. Do you think the Tikka compares with a Savage...or is there any comparison? I'm looking real close at the 114 Classic in 270. They are close to the same price.

Retaks

When i got my Tikka i was comparing it with a Ruger M77 Hawkeye.The Tikka was definately lighter then the Ruger. The reason i bought the Tikka was because it has a great trigger and fits me very well. The Ruger felt good but the Tikka just felt better. I have a 300 WSM and it fits so well its like shooting a 243.

salukipv1

I thought I heard/read somewhere that some guys hate .30-06, bad accuracy? though I don't know. I have a.270, and the .270 is known to be world class in the accuracy dept. but at 200yds any rifle should shoot well at that distance.

Sounds like the .30-06 is the winner for you Dean. If it's 1 rifle, I'd probably go .30-06, shoot 150gr for deer, 180 for anything else/bigger. Probably wouldn't ever shoot anything under 150, though 125 gr they do make, id stay away from 55gr varmint loads. I'm not sure they even still make those, my local place doesn't carry them, never seen them anywhere around here.