How does the Tikka T3 Lite handle recoil? We all know that stock design and factory pads can make a difference in felt/perceived recoil.

Shooting the same ammunition in a T3 lite and Rem 700 SPS do you think that one is better than the other for recoil? Any improvements you've made to lessen that recoil? Better pads?

Reason is that my father currently shoots a 300 Weatherby for deer and elk, he's 65+ in age and I think the recoil is getting to him and making him shoot worse. I'd like to buy him a Tikka T3 SS/Syn Lite rifle in 270wsm. Based on the recoil charts it appears the 270wsm has 30%+ less recoil than the 300 wby with 180's. Just want to make sure that the charts aren't lying to me.

I'd even be willing to get a Manners EH stock if that helped, but would like to save the money if it shoots just fine as is.

I added a limbsaver pad to my 30-06 before I ever shot it. Dont notice recoil being particularly bad on mine.

A limbsaver pad will definitely make it a nicer to shoot rifle.

My 6.5 Swede is a honey to shoot, but it doesn't recoil like a magnum --- it just kills like one. Those long bullets just keep plunging through animals.

Well if I could find a RH and LH 6.5 in SS/Syn I'd be happy to go that route! lol However, even the RH ones are rare and command a silly premium, so 270 wsm will likely get the call.

Figure 140 VLD Hunters will lower the recoil and still have plenty of oomph for deer and elk at 300-400+.

I never had an issue with any of them

A friend has a T3 lite in 270wsm and he usually wears a past recoil pad when shooting his, says it hits him worse than his 835 with 3.5" shells.


I've never shot it just passing along what he has said.

I just picked up a stainless 270wsm put a limbsaver on it and waiting for some ammo to show up to shoot it. I'll let you know what it feels like. My 300win mag with limbsaver isn't bad (I don't think anyhow)

Used to own a 3006. Before the limbsaver recoil was stout. After, it was more like a 243. A remarkable difference.

Personally I like the factory stocks just fine and wouldn't change it. But B&C makes an aftermarket stock that is a bit heavier and comes with a better pad on it. For a little over $200 an option to consider.

I prefer to have the stock cut and a Decelerator pad installed.....just adding the Limbsaver makes the rifle uncomfortably too long for my frame.
A 338 Win Mag or a 300 WSM....will get your attention in the factory stock with the original pad.

I've got a T3 Lite Stainless in 260 and recoil isn't an issue. After shooting it the other day, I dragged out the grandson's lightweight Ruger 308 and shot it a few times. I clearly remember saying "ouch". My 270 Sako is pretty heavy and it doesn't hurt. My Dad's Ruger Ultralight in 270 will rattle your teeth with full power loads.

They are light, and recoil for myself is felt more than a heavier rifle. Mine is in 338 Federal and I have a Limbsaver on it. Don't feel the recoil hunting LOL, never do with any rifle, but off the bench..

I have T3 lite .338 win mag. I took the factory pad off and put a limbsaver pad on. It kicks a little but I don't think it is bad. I just like to carry a lite weight rifle. When shooting at animals, you will not notice the kick.

Have you considered using a lighter, premium bullet like a 130 gr. Barnes or GMX? That would cut the recoil considerably. I doubt you'll get much benefit from going to a slightly smaller cartridge in a light gun and a light .270WSM would likely be pretty lively and difficult to shoot well.

Be careful that you don't piss the old man off. Us geezers can get pretty cranky when people start telling us what we need!

limbsaver pad tamed my T3 that was rebored to 35 Whelen.

smithrjd - I have a T3 in 6.5 Swede and found the factory pad just plain hard. Changed it for a Pac Declerator and I'm happy.
Also have a Ruger M77 All Weather in .338 Federal. Despite its factory pad (NOT your typical Ruger 'brick') it handles recoil just fine. The Ruger synthetic stock feels a tad stiffer than the T's. Homesteader

Now you see, I find the factory pad on my T3 Swede to be just fine, and I don't really feel the recoil, but I do shoot a 405 Winchester and a couple of steamed up 45-70s, one with a case hardened butt "pad" AKA plate.

Compared to the 300, a 270 WSM has a lot less recoil and still performs well, but why a 270 WSM?

A 7-08 is plenty of power and more shoulder friendly without the extra blast...remember the Tikka is a 6# rifle. With discerning bullet choice, the 7-08 can deliver better performance at long range due to better bullet performance. Terminal effect is more than adequate, and end results are determined by bullet design, not by the chamber.

Or, you could just load up some good bullets in 30-06 level loads and tame the 300 down by quite a bit...feels more like it cuts recoil in half to me, and only costs about 50-100 yards in equivalent range... a 150 TTSX at 3200fps has a lot of zip and doesn't kick much.

I have a 300WM and a 338Fed T3. Both kick just like a light weight rifle with a $hitty recoil pad The 300 will get your attention quickly, but it's not too bad when testing small batches. It kicks a hell of alot more than my 700s, but there's a large weight difference.

I have two T-3 Lites - a .243 was my first and it shot so well that I had to get one in .300 Win. Shooting from a bench is not pleasant even with the Limbsaver I added. It just plain jumps since it is so light. As others have said, I don't notice it while hunting, but sighting in is a chore. Since I have a .300 Wthby and have shot larger rounds off a bench that don't bother me, I have to say the light weight of the rifle is a real factor for me.

Naturally, the factory pad is just fine with the .243.

Jason,
My thought would be for your grandfather, is to get a 270Win. or a .308Win..
Shoot 140's or 150's out of the 270 and 165's in the .308.
Someone above already nailed it - the Limbsaver, just screwed on adds at lease 1/4" to the LOP - ok if you have long arms. Cutting the stock and then installing it is much better.
But with the two I mentioned, no need more a new recoil pad.
You are lucky to have a grandfather that can go hunting.
Good luck

I have a Tikka lite in 7 rem mag with a limb saver pad shooting 160's and it is a dream to shoot off the bench, i have had 300's and definitely more jump and recoil, Take Bigwhoops advice, a 270 would be sweet that's for sure.

I owned one 270 WSM for awhile. It was Winchester 70 synthetic (Ultra Shadow I think). I didn't find it too much fun to shoot and sent it down the road. If I ever buy another .270 (because I have quite a supply of bullets on the shelf) I will try to find a standard .270 Win. with a 24 inch barrel. I know it would be pleasant to shoot and not give up too much to the magnum .270.

Jim

T3 in 3006 and put a limbsaver on it, no worries and an improvement. I also have a T3 in .223 and I put a limbsaver on it just because I want it to feel just the same as my 06, it has the same scope so I get a lot of practice with prairie dogs etc.

While I replaced the factory pad with a Limbsaver on the .300, I left the factory pad on the .243. I do have the same scope on both of them, though. I have enough different rifles that I have to adjust to each rifle anyway.

I think I'm going to do what every good gun nut would. This seems like a great excuse for me to buy myself the rifle in question, that way I can "test it" for him, if it's a go then I'll get him one too!

And Limbsavers for both for sure!

To calm recoil, pack a nice light rifle, and have something capable of putting an elk down in its tracks...

T3 is a really good choice. Nice and light, super accurate, does everything right. Then add a Limbsaver, helps lots.

As much as I'm a fan of the .270 WSM, why not a .270 Win? With premium 130 gr. bullets, it'll do it all quite nicely. 150s even better, although the lighter bullets generate less kick.

I'm comin' up 60 myself, and I freely admit that my .300 WM seems to get heavier and kick harder every year lately, dammit!

7mm-08 also a helluva good option.

Might add, my son-in-law shoots a Sako A7 in .270 WSM, much the equivalent of the T3. Even with a Limbsaver, still has some bite to it.

Just looked up a recoil calculator, got some specs from Hodgdson's web site, medium loads using IMR 4350 powder, estimated weight with scope and ammo...

.300 WBY - 180 gr. - 9.0 lb rifle = 22.9 lbs recoil

.270 WSM - 150 gr. - 7.5 lb rifle = 17.9 lbs recoil

.270 Win - 150 gr. - 7.5 lb rifle = 15.7 lbs recoil

.270 Win - 130 gr. - 7.5 lb rifle = 14.7 lbs recoil

You can achieve a pretty substantial reduction in recoil with a .270 Win in a T3, and still have a rifle totally up to the task of taking down any elk DRT.

Recoil:

300 WBY - 180gr - 36.2 ft lbs
270 WSM - 130gr - 22.6 ft lbs
270 WIN - 130gr - 19.1 ft lbs
7-08 - - - - 162gr - 17.0 ft lbs

How about on the other end?
Retained velocity/energy at 600 yds.

300 WBY - 180 AB - 2018 fps / 1623 ft lbs
270 WSM - 130 AB - 1952 fps / 1100 ft lbs
270 WIN - 130 AB - 1804 fps / 940 ft lbs
7-08 - - - - 162 Amax - 1882 fps / 1274 ft lbs

7-08 for the win...

A man with a Rockchucker is the master of his own universe!

Sir Springer, I'd be interested to see the 270wsm with 130's if you can.

TopCat, agreed, and I do handload ALOT.

So, here's what we're trying, 270WSM, 130 Berger Hunting Hybrids, .497 BC.... WooHoo. I can always download these or 140 Accubonds to 270 Win speeds as needed for recoil.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Jason

TopCat, I think your numbers are a little weak for the 270wsm.

Figuring the 130 Bergers, .497 BC, 3200 fps, I'm getting different results. Definitely more energy than the 7-08. 3200 fps seems to be easy to hit from what I've read.

Interested to hear more though.

J

I'd go 7mm Rem and load him up 160-168s at like 2850. 168 VLDs there will blow nice holes in schitt and would leave me feeling comfy in the wind.

No flies on a .277" 140 at 3100+, though...

Tanner

lol, not sure that'd achieve the recoil reduction I'm looking for.

Sure as hell a lot less than a 300 Bee, and not much more than a 130 pumping out at 3200fps (a whole 2 foot pounds to be exact).

Speed hurts the shoulder more than bullet weight IME...

Tanner

Jason...

Using 130 gr. in the .270 WSM comes up 17.4 lbs.

Lots of variables possible. Used average powder loads, not minimum or maximum, and estimated resulting velocity.

I shoot 130 gr. Barnes TSX in my .300 Win Mag. Very significant recoil reduction over usual 180s...but fast and flat! The one elk I've taken so far never knew what hit him.

IMHO, with bullet construction being what it is now, aside from hunting dangerous game, I personally see no need whatsoever for heavy for caliber bullets. Stick with quality bonded stuff like Fusion, or monolithics and the like, a 130 gr. from a .270 Win is absolutely enough gun for elk.

Here's a link to the calculator I used...

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

Interesting to play around with.

My numbers are for the 130 Accubond...actually they are numbers from JBM.

For the Berger using g7 at 600yds. (If I use G1 it's showing 75fps faster on paper.)

270 WSM - 130 Berger - 2036 fps / 1196 ft lbs
270 WSM - 140 AB - - - 1894 fps / 1115 ft lbs

Just for comparison, numbers for the 308:

308 WIN - 178 Amax - 1720 fps / 1170 ft lbs - 20.5 ft lbs recoil

The Weatherby is better at LR without trying too hard for the chest thumpers.

The 270 WSM is throttled down by weak bullet bc, but it'd be the sleeper in the bunch with a faster twist barrel and sleeker bullet designs.

I'd happily run either 270 with the 140 AB, or a GMX or Barnes if that was what I had. I'd feel good about any of the above really, including the 308...

At nearly identical ballistic performance levels, the 7-08 is still the reigning recoil loss-leader.

Shot placement trumps this entire ballistics discussion.

Thanks again for the time, guys. I know these responses require time and research.

That last line sums it up TopCat. I tell a lot of people that you poke a hole through both lungs of anything and it will die. Taking a little off the heart helps too

For the record, my wife hunts with a 7-08, killed a cow elk at about 340 with it this year. Two shots, it was dead after one and just didn't know it, but in thick stuff so I told her to hit her again. Nose dived with the second hit.

My dad is 75. He carries a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 7mm-08. 140 grain Accubond chrono'ed at 2843 ft/sec MV. It will kill whatever he shoots with it.

Limbsaver helps but recoil is light anyway.



P

my old rem700 bdl kicks way more then my tikka t3 lite ,both in 270win but the tikka weighs a lb. less

Have now or have had them in 6.5, '06, 7RM and 300WM. Replaced the pad with a Limbsaver on all but the 6.5. I did not find them to be any worse than other rifles around the same weight, but the factory pads do leave a lot to be desired.
Shot the 7RM a bit before I swapped the pad out. It was definitely snappy and from the prone it got a bit angry at times but the Limbsaver tames them down nicely I think.