Ok, got the o.k. to sell my A-bolt and buy a Tikka T-3 Stainless 7mm Rem. Mag. preferrably with the laminated stock (synthetic ok as 2nd choice). Just need to find a place that has them for sale. No where local has one. I emailed a shop in Oregon and they came back with ~$650 shipped/tax.

Anyone know a better deal? Needs to ship to Washington w/ 8% sales tax.

Also, how do they feel? Since I can' t find one to " hold" I' m wondering how they feel? Does the magazine feel solid being made of polymer?

try the beretta gallery in dallas texas, thats where i ordered my whitetail hunter from. It was the only place in 5 states that had the exact gun I was looking for.

I think most dealers anyway will only ship to a licensed federal firearms dealer. I could be wrong.

Here is Tikka' s site dealers list for Washington by city.
http://www.tikka.fi/dealers.php?state=WA

I checked with a dealer in this state, who told me they' ll be getting 2003 models smaller calibers first in April and the magnum calibers in May after the big firearms manufacturers' show in Las Vegas in February.

MinnFinn

Thanks guys. I checked with my local dealer and they are getting some. My contact there called Tikka about it and they too are getting the smaller calibers (.223, .243, .270) in middle April with the magnums coming later. He said after that they should be readily available for purchase and sounds like they will not go too quick (except for the likes of us smart people ).

Price he quoted me was ~$499 for the T3 stainless, synthetic and ~$599 for the laminate, stainless, both in 7mm Rem. Mag. Anyone else have better prices? This place is usually a pretty good deal although he did slip me the dealer catalog, with the wholesale prices blacked out with magic marker. Under the right light, however, I managed to read the prices. Email me if you are curious about the wholesale price the dealers are paying (probably not prudent to post here).

Well, here I am in Spokane for training and had some time to go to all the gun stores near by. Managed to find one Tikka, the one I want. Got pricing at 2 different stores and both were around $630.

Anyone know if that' s a good price? It' s a 7mm Rem. Stainless, Laminate stock. Very pretty, quite light, and silky-smooth action. I' m a little dissappointed with the recoil pad, it' s pretty flimsy and doesn' t seem like it' ll offer much protection but overall I still like the rifle.

Probably wait to buy in Wenatchee at my local store. That way if she won' t shoot I can take her back and trade it in for another.

MinnFinn, it' s the law that they can only ship a firearm to an FFL. Anyone that ships to a non FFL is risking time in the pin!

Power, you should be able to find a small time dealer that will order it for you at 10% over cost.

Not sure what dealer cost is but I think $630 is higher than cost+10%. Will post when I buy from my local shop. They usually treat me pretty good. If their cost is still that high should I ask for a couple boxes of shells or something?

630 for a laminated stock on a whitetail hunter is not a bad price. Sure you can find better but if thats the gun you want, then get it!!! I dont have a lot of patience---when i want something if you couldnt tell[8D]

One more thing...the recoild pad is an eyesore and does nothing...I want to put a decelerator on mine but havent got around too it...I think it owuld make it look better and help with recoil which is minimal anyways

I don' t have the T3 pricing handy, but the stainless laminated Whitetail hunter runs about $540.00 wholesale. Since the T3 actually has a few cost saving features, I' d assume it would be about the same or slightly cheaper.

you might want to check out gunbroker.com I' ve bought 3 guns this way, and have always been satisfied. I found a firearms dealer who does this alot, and he only charges me $15 for the paperwork. I' ve saved some good money this way.