If anyone is interested in empirical data to substantiate or form thier opinion on this subject, you can do a search for the testing process the Canadian Rangers used to select their current duty rifle.
The cliff notes version is that they put most currently available bolt actions through rigorous testing in harsh conditions to test for reliability and accuracy. Tens of thousands of rounds, worst conditions possible. The results might surprise some.
Interesting!
That's mostly a non-argument. No mention is made of what rifles the Tikka was tested against, and I'm doubtful they tested against the older M70 w/ crf and open trigger design. And I also doubt they tested the even simpler and more rugged Ruger 77 MKII/Hawkeye. I'd take either of those over a Tikka with its removeable magazine in cold, snowy conditions. I'd bet a removable magazine was part of the military's criteria. And of course, military weapon choices are notoriously political.
I have nothing against the T3, and in fact when a guy (or gal) new to Montana asks me what rifle to buy for elk hunting I tell them to get a Tikka T3 in 270 Win. Mount a Burris 3-9 with dots on top in Talley Lwt rings, add a Butler Creek Mountain Sling and you're off to the races.
But for me I throw up a bit in my mouth around the Tikka. For a lightweight I'd always rather pack a Kimber MT, and for a midweight I'd rather use an M70.
But the Tikka does it all right off the shelf with no dicking around...
