Rifle selection

[Breddoch]

I lugged that same savage LRH 7 mag around the mountain for a couple of years. This past offseason I picked up a Savage Ultralite in 280 ai. I would add it to your list maybe in 280 ai or 300 wsm.

 

[Bezamaelee]

Just cause looking at old photos is fun My tikka has been on many good hunts and other long seasons still shooting great with many rounds through it at close to 20 yrs old…if you go this route you will find a very good hunting weapon. I will only voice my opinion on something I have experience with…the days I made a mistake with my tikka it was not the weapons fault.. if only I could make my aging body perform as well as my tikka I would be stoked……I’m shooting hornady 154 ssts lights out

I’ve just got to comment that that little slideshow is a thing of beauty! Man what an incredible two decades of memories. Blessed dude! Well done.

To the OP, I shoot a stainless T3x in 7 mag. I have a lot of rifles and this is my go to rifle. I also owned the same Savage as you but sent it down the river a couple years ago. It was a great shooter but I prefer the Tikka. I did restock the T3x in a McMillan (edge fill) and to me it is ideal as an all-around.

Good luck!

 

[Bezamaelee]

This may be an unpopular opinion but give a 270 win a look… at closer ranges, it has more then sufficient killing power and a lot less recoil than magnums. I’ve had success out to 500 ish yards with the 270 on elk.

This public land over the counter bull fell to one shot last year (only 120 ish yards) from my 270 and a 150 grain Nosler partition that was recovered on the off side skin

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Outstanding, Timberhunter! My son Shoots my hand-me-down stainless T3 in 270. Man I love that rifle. I also stocked it in a McMillan (edge fill) and wouldn’t hesitate to elk hunt with it.

 

[TimberHunter]

Outstanding, Timberhunter! My son Shoots my hand-me-down stainless T3 in 270. Man I love that rifle. I also stocked it in a McMillan (edge fill) and wouldn’t hesitate to elk hunt with it.

Thank you! The 270 has treated well over the last 4 years I’ve had it… 2 bull elk, 2 cow elk, 2 mule deer and 1 antelope from 120 yards to 575 yards. This is a little better pic of that same over the counter, public land bull taken with the 270 and 150 grain partition

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[bascott1]

My first tikka as well here. 270 wsm b&c stock and vx5 hd 3-15. Group is at 300 yds. Hair over 8 lbs. good on elk to 500 and mild recoil. I Feel like a hard to beat combo here.

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I lugged that same savage LRH 7 mag around the mountain for a couple of years. This past offseason I picked up a Savage Ultralite in 280 ai. I would add it to your list maybe in 280 ai or 300 wsm.

How are you liking it? The LRH shoots amazing but it’s heavy.

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I’ve just got to comment that that little slideshow is a thing of beauty! Man what an incredible two decades of memories. Blessed dude! Well done.

To the OP, I shoot a stainless T3x in 7 mag. I have a lot of rifles and this is my go to rifle. I also owned the same Savage as you but sent it down the river a couple years ago. It was a great shooter but I prefer the Tikka. I did restock the T3x in a McMillan (edge fill) and to me it is ideal as an all-around.

Good luck!

Sorry about the river! This is good feedback thank you!

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

Thank you! The 270 has treated well over the last 4 years I’ve had it… 2 bull elk, 2 cow elk, 2 mule deer and 1 antelope from 120 yards to 575 yards. This is a little better pic of that same over the counter, public land bull taken with the 270 and 150 grain partition

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Incredible elk!

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

My first tikka as well here. 270 wsm b&c stock and vx5 hd 3-15. Group is at 300 yds. Hair over 8 lbs. good on elk to 500 and mild recoil. I Feel like a hard to beat combo here.

Very nice thanks for sharing!

 

[KU_Geo]

I think Timberhunters suggestion is spot on. 270win in a tikka is still plenty snappy in the recoil department. I had a tikka 30-06 and 7mm mag, those have went down the road as they didn’t do anything the 270 doesn’t do and both had more recoil than I preferred. 150 partitions are my go to, not sexy, but have worked from <20yds out to almost 600. Tikka with leupold vx2 3-9x40 LRD, DNZ mount, is just barely over 7lbs. I’ve had it in a McMillan Sako classic edge fill and B&C medalist, but have returned a factory T3x stock. Works just as well and is about the same weight as the Micky.

Just a few from the last 7yrs I have been using that combo.

 

[Squincher]

I think Timberhunters suggestion is spot on. 270win in a tikka is still plenty snappy in the recoil department. I had a tikka 30-06 and 7mm mag, those have went down the road as they didn’t do anything the 270 did and both had more recoil than I preferred. 150 partitions are my go to, not sexy, but have worked from <20yds out to almost 600. Just a few from the last 7yrs I have been using that combo.View attachment 317292View attachment 317293View attachment 317294View attachment 317295View attachment 317296

Sexy is as sexy does, and partitions having been doing it very well for a long, long time.

 

[Bezamaelee]

I think Timberhunters suggestion is spot on. 270win in a tikka is still plenty snappy in the recoil department. I had a tikka 30-06 and 7mm mag, those have went down the road as they didn’t do anything the 270 did and both had more recoil than I preferred. 150 partitions are my go to, not sexy, but have worked from <20yds out to almost 600. Just a few from the last 7yrs I have been using that combo.View attachment 317292View attachment 317293View attachment 317294View attachment 317295View attachment 317296

Wait. You can’t kill elk with a 270! At least that’s what I’ve heard. Somebody forgot to tell those two bulls! They seem to be really dead. Well done!

150 partitions are as good as proven in the last half century as literally anything else. Awesome pics.

 

[KU_Geo]

It wasn’t until last year that I finally strayed from that rifle a bit, even though I have several to choose from (300wm, 30-06, 6.5cm, 7mm-08). And the only reason is that I let my old man use it for elk hunting with me. Finally had to use the “mighty” 300wm to kill an elk. Results were exactly the same as the 270 win…..

But in all fairness, I did get seduced for those sexy sleek bullets and used the tikka 6.5cm with 143eldx for the bighorn tag I had last year. But that was mainly because that gun shoots 1/4-1/2 MOA and I thought there’s no reason owning a rifle if I am not going to put it to good use! This year, the 270 is back in action for deer, elk, and antelope (and the 6.5cm for another sheep hunt )

 

[KU_Geo]

Some more 270win and 150 partition data points

 

[Breddoch]

How are you liking it? The LRH shoots amazing but it’s heavy.

So far I am a fan. I am hesitant to call it a 1/2” gun but it is close, less than 3/4 unquestionably. I am shooting 160 accubonds out of the 280 AI at 2810 fps. I am losing some velocity due to the 22” barrel. That is about 120 fps less than my 7 mag with the same bullet in factory ammo. For my purposes of a 500 yard or less gun, I am feeling good about it.

 

[specneeds]

When asked about the perfect gun for elk for years I’ve said Tikka 300 WSM with a good scope. My first several elk were all taken with a Ruger model 77 I bought new in 1977 a “made in the 200th year of American Liberty” model that has a custom muzzle brake, bedded with a nice trigger. Last sight-in 3 shots into a single hole for the 4th time - It is so accurate any miss is my fault. These days I’m shooting a beat-up heavy 300 Weatherby Vanguard that really does have more oomph than the old 7mm out past 300 yards at 10 lbs recoil isn’t bad at all. Just bought the grandson a 300 WSM this month for this season, I went with a Savage 110 & Burris FF2 4.5-14 for under $700 total - he can upgrade when he is older if he likes but it seems to be working after one range break in session.
A 7mm Tikka is about as good a mountain hunting rifle as there is in my opinion.

 

[MightyMatt]

I can't say enough good things about the tikka rifles. I've got twins set up this year. They are both model T3 lite stainless and both have been threaded for Terminator T2 brakes. There top one is a 7mm rem mag and the bottom one is a 300 win mag. Shooting Hornady precision hunter out of both but have all the components to build the same load also. The 162 gr ELD-X in the 7 mag I can spot my own shots on steel at 100. The 300 mag with the 200gr. ELD-X I'm able to focus at 200 yards to pick up the shot on steel. Both kick about the same as my bodies t3x super lite 6.5 Creedmoor. They are a pleasure to shoot for as long as you can afford to feed them these days. Both are easily MOA with the factory ammo even. They both have Ziess V4 6-24X50 scopes with the ZMOAi-t20 reticle and are there only guns I find myself reaching for anymore. The only actual upgrades besides the brakes are the mountain tactical trigger springs set around 3/4 of a pound stainless recoil lugs. The blast is not bad at all directly behind the gun shooting with only ear plugs but standing to the side is no fun. Back when you could pick these up for less than $600 I wish I would have sold off all my other rifles and replaced then with tikka's in the same caliber.

 

[MightyMatt]

This is one of the groups last fall with the 7mag trying to learn the wind a little better. This was shot at a tick over 450 yards with the 162 eld-x round. Im obviously not a bench rest shooter but for a sub$600 lite carry rifle I can't complain to much about how it shoots.

 

[TimberHunter]

This is one of the groups last fall with the 7mag trying to learn the wind a little better. This was shot at a tick over 450 yards with the 162 eld-x round. Im obviously not a bench rest shooter but for a sub$600 lite carry rifle I can't complain to much about how it shoots.View attachment 318666

For being a group in the wind, 450 yards in a light weight rifle… you down played that group far too much


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[MightyMatt]

I appreciate the kind words. Been trying to learn the long range game as much as I can. It was definitely minute of deer anyway as it worked out for me last fall in Montana. I was able to take my first mule deer ever with a single shot from 400 yards. Id love to attend one of the long range shooting schools at some point. It's really a big change from my archery hunting though. Im a trad bow shooter and the closer the better.