STOP...my stomach is hurting

I put up one for sale because I have 3 of them in the same caliber (among the many Tikka's i have) and I am willing to part with one of them to pay for some other things I want.

Post of the year

Agreed, that was brilliant

He is here for our entertainment.

Between my Daughter and me we have 5 and all are sub moa shooters. Bought a Tikka compact stock for her 7 mag, had John boy paint it, had Edwards put a recoil reducer in it and did a little barrel channel work. Took it out and 3 shot group under an inch with factory 140 grain Barnes. Tough to beat for the price.

I've had 3 Tikkas and they all shot Barnes TTSX great. I'd still own the first 2 if they were left-handed.

Bump. Still funny.

I don't own one but haven't heard anything other than positive.

They make good rifles, but they're overrated IMO.

What is an equivalent alternative?

If I was buying a factory rifle strictly for hunting, and had no intentions of ever rebarreling, I'd take a Ruger American Predator over a Tikka T3. The Predator is more gun for less money.

I think we can all agree there are many brands that shoot significantly tighter than we saw 20 years ago, especially with a hand load. What about cycling ease (smoothness), ejection strength, factory trigger quality, and as I've said before, degrees of bolt throw?

I don't think those things are very important (to most hunters) in a hunting rifle. Your pencil barrel on the Tikka will be smoking hot after 3 shots, so you'd never really get to appreciate the qualities of the action. If I was going to rebarrel down the line, I'd buy a Tikka (which I did), but if I'm like the majority of hunters and I'm using it the way it comes out of the box, Predator.

Man, lots of hunters sure appreciate how an action functions. Sako is a prime example, at a much higher cost. The rest of what you said, has some merit.

Did somebody really just compare a RAR to a Tikka? That’s unbelievably rich. I have both and the quality difference is huge.

I don't run mine hard practicing for or competing in matches, so my opinion on an equivalent alternative will be different than yours. All of my rifles are only used for hunting/target practice (though I do want to get into long range comps someday when I have a life again lol). IMO for my use, an equivalent alternative would be a Ruger American. Savage would not be, as they rate a little higher in my book. I own a number of Savage rifles, several that I shoot regularly and have for a long time and have never had a single issue with. If I ran them like you do though it may be a different story. I'm thinking about building my first comp gun off of a brand new Tikka 243 that I have in the safe. I'll be using the action only.

That seems in line. At half the price you get half the gun. I am a ruger fan but I don’t feel like those two guns are even in the same market.

I have both too, and nothing you can say about my Tikka's great quality will convince me that it will kill a deer better than the Predator. And in a situation where I need to shoot a string of 5+ rounds, I'll take the Preadtor all day over the T3.

When I shoot 5 fast through my Tikka it opens up to around an inch group. What are you shooting at that the predator would make the kill the Tikka wouldn’t?

Right on. I went on that THF Axis doe hunt and half the hunters had Ruger Americans. I brought a Ruger 77.

How about this for a $550 Tikka replacement?

Even looks like one.

https://www.franchiusa.com/momentum

I really like what that rifle has to offer with exception of the fluted bolt. It seems very well thought out.

I had two Ruger Americans. Beside the fact that the detachable mags were a POS, wouldn't feed properly, and the stock had the rigidity of a McDonald's straw, and one of the worst triggers to be found on a sporting rifle, they shot pretty good. To say they are the equal of a Tikka anything is laughable.