I have both guns and honestly don't know which one I would pick again either, the tikka will need nothing out of the box, and will in almost every case be more accurate than the ruger, however I don't like clips. the ruger has an internal mag, a good fitting at least to me stock, and the best safety on any current gun. I guess I would like how the ruger would turn out but, it would take a smith to work on the trigger, glass bed and free floating of the barrel to get it where I want it. the tikka doesn't need that, so it comes down to what features you need most, even after gunsmithing I bet the ruger still doesn't shoot as good as the tikka, but if you are hunting 1 moa is likely all the accuracy you can use anyways.
Don't let the name Ruger scare you off in the accuracy department. My current M77 MKII shoots into less than 1 inch at 100 wtih my handloads (.425" to be exact). I've won some offhand competitions with my 300 win mag and it's pet loads, yes it is a Ruger M77 MKII. My current Hawkeye shoots 1 1/2 inch groups with factory loads and with very minimal load development one day a few weeks ago I got some .80 inch groups (it's a .223, yeah I expected a lot better accuracy out of it but oh-well). Most ruger 338's I've had have shot into less than 1 MOA. with my handloads. Be carefull with getting a light 338 like the tikka because it is going to kick. The nice thing about the Ruger with the laminated stock is it fits good and it is a little heavier and soaks up the recoil very well. Like some have said, the trigger is crap!!!!! You will need to have it worked over (I do mine in 20 minutes start to finish). All my Rugers have trigger pulls around 2 - 2.5 pounds with no creep (very crisp and light, the only way to have them). One more thing, the hawkeyes have a cheap matte finish which wears off and scratches very easy: I'd stay away from them if it were me.
