Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum LH Tikka T3 .243 may be going cheap

It depends on how hot the auction heats up. but if anybody's looking for one, it was put up with a penny starting bid and is only up to $385 with 6 hours to go - free shipping on top of that.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=472146812

Wow...

Don't worry. It will finish out above retail.

8 bids and God knows how many watchers....it will hit $700 no problem. The 15 minute rule will probably add an hour or two as well

$410.00 with an hour and a half to go

Watch the fur fly soon

It better start flying soon. $455 and 22 minutes to go.

off to the races....501.00

Yep, starting to take off now.

This auction better end before Walking Dead comes on...

I played along for a while. Don't need one, after just buying an American .243 that shoots just as well as my Tikka 30-06. Anything under $650 is a really good price now days. That is about normal dealer cost through Davidson's.

WOW! Heck of a deal on that one

Sold for $561.01.

He sure did get a great deal! I'm thinking these must not be that popular, a local store has one marked down to $649 which I thought was a great buy and it's been sitting at that price for over a month now.

I looked long and hard at this one since I'm kinda sorta looking for a .243 but I'm like you in that I actually prefer the American. The stock feels better and while I suspect 10 Tikkas might aggregate a shade better than 10 Americans the difference wouldn't be all that much.

Gun sold for 560 dollars. Good buy for someone!

I'm not sure yet which one I prefer, of the two I have. There are a few minor advantages and disadvantages to each. Although I'm comparing a short action compact to a regular length barrel Tikka, so not really apples to apples. The Tikka 30-06 has served me very well, and I got my biggest buck so far with it.

Scope mounting- I do like the Tikka scope mounting. Some still prefer to use screw down bases or mounts on it, but not really necessary. Nothing wrong with the drilled receiver on the Ruger, but I don't see why they bothered supplying the Weaver bases with it. I used Warnes, and threw the Weavers in a part box.

Stock- Not sure, probably about equal. I don't mind the looks of either. The bugs in the first generation Rugers got worked out with the stiffer forend. However, they could do better than beadboard Styrofoam for buttstock filler. I changed it to great stuff expanding foam. The recoil pad is good on the Ruger. I changed the Tikka to a Limbsaver. I put the standard LOP stock on my compact Ruger, just cause I don't really care for a 12.5" LOP. That is another huge advantage. The Ruger factory will sell a stock for $50. The part price on a T3 stock is more than the Ruger price for the whole gun.

Metal finish (both stainless)- Pretty much equal. Slightly different, but both matte and certainly tough and functional.

Barrels- Right now I would say both are equal. Did a borescope on the Ruger the other day, and very smooth and well finished.

Accuracy- At 100 yards, essentially equal. The first time out with the Ruger, everything I fed it was making 2 touch at 100. That's more than I will require. The Tikka does the same.

Balance/overall feel- Again pretty well equal. Slightly different for each, but nothing major. Both feeds so smooth, it's almost instinct to check and see if a round actually fed.

I do like the option of the extended mag in the Tikka, and usually use it, but never really need it. I expect to see the option in the Ruger soon. Simple enough for them to do.

One huge advantage Ruger has is action length. Their short action is really a true short action. A .243 Tikka is a 30-06 with a bolt stop, and magazine filler. Not a major issue, but it adds unnecessary length to the bolt, mag, and overall length.

Price- Everything else being so close, Ruger blows Tikka out of the water here. No way would I pay $900 for a Tikka now, with another good option out there.

Ken - Thanks for your comparison! Sounds like adding another American rifle to my collection would be a great idea. Love my Tikkas - been wondering what brand 30-06 I should add, I know now!