Looking for a new factory rifle: Your thoughts?

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Stud Duck

Lil-Rokslider
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I'm looking for a new factory or possibly used rifle, criteria is as follows: 6,5 CM, detachable magazine (preferably), 22" barrel. Rifle will be used in the Eastern Hardwoods for whitetail. Shooting distances vary a lot, as I can go from 3 to 350 yards in a hurry.

I've narrowed it down to the following: Tikka T3X, Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed, orChristensen Arms Mesa. Is there anything else out there I should consider like a Steyr Pro Hunter?

Out of what I've listed above, what's your thoughts? Would like to hear pros and cons of each.
 
Steyr is
Stud Duck said:
I'm looking for a new factory or possibly used rifle, criteria is as follows: 6,5 CM, detachable magazine (preferably), 22" barrel. Rifle will be used in the Eastern Hardwoods for whitetail. Shooting distances vary a lot, as I can go from 3 to 350 yards in a hurry.

I've narrowed it down to the following: Tikka T3X, Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed, Browning A-Bolt (Used) or possibly Christensen Arms Mesa. Is there anything else out there I should consider like a Steyr Pro Hunter?

Out of what I've listed above, what's your thoughts? Would like to hear pros and cons of each.
Click to expand...
Steyr is spectacular, but heavy. Tikka is ok, but kicks like a 30-06. Christiansen is a coin flip on whether you can hit the barn wall from inside the barn. You dont need a hells canyon x-bolt. Buy a plain Jane for $6-700 and go kill stuff. Don't think there are any a-bolt 2 made in 6.5 creed. A-bolt 3 composite stock feels nasty, like a Tikka.
 
Agreed with Ken and would go Tikka. My 13-year-old son's 6.5 CM Superlite weighs in around 7.5 lbs with scope, but currently has the factory 24" barrel. He shoots it well and I've found it to be pleasant enough to shoot, especially with a Limbsaver pad on it. My 22" 6.5 PRC Tikka in the Lite flavor is just a hair over 8 lbs with a slightly heavier scope than my son's. Adding a suppressor to the PRC makes it so fun to shoot.
Having friends in WI who praised their Tikkas for whitetail hunting, along with the RS positivity toward Tikkas, really helped me jump on the bandwagon. I now have 3 in my safe and have since sold 1 Browning A-bolt, trying to sell a Browning x-bolt and a Savage 110.
 
Stud Duck said:
I'm looking for a new factory or possibly used rifle, criteria is as follows: 6,5 CM, detachable magazine (preferably), 22" barrel. Rifle will be used in the Eastern Hardwoods for whitetail. Shooting distances vary a lot, as I can go from 3 to 350 yards in a hurry.

I've narrowed it down to the following: Tikka T3X, Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed, orChristensen Arms Mesa. Is there anything else out there I should consider like a Steyr Pro Hunter?

Out of what I've listed above, what's your thoughts? Would like to hear pros and cons of each.
Click to expand...

Consider the Sauer 100. I got one of those from Eurooptic and it is a lovely rifle.

Edit - that is not me knocking the Tikka. I like them too.
 
KenLee said:
Steyr is
Steyr is spectacular, but heavy. Tikka is ok, but kicks like a 30-06. Christiansen is a coin flip on whether you can hit the barn wall from inside the barn. You dont need a hells canyon x-bolt. Buy a plain Jane for $6-700 and go kill stuff. Don't think there are any a-bolt 2 made in 6.5 creed. A-bolt 3 composite stock feels nasty, like a Tikka.
Click to expand...
Honest mistake, lol. Not many A-bolts chambered in 6.5 Creed. I corrected it, thanks.
 
Q_Sertorius said:
Consider the Sauer 100. I got one of those from Eurooptic and it is a lovely rifle.

Edit - that is not me knocking the Tikka. I like them too.
Click to expand...
I looked at those, but probably not much after market support. Tikka would probably be the king in that area.
 
My tikka 6.5cm certainly does not kick like a 30-06, not even remotely close. Mine kicks just like the other 6.5cm's I've shot. IMO this recoil thing with tikkas is splitting hairs at best, as long as you are comparing guns of similar weight and stock design. I dont believe most people will be able to differentiate recoil in a tikka from recoil in nearly any other similar weight factory sporter-stocked rifle.
 
Everybody has a budget...I'm sure you do. If you are under the $1,500.00 level (without scope) you might find your best value in a Tikka. I have never owned one but see a lot of fans here. You will see the occasional one for sale in the classifieds but not a lot which shows me that people don't get a lot of lemons.

On the other hand...I would scratch the CA Mesa...I have owned two and neither would group.

Be sure to check the magazine internal dimension as it relates to the OAL of the cartridge. I almost bought a Sako yesterday until I read about how short the mag was compared to the OAL. I prefer internal box mags with either blind and or floor plates.

I also hunt the eastern hardwoods / farmland / pasture edges with my .308 in a Remington NAR (Gunbroker find). I am partial to 24" barrels.. I like velocity and the balance when shooting longer distances.

Good luck with your search...that seems to be the most fun anymore for me.
 
Macintosh said:
My tikka 6.5cm certainly does not kick like a 30-06, not even remotely close. Mine kicks just like the other 6.5cm's I've shot. IMO this recoil thing with tikkas is splitting hairs at best, as long as you are comparing guns of similar weight and stock design. I dont believe most people will be able to differentiate recoil in a tikka from recoil in nearly any other similar weight factory sporter-stocked rifle.
Click to expand...
It has to have something to do with their cheap stocks. I have shot a tikka next to an x-bolt in similar weights and same ammo and cartridge and the felt recoil to me seemed noticeably higher in the Tikka. I thought it was weird and am just speculating as to the why.
 
Macintosh said:
My tikka 6.5cm certainly does not kick like a 30-06, not even remotely close. Mine kicks just like the other 6.5cm's I've shot. IMO this recoil thing with tikkas is splitting hairs at best, as long as you are comparing guns of similar weight and stock design. I dont believe most people will be able to differentiate recoil in a tikka from recoil in nearly any other similar weight factory sporter-stocked rifle.
Click to expand...
I should have said "like a 30-06 in a well made rifle". Y'all are delirious. I have a 6 pound 4 oz x-bolt 300wsm that kicks no more than a plain Jane t3x 270
 
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