New to rifles, buying a tikka caliber selection?

[peterk123]

Ah the caliber paralysis analysis. I shoot a tikka 308. It's taken whitetail, mule deer, elk, antelope and bear. It's a very accurate and extremely reliable gun.

My wife shoots a 6 5cm. Everything she points that gun at dies. That caliber in a 143 grain bullet can hit a pinhead at 300 yds. And it's just a joy to shoot. Minimal recoil. For my first gun I would think long and hard about this caliber. It ticks off all the right boxes.

 

[evan711]

i should have been a little more clear i have shot a bit and have a couple rifles a 30-06 being one of them and i shot my first deer with it but i havent shot it much and its right handed i want a lefty. i just dont have a ton of trigger time though.

 

[evan711]

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.

 

[tdluke90]

This is really a pretty easy answer. Get the 6.5 creed.
1. Plenty big enough to enough to kill anything you mentioned and get you out plenty far.
2. You’re not a reloader and it has tons of factory ammo options
3. Kills plenty good enough and is the on the upper end of recoil that most ppl will want to shoot regularly.
4. Easier to get accurate loads and shoot accurately than a larger caliber
5. Going 243 will not have as many good factory loads available.
6. All the memes and jokes about the 6.5 is just ppl trolling and because it’s such a popular round. Theres a reason it’s probably the best most popular selling deer size cartridge.

Consider 243 for even less recoil but less factory ammo options. 308 is great but I just can’t see enough upside to offset the additional recoil and slightly less range compared to a 6.5 creed. That’s why the 6.5 creed has overtaken it in popularity.

 

[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.