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I need a recommendation for a better 308.

Well... good news and bad news. Good news is that my wife and I had a really great talk about family finances and goals for the year. Bad news is that my budget for this project just got cut to $1,000 or less. I've got the scope and rings sitting on the bench so the last thing needed is the rifle. Honestly, for what I'm looking for I think I can still get it done, but it's going to take some time at the reloading bench and fine tuning. This is going to be a secondary rifle so it makes sense to save some $$.

With a 1K budget I'm looking at these:

Tikka T3X CTR (would just have to use their factory mags for competitions)
Bergara HMR (seem like it'd work out of the box)
Rem 700 SPS Tactical (would have to add a magpul stock for cheap way to get detachable mags)
Savage 110 tactical 20" (fits the specs, but does it shoot?)
Savage Magpul Hunter 18" (not much more $$ than the 110 tactical and the stock is probably better, maybe?)

With some of those it's flirting right at the line of being in the $1k budget, keeping in mind the little extras like a 20 MOA rail and mags. Any suggestions? I've never owned a TIkka, or a Bergara but have shot both. I've owned both a Rem 700 and Savage.

Go with the Tikka T3X CTR and run it as it comes, maybe buy one extra magazine and if you want, the grip angle change part, a yodave spring, possibly a muzzle brake, and then have fun.

Later on if you want to put it in a different stock you can do so easily.
 
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The real answer is "what's available?"
A Howa or Tikka will serve you well, the Tikka is a bit more refined.
Howa rifles are pretty much unobtanium in .308, though 6.5 rifles are making it to market.

Heavy barrel Tikka's may be hard to find as well.
 
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The real answer is "what's available?"
A Howa or Tikka will serve you well, the Tikka is a bit more refined.
Howa rifles are pretty much unobtanium in .308, though 6.5 rifles are making it to market.

Heavy barrel Tikka's may be hard to find as well.
I have had a hard time finding a CTR in 308 in stock anywhere, but I just need to find one.
 
Forgive the rookie questions on tikka, but is there much difference between their regular model vs their stainless model? Looks aside is one going to be any better than the other? I shoot in the rain and snow, so the stainless has an appeal to me, but if the other style "might" shoot better then that's the way I'd prefer to go.
 
Forgive the rookie questions on tikka, but is there much difference between their regular model vs their stainless model? Looks aside is one going to be any better than the other? I shoot in the rain and snow, so the stainless has an appeal to me, but if the other style "might" shoot better then that's the way I'd prefer to go.
do you like the look of black or stainless?
 
do you like the look of black or stainless?
I could care less on the looks. Most rifles I love and commit to I end up giving a krylon rattle can paint job to. My guns don't get treated like range queens at all. I guarantee it'll see rain and snow, and likely get banged around on barricades at matches.

Looking for a spare magazine for a T3X is tough right now. I've found one ten round mag for nearly $80. Makes me really want to looking into stock & chassis options that take AICS pattern mags to quicker down the road.
 
I could care less on the looks. Most rifles I love and commit to I end up giving a krylon rattle can paint job to. My guns don't get treated like range queens at all. I guarantee it'll see rain and snow, and likely get banged around on barricades at matches.

Looking for a spare magazine for a T3X is tough right now. I've found one ten round mag for nearly $80. Makes me really want to looking into stock & chassis options that take AICS pattern mags to quicker down the road.

Spare magazines for the T3X are not super cheap but they are readily available:

Again, how many do you actually need for getting started?
It comes with 1, get 1 spare and enjoy then if you decide to stick with that chassis, get more, if not sell them and the chassis when you swap.

The T3X magazines are shorter than the AICS pattern single stack 10 round magazines so that may or may not be something that interests you.
 
Forgive the rookie questions on tikka, but is there much difference between their regular model vs their stainless model? Looks aside is one going to be any better than the other? I shoot in the rain and snow, so the stainless has an appeal to me, but if the other style "might" shoot better then that's the way I'd prefer to go.
I don't think the metallurgy in the stainless receivers are any different than the blued/coated versions I think it's more appearance preference and all-weather exposure.
 
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Spare magazines for the T3X are not super cheap but they are readily available:

Again, how many do you actually need for getting started?
It comes with 1, get 1 spare and enjoy then if you decide to stick with that chassis, get more, if not sell them and the chassis when you swap.

The T3X magazines are shorter than the AICS pattern single stack 10 round magazines so that may or may not be something that interests you.
I just have a mental hang up about any gun that takes a magazine thinking I should have plenty of them and they should all be loaded. The shorter length of the tikka mags is a plus in my book though.
 
All,
Thank you for putting up with all my questions and being patient. I had given up on the daniel defense as the deals I was looking at went away. I bought a CTR in 308, and when it arrives I'll give it a good home. So long as the thing shoots well, I'll be happy. For now, I'm just going to have to live with having one 10rd magazine.
 
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At the Buffalo Bill's Revenge NRL Hunter match last weekend in Laramie there were a lot of Sig Cross rifles. I think they solve the requirements pretty well for the OP, and they now have my interest piqued. I am going to try shooting one in a factory .308 config to see how it shoots. From a weight standpoint they are a light weight factory rifle with a lot of features I look for in a precision build, so it checks a lot of boxes for me if it shoots.


We carry them in the shop, and a friend of mine shoots one in 6.5 which seemed to like pretty much any of the ammo he could find. I haven't shot the .308 version, but have one inbound so I can try it.
 
At the Buffalo Bill's Revenge NRL Hunter match last weekend in Laramie there were a lot of Sig Cross rifles. I think they solve the requirements pretty well for the OP, and they now have my interest piqued. I am going to try shooting one in a factory .308 config to see how it shoots. From a weight standpoint they are a light weight factory rifle with a lot of features I look for in a precision build, so it checks a lot of boxes for me if it shoots.


We carry them in the shop, and a friend of mine shoots one in 6.5 which seemed to like pretty much any of the ammo he could find. I haven't shot the .308 version, but have one inbound so I can try it.

I actually worked the action on a cross in 6.5 today over lunch. I like the rifle for all the reasons you mentioned. I'd love to go hunting or do a mammoth with a rifle that light that folds up so well, but the action I worked today was rough and nasty. Youtuber "backfire" has posted a couple videos on the sig cross with glowing reviews on it's accuracy.

Ultimately, I just figured I kept hearing such good things about CTR's shooting well that for a do all 308 this would be a good fit. Honestly would have preferred to have tried out the Daniel Defense delta 5 at a similar price point, but that day came and went. The CTR will work for everything I've got to do with a 308 and it's right at 8# so that's in the reasonable range for what I want to do with it. Only thing/accessory I think I'll need right away is a 20 MOA base. Any suggestions for a good one there would be appreciated.

I've got a Vortex gen1 PST 6-24x sitting on the reloading bench just waiting for its new home.
 
This appears to be the only steel 20MOA base out there that I'm aware of for the Tikka T3x short action. Thoughts?

 
Rusty guns suck, if you get rain where you live I would get a stainless rifle. All tikka’s shoot well.

Tikka mags are great for hunting, they’re smooth plastic and semi-flush. If you’re doing a lot of bench work you might want a different bottom metal that takes AICS magazines, in which case the cutout on a CTR stock will take new bottom metal but I think the cutout on a regular Lite stock won’t.
 
This appears to be the only steel 20MOA base out there that I'm aware of for the Tikka T3x short action. Thoughts?

Why do you want steel? The Area 419 base is a great option. Regardless of what you go with, get one with a recoil lug.
 
I've always liked keeping materials about the same if possible. Steel receiver, steel base, steel rings and done. Maybe I'm old school on that and by looking at what's available out there for the T3X rifles apparently I am, lol. You lost me on the recoil lug and scope base.
 
I've always liked keeping materials about the same if possible. Steel receiver, steel base, steel rings and done. Maybe I'm old school on that and by looking at what's available out there for the T3X rifles apparently I am, lol. You lost me on the recoil lug and scope base.

There is a recess in the top of the receiver where a recoil lug will fit. The better Tikka bases have one and if it fits tight, I run with it. If it doesn't, I bed it.
 
^that. I don’t by any means think a recoil lug is necessary on something like .308, but there’s no reason not to use one when it’s cheap insurance.
 
Well, I ordered the one from Area 419. I think I should be good? Maybe? LOL, It's really weird for me to get my first Tikka when I'm so used to Remington, Ruger, or Savage guns over the year. This learning curve will be good for me.
 
My only gripe with Tikka is the mags. My cousin has a t3 compact tactical and it's a nice shooting rifle, but I like having a lot of mags for anything I own and I've already got plenty of the magpul & AI mags laying around. I realize I could get a compact tactical and throw it in a chasis, but I don't even know where to start on that. I would probably lean towards some sort of folding MDT chasis, but no clue which one. Then I honestly don't know if it's just a simple matter of unbolting the factory stock and bolting on the chasis to spec and everything works or if there's more to it.
You could put it in a chassis or a traditional stock and use AI mags. I have both, both work well. You'll like the Tikka, action is far smoother that the others you listed. Trigger is good for a factory trigger, change a spring and it can be under 16 oz. Want to change the barrel just get a vice, a wrench, and a shouldered prefit barrel.
 
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I've always liked keeping materials about the same if possible. Steel receiver, steel base, steel rings and done. Maybe I'm old school on that and by looking at what's available out there for the T3X rifles apparently I am, lol. You lost me on the recoil lug and scope base.
I have heard this as well way back in the day - but the issue is really that there is no way to keep the materials the same.

Receivers = Steel, Titanium
Rings = Steel, Aluminum
Bases = Steel, Aluminum
Scopes = Aluminum

Somewhere along the chain there are going to be dissimilar metals, and over the years shooting aluminum rings and aluminum bases, I have yet to have problems that I can chalk up to a problem induced from using different metals.
 
Great choice with the CTR. Id throw that thing in a KRG bravo and run AICS mags. It’s not a folding stock but it’s a sub 3 pound chassis/stock that is a lot of bang for the $$$.
 
So I've got my CTR in front of me. I've got all the screws loosened up, and the scope base seems to be glued on. I actually got out the manual for the first time in my life and it says to have it removed by a gunsmith. Blah, how do I pop the factory one off so I can put the Area 419 20 MOA on.
 
So I've got my CTR in front of me. I've got all the screws loosened up, and the scope base seems to be glued on. I actually got out the manual for the first time in my life and it says to have it removed by a gunsmith. Blah, how do I pop the factory one off so I can put the Area 419 20 MOA on.
Set a clothes iron on it for a few minutes to heat the glue and help it release and then whack it with a mallet to pop it off
 
GA Precision
 
I'm looking for a good, solid 308 I can count on and I just don't know everything available in the market today. I want something heavy enough that it shoots well, light enough I can use it at a rucking event like mammoth, but accurate enough I'm doing more than just blowing through ammo at distance.

I recently sold a Rem 700 308 with a 22" 5R barrel in a magpul hunter stock. It was a good gun for anything "most" people would ever use a 308 for. My biggest gripe was that I never got the rifle much better than a 3/4" group at 100 yards. I'm not a hardcore competitor, but I like to be in the ballpark of competitiveness. My reasons for wanting a 308 really fall into two catagories. 1.) I want a quality do all rifle in 308 just because while there's certainly better options, it's not going anywhere. 2.) When I shoot a team match, usually whoever I go with has 1 rifle and if it's not in 308 then I have to fill in that gap. I'm not an ultra serious PRS guy who pulls a little cart behind me at competitions with every gizmo made for the sport. I like to do a couple of guardian matches a year and hopefully some physically demanding event like a mammoth or hunt where that rifle is going to get packed over distance and used roughly.

Here's the thing, and I'm being honest when I say this, I really don't have many preferences at all when it comes to the guns. I don't really care if it's a chasis or a stock so long as it shoots. I love the idea of a folding stock for the ease of getting in and out of vehicles or around obstacles at a competition. My biggest criteria is I want the thing hovering around a 1/2" or better, magazine fed, and under 10#.

Some of the rifles that have caught my eye are the Sig Cross, because of the compactness and lightweight, but I have yet to read of any of them having impressive accuracy so that seems to be out of the question. I ran into a team at 2022 Mammoth that were both running the daniel defense delta 5's and they seemed to love those guns. The regular model (not the pro) comes in at 9# with a 20" barrel and seems like it'd be a great fit but I'm struggling to find decent reviews on the actual accuracy of that model. Another option that crossed my mind was a GA Precision gladius. I've got a GA Precision crusader in 6.5 that's my go to rifle, but it's nearly 17# with scope & bipod. If they built a 308 that was just as accurate and much lighter then that'd be on my list of rifles to consider too.

As you can tell, I just want a 308 that shoots well and can be used in the field. I just get overwhelmed with all the options out there and it changes every year. This has been on my mind for a while and I wanted to wait until after Shot Show so all the options would be on the table. I'd appreciate any suggestions, thanks.
Its now a year later (January 2023). Have you looked at the small frame Ruger 308? Smaller, lighterweight, and (I think) has a folding stock.) I'm moving out of my precision rifles as I just don't have a good range for them anymore.
 
This one….

image.jpg


image.jpg
 
5 digit Remington 700 from the PX

Cheap stock off Ebay

Bartlein with some left hand gain twist 9.5:1 - 8.75:1

LRI DBM

LRI clip slot/rail install

Badger rail and rings

German baseball bat

Badger bipod rail

Witchita swivels

TIS sling

And Love…..

7B7BB87C-F242-4AC4-8D31-3D20063941B3.jpeg
 
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Awesome that this topic got brought back to life. Since I'd originally posted I've bought a Tikka T3X CTR in 308 that is showing great potential. I'm waiting to see if anything new and exciting gets released at Shot Show in the next week, and then more than likely I'll put the rifle in a KRG Bravo then start working up a load with it. I don't have a lot of rounds through my CTR, but from what I've seen with the addition of an EC Tuner brake and some handloads I think it'll be good for a backup rifle or for a team match when someone has to run a 308.
 
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Awesome that this topic got brought back to life. Since I'd originally posted I've bought a Tikka T3X CTR in 308 that is showing great potential. I'm waiting to see if anything new and exciting gets released at Shot Show in the next week, and then more than likely I'll put the rifle in a KRG Bravo then start working up a load with it. I don't have a lot of rounds through my CTR, but from what I've seen with the addition of an EC Tuner brake and some handloads I think it'll be good for a backup rifle or for a team match when someone has to run a 308.
Throw it in a Bravo and get yourself a TBAC or DeadAir and call it a day.
 
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