Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles winchester model 70 or tikka t3 hunter

I owned a Tikka for a few days. Never scoped it.

Besides that plastic, I could not find a thing wrong with it, and I really liked the feel of the rifle.

If a tool is what you want, the Tikka may be the right choice.

Myself, I would buy the M70, without question.

An observation . . . Tikka owners post pictures of their targets

M70 owners usually post pictures of their rifles.

I gotta tell you, the new Model 70 shoot pretty darn good too. They are surely both very fine rifles but I much prefer the Wincheser.

I didn't mean it in a negative way at all. I have hunted deer successfully with a single-shot rifle and a revolver. I didn't do it because they are better tools for the job than my bolt-guns are, I did it for the different experience.

YMMV

It all comes down to personal preference.

Beyond my dislike for plastic parts, I could not find anything wrong with the Tikka I owned.

It just wasn't my kind of rifle. YMMV

Very good point!

Says something about the Tikka's accuracy.

It's a ridiculous point and proves nothing.Like most generalizations on the CF, you can ignore it and you'll be OK.

I don't post pictures, but we can ask BSA to post up some of his M70's so you guys can examine both the rifles...and the groups.

Pal of mine had a Tikka 223 that he raved about....until the trigger assembly disintegrated after 300-400 rounds,which made shooting groups of any size,impossible.

OTOH, an old pal of mine, now deceased, held records in registered matches shot with a pair of M70 actions that saw,in the aggregate, over 200,000 rounds of live fire without a bauble.

So I guess one of the "intangibles" of a M70 is a trigger design that does not quit after 300-400 rounds.

The M70 is one of the most successful designs in the history of shooting and BG hunting,proven for decades...the Tikka is a cheap economy model made to a price point.Could care less how well it shoots...you guys can keep them all.

I own both.

I love my Tikkas for their accuracy, great triggers, light weight, and slick as snot bolt. That said, they are a tool to be used. I put them in the same category as any other synthetic stocked hunting rifle. If the weather is bad or I'm going to be doing a lot of walking and carrying a rifle, they serve that purpose well. They are not heirloom type rifles that you will look upon fondly as you think about them being used by future generations.

My M70's are a totally different kind of rifle. They are Pre-64's and they are finely crafted rifles that are the epitome of what a wood/blued bolt action rifle should be. Light weight is not their strong point, but they are accurate and also have very good triggers. I have no experience with newer M70's so I can't comment about the quality of those, but they seem to be highly regarded here on the 'fire. For some reason I rarely come across anyone using one in my area. Also very few in the used racks of local gun shops. Rem 700s, Rugers, Savages, and Brownings are just more popular in my area.

Go handle them both and pick the one that feels right. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

We used to have several tikkas, smooth action and they all shot well, but then I got into pre 64 M70's and thats all we have now days. Seems the model 70 set the standard that everybody wants to compare themselves to.
Here's a target from my 60 year old plus, M70 06 fwt. 2 shots to adjust for right to left, then I dialed in for verticle and fire 3 shots...yes winchesters can shoot.

Its not because a M70 can't shoot. It's because no one wants to look at a tikka.

That's funny, with a little truth thrown in!

My brother shoots a Tikka T3 Stainless lite in .308. It is a nice rifle that shoots most loads at or under an inch. I have the Model 70 Ultimate Shadow stainless, also in .308. While my rifle does not like every load like my brother's Tikka, I have zero complaints about accuracy. My hand loads will print under an inch. Surprisingly, my best 100 yard group was shot last week with left over factory ammo (see photos). Bottom line, get what feels good to you. Either rifle will serve you well.

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It' like comparing lead to gold IMO. Tikkas aren't even in the same league as the Winchester... Model 70 hands down !, you wont regret it.

I always laugh a little at the comments about Tikka rifles being built to a price point. Winchester does the same thing. They all aren't Super Grades with exhibition wood, are they? Winchester has had it's share of economizing (i.e. Rangers), so have their competitors.

I'm not knocking Winchesters, but in my experience Tikkas will shoot the pants off of them out of the box. I won a MODEL 70 last year at a gun bash in 30-06 beautiful rifle no doubt, but it sleeps in somebody else's safe. My buddy and I both couldn't get it to shoot as well or even close to how these Tikkas shoot out of the box. I hunt through all kinds of nasty thick [bleep] at times, taking turns putting small and big drives on; up and down up and down MT's and hollows in PA. Now I know it's not like MTS out west, but you go up and down a few Mt's here in PA around the 3000+/- FT mark with snow covered logs and rocks your bound to take a spill or two, I have and when I pick my nasty looking, stainless, tupperware Tikka 7mm-08 back up from the mud or snow, I don't fill to bad. Just me, I'm not the type that's spends time waxing(more ways than one) over his rifle, I'd rather be out chasing animals and not worrying about the latest scratch, ding or dent in my AA or AAA walnut stock. I'm not a "Look at the wood on this rifle kind of guy" to my buddies. I usually hunt with my father-in-law and two other guys sometimes and we're just meat and potato's kind of guys....... Different strokes for different fokes. If you want a beautiful rifle get the Winchester with CRF for when the deer start biting back and show her off. If you want a accurate tool for the job to use--get the Tikka. They fit me perfectly and the point ability is perfect for me for shooting freehand in the woods.

What part of Pa do you hunt?

Of course they or both built to a price point...or for a given market. But they are not produced for the SAME market (or price point, if you will).

Model 70 for me. I do not have any real experience with the tikka's but the ones I have handled have too much plastic/synthetic on them for that price point imho. If the tikka was substantially cheaper then it might be a different story.