New to rifles, buying a tikka caliber selection?

[peterk123]

Thanks for all these replys everybody. I'll have to take a look into the 6.5cm i just dont know alot about it other than seeing memes about them lol. Im leaning towards a 308 but going to do more research on some of these other calibers too.

I love my 308. It will take any game in North America. There is always ammo for it. Always. If you ever get into reloading you will be thrilled to know the loading data is endless. And it is so versatile if you do reload it.

If you get it in the tikka t3x lite, get a limbsaver recoil pad. It eliminates any recoil. Unless they've changed it, the recoil pad blows.

 

[Brandon_AZ]

My vote is 243 with a 8 twist.
Fun to shoot minimal recoil, bad medicine for deer and bears
You said your plan is to practice a lot and with a light weight tikka the .243 will actually be enjoyable to shoot. The 8 twist really just gives you more bullet options down the road.

Also most importantly if your first rifle is a .243 Whiskey Myers-ballad of a southern man, sounds 10x better.

 

[mt terry d]

so?

Not everyone is comfortable with their masculinity.

223 is the easy button all around and you'll become a better shooter quicker and cheaper.
Wear a John Wayne button to the range if you feel intimidated.

 

[BlackBearCrazy02]

I have a Tikka t3x in 270 that I have taken deer, elk, and black bear with. Got it when I was 16 and it wasn’t too much recoil to handle. It has enough fire power to take anything in lower 48 and pretty cheap/available factory ammo.

 

[joliver2]

Europtic did have a great sale going on Tikka lite SS 6.5prc

 

[EastHumboldt]

.308 or 6.5 creed. Mild recoil, large selection of factory ammo. Enough power that they will kill almost anything if your shot is well placed. Get a threaded barrel so you can suppress it, or god forbid mount a muzzle brake ( loud).

 

[upslopeP]

I went through this recently - if I was going to buy 2 guns I would get a 223/556 for cheap practice. Then depending on distance and money it seems like 6.5/7 is a good caliber. But if I bought a 223/556 I would probably want a semi auto platform and that's a whole other can of worms. So I ended up with a 308 for plenty of ammo at reasonable cost, reasonable recoil, and kind of a middle of road do it all.

I will likely get a 7mm down the road but looking at bullet energy, range, and cost I figured 308 was the sweet spot for me. As a new shooter - do you want to go long distance? >400 yd? From scratch I would probably get a cheap 223 as the gun would pay for itself after a few thousand rounds. If you have some practice (like several thousand rnd on 22) and you just need more range - then check out ammoseek on bullet prices. Figure out how many you're going to shoot and see if the cost difference between 308 and 6.5 is worth it to you. Numbers say it's better but less power. I don't think there is really a wrong answer but I know 308 ammo will be around and can buy 'cheap' military surplus. How serious are you on this?

 

[evan711]

I went through this recently - if I was going to buy 2 guns I would get a 223/556 for cheap practice. Then depending on distance and money it seems like 6.5/7 is a good caliber. But if I bought a 223/556 I would probably want a semi auto platform and that's a whole other can of worms. So I ended up with a 308 for plenty of ammo at reasonable cost, reasonable recoil, and kind of a middle of road do it all.

I will likely get a 7mm down the road but looking at bullet energy, range, and cost I figured 308 was the sweet spot for me. As a new shooter - do you want to go long distance? >400 yd? From scratch I would probably get a cheap 223 as the gun would pay for itself after a few thousand rounds. If you have some practice (like several thousand rnd on 22) and you just need more range - then check out ammoseek on bullet prices. Figure out how many you're going to shoot and see if the cost difference between 308 and 6.5 is worth it to you. Numbers say it's better but less power. I don't think there is really a wrong answer but I know 308 ammo will be around and can buy 'cheap' military surplus. How serious are you on this?

I already have an ar with a red dot i can practice with and i have a 30-06 "right hand" want a lefty bolt gun. I just need to put in trigger time and want a hunting rifle that does beat the crap out of me but would be ethical on elk, bears and deer. Thinking about putting a good recoil pad on a tikka and suppressor, going to practice shooting at least 1-2 times a month and wouldn't mind a setup that has a bit of reach but honestly feeling overwhelmed with the amount of options I have lol.

 

[Mike D Texas]

A 20” .308 would be perfect for the hunting you describe. Don’t get caught up in having to have the newest whiz bang cartridge out there.

Everyone needs a good .308 in their collection.

 

[insanelupus]

OP,

There are a lot of flavors to pick from and the only "right" one is the one you choose and are happy with. Nothing says you have to keep what you buy forever. No one said you can have only one. Pick one, buy it, enjoy it, then decide what's next. Very few stick with just one rifle.

Lots of suggestions for just one (if that's the route you decide on) . I'll add mine, .30-06.

Few rounds are as flexible as this one. Recoil is certainly manageable, especially with a suppressor. No need for a "trainer" rifle, spend the money on either a reload set up or purchase the reduced recoil rounds for trigger time, if needed. Reduced recoil handliads are also possible.

One rifle for bunnies to bears out to reasonable ranges. Some frown on it, some clown on it, but it is a proven round, widely available, tons of load choices and reloading data, and capable of anything North America has to offer. Always the best choice for everything? Maybe not, but it's rarely a bad choice for anything.

Good luck.

 

[sndmn11]

Don't reload and are left handed, and it's pretty

https://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3x-hunter-65-cm-22bbl-1-8-5-8x24-wood-blued-jrtxa38222mt

These will kill anything

https://www.eurooptic.com/berger-65-creedmoor-lrp-140gr-elite-hunter-ammunition-20-box-31040

Glue this on

https://www.eurooptic.com/mdt-20-moa-tikka-t3-sa-blk-picatinny-scope-base-102190-blk

Call this guy @EuroOptic

 

[bnewt3]

Just adding to what has already been said:

.30-06 WILL do the job, no doubt about it.

But as others have said, recoil is real and plays a significant factor in how much you will shoot and therefore how proficient you CAN be, as well as the significant potential for developing habits that reduce your effectiveness.

Quick and dirty math here comparing 8lbs rifles shooting Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X bullet, using box velocity for each cartridge and recoil % less than .30-06:
.30-06 178gr has ~23fl/lbs recoil energy and hit its advertised min velocity @ ~675yds
308 178gr has ~18ft/lbs(22% less) recoil energy and hits its advertised min velocity just a bit past 600yds
6.5PRC 143gr has ~19ft/lbs(18% less) recoil energy and hits its advertised min velocity ~900yds
6.5 Creedmoor 143gr has 14ft/lbs(40% less) of recoil energy and hits its advertised min velocity ~750yds
243 90gr has ~9.9ft/lbs(57% less) and hits its advertised min velocity ~700yds

* advertised for the ELD-x bullet is 1600fps, thats what Hornady says but there is debate if that is correct
*Minimum velocity is how fast the bullet needs to be traveling at impact to properly deform and therefore create the inital expected wound channel.

Im not encouraging, in fact ill discourage almost all shooters from shots on game at those distances, but numbers help me compare things.

Personally, I think 6.5 Creedmoor is an excellent place for an adult shooter to start. Mild recoil, great external ballistics, LOTS of factory ammo choices, ammo can be about as cheap or expensive as you want, COMPLETELY capable of taking virtually anything you hunt.

 

[MoeFaux]

If I were starting over, my one-and-done do-all rifle would be a 7mm-08. It's pretty close to a ballistic twin of the 6.5cm with a marginal advantage in drop and energy for the first 400 yards. This is at the expense of a slight bump in recoil, but still well within my comfort zone. Plenty of ammo available for both.

Don't fall into the Rokslide rabbit hole and believe it's mandatory to buy a suppressor and an aftermarket stock. Your Tikka will shoot and hunt just fine right out of the box. Mine certainly does.

 

[Jfjfrye]

6.5 creed for less recoil
6.5 prc for a little more performance and recoil

 

[youngbuck96]

Thanks for all these replys everybody. I'll have to take a look into the 6.5cm i just dont know alot about it other than seeing memes about them lol. Im leaning towards a 308 but going to do more research on some of these other calibers too.

.308 WIN is my all-time favorite hunting caliber, and I own several 6.5 CM and PRC also. All of my shots have been under 250 yards, and I won't shoot over 500 yards, so the "less wind drift" and "flatter shooting" argument for the 6.5 is irrelevant. I'd rather have mass to deliver energy on target. The 7.62 frontal diameter has also given me larger exit wounds and better blood trails (although they are rarely needed). All things equal, they are both readily available, affordable, and deadly. The difference in recoil is marginal. At the end of the day both will suffice. I prefer the .308 because it is larger (there is no replacement for displacement), has history (NATO use since 1954), and it flat out kills animals and has never failed me. A lot of people on this forum chase the latest and greatest 2% increases in performance/efficiency. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Just my opinion.

 

[youngbuck96]

Also, I've never heard anyone shoot something in the vitals with a .308 and say "I wish I would've used a bigger cartridge" afterwards. I have heard several people say that with a 6.5 CM on deer hunts (the deer still died both times). Just an anecdotal observation.

 

[LongWayAround]

@youngbuck96

Definitely needed more gun.

 

[youngbuck96]

@youngbuck96 View attachment 1015105

Definitely needed more gun.

I never said they aren't effective! Personally, I just know more people that have been dissatisfied with 6.5 CM than .308 WIN. Most of that dissatisfaction was probably caused by unrealistic expectations, user error, poor bullet selection, etc. Do you man!

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Also, I've never heard anyone shoot something in the vitals with a .308 and say "I wish I would've used a bigger cartridge" afterwards. I have heard several people say that with a 6.5 CM on deer hunts (the deer still died both times). Just an anecdotal observation.

Based on my anecdotal observations, there are a lot of stupid and/or ignorant people in this world. What “the average hunter” knows about terminal ballistics wouldn’t fill a thimble.

I’ve seen hunters standing over a deer I killed express disbelief that I was able to kill such a big deer with that “little old .270.” Would he have been even more DRT with a .30-06?

The whole 6.5 Needmore thing is equivalent to the GM marketing people who planted the question, “What is a Camaro?” in the first press conference. Answer: “it’s a legendary beast that eats Mustangs.”

 

[youngbuck96]

Based on my anecdotal observations, there are a lot of stupid and/or ignorant people in this world. What “the average hunter” knows about terminal ballistics wouldn’t fill a thimble.

I’ve seen hunters standing over a deer I killed express disbelief that I was able to kill such a big deer with that “little old .270.” Would he have been even more DRT with a .30-06?

The whole 6.5 Needmore thing is equivalent to the GM marketing people who planted the question, “What is a Camaro?” in the first press conference. Answer: “it’s a legendary beast that eats Mustangs.”

I agree