First Rifle for Western Hunting- what would you do?

[TX4ever]

Appreciate all the insight here guys!

 

[Bowhunter-tw]

Appreciate all the insight here guys!

280 Ai would be a cool intermediate between 30-06 and 7RM. Although it would be a better cartridge if you handloaded, factory loads are most likely harder to find and pricey

 

[MeatMissile]

I’ve been a western hunter, living in western states, my whole life. There isn’t much you can’t do with a rifle chambered in a standard cartridge between 25 and 33 caliber, and a variable scope maxing out at 8x to 12x. An awful lot if “western” rifle lore is BS.

 

[wildwilderness]

Take your 280 and go hunt first.

Plenty of gun safes full of Maybes

 

[XLR]

Appreciate all the insight here guys!

With the Tikka I would try to stay in the shorter cartridge range personally. The limiting magazine length would scare me away from running a 7 rem mag. A 280 AI would be better IMO. I also like running high BC heavy bullets so that is my reasoning behind it! A 280 AI running a 168 grained would kill everything out here you wanted it to kill! Or if you want to be a cool kid you can run a 6.5 PRC!

 

[TX4ever]

With the Tikka I would try to stay in the shorter cartridge range personally. The limiting magazine length would scare me away from running a 7 rem mag. A 280 AI would be better IMO. I also like running high BC heavy bullets so that is my reasoning behind it! A 280 AI running a 168 grained would kill everything out here you wanted it to kill! Or if you want to be a cool kid you can run a 6.5 PRC!

I think 280ai would be a great option as well but Tikka doesn't offer it. Any other recommendation in 280ai?

 

[carsonkeys]

@TX4ever PM me. Depending on where you live in TX I may be able to let you shoot a T3X in 30-06 before you buy. I personally find the recoil pretty stout and have since bought a 6.5 cm as my main hunting rifle, with zero complaints.

 

[SDHNTR]

I think 280ai would be a great option as well but Tikka doesn't offer it. Any other recommendation in 280ai?

Model 70 Bolt-Action Rifles | Current Products | Winchester

These bolt-action rifles make up the core family of Model 70s currently being produced by Winchester Repeating Arms.

www.winchesterguns.com

Do you reload? The .280ai is a wildcat cartridge that is currently enjoying it's 15 minutes of fame. Not that it's not well deserved, it's a great round, but it's also nothing magical and once the shine wears off you may be stuck with hard to find ammo again. The 308, 30-06 or 7mag, will do everything, do it well, with cheap and easy to find ammo that will always be available. Don't get cute, IMO.

Check the link and pick your preference. Don't blindly fall for the endless Tikka love here. Sure, they are decent rifles, but make sure you know what you are getting. They are a mass produced, entry level, rifle, with cost cutting as a primary objective. They offer one action length. They have a lot of plastic parts like the magazine and bottom metal. It has a peculiar floating recoil lug that generally works but can be problematic if you change stocks (as many do). They usually shoot great, but some, like me, object to the "feel". I will get flamed for this, but to me, and after you've handled better guns, they feel cheap in the hands. Which is why people often buy them and then dump another $1000 into them on a new stock and bottom metal. IMO, buy once, cry once. Buy a M70 as it's quite arguably the best mass production level factory gun put out today. There's no plastic, and if you select a short action cartridge, you get a true short action rifle. You'll never doubt your purchase and you'll have confidence of one of the finest rifle actions ever built. Handle a M70 and a Tikka side by side first, before purchase. I guarantee you the TIkka will go back in the rack.

Oh, and trust me on the Nightforce SHV too. Yes, you can find lighter, but you won't find more durable.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Model 70 Bolt-Action Rifles | Current Products | Winchester

These bolt-action rifles make up the core family of Model 70s currently being produced by Winchester Repeating Arms.

www.winchesterguns.com

The .280ai is a wildcat cartridge that is currently enjoying it's 15 minutes of fame ..... it's also nothing magical ..... the 308, 30-06 or 7mag, will do everything, do it well, with cheap and easy to find ammo that will always be available ..... Don't blindly fall for the endless Tikka love here ...... they are a mass produced, .... they have a lot of plastic parts ..... and after you've handled better guns, they feel cheap in the hands ...... Buy a M70 as it's quite arguably the best mass production level factory gun put out today. There's no plastic, and if you select a short action cartridge, you get a true short action rifle. You'll never doubt your purchase and you'll have confidence of one of the finest rifle actions ever built .....

Exactly .....

 

[Stinky Coyote]

tikka recommendation yup, a ton of cartridges will fit the bill, some talley 1" low lightweight rings and a Trijicon 3-9x40 accupoint green dot duplex, add a Kenton speed dial turret once you've settled on your ammo choice or load, right around 7 lbs scoped tack driver with factory ammo

if like to be factory ammo etc. the 6.5 Creedmoor and it's bigger PRC brother will be pretty unstoppable over the next hundred years like the .308 and 300 wm have been up till recent, the 21st century performance lets you do more for less powder burned, I can't imagine how much hornady 6.5 cm 140 gr eld-m and 143 gr eld-x ammo is going to be sold in the next 100 years...well done hornady, you're set for life lol

if choosing a 20th century cartridge my vote is .270 win, especially in a tikka as you buy a long action anyway and it's a solid 600 yard cartridge, same as the 6.5 Creedmoor in terms of 600 yard impact velocities...you just get less recoil with the creed and future ammo availability will favor the creed easily

 

[XLR]

Model 70 Bolt-Action Rifles | Current Products | Winchester

These bolt-action rifles make up the core family of Model 70s currently being produced by Winchester Repeating Arms.

www.winchesterguns.com

Do you reload? The .280ai is a wildcat cartridge that is currently enjoying it's 15 minutes of fame. Not that it's not well deserved, it's a great round, but it's also nothing magical and once the shine wears off you may be stuck with hard to find ammo again. The 308, 30-06 or 7mag, will do everything, do it well, with cheap and easy to find ammo that will always be available. Don't get cute, IMO.

Check the link and pick your preference. Don't blindly fall for the endless Tikka love here. Sure, they are decent rifles, but make sure you know what you are getting. They are a mass produced, entry level, rifle, with cost cutting as a primary objective. They offer one action length. They have a lot of plastic parts like the magazine and bottom metal. It has a peculiar floating recoil lug that generally works but can be problematic if you change stocks (as many do). They usually shoot great, but some, like me, object to the "feel". I will get flamed for this, but to me, and after you've handled better guns, they feel cheap in the hands. Which is why people often buy them and then dump another $1000 into them on a new stock and bottom metal. IMO, buy once, cry once. Buy a M70 as it's quite arguably the best mass production level factory gun put out today. There's no plastic, and if you select a short action cartridge, you get a true short action rifle. You'll never doubt your purchase and you'll have confidence of one of the finest rifle actions ever built. Handle a M70 and a Tikka side by side first, before purchase. I guarantee you the TIkka will go back in the rack.

Oh, and trust me on the Nightforce SHV too. Yes, you can find lighter, but you won't find more durable.

The reason I said 280 Ai is due to the length that the tikkas offer. If you run a 7 Mag and reload for it then you are going to want to run heavier bullets and will not be able to seat them out as far as you would like. The aftermarket support for tikkas is gaining far more popularity than the Model 70s. The Tikkas are machined tight enough to allow for prefit barrels and the outside dimensions of the Tikka are consistent so manufacturers can make chassis. You cannot find a chassis for the M70 because they vary from action to action so you have to bed almost all of them. Don't get me wrong, model 70s are great actions but the aftermarket support that tikka has gained in the last 5 years is for a reason!

 

[SDHNTR]

The reason I said 280 Ai is due to the length that the tikkas offer. If you run a 7 Mag and reload for it then you are going to want to run heavier bullets and will not be able to seat them out as far as you would like. The aftermarket support for tikkas is gaining far more popularity than the Model 70s. The Tikkas are machined tight enough to allow for prefit barrels and the outside dimensions of the Tikka are consistent so manufacturers can make chassis. You cannot find a chassis for the M70 because they vary from action to action so you have to bed almost all of them. Don't get me wrong, model 70s are great actions but the aftermarket support that tikka has gained in the last 5 years is for a reason!

I can't imagine anyone disgracing a respectable M70 by putting it into a chassis!

And FWIW, The m70 mag box is the same for 7mag, .300wm and .338wm. You can load as long as the throat and twist will allow.

 

[LightFoot]

I think 280ai would be a great option as well but Tikka doesn't offer it. Any other recommendation in 280ai?

Browning is chambering a few xbolt models in 280 AI.

Specifically, the Xbolt Speed OVIX 280 AI with Nightforce SHV 3-10x42 and talley rings would be right at budget.

With a strict $2K budget, I might try the Burris Veracity 2-10 FFP.

SWFA scopes have a good reputation, too.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[LEO Outfitters]

I've been hunting with a Tikka T3 in 7mmRM for the last 15 years. Lightweight, reasonable recoil, and you can find ammo anywhere ammo is sold. For the price, you won't be able to find a better rifle.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

308 if you dont reload or 300WSM if you do..eventually your gonna want a can and once you get can your will start chopping barrels...

 

[Marmots]

When I moved to Montana at 19 I bought a stainless Tikka t3 in 30-06 and put a Leupold vx1 3-9 on it.

I obviously could have done a lot worse, but if I was starting over I'd do a few things differently.

I'd get a smaller caliber. The most important aspect of learning to shoot beyond tree stand point blank is trigger time, and a lightweight mountain rifle in 30-06 is not particularly fun or cheap to shoot.

It would also be handy to learn to dial from the start. SWFA told me they have some 6x scopes arriving in late May, last time I called.

If I were you I'd spend $850 on a stainless Tikka lite in 6.5 creedmoor or 7mm-08, $70 on some sportsmach rings, $300 on an SWFA 6x, and the remaining $780 on ammo. If you end up not liking that setup, it should sell on the classifieds in an hour.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Tikka 30-06, Hawkins Rings, Shv 4-14x50 F1

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I can't imagine anyone disgracing a respectable M70 by putting it into a chassis!

No kidding

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

Model 70 Bolt-Action Rifles | Current Products | Winchester

These bolt-action rifles make up the core family of Model 70s currently being produced by Winchester Repeating Arms.

www.winchesterguns.com

Do you reload? The .280ai is a wildcat cartridge that is currently enjoying it's 15 minutes of fame. Not that it's not well deserved, it's a great round, but it's also nothing magical and once the shine wears off you may be stuck with hard to find ammo again. The 308, 30-06 or 7mag, will do everything, do it well, with cheap and easy to find ammo that will always be available. Don't get cute, IMO.

Check the link and pick your preference. Don't blindly fall for the endless Tikka love here. Sure, they are decent rifles, but make sure you know what you are getting. They are a mass produced, entry level, rifle, with cost cutting as a primary objective. They offer one action length. They have a lot of plastic parts like the magazine and bottom metal. It has a peculiar floating recoil lug that generally works but can be problematic if you change stocks (as many do). They usually shoot great, but some, like me, object to the "feel". I will get flamed for this, but to me, and after you've handled better guns, they feel cheap in the hands. Which is why people often buy them and then dump another $1000 into them on a new stock and bottom metal. IMO, buy once, cry once. Buy a M70 as it's quite arguably the best mass production level factory gun put out today. There's no plastic, and if you select a short action cartridge, you get a true short action rifle. You'll never doubt your purchase and you'll have confidence of one of the finest rifle actions ever built. Handle a M70 and a Tikka side by side first, before purchase. I guarantee you the TIkka will go back in the rack.

Oh, and trust me on the Nightforce SHV too. Yes, you can find lighter, but you won't find more durable.

Any opinion on the made in USA ones vs made in Portugal?

 

[SDHNTR]

Any opinion on the made in USA ones vs made in Portugal?

Assuming we’re talking about post 64 Classics, not push feeds, and if given the choice, I prefer the earlier New Haven, Conn versions. But I’d probably take a recent BACO model over a SC build version. Like anything else mass produced, none were perfect, but none were outright bad either. I like the older style open trigger, but the newer boxed trigger is workable too. I still think they are the best commonly found mass produced rifle available today.