First Bolt Action: Buy Once or Slowly Upgrade

[flyfisher117]

Being new to it all you don’t know what you don’t know.

Buy a basic rifle, with good aftermarket support. Shoot it as is, get a lot of time behind and slowly build it up. You will then figure out what you do or do not like.

You may buy some Gucci level off the shelf rifle. It may be perfect for you. You may also hate everything about it and sell it for a loss or end up spending even more money changing it to do what you want.

 

[nm.otter]

Since you are very inexperienced with rifles, I recommend you get a Tikka in a cartridge something no more recoil heavy than a 6.5 PRC/270/30-06.

Every one of those options has more recoil than is necessary for shooting accurately and killing reliably out to 600+ yards.

Very, very, very few hunters can (or should) be shooting live critters anywhere near that far.

My budget for rifle, scope, and suppressor is around 5k all in, but I'm also happy not spending all that at this point.

Buy the T3x and a SWFA (fixed 6x or one of their FFP MIL variables) with UM or Sportsmatch rings, then either spend a few dollars making it fit you or go ahead and spring for a stock upgrade (e.g. Rokstok).

I'll do a deep dive into scopes now

Start here and here -- and come back with questions.

Many of us here have been down this road, and it's entirely worth your time.

 

[eric1115]

As always appreciate all the advice.

I'm pretty sold at this point on getting the threaded 20" Tikka T3X Lite.

I'll be a decent regular at the range once I get a rifle and take some lessons. That's already budgeted for.

My budget for rifle, scope, and suppressor is around 5k all in, but I'm also happy not spending all that at this point. Just because I saved it all doesn't mean I need to spend it haha. It'll be way lower than that for the Tikka set up.

Plus after becoming proficient at shooting, I still have to learn to hunt. I'll learn a lot a long the way and then can think about modifying it or upgrading later.

Man if I had a 5k budget and was starting from scratch, I'd do the following (this is where I'd end up)
Tikka .223 $700
SWFA 6x42 MQ $350
Sportsmatch TO84 rings $60
AB A-10 suppressor (optional since you'll have the can for your other rifle)
A little over $1k in a rifle that will realistically do absolutely everything that you stated you wanted to do. Most productive, highest value training rifle there is. It'll pay for itself with ammo savings in a few years if you want to learn to shoot further than it is capable. Perfectly fine main/only rifle until you want to grow that 400 yard max effective range on animals. You'll never regret owning it. Perfect backup/loaner rifle with essentially infinite barrel life. $0.70 per round for good practice ammo, $1.30-1.50 per round for good 77TMK hunting ammo.

Tikka T3X .243, sell stock and barrel $500
6CM prefit from @hereinaz or PBB $600
Rokstok $600
Maven RS1.2 $1200
UM rings $130
Unknown Suppressors OG or AB Raptor 6 or 8 suppressor $1200
$4200 in a setup that will hang with rifles 3-4x its cost for ability to put rounds on target at any conceivable reasonable range. Effective terminal range of 800+ (way further than the vast majority of us should be shooting animals). Targets to 1200+ for sure. Easy and good factory ammo that doesn't break the bank. Spend a little more for cerakote and barrel fluting if you want to make all the other girls jealous at the range. Do the Rokstok later if the budget prefers it.

Honestly though, this whole rifle could easily wait another year or two. The way I would get to the above setup is to get the .223, Rokstok, Maven, UM rings, and OG/AB suppressor now and have a kickass setup you can shoot the crap out of without worries of barrel life, ammo cost, etc. Very low recoil, very fast learning curve, and if you haven't read the .223 for deer, elk, moose thread do that and kill a few animals with it.

Next year (or later) get the 6CM or 22CM set up and swap stock, scope/rings, etc onto it. Put the factory stock from it on the .223, pick up the SWFA for the .223, and now you have two excellent rifles that are a perfect complement to each other for 99.99% of anything anyone ever needs to do with a bolt action rifle in North America.

Edit to add: The only reason for the barrel swap is that Tikka doesn't currently chamber the T3X in 6CM. If they did I would 100% leave the factory barrel on. The reason for 6CM instead of .243 is that it is easy and affordable to find factory ammo with the bullets that work best in 6mm diameter. I have a .243 AI made from a factory Tikka barrel that I love, but it only works for someone who loads their own ammo. The straight .243 Tikka is great if you hand load, but the 103 ELDX and 108/109 ELDM are not readily available (unless through a boutique ammo maker like Unknown Munitions). You could certainly buy from them, but the difference in ammo cost per round pays for the barrel and then some (especially if you're able to sell the factory barrel unfired). The 90 ELDX is available as factory ammo, but it's not taking full advantage of what a 6mm can do. Realistically it won't be what holds you back, but in the context of this scenario I would do the route that gets me the bullet I'd really prefer to shoot.

 

[nm.otter]

Next year (or later) get the 6CM or 22CM set up and swap stock, scope/rings, etc onto it.

There is also a nonzero probability we will see factory Tikkas chambered in 6mm Creedmoor later this year (perhaps early next).

 

[OctoberRain]

Holy smokes, you guys are awesome. I'm at work but I can't wait to read it all and digest it when I'm off seriously appreciated

 

[rookieforever33]

Roksliders are great at helping others spend money.

 

[eric1115]

There is also a nonzero probability we will see factory Tikkas chambered in 6mm Creedmoor later this year (perhaps early next).

Yep, that's part of why I added that edit at the bottom. A factory 6CM T3x becomes the defacto standard recommendation if someone is a 22-phobe. There's no reason to do an aftermarket 6CM barrel if it's available from the factory in that chambering.

The T3x .22-250 rechambered to 22CM is a very appealing choice as well, since it allows the factory barrel to be used.

 

[rookieforever33]

I was stocked on rifles before I was introduced to the Tikka lovers. Some will make them out to be mythical, others not so much. A couple common things stated about them is they are a great action that normally shoots great, and there is a ton of aftermarket support for them. At the price point they are at they offer a winning combination.
You can also get a great scope for under $1000. I own a couple nightforce shv models I picked up as demos brand new for under $800 each. I'm tempted to get a new rifle so I can get a trijicon credo lol.
Good luck, and save money for ammo.

 

[eric1115]

As long as we're here,

If you haven't done it yet, listen to episodes 469 and 470 of the Hunt Backcountry Podcast (youtube or whatever podcast app you prefer). No matter whether you end up with a dinky little 22 cal or 6mm, or something larger with more WHALLOP™, you'll have a much better understanding of how bullets kill critters, and what needs to be considered when choosing a bullet and cartridge.

Then start working your way through the .223 mega thread here to see the photos, studies, etc that are sort of "supporting documentation" for the stuff that gets talked about/summarized in that 2-part podcast.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Tikka in 223

Remove the action from the stock and fully free float the barrel. PM me on how to do this if needed. Degrease and then add nail polish or paint pen to action screws, properly re-seat the action into the stock, and torque to 45-65” lbs. I use 55” lbs on factory plastic trigger guards.

If budget allows, buy a Rokstok. It’s worth whatever wait time there is, or PM me and talk me out of one of mine.

SWFA fixed 6 or 3-9 or Maven RS1.2 for good hunting reticles in good/reliable scopes. Get them in MILs and not MOA.

Properly mount and torque the UM scope bases using the pins to the action. I have a thread on mounting them here on Rokslide. Properly level your scope, set eye relief, and then tighten ring cap screws. Use nail polish or oil based paint pen for all screws after fully degreasing. A little goes a long way, many folks add too much and it never fully cures/dries.

Enjoy a rifle that you’ll never be “chasing zero” or having field issues with. It’s time to shoot and learn knowing your gun and scope are solid once a good 10+ round 100 yard zero is confirmed with the lot of ammo you plan to practice with.

Buy a few cases of ammo and become proficient in the mountains with it. Shooting as often as possible. I recommend at minimum, once per week shooting in the mountains. Folks who don’t do this, sorry to say, suck at shooting. If you’re only going out once a month or less and only on sunny days with minimal wind, shooting off a bench or on a flat grassy range, sorry, you suck at shooting. You’ll probably make hits on targets at distance, but this rarely translates to first round hits in the mountains on vital sized targets.

 

[TaperPin]

What flyfisher said is spot on. You don’t expect to marry your first girlfriend, or only drive the same brand as your first car, so it’s a safe bet this first rifle may not be your forever gun.

So what do people do when approaching a sport they aren’t well versed in? I’m a firm believer you should find someone shooting the distances and type of game you’re interested in and duplicate their setup. They’ve already sorted through much of the fog and are successful doing what you want to do. Odds are you’ll change some or all of it, but it’s much better than an unproven collage of parts that doesn’t work.

I’m also a big proponent of having the practice/trainer/plinking gun a 243 and the hunting rifle being the cartridge of your choice, even if it’s a second 243. There are a lot of benefits to a second rifle that functions well.