Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako A7/Tikka T3

I am looking for an ugly all purpose deer sized rifle.

Looking very hard at the A7 and the Tikka T3.

My criteria are as follows

1-Must be capable of clean 2.5# trigger. If I need to replace the trigger, so be it. If either can be done in factory form, better yet.

2-Accurate out of the box(No time to mess with bedding, crowns, lapping bolts etc. I need turn key accuracy right now). Better than MOA is acceptable.

Other than the name on the stock, both of these rifles seem pretty similar in design and construction.

I have read a little about the A7, and they promise MOA with FIVE shot groups....which translates to 1/2"-3/4" with 3 shots.

I have heard nice things from Tikka owners, but want more info. Again, triggers and out of the box accuracy matter.

Is the Sake $350.00 better out of the box?

What say you?

Is the Sako worth 350 more? IMO no, it just looks like a Tikka with a different stock.

The trigger on the Tikka is fantastic and can be easily adjusted if you so desire. Buy the Tikka, throw on a set of Talley lightweights and use the 350 for good optics.

The Sako A7 has the Sako 75 action which is a more open action and thus easier to topload and a polycarbonate bolt shroud like a Tikka. Stock is very similiar and the magazine has metal feed lips versus plastic on the Tikka. I think the scope mounting system on the A7 could be better then the Tikka when more ringmakers design new bases for it. Is it worth the money? I can't honestly say that I own both a 75 and the T3 and I have not had the T3 for a few months.

Buy the T3 Tikka and spend the difference you saved over the A7 on upgrading your glass.

The Tikka will likely be a tackdriver out of the box and meet your other criteria as well.

I have not been fortunate to see an A7. However I know the Tikka quality, accuracy, and flawless feeding is a huge value at it's price.
What does the A7 give for the coin? I can think of nothing that I have heard about that matters?

Save the money buy a Tikka and upgrade to Limbsaver recoil pad and Warne mount/rings. Have enough change left over to go to the movies, get a hair cut, and take your wife to a first class dinner.

+1 on what Mackay said. I am a big sako fan, I have 4 model 75s, but having owned several tikka t-3's and have bought all 3 of my kids T3's I can't see a big difference worth jumping up to the A7, the t3s just plain shoot...and shoot well!

The magazine is more firmly held with the A7 (M85 release mechanism) and it can be top loaded. I'm not sure if the T3's can be top loaded or not, but my 595 cannot.

I have been a Sako man for over 20 years and have owned more than I can remember.... However, with that said I have recently bought my first T3 lite.... I was amazed... I am going to buy another one very soon as well... Now, I am not getting rid of the Sakos I own but I do honestly believe the T3 lite is by far the best value on the market right now.... I would follow Sagebrushes advice and buy the T3 and use the money you save to upgrade your glass...

I just purchased a new A7. I chose it because I think the trigger is a little lighter and crisper and I like the more open action on the A7. The Tikka has a very small opening......just preference I guess? I still say you can't go wrong either way!
And just like Sagebrush says....if you buy the Tikka you can put better glass on it.

I now own a T3, but have only handled the A7 in the store. I liked the A7, but did not see how they justified an extra $300 over a Tikka. Afterall, they both have Sako barrels, and have very similar stocks.

Yes..T3s can load through the port w/mag in place..yes...595s can also load through the port....no problem...

Hmmmm ... really? I didn't see how it was possible, but next time I have my 22-250 out I'll giv'er a whirl. Learn sumptin' new everyday.

It will work BTDT.

Well curiosity got the best of me so I had to try it tonite. I cannot stuff rounds into the magazine from the receiver. Trust me ... I really pushed on it pretty hard, I was really worried abut snapping off the magazine feed rails. I also took the magazine out of the rifle and tried to push'em straight down with no success.

Maybe its the rifle I have. Its a 595 Master Continental in .22-250. The rifle has a three-round single stack detachable magazine. Are some of the magazines double stack?

Am I missing the definition of top-feed? Yeah I load single rounds into the chamber via the receiver, but CANNOT stuff'em into the magazine.

Am I missing sumptin'?

I believe some people think you cannot single feed a round into the Tikka's, when sitting at the bench etc. Filling the mag is a different story. I remember reading people saying what a pain it was to drop the mag, load one, and shoot one at the bench. They didn't realize you can just drop one in on top of the mag, without it being in the mag. It works like any other pushfeed.

I am not sure why you would want to try and fill the mag while it is inserted into the gun? The military doesn't even do that since they quit using stripper clips.

Because the military people carry extra magazines to reload. Most big game hunters normally have a magazine full when hunting and it's much easier if you need 1 shot to finish whatever to drop it in the chamber or top off the magazine rather than to pull out the mag and load one cartridge and put it back in. Plus anything you take out has a chance to get lost, dropped or whatever else especially if your in say a tree or whatever at the time. Small possibility but it's there.

I agree you can load one in the chamber by pulling the bolt back partway and dropping the cartridge in. Loading the magazine from the top I couldn't pull off but apparently I'm an idiot when it comes to these.

Back onto topic...

I don't see who Sako is marketing this rifle to. If you want 80%-90% of a Sako at 60% of the price get a Tikka. If you want a full bown Sako get a Sako. I don't see the attraction of getting something similar to a Tikka for nearer Sako money and vice versa....having said that they'll probably sell faster than they can make them....

The thing I would worry about is if say you ever needed a new stock on an A7 what would you do unless you can find a take off factory one? But then again that's just about the only option for Tikkas as well so that could go either way.

I still don't understand your aversion to carrying an extra, loaded magazine in your pocket???

And, for the 500th time, you CAN load a shell into the chamber, through the port, even if the mag is in place.

That's EXACTLY WHAT I JUST SAID - read what I said - "I agree you can load one in the chamber by pulling the bolt back partway and dropping the cartridge in. Loading the magazine from the top I couldn't pull off."

But you can't top off the magazine while it's in the gun like nearly every other gun made in the world today...why Tikka has to be the only one - even the Sako's aren't like that.

I'm not talking rapid reload or shooting 20 times. I'm talking about just needing to top off. Say you shoot once and get an animal down and want to top off the rifle.

Ever drop a magazine from a tree 30 feet up reloading after a shot when you have 2 deer tags per day - every day? It sucks to climb down and try and find it.

I have an aversion to carrying extra crap period. Extra crap tends to get lost, rattle or whatever else. If you want to carry extra mags - great for you. I'm not really one to bicker on economics of rifles especially if you look at my gun safe - but 3 extra mags runs about 1/3 the price of the gun.

I don't have a problem with the function of the rifle. Just don't care for it.

BTW I see in the field every year hundreds if not thousands of hunters and very few - very few carry extra magazines for bolt action rifles. Very few.

Old habits die hard. I don't care for detachable magazine rifles. If you do great. The few I have I just keep them in 100% of the time so they don't get dropped or lost or dented or whatever else.

Just picked up the aversion in Africa where DM's are looked upon like death walked into camp.

Agree


Anyone that can hint they can load a tikka magazine from the loading port easily doesn't own a tikka. It is not something I would like to do if I had to reload fast. Just remove the magazine and replace with new fully loaded one. Now you can easily drop one in the Tikka port and cycle it for bench shooting. I know I can load my 75 effortlessly from the loading port without even looking. Not sure if the A7 is a single feed or not if single feed it might be able to be loaded from the top not sure of the effort involved though.




I can easily load rounds into the magazine on my 75 probably easier then any other bolt I have owned in fact From The TOP.





SInce they are using the 75 action I believe a Mcmillan could be rigged to fit it unless they changed the layout of the floorplate magazine system.




That is a concern of mine as well and I will probably get backup mags for Tikka and Sako rifles I own. I know of no one that has lost or dropped a magazine on a Sako 75.

So,

1-Buy the Tikka.

2-Buy an extra mag(Why did they not do a spring floorplate like every other rifle in the modern world?) for tactical reloads on charging prarie dogs.

Thanks for the help. I would have been at the range for hours trying to load that thing from the top before I figured out it didn't work.