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Savage or Tikka

4,373 Views | 30 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by reveille23
reveille23
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8:39a, 8/21/17
Narrowed my next rifle choices down to two...Savage 11/116 Weather Warrior & Tikka T3x Lite.

Interested in the forum's first hand experience/opinion on either rifle.

This will be a deer rifle for use from a Texas box blind and the occasional stalk, ranges out to 400+. Caliber is going to be 25-06 (because it is one of the few calibers I don't have and have been eyeing for awhile).

TIA
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ghollow
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9:01a, 8/21/17
AG
Between the two, the Tikka is probably a better built rifle but either would do the job.

A guy a used to hunt with used a Ruger 25-06 with a bull barrel. Probably the most accurate "straight out of the box" rifle I had ever seen. Very flat shooter. Not sure I would reach out to 400 yds on a whitetail with it though. It does not carry enough energy at that range to effectively kill a deer.
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HumbleAg04
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9:05a, 8/21/17
AG
Tikka.
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CharlieBrown17
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9:06a, 8/21/17
AG
Savage if you want to be able to tinker and change things yourself.

Tikka to take it out of the box and shoot.
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trip
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9:15a, 8/21/17
AG
My my tikkas.
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Schall 02
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9:25a, 8/21/17
AG
I have a T3 Lite in stainless. Very happy with it. I'd only get the Lite though if you're looking to hike with it.
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BlueSmoke
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9:29a, 8/21/17
Tikka. But both are great choices.
Nobody cares. Work Harder
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CactusThomas
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9:34a, 8/21/17
AG
Savage
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Unemployed
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9:35a, 8/21/17
AG
My current rifle is Savage 11 7mm-08. Owned Tikka T3 Lite 30-06 prior to that.

Both are great rifles but I would give the edge to Tikka.
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reveille23
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9:36a, 8/21/17
How does the Tikka trigger compare to the AccuTrigger on the Savage. I have a Savage 17HRM with the AccuTrigger and like it a lot. Anyone have experience with both triggers and have a preference?
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CharlieBrown17
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In reply to ghollow • 9:45a, 8/21/17
AG
Point for conversation on the energy of 25-06.

This chart from Hornady of their Superformance line has 25-06 over 1000 ft/lbs at 500 yards and still doing close to 2000 ft/sec which should still have good expansion with the SST those are loaded with. The 25-06, 117 grain is pretty much identical to the 120 grain 6.5 CM per their chart.

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CactusThomas
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9:47a, 8/21/17
AG
From a design standpoint, the savage action is light years ahead of other push feed actions thanks to the simple floating bolt head design. The fact that you can change the barrel (and caliber) in your living room is a important selling point for most.

Tikkas are good rifles that handle well - probably even as well as the savage, depending on configuration. But I can't get over the flimsy plastic bolt shroud they use. It's not "if", but "when" it will break. Fortunately it can be replaced by an aluminum piece easily.
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schmellba99
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In reply to ghollow • 9:52a, 8/21/17
AG
ghollow said:
Between the two, the Tikka is probably a better built rifle but either would do the job.

A guy a used to hunt with used a Ruger 25-06 with a bull barrel. Probably the most accurate "straight out of the box" rifle I had ever seen. Very flat shooter. Not sure I would reach out to 400 yds on a whitetail with it though. It does not carry enough energy at that range to effectively kill a deer.
Ummm....yeah, it does.
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ConstructionAg01
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10:08a, 8/21/17
AG
Savage makes accurate rifles that are easy on the wallet, but I'd go with the Tikka. The quality of the machining on a Tikka is unsurpassed in their class. There is almost no market for replacement triggers for a Tikka because the factory trigger is hard to improve on. There is a Yo-Dave spring that is lighter, but you'll be amazed at how light and crisp the trigger feels out of the box. Their actions are silky smooth.

The T3 line had three common complaints - the plastic stocks were too cheap, the bolt shroud was plastic (as mentioned above), and the recoil lugs were too light and could deform in the magnum caliber rifles. The T3X corrected all three of those issues.
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reveille23
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In reply to ConstructionAg01 • 10:57a, 8/21/17
Good info guys, thanks for all of the input. Both seem to have their own following, a lot of love for both most places I have looked. Sounds to me like I can't go wrong with either one.

I think it will come down to me finding a place that has both in stock so that I can get each in my hands and determine which feels best to me.
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CactusThomas
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In reply to reveille23 • 11:28a, 8/21/17
AG
reveille23 said:
Good info guys, thanks for all of the input. Both seem to have their own following, a lot of love for both most places I have looked. Sounds to me like I can't go wrong with either one.

I think it will come down to me finding a place that has both in stock so that I can get each in my hands and determine which feels best to me.


Spot on. And while I have a strong preference for the savage, both are excellent choices for your stated use. There are really several great basic hunting rifles available these days at a low price point - the two you mentioned plus the ruger m77 and vanguard 2.
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jpistolero02
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12:08p, 8/21/17
I would go with Tikka as well. The bolt will be much smoother and I prefer the trigger on the Tikka. I got a wild hair a few months ago to buy a Tikka T3X CTR that I found a great deal on. I was surprised how accurate the rifle was out of the box. There are a couple of guys that sell replacement trigger springs and the trigger is up there with any trigger I have owned.
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Sailor
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12:29p, 8/21/17
My 2cents - bought a tikka t3 .243 as a donor action for a new competition rifle. Send it off to the builder and they did not need to true the action or lap the bolt lugs as it didn't need it. Now it lives as a 6.5 Creedmore and shoots lights out at virtually any range.

If you do get a Tikka t3, go buy a YoDave trigger spring. Easy to install and lets you get that trigger to 12 oz if you want.
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DeBoss
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8:50a, 8/22/17
AG
After looking at that chart, I want a .270. Looks like it shoots really flat and keeps it velocity to 500 yards. Is a .270 too small for any North American game?
- If you are going to do something stupid, be smart about it.
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CactusThomas
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In reply to DeBoss • 8:58a, 8/22/17
AG
No.
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BlueSmoke
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9:04a, 8/22/17
.270 is arguably one of the best all-around calibers made. Flat. Fast. And ammo is easy to find. I have used it for most of my life. White tail. Muleys. Progrhorn. Even Elk (I may be wrong, but many places require .30 cal to hunt them. You'd want to confirm). All types of exotics. Flattens hogs. My old pre-64 Model 70 gobbles up Winchester Super-X 130gr.

Some people prefer a short-action. So they look at the .308/7mm-08. That's never been an issue for me, so it's a matter of preference.

Nobody cares. Work Harder
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AgEng06
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In reply to DeBoss • 9:06a, 8/22/17
AG
I agree. The only reason I would shy away from .270 is if I specifically wanted short-action. And if I were going short action, it would be 7mm-08 followed by 6.5 Creedmoor.
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CharlieBrown17
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9:29a, 8/22/17
AG
.270 is really an overlooked caliber. Unfortunately not really anything other than hunting bullets available.

You can push a 150 gr to 2800+ or a 100 gr to 3400 fps.

I love mine, it's a Ruger American that's in a boyds stock now topped with a Leupold Vx-3i 3.5-10x40.
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I-Haul
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9:40a, 8/22/17
AG
It is interesting to read about 270 being under appreciated. As someone who owns calibers in both sides of the 270, I feel like that is all I read about on the OB. Other than 6.5 and AR stuff. Maybe it's me trying to justify buying one.
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CactusThomas
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9:59a, 8/22/17
AG
I'm surprised to hear 270 described as under appreciated. I always think of it as one of the most popular American calibers.
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reveille23
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In reply to I-Haul • 10:11a, 8/22/17
stop trying to talk yourself out of one. Every guy needs a .270! It may not be the hottest new caliber, but it is hard to beat for an american hunting rifle.
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GE
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10:31a, 8/22/17
AG
So 30.06 or .308, and why?
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ConstructionAg01
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In reply to GE • 11:17a, 8/22/17
AG
Get a .30-06. Tell your friends you just bought the new 30 Light Magnum from Hornady. Tell them the ballistics of your .30-06 using 178 ELD-X Hornady ammo. They will all want to buy one of these "new" rifles.

You could do the same thing with a .270.

Sorry for the thread derail.
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reveille23
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In reply to GE • 11:19a, 8/22/17
What is your intended use?

Deer sized game, I'd go with .308, it's a short action so can be had in lighter more handy rifles.

30-06 is more versatile, handles larger 200 & 220g bullets better, well suited for larger targets. Or can use 150-180g pills for deer sized game.
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DatTallArchitect
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In reply to GE • 11:57a, 8/22/17
AG
GE said:
So 30.06 or .308, and why?
If you reload, go with 30-06. You can make .308 loads, and essentially have both rifles in one.
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BlueSmoke
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12:02p, 8/22/17
Calibers are all the rage, not rifle designs. And unfortunately, not a ton of monumental change on the bolt-action rifle front considering their lifespan.

Existing designs are refined and refined, but not fundamentally changed (Thompson can make a case) - stocks are lighter, synthetic. Actions are not "that" varied - cylindrical actions, short-throws, etc. Trigger design took a big jump with the Savage Accutrigger, but largely identical to initial designs.

So that leaves calibers - they are constantly rolling out "new" and "improved" designs YOY. The .270 used to be a "wildcat" round. They just necked down a 30-06. And it's still here. Still going strong. It's just not "new", so many people go looking for shinier rocks. Nothing wrong with that, but the .270 didn't get worse. It just didn't change either. Even moreso for the vulnerable 30.06

*see the WSM craze as a recent example
Nobody cares. Work Harder
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reveille23
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In reply to BlueSmoke • 12:16p, 8/22/17
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