Tikka T3 or Ruger Hawkeye Predator?

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kyarcher

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I'm torn between these two rifles in .308. The Tikka has a synthetic stock whereas the Ruger has a laminated. I've been told the Tikka is not a true short action but a long action with a stop. I know the Ruger will weigh a tad more but that really doesn't bother me. Also I can't find any warranty info for Tikka on their website. Anyone know what their warranty is? Don't know what others think of laminated stocks but this is a beauty to me!!


http://ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyePredator/models.html
 
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I can only speak to the Tikka... a few weeks ago I saw a deal that I couldn't pass up on a T3 in .30-'06. I didn't know a lot about them at the time. One range trip and I'm a believer. With hand loads that I had tailored for a different rifle (a Ruger 77 in fact), I was shooting sub-MOA groups as soon as I got the new scope on the paper.

Since then, I've taken it to the range twice and it is simply amazingly accurate for a very light hunting rifle. Mine is the "Forest" model, which I believe is the same as the "Hunter" but with an oiled walnut stock. I'm definitely a believer in Tikkas now... and one more thing... it shoots as good or better than my heavy barreled Sako (Sako makes the Tikka, of course) in .243, which cost a whole lot more!

Sorry, I didn't answer any questions for you - as for warranty, I've never heard of a problem, though I'm sure they're out there.
 
Tikka's warranty is handled through Beretta. Never had any experience with them, but have heard that they are terrible to deal with.

But, I do love my Tikka rifles.:D Never had a problem so far with them. All Tikka actions are the same length. But, they operate so smooth, you dont notice how long the action is. The only Ruger rifle I own is a 10-22.
 
Tough call, the Tikka is a tack driving machine, but I confess a weakness for a Mauser style action. Depends on how far you want to shoot it.
Yes Tikka lacks a real short action but it is still considerably lighter then the SA Ruger so I don't let that bother me at all.
 
Anyone know what their warranty is?
Click to expand...

2 Years from date of purchase.

Tikka's warranty is handled through Beretta. Never had any experience with them, but have heard that they are terrible to deal with.
Click to expand...

Very true. I could go on for days, but I'll try to keep it short. My T3 Lite is there now.

Neela from CS left me a message last Monday morning. I called back and left her a message shortly thereafter. And many more times, but she never called me back. When I decided to find out where she was, I was told "she is very busy and hard to get a hold of"......perfect.

Found out that the visible "ring" on my barrel wasn't looked for; they only looked down the bore - even though I spelled it out in the letter with the rifle. The 'smith entered it in the system as good to return unless I wanted them to check accuracy. You know, the 1" guarantee that comes with the rifle. The CS guy said he could take credit or debit to check for accuracy; it costs $70 to fire it 3 times. Outstanding.

I called them back the next day and tried to offer the $70 to check it's accuracy, but this CS person said Neela (the lady who left me the original voice mail) is the one who takes payment, so he transferred me to her......voice mail!

Still waiting.
 
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I have always had great luck with Tikka's and would therefore vote for the Tikka, even though my Ruger Hawkeye is 7 mag is a tack driver as well. In my opinion, Ruger is a crap shoot where Tikka seems to consistently be great rifles when it comes to accuracy.
 
As a general use hunting rifle I like Rugers, but wouldn't want any gun with a laminated stock. For this use I like the Tikka better.
 
I have a Sako, the warranty is also handled by Beretta. I have dealt with Nara too.

I had a new Sako that would give a sticky bolt with every load put in it. I used all factory stuff.

Eventually I got a fellow there, Naras boss, to personally handle the issue. They replaced the rifle and I got a new magazine in the process. But if he could not find one I was going to be out of luck and since mine was an A7 and they decided not to import those any more if they did not have one they were not going to repair mine.

On the other hand, Ruger once rebuilt for me at no charge a police turn in .357 that was shot loose. I got a barrelled action once with scratch on the receiver and Ruger wanted to send a pre paid sticker to have the action sent to them for repair. I have never had anything except exceptional customer service from Ruger.

That said I would take the Ruger in a heartbeat. A Tikka can be a great shooter or not. So can a Hawkeye. I have a Hawkeye lightweight in .223. It is a forever keeper for me. I have owned three other M77's and every one of them would shoot moa with no tweak of any kind.
 
I have posted before about a Tikka T3 .243 I bought last spring. Any work on that thing by anyone other than Beretta voids the warranty as I understand it. That is probably true with other makers as well. Could not get mine to settle down. It does'nt take regular U.S. scope mounts and the mounts that come with it are not so hot. If you change scopes or mounts often this may be a consideration. I haven't sold it, but I don't care for it even tho many others seem to. On the the other hand, the Rugers I have owned, and I still own some .22's, are extremely reliable but none were one hole shooters. Never could figure out why Ruger can't make barrels. Consider a Savage.
 
Interesting what Dinosaur1 says about the scope rings. I wasn't initially impressed with the ones that came with it either, but then I talked to a gunsmith about changing them to something with "better quality".... he said that despite what people say about appearances, the Tikka rings have been the straightest rings he has installed. He's never had to lap them and there's never been a problem with them. I left them on my Tikka after that and there's been nothing wrong with them.

You could also get the more expensive Sako mounts (Q mounts I think they're called?) if you really wanted to. I'm not sure what's meant by "regular U.S. scope mounts" not fitting.

All that is beside the point... the OP needs to simply decide which rifle best fits/suits him.
 
I have used factory Tikka rings for years now without any issues at all, never had to reset my zero despite many hunts and trips to the range it is still dead on.
 
Good choice. I have always ben happy with my Ruger Hawkeye in 25-06. Very rugged and reliable.
 
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