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tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

skeetlee

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 13, 2008
1,564
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Central Illinois
I am thinking i need a fast twist 22cal and i was thinking that the Tikka T3 action would be a great action for such a rifle. Tikkas come with good triggers, smooth bolts and a detachable magazine. On the other hand i hear a lot of good things about Howa actions. The Howa would be a bit cheaper. I dont know anything about the triggers on the Howa, and i dont think they come with a mag, What do you fellas think would be best? The rifle will be used for general shooting and hunting. Lee
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

I dont know too much about the Howas... With that being said I think with Tikka you sort of limit your options iwth aftermarket, specially in stock selection. Why not get a Rem700 SPS DM then throw whatever barrel you want on it? Or if you are doing this on a budget find a Savage with a detachable mag and get a barrel, then you can save yourself all the gunsmithing costs, and the savage triggers are supposed to be pretty good to begin with.
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

Not really on a budget, i am just looking into something a bit different. I have rem 700's and i even have a spare action, I just dont want to have to true it up and drop all that cash into it for this project. I am just wanting another hunting type rifle. I thought the tikka offered a good value with the detachable mag and good trigger, along with one of the smoothest bolts i have ever felt. I just dont know if i can get away with not truing a tikka and still have a .5moa shooter?? The Howa gets good reviews and is a bit cheaper. Just doing a little research at this point. Hell, i may just buy an AR. I havent made up my mind yet. Lee
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: skeetlee</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am thinking i need a fast twist 22cal and i was thinking that the Tikka T3 action would be a great action for such a rifle. Tikkas come with good triggers, smooth bolts and a detachable magazine. On the other hand i hear a lot of good things about Howa actions. The Howa would be a bit cheaper. I dont know anything about the triggers on the Howa, and i dont think they come with a mag, What do you fellas think would be best? The rifle will be used for general shooting and hunting. Lee </div></div>

I have a Howa and have been very impressed with it. The trigger is easily user adjustable and mine is now a crisp 1 1/2lb..

While Tikka's are usually very accurate, as a stock rifle the thing I don't like is the amount of synthetic material used where there should be metal...mag, trigger guard and bolt shroud being the main parts.

If you search under "Howa" you will find recent comments by Peter Lincon, a gunsmith that builds a lot of customs on both Howa and Tikka actions..He advises that a heavy barrel Howa makes an excellent starting point, and with the addition of a good stock anda little gunsmithing skill, they usually come out very accurate indeed.
Stocks are avialable by Peter himself, B&C, Manners, MadDog and I think McMillan , while two or three companies are making bottom metals for dettachable mags..

Regards,

Peter
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

6x47howamanners.jpg

Recently finished this 6 X 47L on a Howa Sa,Benchmark 3G8T,Manners, CDI Prec.Bottom metal.... not a single complaint about the action ,Timney makes a trigger although the factory offering is pretty decent. What sort of .22 are you thinking?
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

i am thinking one of these-
22x47L
22-250AI
22-243
Anyone wana help me make my pic?
Hey that sounds like a good topic!! LOL!!! Lee
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

Lee.
you can't go wrong with either.
Both are better than Remington. Buth need a little truing.
There are more stocks available for the Howa. and more mag systems, CDI has one and so do we.
We are also working on a 3 position safety and competition firing pin for the howa.

the Tikka has a smoother bolt travel. but you could achieve that by hard croming the howa bolt.

The trigger on the Howa is more tunable and will got to 1lb easy.
but the Tikka has a better after market trigger option..

The dedicated short action of the Howa is nice..

But the Tikka one actions size means you can go from the calibers you mentioned up to .338-06 / 9.3x62 with only the change of a barrel, a mag and a bolt stop if you are still using the T3 mags.

Me I think you just gotta have both..

regards Pete
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

HOWA.... I love mine. I have a 20" barrel 308.. I would like to re-barrel to a 22"
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Pete Lincoln</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
We are also working on a 3 position safety and competition firing pin for the howa.

</div></div>

I'm interested in this. I ordered a Rifle Basics trigger for my dad's Vanguard, and after installing it I found that the firing pin would still drop if the trigger was squeezed with the safety on. I called Rifle Basics up, and they said that it was within specs, the safety was only designed to hold 8 lbs of pressure or something like that. I ended up buying him a Timney. I just stuck the RB on mine, but don't like that the safety isn't positive.
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

I dont see a need for any trigger on the Howa other than the one it comes suplied with.
You can get them down to about 700-900g.with just turning the pull weight adjustment screw.
With a little re maching work they go down to around 400g. Safely, the safety blocks the trigger absolutely.Occasionaly you get one that you can get down to 325g,
I usualy set them around 500g.
For the uses that this kind of action is designed for and the types of rifles built on it, i dont see any need for a trigger of less than 4-500g.
The cost of another trigger is better spent on something else..(like a Roedale Mag System :))

I do love my Howa's and ive a few, ( ive a couple of my own and have probably 50 in the workshop at the mo) and as semi customs they are superbly accurate. But there is nothing wrong with the standard Howa out of the box. With a replacement stock, trigger tune, bedding if required, the lugs lapped and a re crown I haven't seen one yet that wasn't a 1/2 MOA rifle.

And exactly that can be said about the Tikka T3, exept it probably needs a little less lug lapping.

I took a 20" barreled T3 tactical to the range the other day, it was bedded in the factors stock, trigger was tuned and the crown was re cut, lugs where left as they where because they where ok. It shot ragged holes.

The quality of the barreled actions from these two companies is an example to some of the more expensive factory offerings out there,( although you can probably add savage in with that these days, and to be honest, the remingtons ive seen lately have also been a lot better than they where a few years ago..)
I just think the Howa is probably the more robust of the 4.
The Tikka is probably more popular, or sold more.
We wanted to buy Tikka actions, or barreled actions at the IWA 2008. The boss of Sako/Tikka told us, that by March 2008, they had already sold thier maximum possible capacity of production for the rest of that year. !!
Its no wonder that i get a lot of guys calling and wanting tuned Howa's or Tikka's because they are not happy with thier double the price sauerblasermauser.

like i said, you cant go wrong with either.
pick the features that are most desirable to you, look for a good deal and go for it,

regards Pete
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

You can get a t3 223 varmint and you all ready have a 8 twist barrel. Drop it in a Manners and your GTG. You could also run a 223 ai reamer in it and rock on. Mine is a .5 MOA gun with the right load as is.
If you want to spend a little more chamber it in one of your mentioned rounds and buy an extra t3 lite in 243, 22-250, 308. Pull the bolt and mag and throw it in your varmint and you good to go, plus you have an extra hunting gun that is light and handy. I'll try to get some pictures of mine tonight.
 
Re: tikka VS Howa for a custom build base???

Pete, just wanted to tell you how happy I am with mine, as you can see in my link (a little above) theres really nothing bad I can say about it.

Thanks alot for helping me out on my baby...

Regards
Palle, Denmark