Tikka, Howa or Savage?

[party01]

After sitting in front of the computer for the last couple of days I have come to the conclusion that these three rifles are probabally the most bang for the buck. My primary purpose will be for hunting White Tail. I wanted to one chambered in .270WSM with a detachable magazine but I don't think that is possible. I know Savage doesn't offer it and I don't think Tikka even offers the .270WSM. I could be swayed towards another short action caliber other than .308 because I already have that one. I want to keep the price under $500.00 and I also want a nice wood stock. What do ya think?

 

[kumma]

dont know about the new short magnums. all i can add is that the stock on my tikka whitetail hunter deluxe model is absolutly beautiful, its a figured walnut? i guess. i have had comments on how nice it looks. nothing like stomping thru the woods having branches smack it, oh well its a huntin rifle. its chambered in 7mm mag. Im gonna pick up a stainless, synthetic stock for my hunting in heavily wooded areas tough.

I did see a used howa .270 with scope for around 400 bucks at guns galore in fenton. it didnt fit me well but looked tempting.

Craig

 

[SteelyDan]

Well, I don't actually own any of those brands, but I would recommend... Oops, just realized I'd crossed the "stupid line." Never mind.

 

[4Truck]

Take a long hard look at the Browning A-Bolt, I got mine w/ a detachable box mag, in 300 wsm for $467.00 at the local Galyans, not too bad for a Browning.


oh yea....It shoots like a dream!!

 

[cratz2]

The A Bolt would seem to fill all your requirements. I don't know if you can get one with a nice wood stock for under $500 but the Browning A Bolt is a very nice rifle. Very solid feeling but I'd only shot a very nice (don't know the trim level but extra fancy wood and a BOSS) in 270 Winchester. Same guy also has a BAR in 300 Win Mag that almost has me convinced to get a 338. The Brownings are great rifles.

The Tikkas are nice if you give up the Short Magnum - for now at least.

I have a Howa Ultralight in 243 that has been very good and has a much better stock than most rifles in this price range. Good trigger, accurate. What more can you want for a hunting rifle? I might be talked into selling it if you're interested in going this light. Would work great with light scope like the Burris Compact 3-9 which is what I have on it now.

The .243, 25-06, 270 WSM, 270 Winchester, 7mm-08, 260 and 6.5x55 are all good all round cartridges.

 

[party01]

I found out a few things about these rifles chambered in .270WSM the last couple of days. The Tikka T3 will be offered in it, however the T3 is only going to have one action. They will have different sized magazines to work in the same action. If I went this route I would just stick with a standard long action .270. The Howa will be offering it as well due out in a couple of months, however this will only have a 22'' barrel. I wanted at least a 24'' to take advantage of the long range capabilities. That leaves me with the Savage. Anyone know when the Accu-Trigger will be available on a Hunter series?

 

[Bottom Gun]

Tikka is the most accurate and has the smoothest action.

 

[Art Eatman]

I suggest feeling and fondling until you figure out which one fits you best. That helps the "hittability" with the rifle. After that, it's cost and aesthetics.

While I think the short magnums are a bit much for whitetails, that's no problem for a handloader. I basically like the idea of the short magnum, since it can mean more barrel length for a given weight and overall length.

For most whitetail hunting, a 130-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of around 2,700 ft/sec or so will do just fine. A .270WSM would let you start thinking about bigger critters or longer ranges...

, Art

 

[Mesa]

I own a Savage 10FP and a Howa 1500 Heavy Barrel both in .308. I can honestly say that either one of those two will be deadly accurate right out of the box. I'll give you a pros and cons of the two. I have never even held a Tikka rifle so I can't make a call on that one.

Savage 10FP:
PROS: DEADLY accurate right out of the box.
I had my stock trigger adjusted and smoothed and I have never seen the need to replace it. Last Friday I shot a 5 round group at 100 yards, prone, that could be covered by a dime. Not only that, but I did it twice. Three round groups are one ragged hole. How much am I going to improve with a trigger replacement?
I had an Ultimate Sniper stock on there for a long time but I replaced it a week ago with a Bell & Carson. I'll never go back to the Ultimate Sniper. It's too darned heavy and bulky. Stable as a rock, but heavy and big.
I have 3243 rounds through that rifle to date BTW. The barrel can be replace for about $150 by anyone with a bit of rudementry gunsmithing skill.
I used the 10FP at Badlands on the basic sniper course and it shot every bit as well as any rifle out there, and better than one rig that was 3-times more expensive. It rained on us the whole time too. The gun got soaked, muddy, and generally crudded up but never once was I off the line because of a failure. That's not something I can say about all the rigs there that week.

CONS:
The mag only holds four rounds. If you load four in there and close the bolt without stripping off a round (empty chamber), when you cycle the bolt most for the time it will not strip off the top round. All you have to do "touch" the round and close the bolt and it will strip off. Once in a while the next round will do the same thing. Not a good thing when shooting a timed event.
The only way to empty a full mag is to cycle them through or strip them off with your fingers (aggravating). There is no door on the bottom to dump the whole mag.
To me the bolt is rough to operate. I mean it isn't smooth and silky like a 700 or my Howa. I'm investigating buffing that finish off of the bolt and polishing it up to see if it helps.

Howa 1500:
Pros:
The mag holds five rounds. It NEVER fails to strip off a round. It's the smoothest bolt and action I have ever felt on a rifle. It's smoother than my partners 700 and it drives him nuts because he spent a lot of money having it trued.
There is also a door on the mag so that it can be emptied quickly.
Deadly accurate right out of the box. It shot EVERYTHING I put in it accurately. And when I went to handloads, it was even better.

Cons:
I had a trigger job done on it and ended up having to replace the trigger. The gunsmith did a little research and found out that a trigger job on a Howa generally ruins the trigger. That may not be true on the newer Howas, I don't know. (Mine is 4 years old).
I managed to put 4500 rounds through the barrel before I had to replace it. And was I in for a sticker shock on that one!
(Nit picky alert! I don't like the blued finish on the Howa. I mean it's pretty and everything, but I find myself worrying about getting it wet et.. (The Savage is wash and wear)


That's about it I guess. I'll buy either rifle again in a heartbeat. They are both EXCELLENT rifles for the money.

Hope this helps,

Mesa

 

[cratz2]

I will add that the trigger on my Howa Ultralight is about 3.5# and I haven't even bothered checking out how to adjust it. Very smooth it not as light as some of my other rifles. In general, the Varminter I've handled had very good triggers as well.

Still... that Tikka or A-Bolt are worth a look. If you're willing to consider a long action, older 270 Winchester, the old Tikka Whitetail Hunters can be found at several distributors and any shop should be able to sell them for $450 and be making over 10% profit. There are nicer rifles that are more expensive, but I think that limiting yourself to $50, you would be hard pressed to find a 'better' overall rifle. And the A-Bolt ain't too far behind.

 

[diyj98]

Of those three choices, the Tikka is the most refined and will probably be the most accurate on average.

 

[atek3]

cheapest place to buy tikkas
http://www.thegunsource.com/rifles/tikka.htm

 

[JohnBT]

A buddy bought a stainless Howa .223 in a plastic stock a couple of years ago and it's a very accurate rifle. JT
______________

cratz2 -

He adjusted the trigger using the following directions I copied off the net for him. I didn't save the name of the person who posted them. John

"The Howa trigger is adjustable:

1. Make sure the weapon is unloaded and remove the barreled action from the stock.

2. There are three screws on the Howa trigger assembly, all three are RTV'd. Remove the RTV from the front and back screws.

3. The front screw is the return spring adjustment (Pull weight): Back this screw all the way out, then install to at MINIMUM 1.5 threads. This is the lowest trigger pull setting that is recomended by Howa. It will give you around 2.5 lbs. Re-RTV the screw.

4. The rear screw is for Sear engagement. Adjusting this screw in will give you a finer engagement and less creep (there is NO creep in my factory Howa trigger), adjusting it out will give you creep. RE-RTV the screw.

5. Reinstall the barreled action into the stock, place a stap cap (or
expended shell) into the chamber, cock the weapon and smake the rifle butt HARD a time or two to see if you have gone too light on the sear engagement. If you don't have any 'slap fire', your good to go.

Have fun with your new toy . . . I LOVE mine! It is the M1500 SV in SS/Pepper in .22-250. I would recomend that you contact Legacy Sports @ 703-548-4837 and ask to speak to the Howa Gunsmith (he is on staff and is very helpful and willing to yack with you) if you have any additional questions or required clairification."