new rifle quest

ianoo

hi all

i am presently looking for a new rifle in .223 cal ,

i have nearly made my mind up on a tikka t3 tactical .

i was just wondering if anyone on here has one and what were their experiences of them good or bad ..

thanks

ian

derek_g34

Hey Ianoo,

Have you held one yet? I was all geared up for a T3 until I got my hands onto one in a dealers. I did'nt like the stock, thought it felt very plasticky.

D

Jonty

I'll agree with derek about the stock, but I've got a tactical andtbh they're hard to beat. Looking back I should have bought one with a 20" barrel.

ianoo

derek_g34 wrote: »

Hey Ianoo,

Have you held one yet? I was all geared up for a T3 until I got my hands onto one in a dealers. I did'nt like the stock, thought it felt very plasticky.

D

hi derek
no not yet , i am planning on mauling one this week ,it looks a fine rifle from the pics on the net

Jonty wrote: »

I'll agree with derek about the stock, but I've got a tactical andtbh they're hard to beat. Looking back I should have bought one with a 20" barrel.[/quote

hi jonty
whats the accuracy like ,have you the 26" barrel ?? .i am not sure what lenght the barrel is of the one i am going to view why would you of gone for the 20"..

ian

Jonty

The tactical is either 20 or 24. the varmint/super varmint is 26".


I've got a t8 on mine for fox lamping operations and the odd bit of informal range pratice, and its a bit unwieldy getting in and out of a jeep, thats the only reason I' go for a 20. the 24" gives a little extra oomph If you're going for 600 yards.


Another thing to remember is twist rate. The tikka is 1 in 8, which is suited for heavier rounds. I'm lucky that mine fires 40gr nosler ballistic tips sub moa at 100yds. It won't do it with Hornady 40gr.

If you're a dedicated foxer a 1 in 8 twist mightn't suit.

jwshooter

Jonty wrote: »

The tactical is either 20 or 24. the varmint/super varmint is 26".


I've got a t8 on mine for fox lamping operations and the odd bit of informal range pratice, and its a bit unwieldy getting in and out of a jeep, thats the only reason I' go for a 20. the 24" gives a little extra oomph If you're going for 600 yards.


Another thing to remember is twist rate. The tikka is 1 in 8, which is suited for heavier rounds. I'm lucky that mine fires 40gr nosler ballistic tips sub moa at 100yds. It won't do it with Hornady 40gr.

If you're a dedicated foxer a 1 in 8 twist mightn't suit.

get it chopped, iv mine at 18 inch s .
its 1 meter 10 mm .handy for lamping foxes ,poaching and the usual stuff

ianoo

Jonty wrote: »

The tactical is either 20 or 24. the varmint/super varmint is 26".


I've got a t8 on mine for fox lamping operations and the odd bit of informal range pratice, and its a bit unwieldy getting in and out of a jeep, thats the only reason I' go for a 20. the 24" gives a little extra oomph If you're going for 600 yards.


Another thing to remember is twist rate. The tikka is 1 in 8, which is suited for heavier rounds. I'm lucky that mine fires 40gr nosler ballistic tips sub moa at 100yds. It won't do it with Hornady 40gr.

If you're a dedicated foxer a 1 in 8 twist mightn't suit.

hmmmm thats something i am going to have to look into as it will be used almost exclusively on fox's
am i right in saying that the lower the twist rate ie .(1in 8 as oppposed to 1 in 12 )the heavier the round you have to use to acheive decent accuracy

ian

Trojan911

ianoo wrote: »

hi all

i am presently looking for a new rifle in .223 cal ,

i have nearly made my mind up on a tikka t3 tactical .

i was just wondering if anyone on here has one and what were their experiences of them good or bad ..

thanks

ian

I have no experience on the Tikka T3, however I had a CZ527 .223 before upgrading to a bigger caliber & found the CZ extremely accurate. Was great for the foxes using a 45grn HP. Zeroed at 200yds it was taking foxes at 230-250yds.

Have you looked at that one?

Jonty

jwshooter wrote: »

get it chopped, iv mine at 18 inch s .
its 1 meter 10 mm .handy for lamping foxes ,poaching and the usual stuff

I was honestly thinking about doing that. Handy for poaching all right, and don't forget sticking out the window of the jeep!!:eek::D

Jonty

ianoo wrote: »

hmmmm thats something i am going to have to look into as it will be used almost exclusively on fox's
am i right in saying that the lower the twist rate ie .(1in 8 as oppposed to 1 in 12 )the heavier the round you have to use to acheive decent accuracy

ian

Not necessarily, mine will shoot nosler 40gr good, 40gr hornady are poor, 50gr AE hollow points are middling but cheap 55gr remmington accutips poor 55gr nosler very good.

It might just be a case of a picky rifle.

Tikkat3

I have the Tactical in 24" and really like it.

Very accurate, but I bought mine primarily for target shooting.

You could look at the Tikka T3 varmint as a dedicated fox rifle too.

Fully set up, the tactical is quiet a heavy gun too, whether this would bother you or not is another thing you have to ask yourself. So its definitely worth having a feel of one in the shop and then think of it kitted out.

Here are a couple of reviews that might help, the second one is in .308 calibre but is worth a read:

Review 1

Review 2

Hope that helps and hope you get the rifle you will be happiest with.

ianoo

Trojan911 wrote: »

I have no experience on the Tikka T3, however I had a CZ527 .223 before upgrading to a bigger caliber & found the CZ extremely accurate. Was great for the foxes using a 45grn HP. Zeroed at 200yds it was taking foxes at 230-250yds.

Have you looked at that one?

thanks for the input trojan ,i will definetly check that out ,i havent made my mind up yet...

Tikkat3 wrote: »

I have the Tactical in 24" and really like it.

Very accurate, but I bought mine primarily for target shooting.

You could look at the Tikka T3 varmint as a dedicated fox rifle too.

Fully set up, the tactical is quiet a heavy gun too, whether this would bother you or not is another thing you have to ask yourself. So its definitely worth having a feel of one in the shop and then think of it kitted out.

Here are a couple of reviews that might help, the second one is in .308 calibre but is worth a read:

Review 1

Review 2

Hope that helps and hope you get the rifle you will be happiest with.

thats a great help tikkate3 ,loads of info fair play to ya

Tikkat3

ianoo wrote: »

thats a great help tikkate3 ,loads of info fair play to ya

No worries at all, glad to be of help.

I went through the same research process on this rifle myself before buying it.

Hope you find the right rifle. Ive heard that there are some nice Sako 75's still knocking about and going for good money so keep that on your list too.

endasmail

ive t3 tactical .223 rem no complaints i love it can be a bit heavy carrying around the fields ,but brilliant al rounder
i found the american eagle 50 grain to be a great round
the remington not to good

ianoo

well lads
took all your advice and handled 2 tikka t3 tacticals have to say i wasn't too impressed with the plasticy stock ,the 1in 8 twist rate is another concern,,,
but all is not lost while in the shop i got a good look at a
RUGER 77 MK II VARMIT in 223
stainless heavy barrel and laminated stock
lovely bit of kit ,,think she could be the one lads,,

anyone any views or experience of this rifle...

ian

clivej

I have the CZ varmint in 223 with HS kevlar stock and medium barrel 20mm groups now @100m.

Looks good or WOT....................award winning SCOPE IS FOR SALE

Tikkat3

ianoo wrote: »

well lads
took all your advice and handled 2 tikka t3 tacticals have to say i wasn't too impressed with the plasticy stock ,the 1in 8 twist rate is another concern,,,
but all is not lost while in the shop i got a good look at a
RUGER 77 MK II VARMIT in 223
stainless heavy barrel and laminated stock
lovely bit of kit ,,think she could be the one lads,,

anyone any views or experience of this rifle...

ian

Whatever about the stock, I wouldnt be too concerned about the barrel twist rate as Jonty is shooting 40gr bullets with out a problem with accuracy and I would think this is about as light as you would be using for foxing.

The tighter twist will allow you to shoot heavier rounds if needed which would allow you shoot more effectivey at range and give you the option of using it out to good distances on the firing range if you ever decide to do that.

Although the stock can be criticised, the action and barrel on the Tikka is a fair bit more refined than the Ruger and the Tikka comes certified to produce 3 shot groups under an inch at 100 yard which I dont think the Ruger does.

Not saying the ruger is not a nice rifle, it is but its just worth keeping this in mind before you buy.

The Ruger is also pretty heavy like the Tikka.

Whatever you go for, you will be happy with anyway

Clivej's CZ is a pretty rifle too and groups well and well worth looking at too.

Jonty

Tikkat3 wrote: »

Whatever about the stock, I wouldnt be too concerned about the barrel twist rate as Jonty is shooting 40gr bullets with out a problem with accuracy and I would think this is about as light as you would be using for foxing.

The tighter twist will allow you to shoot heavier rounds if needed which would allow you shoot more effectivey at range and give you the option of using it out to good distances on the firing range if you ever decide to do that.

Although the stock can be criticised, the action and barrel on the Tikka is a fair bit more refined than the Ruger and the Tikka comes certified to produce 3 shot groups under an inch at 100 yard which I dont think the Ruger does.

Not saying the ruger is not a nice rifle, it is but its just worth keeping this in mind before you buy.

The Ruger is also pretty heavy like the Tikka.

Whatever you go for, you will be happy with anyway

Clivej's CZ is a pretty rifle too and groups well and well worth looking at too.

That Ruger might need a bit of trigger work and a mate of mine has one in a swift and the action is a bit sloppy. That said, its an accurate rifle.

I know the stock on the tactical isn't pretty, but it's a functional rifle, and works well.

Tikkat3

Jonty wrote: »

That Ruger might need a bit of trigger work and a mate of mine has one in a swift and the action is a bit sloppy. That said, its an accurate rifle.



I know the stock on the tactical isn't pretty, but it's a functional rifle, and works well.

Totally agree with you, I love my tactical and rate it highly and am happy with the stock too.

If money was no object, Robertson Composites do a few lovely aftermarket stocks for the tactical and they come in a range of colours:

Stock 1

Stock 2

It wasn't me!

For what it's worth, that Ruger is a really nice gun. Fired one in .243 a while back and was really impressed with the action and trigger, lovely bit of kit.

bunny shooter

It wasn't me! wrote: »

For what it's worth, that Ruger is a really nice gun. Fired one in .243 a while back and was really impressed with the action and trigger, lovely bit of kit.

My brother shoots one in 204 ruger sweet rifle

Jonty

Jonty wrote: »

That Ruger might need a bit of trigger work and a mate of mine has one in a swift and the action is a bit sloppy. That said, its an accurate rifle.

I know the stock on the tactical isn't pretty, but it's a functional rifle, and works well.

The Ruger that he had was the Mk II version, not the hawkeye one.

ianoo

thanks for the input lads ,
forgot to mention by the way that the rifle i was looking at is second hand and has had the trigger polished..
still havent made my mind up though.........

ian

ianoo

hi all
after much tought and travelling the country visiting gun shops i finnally decided on a
remington 700 in a laminated thumbhole stock with a stainless steel heavy barrel in .223
paper work only took 2 weeks but it was a substitution so not so bad !!
took it out last weekend to break in barrel and when i was finshed fired a couple of groupings ,best of which was a 1/2 inch at 100yrds so i am well happy with that




thanks for all the advice and help lads
i'm off to christen it now with a bit of luck....

ian

clivej

Well may she wear for you Ian and happy shooting

Jonty

You must have an awful long jaw, that scope is mounted fairly high

dos29

Well wear ianoo. Fantastic piece of work they are . 1/2 inch at 100yrds is smashing. Nice to see you ended up with something your happy with.
What glass do you have on it?

ianoo

hi all

Jonty wrote: »

You must have an awful long jaw, that scope is mounted fairly high

you are right there jonty,i have the neck to go with it as well:):)
i actually messed up where the mounts are concerned,i over allowed for the 56mm lens and ordered extra high tactical mounts they are way too high as you can see ,so i've ordered high ones now to change them

dos29 wrote: »

Well wear ianoo. Fantastic piece of work they are . 1/2 inch at 100yrds is smashing. Nice to see you ended up with something your happy with.
What glass do you have on it?

thnks dos after seeing your one i had my mind made up,the glass is a MARKS OPTICS 8-24 x 56 mil dot illuminated reticule all the way from oz, its a cheap scope and i honestly was'nt expecting much from it but i have been pleasenty supprised , once i sort out these mounts i will be happy

ian

chem

It might have been a dream I had. But can you get an AI stock for the remy 700?

triskell

yup. they can be got.both the standard stock and the AICS folding stock, Big bucks though. Duffys in galway can sort you out. One of the lads there has a Rem 700 and is ordering one, I seen a couple on the range in tullamore,They may not improve the accuracy or decrease the weight. but they do look very cool

chem

triskell wrote: »

yup. they can be got.both the standard stock and the AICS folding stock, Big bucks though. Duffys in galway can sort you out. One of the lads there has a Rem 700 and is ordering one, I seen a couple on the range in tullamore,They may not improve the accuracy or decrease the weight. but they do look very cool

Any ideas on price? And does the stock change the rifle into a detachable magazine rifle?