Need advice on a 7mm rifle and scope

[180splitg3]

Hello. I am l going to buy a rifle and a scope from Cabela's (I hate Cabela's but I have a bunch of gift cards through a work promotion). I have pretty much settled on a Tikka T3X lite in 7 mm - most likely with a stainless barrel. My budget is $1,400-$1,500 for the gun and the scope. I have been looking at a Leupold VX-3HD scope. I am open to other suggestions for the rifle or the scope if there is something else I should be looking at. It seems that Vortex has a little bit of a bad reputation on here but that seems to be what the guys at the retail stores push - not sure why.

From what I have read, I may consider getting the barrel threaded for a muzzle break to decrease recoil. Most of the guns that are already threaded from the factory seem to be quite bit more money. I do have a local shop that can thread the barrel if needed. I appreciate any thoughts you guys have - I am not very versed in rifles/scopes as I spend a lot of time bowhunting so forgive me if some of my terms don't seem correct. This will be my first rifle and I plan to use it for Elk, Bear and deer. Thanks for the help!

 

[gabenzeke]

I don't think there's anything wrong with that set up. Personally I'd stick to Leupold over the vortex.

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[hiker270]

Tikka makes a great rifle, I have 4 of them. 1 is a 30-06 T3X Lite Stainless, and I have 3 T3X Lite Roughtech's. A 300 mag, a 7mm mag and a 6.5 Creedmoor. I prefer the Roughtech's over the 30-06 Stainless. For one the Roughtech's come with a threaded barrel and a muzzle brake. The muzzle brake is nice for sight in and load development on the magnums. Although I take them off for hunting and screw on the threaded barrel protector. Just my opinion on my Tikka's which I feel for the money are a great deal and they all shoot MOA. Of course Cabela's may not have Roughtech's in stock.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

A stainless tikka is an excellent choice. If you are recoil shy, the 7mm mag in the lightweight tikkas can punch a bit, just fyi.

For scopes I really like the Meopta offerings and this season I used my first SWFA scope and it has performed excellent so far.

Neither Leupold or Vortex scopes go on any of my rifles.

 

[bmart2622]

That set up will kill elk at 500+ no problem. I own 1 Tikka and load for several others and getting sub moa hasnt been a problem for any of them

 

[Rob5589]

FWIW, I have a 7RM T3 and can say it's not much fun to shoot off the bench for any length of time. I also have one in 7/08 my daughter uses and it's a pleasure to shoot. 500 and in I see no reason to get the magnum.

 

[BjornF16]

What ranges do you expect to shoot?

^^^This info will help guide your decision making (and suggestions made here).

Personally, I don't see any scope on Cabela's website that I would get other than the NightForce line, and they can be had cheaper elsewhere. The Trijico Accupoint 3-9 or NF SHV would suffice...again, need to know your objectives.

 

[Alex Genereux]

That would be a great scope and rifle combo. If you end up gong with it I am selling some of the leupold alum scope covers if you end up buying it and are interested.

 

[MAP1]

Good choice in caliber, rifle and scope. For an extra $110 add a limbsaver recoil pad and triad tactical cheek riser. It will add a little weight to the rifle, extra ammo storage and comfort while shooting. My opinion muzzle brake isn’t needed.

 

[Thinkingman]

What ranges do you expect to shoot?

^^^This info will help guide your decision making (and suggestions made here).

Personally, I don't see any scope on Cabela's website that I would get other than the NightForce line, and they can be had cheaper elsewhere. The Trijico Accupoint 3-9 or NF SHV would suffice...again, need to know your objectives.

Burris Veracity or Signature HD...Zeiss Conquest...
I own Burris and would absolutely rock the Conquest.

 

[Libtard McSocalist]

I wouldn’t hesitate to top it with a 4.5-14x40 Leupold vx3hd in the reticle of your choice.

 

[Mulyhuntr]

Just get one of the roughtech's that's come threaded.

 

[fishslap]

I hunted this year with a t3x lite 7mm rem mag topped with a vx5hd. I love it. Lots of good factory ammo also. I added the aftermarket limb saver airtech recoil pad. Recoil doesn’t seem bad at all. Much better than my older browning a bolt 300 wm.

 

[180splitg3]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I guess I don't know what my max range would be. At my home shooting range I can only practice at 300 yards max. I guess I am thinking I wouldn't shoot past 400 yards if it were properly dialed in but I don't have much rifle experience...

 

[Jr4]

Limbsaver is a must on any Tikka, take a look at Zeiss V4 scopes

 

[BjornF16]

400 yards?…make it a 7mm-08 and put a SWFA 6x on it until you can source a SWFA 3-9HD.

 

[svivian]

SOLD/EXPIRED - Tikka 7 rem mag w/Zeiss glass

Rifle is back in the new-in-box, factory black stock. Original owner, rifle built last year before the season. Had bedded it in a wildcat composites stock that is now sold. - T3X Superlight in 7 rem mag w/

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[180splitg3]

Some of these scopes are going to push me over my budget. Is there a benefit to going with a 50 mm objective vs 40 or 44 mm? 50 mm will gather more light, correct? Just thinking the bigger would be better. Always interesting to see opinions. The zeiss V4 is $700 at cabelas in a 3-12 zoom. How much zoom should I be looking at to shoot 400+ yards? The gun will be around $850 so that is pretty close. I need to keep the scope at no more than $600-$700...

 

[jzeblaz]

To shoot 400 yards, you don't need a lot of magnification. Probably could easily do it on 4x, but 6x or 8x would be plenty (to much further if you wanted/needed). If it were me and that budget, I'd be ALL over the VX-3 2.5-8 Leupold. It has a smaller objective (36mm) than those you mentioned, but it's light, bright and simple. They used to come with the B&C reticle (and a CDS elevation dial) but only offer it in a duplex now, which has been used to kill plenty of animals. It's $500. I'm not interested in a hunting scope over 44mm. I feel it gets the scope to high to clear the barrel. This one is pretty sweet too. I have it on my 280 Remington. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023059082?pid=854843

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I just bought a left hand T3x lite stainless in 270 win last week and love it. I've got a bunch of rifles, from levers, bolts, and a couple of 30-06 7600's but felt the need for a stainless synthetic and the tikka fit the bill nicely.