• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

  • Site updates coming next Wednesday at 8am CT!

    The site will be down for routine maintenance on Wednesday 6/5 starting at 8am CT. If you have any questions, please PM alexj-12!

Hunting rifle choices (Whitetail)

...Tikka's make excellent builder's rifles.

The reason many gunsmiths won't touch them is:
1) They can't make much money off them because they don't need anything.
2) They just don't "know" about them and assume they are some funky Euro crap.

...
Mostly, people want a different stock - and that is easy to arrange.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stooxie
The Bergara b-14 hunter’s look pretty nice.

I’m debating one of those or finally getting a 10/22 for my dead air 22 suppressor.

I shot 2 does and 4 hogs last week with my fn made m70 super grade. My tikka has a smoother action but who cares if you are hunting. The m70 crushed the pigs but so did my 7mm-08 a bolt :/

Tikka, browning, new m70, and I’m sure Bergara can’t go wrong. 270, 30-06, 7mm-08,308, 6.5 Creedmoor in any of the above will do you good
 
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner
With the Tikka, you have lots of choices for good quality stocks and chassis. I am sure I will miss a few, so please add to the list. It all depends on how much you want to spend $$$.

1. German Gun stock
2. Manners
3. McMillan
4. Boyds
5. Grayboe
5. MDT
6. GRS
7. KRG
8. MPA
9. XLR
10. PSE Composites
11. AG Composites
12. Stocky's
13. Cadex
14. J Allen
 
I have a browning x bolt stalker long range I’m 300win mag with Hornady precision hunter 200grains eldx it’s shooting just under 1/2moa at 100 yards, sold the hells canyon I had it would not shoot better than 1 1/2 moa
 
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner
Very much agree with this. Here's a cool little tidbit: If you buy a Tikka T3x compact the barrel is actually a little heavier than the regular ones (only because they don't scale the contour). So a compact 308 barrel has a muzzle diameter of .650 rather than the usual .632 on the 22" barrels. Ends up being kind of a #3.5 contour. Perfect for threading if you want a suppressor.

Here's a recipe for success:

Buy a Tikka T3x Compact in whatever caliber suits you.
Buy $10 trigger upgrade spring if you want < 2ish pounds
Buy a GRS Berserk stock (you can get a CTR version if your caliber is 308 case based, or use the plastic)
Buy a set of Warne 1" or 30mm rings

There. Now you have a fully adjustable, guaranteed MOA (and with the stock, most likely 0.5 to 0.75 MOA), handy 20" rifle with a fantastic trigger. If you find some good deals (i.e. now) you're MAYBE at $1,250. If you buy a CTR inlet stock you'll need to buy someone's mag and bottom metal as well, so add another $100. I have both CTR and plastic in my GRS stocks. I don't mind the plastic setup/mags at all. They work perfectly and are light weight.

Down the line you can replace the barrel, hydro drip the stock, Cerakote the whole dang thing, flute the bolt, whatever.

What's not to love?

-Stooxie


So that would be also true for a 6.5 cm ? I just got one and I didn’t realize that. But didn’t have a full size one to compare anyway.
 
Any Tikka in particular? I’ve decided it will be more a shooting rifle and open field hunting, (then I’ll use my Remington 700 titanium for the hiking and shorter range hunting) I was looking at the Tikka CTR 24” SS in 6.5 Creedmoor and then I’d probably get a KRG whiskey stock but that’d Come little later. What do you guys think? Also any scope recommendations under $1000 for 800 yards and in
 
24" CTR would do the job well. I'll let others make the chassis and scope recommendations. I just bought a Meopta R2 that has some pretty mind blowing glass, but I'm guessing you want something more tactical. I only care about hunting scopes.

-Stooxie
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner
Tikka CTR is a solid choice and it can grow with you if you decide on further upgrades. Look at the Vortex PST Gen 2 and the Athlon Offerings, there some others out there I’m just not as familiar with them
 
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner
I’ve got a 24” ctr with athlon ares ETR. I might take it hunting this weekend but it’s more of a target/play gun right now. Scope is great but I’m not used to hunting with a 34mm, big turret scope.

I’ve got a manners eht on order and once that comes in I may swop out the scope for something lighter/ smaller (vx5hd 3-18 perhaps) and maybe cut the barrel to 20” and put my tbac cb7 on. Make it more of a hunting rifle that can go to 1k for fun when I want to
 
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner
My son had a 6.5 creedmoor long range rifle built and I was amazed at the ease of load development and factory ammo accuracy. Had parts laying around so bought a #4 contour barrel and had a 20 inch hunting rifle built. Jason Danley of Danley Precision built it and it is a very balanced and extremely accurate setup. 1/2 ma right out the gate with h4350 and 140 Berger's. First load tried. 41 grains . now to try it on a whitetail.
 

Attachments

  • 1214181039a.jpg
    1214181039a.jpg
    203.3 KB · Views: 35
  • 1214181040a.jpg
    1214181040a.jpg
    159.6 KB · Views: 31
It comes out to about same length with suppressor as a factory rifle without which makes it handy shooting out of a blind or stand. Plenty long to shoot steel at distance and hunt 300-400 yards
 
  • Like
Reactions: VAyoungGunner