looking to purchase a .308 and trying to decide between these 2. anyone have experience with both and what is ur preference?

Tikkas are mighty slick

Let me think on that one....back later today.......

Tikka.

looking hard at the tikka hunter love that walnut stock

Is this a serious question?

yep

Tikka's feel cheap and awkward to me, like a kid's toy. They feel like they're made of plastic, and cheap plastic at that. The bolts feel flimsy too. That said, in my very limited experience actually shooting them, they are very accurate.

I don't think I have ever done more then hold an A-bolt up, so I will withhold judgment. They feel more solid but that's about all I can say about them.

Tikkas only feel like a toy because they are so light. I have one Tikka, but another one on order. They are a super accurate rifle, and companies are taking note because there are a lot of aftermarket goodies hitting the market for them now.

I just bought a stainless T3 in 243. It has the best trigger of any factory rifle I've ever shot. Working up a TTSX load for it and as smooth as it is I am tempted to get an 06 or maybe one of those 9.3x62's

Let me put it this way - I'm no huge fan of the Tikka, though they do shoot well. But I would quit rifle hunting forever if my only choice in a rifle was a Browning A-Bort.

To each his own, but owning this Tikka really has made me contemplate selling off my other guns. I have no time for heavy finicky rifles.

You can do alot worse than a T3, Sako barrel and all, but I owned an Abolt and shot others, they tend to shoot tight groups, and the new Vanguard S2 rates a look in my book. Handle rifles of interest and see what fits best. A Ruger 77 Stock in my hands is about perfect. Pros and Cons to many of the choices, most shoot better than we can when not on a bench or similar rest.

ive shot a remington 700 .270 and thats all ive really used for hunting so i hbent handled many different kinds of rifles. may hold off on the a bolt and do some more looking around

Take the Tikka and run.

A-Bolt, I hear the Tikkas shoot but they feel cheap, nothing like a Sako. My A-Bolts shoot and have never let me down.

Tikka every day of the week. I don't think mine feels cheap at all. Love how light it is and love how it shoots.

People mistake lightweight for feeling "cheap." Not sure it gets any smoother than a Tikka action.

Go shoulder both of them. The choice will be obvious to you.

I would buy the one you can get the best deal on.

shouldered the browning. felt solid. theydidnt have a tikka hunter. was gonna rush my decision and grab the browning but after reading some of these responses im gonna wait it out and look at the tikka

I have a Browning A-bolt White Gold Medallion 270 that is the most beautiful gun I own, absolutely stunning wood. It will touch 3 shots at 100 if I do my part, but it was professionally bedded, free floated, and trigger worked before I bought it. It gets used on blue sky days in a shooting house, it's not a woods gun!

I have 2 Tikkas, 22-250 Superlight and 25-06 T3 Lite. Haven't shot the 25-06 yet but my 22-250 went under 1/2 inch with only handload I've tried. Both have fantastic triggers and I love the light weight and slick bolt.

My hunting partner has several A-bolts in blued/synthetic Stalkers. He loves them and they are good, accurate rifles but I prefer my Tikkas for an all-around hunting rifle.

Based on looks,fit and finish alone Browning all the way!
Tikkas definitely shoot but they still feel cheap!
That checkering on the hunter is hideous, real euro-trash styling.

just handled a tikkA to me its a toss up as to which is lighter. didnt care for the plastic magazine on the tikka tho

+1. Don't listen to the "racist" Abolt haters. My abolt II '06 is one of the most accurate rifes I have owned.

the a bolt definitely felt a little better in my hands

Sounds like a done deal. Don't forget the range report.

Friends don't let friends drive A-Bolts....

For all of the Browning hate, I don't read about many specific, first-hand accounts of problems. I really like my A-Bolts for their accuracy and design (bolt lift, tang safety, palm swell). They have never let me down, either.

I don't have any first-hand experience with a Tikka, so I can't compare the two.

This spring I mail ordered a Tikka T3 Hunter in 6.5x55 and a few weeks ago it arrived. All smiles here. It's only my second centerfire rifle, so I can't be much help to the OP's question about the A-Bolt. But I can say that it feels great to me, not cheap, and I can't wait to take it into the field.

There's a guy on this site named Steelhead, he once posted a picture showing what a tikka is really good for. Maybe he'll see this tread and post it again

what was the photo?

That's what I thought!!!! Who the heck would buy a Browning when you coulda had a tikka. I don't have a tikka yet but I'll be adding a 6.5 x 55 to my arsenal very soon.

Shod

well. like i said ive shoty remington for 15 yrs. mever really looked at another rifle. always thought brownings were suposed to be great rifles. i handled both rifles today and unless the tikka shoots better i liked the browning. will look into it more before buying tho

Still waiting to see what you prefer. Savage probably

I have three Tikkas and one Browning......... 'Nuff said. I like the Browning lots, and it's a great shooter, but the Tikkas just keep me smiling. My favourite is the T3 in 6.5 Swede -- astounding!

I love all these guys bragging about how light a Tikka is.........They are comparing the synthetic stock to other guns' high quality wood furniture and obviously never look at the Brownings. The A-Bolt is no slouch in the lightweight smooth bolt throw dept either, with a 60� throw to the Tikka's 70�. I'll have to admit, these two are very similar in that regard. Compare apples to apples.

A-bolt Hunter wood stock .308 22" bbl--6lb 8oz
Tikka T3 Hunter .308 22 7/16" bbl--6lb 13oz

A-Bolt Composite--6lb 4oz
T3 Light--6lb 3oz

My first gun was a A bolt 300 ultra and it felt great but would not shoot until I did a little work. I've owned 3 tikka and no work needed they shoot better then any gun I've had. Browning barrels are slow and I loved my 300 but I could not find any gunsmith that would change out the barrel for me. All my guns now are sako but tikka are the best bang for your buck out there.

x2. Lots of subjective opinions, but no objective facts. All my A-Bolts and my one X-Bolt flat out shoot. I'm a huge fan of the tang saftey and 60 degree bolt lift. I've never shot a Tikka, so I can't help you much there.

Shoulder both to get the feel and let that drive your decision.

I own a Tikka T-3 Hunter in 6.5x55mm that I've had since 2004 and it is has become one of my favorite hunting rifles.
I bought the Tikka as I had given up on finding a Sako in 6.5x55.

It is silly accurate, one of the least finicky rifles I've ever owned.

I do recommend Tikka's to family and friends and they all have had great results in 223, 25-06, 6.5x55, 270, 270 WSM, 308 and 30-06.

I've used a few A-Bolts, and even owned a BBR a long time ago; just not my cup of tea.

Either one will probably meet your needs.

Handle them both, shoulder them, you'll know which one fits you best.

Both my A-Bolts shot like schitt.... one a .270, the other a stainless/synthetic .25-06. My main beef with Browning is stock ergonomics... they seem to magnify recoil. That .25 was an angry little wench when you touched it off... but it did routinely put everything I loaded for it in nice 2" groups.... lose/lose if you ask me.

Tikkas are pretty good for these......

A number of hunters who have both browning and tikka have posted on this thread and therefore I believe it would be reasonable to conclude these hunters would certainly have the most experience in first hand comparison of these two rifles in real life field conditions. In every case of dual ownership that has been noted the tikka came out on top!

There also seems to be quit a number of Browning owners who are claiming to have never owned a tikka or have had the opportunity to compare to two in real life hunting situations. Some of these hunters feel that Browning should come out on top.

Take it for what it's worth!

This information is not intended to bash Browning in any way however the information is intended to point out the facts of this thread and further more I have noticed in almost every case of dual ownership experience the tikka is the winner almost everytime with very few exceptions.

Shod

Nah,not the picture I was thinking of.

Let me be one of the owners of both rifles then to take the Abolt over the Tikka.

You might would say I'm prejudiced in favor of the Abolts because of my forum name. That would not be the case. I've had Abolts for over 20 years. I bought my first Tikka 8 years ago. I've got Abolt hunter models in .308 and 30-06 and Tikka T3 stainless lite models in the same calibers. My T3s are accurate and fit me very well. I would not get rid of them. However, my Abolts are more accurate, fit better, feel better and to me look nicer. Thankfully I don't have to pick one brand over the other but if I did the Abolt would be the one I chose. I also have a T3 hunter in 6.5x55. Will not be parting with it either but seriously considered buying the limited model Abolt 6.5x55 to go with it.

Killindeer,

As far as I'm concerned there is no loser in choosing either model. It simply comes down to you handling both and picking the one that has the features you prefer and feels the best to you. Accuracy and dependability would be pretty much equal to me.

A-Bolt makes it easy to get your name engraved on the bolt.... I'd go with it based on that alone.

I own Sakos, brownings, remingtons, try the vanguard "S2" I have now bought 4 of them and place them ahead of my brownings just behind my sakos. My grandson has a Tikka T3 lite and it is very accurate ! My son likes it better than his browning stainless stalker! Try the Vanguard S2 very impressive !!

i've already went down this road. i bought my first tikka in January of this year. since then i have sold every browning, savage and all but 2 of my remington's (which were my dad's) and i now have 5 tikkas. i have 243, 25-06, 270, 338 federal and a 300 win mag and couldnt be happier. they're light, have awesome triggers, smooth actions and will just plain shoot! i have heard people say they feel "cheap" i personally dont think so. the design is to keep them light weight plus i personally like the way they look/feel.

tikka it is then. i found a used .243 at a good deal i may buy. realy lookin for a 308 but wanting a 243 as well

Go with the Tikka for sure. Tikkas have been shooters going back to the Ithaca LSA days. They usually shoot without any tuning or tricks required.

any suggestions as to where to get a good deal online? i checked buds but theyre out of stock at the moment

Hello,


Check with Alex at Euro Optics. They have the T3 Hunter in .308 for $650. Just about everyone is out of stock as the wholesalers don't place their orders until late August through Beretta USA. I had spoke with Alex a few weeks ago about a T3 Hunter (in 6.5x55, also $650), and he stated that he will receive his Tikka order late August/early Sept.


Once the dealers are stocked, you should see a few on GB.

Good choice on the Tikka, those Sako barrels shoot well!

SD

i noticed he had the t3 hunter. not sure i want the walnut stock. lookin for a stainless synthetic but the walnut stock does look nice

I bought my last Tikka from Impactguns.com in UT. I have a 6.5x55 hunter on order with Eurooptics though. I wanted another 6.5x55 stainless, but they are a ghost in the USA.

I bought a 6.5x55 T3 Hunter from Eurooptic this spring. It was the only place I could find them. I had never worked with Eurooptic before, but they turned out to be great. I would happily buy from them again or recommend them to a friend. I ordered and placed a deposit in April and made final payment and received shipment (to my local shop) in June, much quicker than I expected.

Tika hands down , mine is extremely accurate in 308 win

I've owned both, the browning hit the bricks, Tikka will do you a fine job. jeff~

May I ask what led to that decision? Seems like you preferred the feel of the Browning in your hands, so I'm a bit curious what brought you around to the Tikka. Both are fine rifles, so I'm not knocking the choice.