First Bolt Action: Buy Once or Slowly Upgrade

[Tahoe1305]

I've owned my Tikka 308 T3X for about ten years. It's taken elk, bear, antelope and deer. 30 calibers are just fantastic rounds.

I never swapped out the stock. It's light and it's durable. I'm not kind to my gun. It's a tool.

It has a limbsaver pad, salmon river full length arca/pic rail, leuplod vx5 3-15 scope, and a nomad ti suppressor. It is the perfect setup.

I've thought about another gun since this is the only one I use. But it is so consistent and so reliable. Barely any recoil, great glass and can use with a tripod or a bipod. And it's still fairly light.

Concur no need for a new stock right away outside limbsaver.

 

[CJ_BG]

Good morning, all,

My experience has been largely limited to handguns and I'm looking to get into rifles so I can hopefully get into hunting. My job finally allows me time to pursue my hobbies.

I currently have a 22LR that I target shoot with. Do you all have advice on whether I should:

a. Buy a nice bolt action (Seekins, Alamo Precision Rifle, etc) so I can buy once cry once
Or
b. Start with a Tikka/Weatherby then upgrade later

I understand that I should spend more on the glass and have a separate budget of up to 1200ish for the scope. Also, Im trying not to accumulate a large armory of bolt actions, so wanted to be sure before purchasing.

Caliber will likely be .308 although I'm also considering 6.5 Creedmore. I ultimately want to hunt in AK once I get enough experience...one day.

Thanks

If I started over with a tikka 223 and a cheap swfa scope I would have been a better rifleman faster.

One thing with the tikka is that you can change out whatever you want on it and still be under the cost of those others. Or just have two tikkas.

You don't have to spend 1200 on a scope either. Like I said if I had started on a $350 6x swfa I would have been better faster than I was with the $1100 leupold.

 

[UnckleBob]

1) Do not get a fixed powder scope unless you know you want one. They are fine for most situations, but you don't have the flexibility of a reasonable variable power scope.

For example, I like to have at least 15x to practice my marksmanship. Is 15x necessary to hunting? No.
- Most of my hunting scopes max out at 10-12x. I shot my last deer on 7x. Earlier that day, I passed on a deer at 25 yards. I was looking at him at 2.5x.

Until you get an idea of what you like, give yourself a scope that lets you experiment a bit. 2-8, 3-9, 2.5-12, or 3-15 scopes will all work.

2) With a Tikka, you can buy a really good rifle and upgrade later if you want. Other people have mentioned different stocks and other parts upgrades which have merit.

But, I want to focus on the flexibility the action gives you to swap cartridges. With prefit barrels and the ability to swap from a SA to a LA and back, you aren't committed to a cartridge if you don't like it.

Based up the description you provided, you can get a really nice Tikka (spring for stainless or a cerakoted version) in .243 that will do everything you want. It certainly won't beat you up in the configuration you described.

- With its standard bolt face, you can switch the rifle to 6CM, 6.5CM, 7-08 or 308 for the cost of a barrel. Alternatively, you can swap to any longer barrel if you feel the need. Want a carbon fiber barrel? No problem.
- With its standard bolt face, you can convert your SA Tikka to any of the 30-06 based cartridges for the cost of a barrel plus a few relatively inexpensive parts.

 

[Jhconnected]

1) Do not get a fixed powder scope unless you know you want one. They are fine for most situations, but you don't have the flexibility of a reasonable variable power scope.

For example, I like to have at least 15x to practice my marksmanship. Is 15x necessary to hunting? No.
- Most of my hunting scopes max out at 10-12x. I shot my last deer on 7x. Earlier that day, I passed on a deer at 25 yards. I was looking at him at 2.5x.

Until you get an idea of what you like, give yourself a scope that lets you experiment a bit. 2-8, 3-9, 2.5-12, or 3-15 scopes will all work.

2) With a Tikka, you can buy a really good rifle and upgrade later if you want. Other people have mentioned different stocks and other parts upgrades which have merit.

But, I want to focus on the flexibility the action gives you to swap cartridges. With prefit barrels and the ability to swap from a SA to a LA and back, you aren't committed to a cartridge if you don't like it.

Based up the description you provided, you can get a really nice Tikka (spring for stainless or a cerakoted version) in .243 that will do everything you want. It certainly won't beat you up in the configuration you described.

- With its standard bolt face, you can switch the rifle to 6CM, 6.5CM, 7-08 or 308 for the cost of a barrel. Alternatively, you can swap to any longer barrel if you feel the need. Want a carbon fiber barrel? No problem.
- With its standard bolt face, you can convert your SA Tikka to any of the 30-06 based cartridges for the cost of a barrel plus a few relatively inexpensive parts.

This is good advice. I think a variable power scope is good until you know you only want a fixed power scope.

Also, if/when you upgrade the stock, I recommend you get behind a bunch of different stocks to figure out what you like before you buy. Stocks are very personal due to fitment.

 

[eric1115]

If I started over with a tikka 223 and a cheap swfa scope I would have been a better rifleman faster.

One thing with the tikka is that you can change out whatever you want on it and still be under the cost of those others. Or just have two tikkas.

You don't have to spend 1200 on a scope either. Like I said if I had started on a $350 6x swfa I would have been better faster than I was with the $1100 leupold.

This is 100% correct. The only regret I have ever heard anyone express after getting a Tikka.223/SWFA 6x combo is not having done it sooner.

 

[whoop]

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.

will the twist on a 22-250 work with a 22 creed?

 

[whoop]

will the twist on a 22-250 work with a 22 creed?

oh, i see T3X is 1:8. the one i set free was 1:14 i think?

 

[OctoberRain]

I think I may shoot my 22 with a 3-9x40 more before deciding. I tend to prefer simpler setups so a 6x fixed is appealing. Also not really into trying to extend my range to any extremes. More interested in practical distances and consistent accuracy.

Been reading up on 223, 243, 6 creedmore vs the .3s and 6.5.

 

[UngulateGuardian797]

Good morning, all,

My experience has been largely limited to handguns and I'm looking to get into rifles so I can hopefully get into hunting. My job finally allows me time to pursue my hobbies.

I currently have a 22LR that I target shoot with. Do you all have advice on whether I should:

a. Buy a nice bolt action (Seekins, Alamo Precision Rifle, etc) so I can buy once cry once
Or
b. Start with a Tikka/Weatherby then upgrade later

I understand that I should spend more on the glass and have a separate budget of up to 1200ish for the scope. Also, Im trying not to accumulate a large armory of bolt actions, so wanted to be sure before purchasing.

Caliber will likely be .308 although I'm also considering 6.5 Creedmore. I ultimately want to hunt in AK once I get enough experience...one day.

Thanks

I would highly recommend doing a dual rifle or triple rifle arsenal. Having them identical will make it easier to swap from rifle to rifle.

1.) A light rifle to use on varmints and for training. I have a 223 for this and I think the majority of people would agree with me on this.

2.) A medium sized caliber for deer sized game and longer range training. I use a 6 Creedmoor. I know a fair bit of people would say that this is as big as you need. I think a 20” Tikka T3X Compact in a 243 would be a spectacular choice for this. You can always throw a full sized T3X Lite stock on it for $50.

If you’re an American, I’d say to hell with it and get another rifle because it’s still a free country!

3.) A larger sized caliber for big game. 7 Rem. Mag., 300 Win. Mag., 7 PRC, 30-06, 270, 338 Win. Mag., etc would all be great choices. I personally like a 300 Win. Mag. for this role, but a 7 Rem. Mag. or 30-06 does a great job as well.

I personally wish when I got into rifles, I would’ve known this.
I have so many different brands of rifles now and I’m slowly transitioning to only two brands.

Best of luck on your choice!

Keep us posted!