Please tell me why I should NOT buy a Tikka CTR!

[jayjay1]

One last question for this topic.

I will buy a Tikka CTR in .308 Win., that´s set.

So, if you would have the opportunity to shoot 100m at your local club and 300m if you drive 2,5 hours (one way).
And if you want to shoot over 300m, you must travel in another country (for me France, Switzerland or Austria) with min. 6 hours driving and stay there over night.

If you also want to be able to shoot that rifle freely (prone etc. off hands, no bipod or anything), what means it shouldn´t be to heavy, keeping in mind that the +weight will be at the front of the barrel.

Would you choose a 20" or a 24" barrel?

[jayjay1]

can you try before you buy ?

Unfortunately not.
The weapon market over here is very restricted, dealers are rare and they have less models in shop.
Those who they do have in stock aren´t for shooting, because they want to sell them "new".
Guns are very pricey over here also, sometimes almost double the price as in the USA when I´m comparing.
https://www.alljagd.de/Nach-Hersteller/Tikka/

I never was able to buy a gun from the shop because they didn´t have what I wanted, I always had to order it and wait a week or several months, and those were no custom guns.

So no, you have almost no opportunity to try one out before you buy, except you know someone who already has the gun you want.
A club member of me has a Tikka CTR which I could handle and shoot a bit, but there are no Bergaras around.

[Texas by God]

If I'm buying a heavyweight rifle for a heavyweight scope; might as well have the 24" barrel IMO
My sporter weight T3 with its cut off 18" barrel does this ( when I can) so get ready jayjay!

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[725]

i'd also investigate the support available where you live. who & how fast for a repair job / parts?

[northmn]

I would go a 24" barrel and dislike the shorter ones. The most common barrel in the US are generally 22". A 308 has a bit of a bark and does give a little better ballistics with a longer barrel. Balance is to be considered and how well does the Tikka balance with either? Also hunting styles? I am an older retired individual and do not do as much still hunting as I used to. For still hunting I liked rifles like the 30-30 lever carbines. Now I mostly stand hunt and want a steadier more long range rifle. For the last few years I could get by just as well with a single shot as its been one shot one deer.


DEP

[robg]

Most of our club members will let OK people fondle ,shoot their rifles so It helps people to find what suits them but win 94 s are my personal favourites .

[jayjay1]

@725:
The gunsmith where I will buy the Tikka (Finn for woodpecker ) is just 10 miles away from my home.

@northmn:
Well, the Tikka CTR has a plastick stick, so I think the balance with the longer barrel would be a bit off.
God bless ya.

@robg:
Those club members which are OK would let others handle their guns no mather what.


Best regards to you from Germany.

[northmn]

I have put lead in the plastic stocks of two sporters now to get the weight I like for holding. Two types of accuracy, rifle accuracy and shooter accuracy. I learned that difference when I built muzzle loaders used for offhand shooting. We used to enjoy taking on people using common sporter rifles with scopes in offhand shooting like what we call turkey shoots. Generally shot for shot we best them as the rifles were better balanced and had better triggers etc. I used to place pretty high in the competitions and sometimes would win one. If there were 50 competitors I knew I only had to best about 3 of them to win as most cannot shoot offhand that well. Lots bragged about their 1" groups or whatever off bench rest but did not score that high in the matches.


Pope or someone said once that only accurate rifles are interesting, I prefer to claim that only rifles I can shoot accurately are interesting. There is a subtle difference. Using the form it takes to shoot a tiny group does not appeal to me. I purposely shoot and sight in in a way that transfers to the field. I used to sight in my target rifles off hand to be sure they hit where I shot. Those of us that own several rifles usually have an "old faithful" Mines an old 35 Remington Marlin with a 24" barrel. Not the best groups of the rifles I own, but so far when I shoot at a deer with it, I get a deer. Mentioning these things not to brag but to offer considerations in your choice as you have to go through quite a bit of trouble to buy a rifle and want to have only one. Owning only one rifle is something I have often thought of as a wise choice.


DEP

[jayjay1]

@notrhmn:
Actually it will not be my only one rifle, but the only one of this kind (high qualitiy repeater with upper class scope).

But your words remind me of an old saying over here, which goes like this:
"It is not the man with many rifles you should fear about, it is the man with only one."

Salut from Europe,
or what is left over from it,
Jay

[northmn]

@notrhmn:
Actually it will not be my only one rifle, but the only one of this kind (high qualitiy repeater with upper class scope).

But your words remind me of an old saying over here, which goes like this:
"It is not the man with many rifles you should fear about, it is the man with only one."

Salut from Europe,
or what is left over from it,
Jay

They don't just say that in Germany. I have too much fun shooting my collection of rifles but at one time I had a Remington 270 that was my deer rifle. It accounted for a lot of deer and I shot it well. No that I am retired I keep thinking that cutting back would not be all bad

DEP

[Ragnarok]

Ehhh?...All I can say about Tikka is that I own a Tikka T3 Lite in .308 Winchester. Excellent shooter...works nice and smooth...no issues at all.

Complaints about the Tikka....requires Tikka scope mounts which should come with the rifle if new. The magazines are expensive and the rifle will only come with one 3 shot mag. Some folks will gripe that the T3 is a long action in all calibers.

[Texas by God]

Ehhh?...All I can say about Tikka is that I own a Tikka T3 Lite in .308 Winchester. Excellent shooter...works nice and smooth...no issues at all.

Complaints about the Tikka....requires Tikka scope mounts which should come with the rifle if new. The magazines are expensive and the rifle will only come with one 3 shot mag. Some folks will gripe that the T3 is a long action in all calibers.

You forgot about the so-called recoil pad! Magnums must be horrible
But even then what a rifle!

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[northmn]

We get into personal issues here. Each to his own, but I consider the "light weight" rifles to be impractical. They can shoot great off a bench and carry well but I have had problems with them out in the field as they do not settle down well for me if an off hand shot is needed. Kind of blame one for a lost deer a year ago as it did not settle in right on a close running shot. Still irritated about that but filled the plastic stock with lead to get the weight I wanted. Now have a different rifle with more heft. My brother in law bought a light weight 308 and did not have a good shot placement on a buck. He is now using a heavier rifle and hitting them better. He's kind of soured on the light weight. They are also miserable to sight in. Again just my opinion but personally I don't like them.


DEP

[Texas by God]

It is preference. I detest heavy rifles. Recoil isn't a factor while hunting, but gravity sure is. For me.

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[northmn]

It is preference. I detest heavy rifles. Recoil isn't a factor while hunting, but gravity sure is. For me.

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I agree on that. Basically my deer hunting is a walk from my tractor to the stand. I don't carry the rifle all that much. Getting too old for still hunting anymore but liked the lever carbines for that kind of work.

DEP

[Petander]

One last question for this topic.

I will buy a Tikka CTR in .308 Win., that´s set.

So, if you would have the opportunity to shoot 100m at your local club and 300m if you drive 2,5 hours (one way).
And if you want to shoot over 300m, you must travel in another country (for me France, Switzerland or Austria) with min. 6 hours driving and stay there over night.

If you also want to be able to shoot that rifle freely (prone etc. off hands, no bipod or anything), what means it shouldn´t be to heavy, keeping in mind that the +weight will be at the front of the barrel.

Would you choose a 20" or a 24" barrel?

I've been doing that kind of driving regularly for 15 years. A nice club, 300 m with nice people, that's why I chose long barrel and no compromise. I shoot a T3 Tactical 300 wm, it is heavy but I can handle it offhand even with a suppressor/bipod. I tried a friend's T3 after watching him shoot 15 mm /5 shots/300 m with a stock, unmodified factory T3 so I had to get one.

But it doesn't get carried around in the woods much. 300 m can get addictive,then you usually have a heavy scope&mount,too.

I've had a few Tikkas,they still make quality rifles.

[W.R.Buchanan]

JJ have you looked at the Tikka Canadian Ranger model. It is a mag fed .308 also, basically a CTR with a Laminated Stock and really nice iron sights.

As far as barrel length my Ruger Scout has a 16" barrel and the velocity loss over a 24" bbl is about 100 fps. The gun is a consistent <MOA gun. The Rugers are 1/3 the price of the Tikka but probably not available to you.

The Ranger Rifle is nice and I have handled one. Not Cheap at $1800 ish US but a good all around gun which will take and optic well. Also nicely set up for a Red Dot Optic for Wild Boar Shooting, which you may have access to. Don't let the color of the stock put you off you can always stain it darker.

Good Luck, you people need to push for a 2nd Amendment Right immediately after you expel all the Syrians.

Randy

[Texas by God]

The fact that the Tikka was chosen to replace the Lee-Enfield should settle any reliability concerns. The accuracy is a bonus!

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[charlie b]

I am very selective about buying rifles. Several reasons but cost is an issue. Second is that I like to shoot but will rarely shoot a rifle that isn't very accurate. So, I only have two rifles that I shoot a lot.

I have a Garand I shoot every now and then but it isn't accurate enough to be 'interesting' to me so it rarely goes to the range. I picked up a Savage Axis in .223 and it is a tack driver. Put a stock and better scope on it and it is a 1/2MOA rifle. Because of that, when I retired, I treated myself to a Savage 12 BVSS in .308.

So, I guess the message is, get exactly what you want. The Tikka is a great rifle. I have seen a few at our range (I have a 1000yd range just 30min away) and they produce very small groups for these guys.

[richhodg66]

You can´t have a Savage 12 with a magazine of 10 rounds over here, and even not in .308.

And it is pricey, too.

There are places in the U.S. with magazine restrictions too, but why can't you have a .308?