Lightweight, Quality Bolt Rifle Suggestions..
- Thread starter hawk45
- Start date
- Status
FLAvalanche
Member
Marlin XL or XS series.
Great feedback everyone. I'll keep researching and going to try to get to a few stores to "feel" a few of them and see how they shoulder.. that's where the battle will be won. Not sure any of my local stores have the Tikka's though. I'll keep ya posted if I fall into something.. keeping an eye out too on the forum "for sale" sections and auction sites. I've built up a few rigs in the past and this time I think I'm just looking to buy one and shoot it straight off the shelf.
Hawk
Hawk
Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Tikka T3 or CZ 527 American (.223).
Well I got out to one of the big chain shops here to get a few shouldered and try the actions. I tried a Browning X-Bolt, Savage 11 and the Tikka T3. The Tikka felt the best and it was the syntectic model.. I'm trying to find the Hunter versions with the wood stock. But the action on the Tikka was better than the Savage by a long shot and a bit better than the Browning. Shouldered the Tikka cycled like butter.. the Browning hung a bit and wasn't as fluid... the Savage was clunky compared to the other two. Now I have 4 Savages and they are nice guns and very accurate but the bolts are a bit sloppy in comparison. No hating please... just my observation. The Browning was a really nice rifle and the price shows. And the action may have just needed a good cleaning and some lube to slide like the Tikka.
I'm going to try to go to another store and try a few more and hopfully find the wood stock version of the Tikka T3.
Other observations and findings.
Concerns of the T3 in .223. I saw a video that said the stock mag won't let you seat heavier bullets out very far.. not more than a 55gr COL. That is a bit concerning b/c I wanted to take advantage of the 1:8 twist of the barrel with heavier bullets. Other than that and the mag prices being crazy rediculous expensive for plastic/polymer.
Concerns on the CZ 527 in .223. Barrel twist is only 1:12 which keeps me limited to no more than 60gr bullets. Can't find one locally yet but that is a big drawlback. I do like the cheaper magazine prices and the fact the gun is all steel and wood.
Concerns on the Browning in .223. Barrel twist is again only 1:12. Why can't these guys at least do a 1:9???!!?! Again.. magazine prices are high for plastic mags.
I must say right now that the Tikka is in the lead and is also the cheapest too. I'll keep you posted.
I'm going to try to go to another store and try a few more and hopfully find the wood stock version of the Tikka T3.
Other observations and findings.
Concerns of the T3 in .223. I saw a video that said the stock mag won't let you seat heavier bullets out very far.. not more than a 55gr COL. That is a bit concerning b/c I wanted to take advantage of the 1:8 twist of the barrel with heavier bullets. Other than that and the mag prices being crazy rediculous expensive for plastic/polymer.
Concerns on the CZ 527 in .223. Barrel twist is only 1:12 which keeps me limited to no more than 60gr bullets. Can't find one locally yet but that is a big drawlback. I do like the cheaper magazine prices and the fact the gun is all steel and wood.
Concerns on the Browning in .223. Barrel twist is again only 1:12. Why can't these guys at least do a 1:9???!!?! Again.. magazine prices are high for plastic mags.
I must say right now that the Tikka is in the lead and is also the cheapest too. I'll keep you posted.
Kachok
Member
The three you mentioned are all good choices, that said you could not trade me any rifle on the planet for my 6.5x55 T3 stainless. Light, dependable, accurate, refined, versitile, weatherproof, what more could you ask of a rifle??? I have owned and shot alot of rifles, the Tikka has the best trigger out there, and the action is so slick I have to look to make sure it is chambering a round, because I cannot even feel it at all. I like it so much I am thinking about getting the Hunter version as well. Now if it is bang for the buck you are looking for the Savage 11/111F combo deal is hard to beat. $386 at the local wal-mart, they shoot very well (even with their BAD scopes), they have a respectable action and a good trigger.
coloradokevin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,285
kachok said:
You aren't kidding about the action. I can tell that a round is being chambered only by the sound of it passing from the magazine into the chamber. These rifles are so smooth that you don't even feel it! I actually went to the store intending to look for a Remington 700, and handled the Tikka only after a someone asked me to look at it. I ended up leaving with the Tikka T3 Scout CTR (.308 Win). Hopefully I can post a range report in the next week or so!
rbernie
Contributing Member
The mag on the Tikka is of standard length for 223; you can run up to 75gr/77gr bullets just fine so long as you seat them as you would for any other 223. If you want to run the 80gr-90gr bulelts, they will be too long to feed from the Tikka magazine - just as they will not feed from anyone else's magazine.
I bought into the Tikka in 223 for the barrel twist; everyone seems to be trying to sell 223's as varmint guns and I wanted something oriented for bigger critters. Once I had the Tikka, I fell in love with its insane accuracy and its finish.
Kernel
Member
My .223 Rem Ruger M77 MkII was the same way, until I swapped out the stock internal box mag for a longer .22-250 box. It's a seven dollar part from Brownells.
The .22-250 box is 2.400" long, compared to the stock .223 box which is 2.260". Now I can seat bullets in my .223 as far out as I want. (I could of used a .308 box, it would of fit, but at 2.800” it's way longer than necessary.)
For a few dollars more I could of bought a .22-250 follower, but found I didn’t need it. The stock .223 follower works fine, even though you can see that it fits kinda loose in the longer mag well.
Uncle Mike
Member
Remington Model 7 CDL
Tikka
Remington Mountain Rifle
Winchester 70 Featherweight
Savage 10/110
CZ
Just about every manufacture offers a lightweight carbine.
Tikka
Remington Mountain Rifle
Winchester 70 Featherweight
Savage 10/110
CZ
Just about every manufacture offers a lightweight carbine.
45crittergitter
Member
+1 for the Tikka.
bachekermooni
Member
Kimber 84 in .308 - Great accuracy, incredible trigger, glass bedded from factory. light weight. Find a used one.
Maverick223
Member
I'll echo what has already been said: the Winchester M-70 Featherweight if you are willing to go with a new chambering (.22-250Rem. or .243Win.), or the CZ-527 if you are not. Both tend to be pretty accurate for their svelte weight and exhibit superb workmanship.
- Status
