sleepyone
Member
This is not a Tikka bashing, so don't take it as that. Merely my experiences as a former Tikka, and current Ruger, and Winchester owner. Earlier this year, I got back into hunting after a several year break for school, career and fatherhood and bought a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless/Synthetic in 308 and T3 Synthetic/blue in 243. I had never heard of Tikka, but value, reported accuracy and the Sako name lead me to purchase these rifles. I was not crazy about the synthetic stocks and polymer magazine, bolt shroud and trigger guard but all the reviews talked about how accurate they are and how smooth the action is; which is true on both accounts. Prior to this, I had owned Winchesters and Rugers in wood and blued with floor plate instead of magazines. I put about three boxes of ammo through each Tikka and had them ready for opening day. I thought I would get over the plastics and synthetic but could not, so I traded both of them at Cabela’s this weekend to take advantage of their rifle sale. I picked up a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 270 for the crazy price of $615 NIB and a Ruger M77 Hawkeye Standard in 243 for my daughter for $579 NIB. Put my Nikon Buckmasters 3x9 40mm matte finish on both rifles and put a box of ammo through each at the range today.
Call me old-fashioned, but I love the feel of wood and the look of a nice blued barrel. I like how an eight or nine pound scoped rifle feels in my hand. The Tikkas did nothing for me in those departments. I did not get the warm fuzzies when holding them like I do my Featherweight and Ruger. I have a Model 70 Sporter in 300 Win Mag on lay away that I can’t wait to fondle!
I was concerned that I would give up some accuracy. My Tikkas were able to do ¾-1” groups at 100 yards. Boy was I wrong! Using Federal 150 gr. on the 270 and Federal 100 gr. on the 243, I was able to get consistent 3 and 5 shot dime-size groupings at 100 yards on both. I was blown away. Granted, since I bought the Tikkas in January, I have been spending a lot of time on the range this year, so my accuracy has improved greatly. And the liberal use of sand bags takes away almost all movement, but all you hear about on the forums and blogs is Weatherby Vanguards, Savages, Tikkas, Howa etc. being MOA and Sub-MOA. You don’t hear too much about that kind of out of the box accuracy with Remingtons, Rugers, or Winchesters. Personally, I think the whole MOA and Sub-MOA thing is blown out of proportion. My father-in-law has been hunting for 40 years with the same beat-up Savage 300 pump rifle that he bought for $79 at a hardware store.
Anyway, here are my observations on the Winchester and Rugers. I am not a rifle or ballistics expert; just a guy who loves to hunt, shoot and appreciates old-school hunting rifles.
Stock
Both stocks are good quality, but that is where the comparison ends. I absolutely love the Featherweight stock design with the Schnabel forend. The checkering is also nicer on th M70. The Ruger stock is nice enough but Winchester wins hands down here.
Bolt/Action
I like the CRF in the M70 but prefer the Mauser action in the Ruger even though the Ruger bolt is not as smooth. That will improve over time the more I shoot it. The Ruger bolt was actually difficult to close several times today.
Trigger
The new Model 70 trigger is sweet right of the box. No creep. Very crisp. I don’t know the pull but it was not much more than my Tikkas were. I won’t adjust it. The new Ruger trigger, called LC6 I believe, is OK but has more pull and not near as crisp as the Winchester. Defeinitely noticed some creep. I may get it adjusted, since it is for my daughter.
Safety
The three-position safety is a must for me. That is one of the reasons I don’t consider Remingtons. The M70 safety is stiff when going from fire to the middle setting. The Ruger safety is easier to operate at this point.
Floor plate
I like the release button on the Ruger better. The Ruger emblem is a nice touch also. A floor plate model is a must for me. I hated messing with the Tikka magazines. If you lose one in the field, you are down to a single-shot rifle. They aren’t cheap to replace either.
Scope mounting system
Ruger wins here. Less parts means less opportunity for things to loosen and move around. I know that is not a huge problem, but you save $60 on bases and rings. Can’t argue with that.
Made in USA
Winchester and Ruger 1. Tikka 0.
Barrels
I wish the Ruger had a standard gloss blue barrel. The matt finish is very utilitarian. The Winchester barrel is very attractive and really compliments the stock. The recessed crown is very nice also.
Recoil Pad
Winchester wins here also. The pad is substantial and works well. The Ruger has a minimal recoil pad although it does have the Ruger logo stamped on it. ; )
Accuracy
Like I said, both rifles outshot my Tikkas. Was not expecting that.
Price/Value
It is hard to beat Ruger’s value. The normal price for the Hawkeye is $630 at Cabelas. The Featherweight normally runs $689 - $739. I had some Cabela’s bucks and a coupon code, so I stole the M70 for $615 plus tax and got the Ruger for $579 plus tax. Leupold rings and bases set me back $60 for the M70, so all in it was $675 plus tax. Almost $100 more than the Ruger. Was it worth it? Well, I plan on getting another Featherweight in 25-06 as soon as I get my M70 Sporter 300 Win Mag out of lay away! The Ruger is a great rifle for someone on a budget, if you want a good, solid rifle as a backup, a spare rifle for a buddy to use or even one that you don’t mind taking through brush or bad-weather hunting. I know there are die-hard Ruger fans who might take offense to that statement, but I don’t mean it as a slam. I even have a Hawkeye in 308, one of my favorite calibers, on the way.
In conclusion, I like my Winchester better, but would be happy if all I had was my Ruger. I would prefer a Ruger over Remington any day. I think Remington is way over-priced when you compare it to Winchester.
Call me old-fashioned, but I love the feel of wood and the look of a nice blued barrel. I like how an eight or nine pound scoped rifle feels in my hand. The Tikkas did nothing for me in those departments. I did not get the warm fuzzies when holding them like I do my Featherweight and Ruger. I have a Model 70 Sporter in 300 Win Mag on lay away that I can’t wait to fondle!
I was concerned that I would give up some accuracy. My Tikkas were able to do ¾-1” groups at 100 yards. Boy was I wrong! Using Federal 150 gr. on the 270 and Federal 100 gr. on the 243, I was able to get consistent 3 and 5 shot dime-size groupings at 100 yards on both. I was blown away. Granted, since I bought the Tikkas in January, I have been spending a lot of time on the range this year, so my accuracy has improved greatly. And the liberal use of sand bags takes away almost all movement, but all you hear about on the forums and blogs is Weatherby Vanguards, Savages, Tikkas, Howa etc. being MOA and Sub-MOA. You don’t hear too much about that kind of out of the box accuracy with Remingtons, Rugers, or Winchesters. Personally, I think the whole MOA and Sub-MOA thing is blown out of proportion. My father-in-law has been hunting for 40 years with the same beat-up Savage 300 pump rifle that he bought for $79 at a hardware store.
Anyway, here are my observations on the Winchester and Rugers. I am not a rifle or ballistics expert; just a guy who loves to hunt, shoot and appreciates old-school hunting rifles.
Stock
Both stocks are good quality, but that is where the comparison ends. I absolutely love the Featherweight stock design with the Schnabel forend. The checkering is also nicer on th M70. The Ruger stock is nice enough but Winchester wins hands down here.
Bolt/Action
I like the CRF in the M70 but prefer the Mauser action in the Ruger even though the Ruger bolt is not as smooth. That will improve over time the more I shoot it. The Ruger bolt was actually difficult to close several times today.
Trigger
The new Model 70 trigger is sweet right of the box. No creep. Very crisp. I don’t know the pull but it was not much more than my Tikkas were. I won’t adjust it. The new Ruger trigger, called LC6 I believe, is OK but has more pull and not near as crisp as the Winchester. Defeinitely noticed some creep. I may get it adjusted, since it is for my daughter.
Safety
The three-position safety is a must for me. That is one of the reasons I don’t consider Remingtons. The M70 safety is stiff when going from fire to the middle setting. The Ruger safety is easier to operate at this point.
Floor plate
I like the release button on the Ruger better. The Ruger emblem is a nice touch also. A floor plate model is a must for me. I hated messing with the Tikka magazines. If you lose one in the field, you are down to a single-shot rifle. They aren’t cheap to replace either.
Scope mounting system
Ruger wins here. Less parts means less opportunity for things to loosen and move around. I know that is not a huge problem, but you save $60 on bases and rings. Can’t argue with that.
Made in USA
Winchester and Ruger 1. Tikka 0.
Barrels
I wish the Ruger had a standard gloss blue barrel. The matt finish is very utilitarian. The Winchester barrel is very attractive and really compliments the stock. The recessed crown is very nice also.
Recoil Pad
Winchester wins here also. The pad is substantial and works well. The Ruger has a minimal recoil pad although it does have the Ruger logo stamped on it. ; )
Accuracy
Like I said, both rifles outshot my Tikkas. Was not expecting that.
Price/Value
It is hard to beat Ruger’s value. The normal price for the Hawkeye is $630 at Cabelas. The Featherweight normally runs $689 - $739. I had some Cabela’s bucks and a coupon code, so I stole the M70 for $615 plus tax and got the Ruger for $579 plus tax. Leupold rings and bases set me back $60 for the M70, so all in it was $675 plus tax. Almost $100 more than the Ruger. Was it worth it? Well, I plan on getting another Featherweight in 25-06 as soon as I get my M70 Sporter 300 Win Mag out of lay away! The Ruger is a great rifle for someone on a budget, if you want a good, solid rifle as a backup, a spare rifle for a buddy to use or even one that you don’t mind taking through brush or bad-weather hunting. I know there are die-hard Ruger fans who might take offense to that statement, but I don’t mean it as a slam. I even have a Hawkeye in 308, one of my favorite calibers, on the way.
In conclusion, I like my Winchester better, but would be happy if all I had was my Ruger. I would prefer a Ruger over Remington any day. I think Remington is way over-priced when you compare it to Winchester.
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