Tikka or X-bolt

Dibbs said:

IMO, you're barking up the wrong tree. Your real focus should be the optic. THAT's the "brains of the operation", THAT's what's going to be
having the most influence upon your accuracy. I never cease to be amazed, folks pull their hair out, over which rifle, and willingly spend three times what they need to, in order to get "the right one". BUT, then it's time to get a reliable scope, which will hold zero, dependably, and has clear, well ground glass, and all of a sudden they get all stingy, and treat the scope like it's an afterthought.


SMH...

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I don't entirely agree. Although I do agree that many people overlook the optics, optics can not correct bad shooting form or inferior accuracy from a barrel. I had a Weatherby Vanguard 6.5cm with a Sig Sierra scope. I still have the scope which is now on a Savage 110 6.5cm. The Weatherby started walking off center after four or five rounds, and no scope is going to help this. I still have a Howa 30-06 (Howa makes the Vanguard if you weren't aware) which does the same thing as the Vanguard, but not as bad, so I still own it. It has a Nikkon Monarch 6x24 x 50.

But no worries, I have a Burris Veracity waiting to go on which ever .300 I end up getting.

Old Dog said:

Well... I don't ever plan on missing...

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I never plan on it either, but it does happen occasionally! LOL.

squarepants33889 said:

I love my Tikka.
In the accuracy department, it sets a standard many other comparably priced rifles can't match.
The rifle handles great, and is a joy to carry around because of it's light weight.
Although I have nothing to say against the Tikka T3, it's my last point that I can't ignore.
I've shot a 7mm Tikka and that lightweight stock does not do you any favours in the recoil department.
If your an experienced shooter and elk hunter, this is probably not as big of a concern as it may be for the uninitiated, but don't fail to consider that
a T3 in 300 WM is going to hammer at both ends.
I'm certain it won't be the qualities of the rifle that dissapoints you, but it may not be that much fun to shoot.

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I am not an experienced elk hunter, this will be my first ever elk hunt. But I do consider myself an experienced shooter. I still do a fair bit of single 12ga shooting, so recoil is not my biggest concern. Most likely I will also be wearing a good bit of clothing during the hunt, which will help soften the thump. My biggest concern right now is being confident in a rifle that I can hit and drop an elk with up to 500yds if needed.

I really thank everyone for their input. Several points have been made that I haven't considered and I'm taking more time with this decision than I have most of my past purchases. It looks like there are more Tikka fans, and the price is definitely better. I do have a Burris scope waiting, and I am sorta thinking it might make sense to put that on an American made gun. Then again, I'm not prejudice against foreign weapons. My Howa and 7.62 collection are proof of that. Decisions, decisions.....
Thanks again to everyone!

rust collector said:

My only experience is a T3 in 308 with Zeiss conquest mount. Accurate, good trigger, no magazine problems, dead reliable. The X-bolts are beautifully styled and I am sure they are accurate, but likely heavier and spendier. Both will do the job nicely, and if recoil proves to be a problem, can be mitigated with pad upgrade, added weight and muzzle brake. Your taste should be the determining factor.

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That may be my undoing! I really love the look of the X-Bolt ! But I'm also not one of those who worries about impressing anyone else. I've shown up to many a trap shoot with my old 1100 and been looked down on from the Benelli-ites,... until I shot their chips.

Dibbs said:

My experience is the rifle I put the better glass upon shoots more accurately.

However if weight is an issue (and a couple of my hunting builds have specifically focused on weight), I would literally go with the lighter rifle.
Then put really good glass on it, maybe also a smaller, lighter scope. If your targets are less than 250 yards, you may be surprised how well a 6X 28 or 8X30 scope works.

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At 250yds or less, any good quality 3x9x40 or 50 works fine for me. I have a Burris E1 and E2 on a couple rifles and very happy with them. I also have a Veracity 3x9X50 on one rifle and a 4x20x50 in waiting. I think the 4x20x50 should serve me fine out to 500 or 600yds.
I also have Nikkon, Vortex, vintage Bushnell, Sig, and Leupold in my stock at the moment and no complaints about the ones I have. I'm experienced enough to know when the problem is me, the scope, or the rifle. That Sig Sierra that I had on the Vanguard is giving me great service on the Savage 110, no walking off the target, so I know the scope is fine and the rifle was the problem.
To be fair, most people around here would have been happy with that Vanguard. It was shooting MOA groups just fine out to 250yds for the first four or five shots.. But 3 shot groups were steadily moving off center by almost an inch unless I let it cool down. After 9 consecutive shots, my group center was 2" left at 100yds. I know I was not the problem because my groups always pull to right when I am the problem and the problem went away when I put that scope on the Savage.

IdaD said:

I don't own either but both have a good reputation. Lots of talk about weight and recoil. For a hunting rifle I would opt for lightweight with more recoil assuming all else was equal. Hunting rifles don't generally get shot a lot, and when you're shooting at game I don't think recoil or fear of recoil means much for most hunters.

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Yep, that recoil is long forgotten when you're field dressing the animal.

Poper said:

Not likely. I have yet to fire 4+ rounds at any critter and I still carry a spare loaded magazine in my coat or vest pocket. A magazine swap in the Tikka is as quick or quicker than trying to jamb single rounds in through an ejection port. The X-Bolt also has the detachable box magazine so reloads would be just as fast.
I do not recommend fumbling with loose rounds and trying to poke them into an open action while wearing gloves when trying for another shot at a trophy animal. If you need more ammo than what is in the magazine, you darn well better have a spare filled magazine in your pocket instead of a fistfull of loose rounds.

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Probably true for elk, but here in TN we have 3 per day limit on white tail. I have never fired more than 3 rds at the same animal, and the second or third rd were usually just mercy shots. However, I have dropped two and had to reload before finishing off a third. A couple years ago I dropped a buck and two does within a few yards of each other. Dropped the buck with one rd, big doe took two, second doe went down and got back up while I was reloading, but she didn't get far.