Best wood stock rifle

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ARANGEL

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I am looking to buy a new rifle but only with a wood stock. I have narrowed it down too the Remington 700 CDL,Tikka T3 hunter,Bergara B-14 Timber and the Winchester model 70 featherweight. Which would be the best for hunting deer and caliber for shots under 400 yards??
 
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I have a Bergara rifle and several older Tikkas. Both make good rifles for the money. Tikka has updated their line and the T3 is being replaced by the T3x. It has some slight upgrades that have addressed some issues the T3 has experienced. On the Bergara rifles, I've handled the Timber and it didn't fit me very well. The stock seemed too large for my tastes. They've come out with a new model, the Woodsman, that solved the problem for me. Price is the same. You may want to investigate.

Caliber choices are numerous most of which suit your needs. I'm partial to 270 in long action or most anything in short action. I'd see what's readily available in your area and choose accordingly.
 
I would vote Tikka 1st, followed by the Mod. 70 then whatever else.

Primary concern is how a rifle fits and feels to YOU. If, on the other hand, your question is about durability and accuracy, I'd probably stick with the same order.
 
I applaud your desire for wood stocks. I am often scoffed at for my love of walnut. My firm belief is that there is no beauty in synthetic and besides, I am a traditionalist. If I want a martini I want it with gin. If I want a gun, I want walnut.
 
I am looking to buy a new rifle but only with a wood stock. I have narrowed it down too the Remington 700 CDL,Tikka T3 hunter,Bergara B-14 Timber and the Winchester model 70 featherweight. Which would be the best for hunting deer and caliber for shots under 400 yards??
If they're all equal otherwise to YOU, I vote model 70 in any chambering above .22-250 that you can repetitively fire accurately.
 
I am looking to buy a new rifle but only with a wood stock. I have narrowed it down too the Remington 700 CDL,Tikka T3 hunter,Bergara B-14 Timber and the Winchester model 70 featherweight. Which would be the best for hunting deer and caliber for shots under 400 yards??

I would definitely endorse the M70 featherweight. As to caliber, most things work for deer but in a light rifle I would shy towards things that shoot softer. So .243, 7mm-08, .308 (light bullets), .25-06 or .270 (again light bullets). All of those can reach 400y with no problem. The 7mm-08 or .25-06 shooting Federal Fusions would be very high on my list.
 
Bergara B-14 gets my vote. I have a Timber in .30-06 and find it accurate and comfortable to shoot. The action is also very very slick and all in all its everything the Rem 700 should be...it is in fact a very close copy with some updated features like simpler trigger (tho screw holes are available if youd like to add more adjustments, and are willing to do it yourself), and a bolt release on the side.
The only issue with the Timber a number of folks may have is the stock is significantly thicker thru the wrist than most other stocks. I have large hands and prefer more contact than most rifle stocks have so the timber stock fits me well, not so most of the folks ive handed it to.
They also SEEM to weigh more than other sporters, but scoped mine weighs in at 8.2lbs which is lighter than most of the other wood stocked guns i own.

My other favorite rifle is my browning Abolt2, i find it classy, smooth, accurate, and reliable.
I was looking at the Xbolt when i bought my b-14, and while i wont give up the b-14, i may buy an xbolt in another caliber at a later date.
 
Model 70 actions have been the base for wood stocked match rifles that shot test groups smaller that modern big stiff ones used in benchrest have yet to equal.
What size were those test groups, what caliber, who shot them, and when?
 
What size were those test groups, what caliber, who shot them, and when?
At 600 yards:
* Phase one was several 10-shot groups all under 1.5 inches, smallest about .7 inch.
* Phase two was one 40-shot group at 1.925".

Pre '64 Win 70 action trued up bolt and receiver faces bedded in a P.J. Wright walnut stock, Hart 1:11 twist 26" barrel with WCC58 match cases full length sized with 42 grains of IMR4064 under Lapua D46 185-gr. match bullets; rifle clamped in free recoiling machine rest.

Mid Tompkins, early 1971. A fall issue of the American Rifleman magazine that year pictured one 10-shot group about .8 inch in a Lapua Bullet advertisement.
 
I have 2 Winchester featherweight model 70's, one pre 64 in 30-06 and one brand new one in 243 Win. Both are great rifles and I would definitely recommend them in any practical calibers.
 
I've owned two of the models you listed, well kind of. I currently own a Remington Model 7 CDL (just a smaller version of the 700 CDL) and I have owned the Bergara B-14 Timber in the past. The Bergara was way too heavy and bulky for me to be considered a woods hunting rifle. It had a palm swell in the grip that did not fit my medium size hands very well either. I never shot it and ended up selling it because it was too heavy and didn't really fit me. The stock was just a plain jane brown color.

The Model 7 CDL I bought last fall right before deer season and I love that little gun. The action is slightly smaller than the 700 and the barrel is shorter also. It makes for a very handy feeling and shooting rifle, which is what I wanted in a woods rifle. One side of the stock has gorgeous grain figure and the other side is just so-so. The trigger was heavier than I liked, but I liked the rifle so much that I spend the extra money and put a Timney trigger in it. Took a nice little management buck with it last fall too.

I've never owned a Winchester Model 70, but I like the Super Grades. I never cared for the looks of the Featherweight models because of the Schnabel forend.

I would also through out the CZ rifles as well, particularly the 527 models. You can get 6.5 Grendel which would be a great rifle out to about 300 yards.
 
I just happened to be in my local Bass Pro earlier today and they had a pair of Tikka T3x Hunters in .308 on the rack. One of them had stunningly nice wood. A fine rifle in a fine chambering - I don't "do" impulse buys, but I nearly made an exception.
 
If you found a Tikka with a decent stick of wood on it then it is a rare rifle. I like Tikka's just fine, but I've never seen a wood stock on one that impressed me.

Of those mentioned I like the Winchester action design the best. Finding a decent piece of wood is really random. You can find good or bad wood on all of them. But I've seen more good looking wood on Kimbers than from any other manufacturer. I like Kimber as well, but consider them a specialty rifle for the guy looking for the lightest gun they can buy, not an all around rifle. But if finding a pretty piece of wood is a top priority then I'd look at one.
 
But I've seen more good looking wood on Kimbers than from any other manufacturer.

I agree 100% with that statement. The SuperAmerica with AAA grade walnut is only available in .308 Win now, but the Classic Select Grade with A grade French Walnut is available in chamberings ranging from .223 Rem to .338 Win Mag. In addition, much of the checkering on Kimber stocks is still done by hand rather than being machined, laser cut or pressed.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/superamerica

http://www.kimberamerica.com/classic-select-grade
 
Have the 70. Friend has the Tikka. Both shoot fantastic. I know you narrowed it to 4. But don't discount a CZ. Beautiful wood, smooth actions, awesome triggers, really good accuracy.
 
And don't forget the Browning X-Bolt in walnut. Short lift, easy scope mount low to the bore, and they make some real pretty wood now and then. Just gotta look :)
 
Arangel;

I've got a fair number of rifles, but the one I now use the most is a Tikka in 6.5 Swede. I live in what I call Outer Montana also & hunt elk with it every year. The load I worked up still carries almost 1200 ft lbs of energy at 500 yards. That's with a 140 grain bullet exiting the muzzle at 2750 fps. It's very accurate, particularly so for a hunting rifle, mild recoil, and a wood stock also. It's topped with a Zeiss 3.5-10X 44mm Conquest with a mil-dot reticle in Talley rings. Since the weather can turn to XXXX here, the back-up gun is a Tikka synthetic in .30-06. Not quite as accurate as the Swede though, but then that one is exceptional.

900F
 
I happened onto a Tikka 695, in 7mm Mag, pretty much by accident. It's accurate, hard hitting and the action is so quick and smooth it's almost silly. I bought it used because the stock was remarkably figured.
 
OP, all of them and none of them. As to caliber, anything from .243 to .308. There are numerous cartridges in that range that will work great.
 
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