Savage 110 ultralight or Tikka T3x lite in 6.5 PRC? Worth semi-custom?

[Jjustus16]

I was recently able to put hands on a Savage 110 ultralight in 6.5 PRC and a Tikka T3x Lite in 6.5 PRC. After a lot of research I’ve kinda narrowed down my next hunting rifle to one of these.

Let’s state the obvious first - the actions. The savage was a little rough. I’m curious as to it getting better with some use, if people have experienced jams or malfunctions in critical moments, etc. Other than the action, it feels like a really nice gun. Super light, balanced, great accuracy (allegedly) all for about 1300 USD.
Now, I have heard some complaints about the stocks feeling soft and floppy, but that’s an issue that could be addressed down the road.
I also worry about the felt recoil in a 6.5 PRC in a gun this light. Is it gonna absolutely wallop? Manufacturer specs put it around 5.8 pounds and I believe it!! Thing feels like it’s made of air.

Now for the Tikka - the action was BUTTER (obviously.) BUT, that rifle felt insanely front heavy. It’s like it didn’t have enough weight in the ass, or the barrel was just way too heavy. Both of those are also fixable problems. What are everyone’s experience with that?

If I had my way I’d take the tikka action and put it on the 110 but, clearly that’s not an option. So, what are everyone’s thoughts on a semi custom in one of these rifles? Is it worth it to swap a barrel or stock? Or would I just be better off shelling out the extra 750 to get a fully custom rifle.

Prior to anyone suggesting other threads, I did read through 110 pages on semi custom tikka builds

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[dan25]

I went down the same road 1 year ago. I ended up buying a Tikka Veil in 300 win Mag. That model gun comes with fluted bolt, stainless action coated with Cerakote, threaded muzzle and slightly larger crown barrel than the standard T3. It shoots just under 1/2 moa out to 600 yds and 1/4 moa at 250 yds with stock ammo. If your deadset on a Carbon barrel; I would buy a Tikka action and slowly start buying pieces to build. My brother has the same exact gun that you want in 6.5prc. He built it off tikka action, proof prefit barrel, mesa precision stock, zeiss v4 scope. That gun weighs 8lbs 5oz. My 300 veil with a Nightforce Nxs 5.5x22x50 is 9.1 lbs. I'd say his semi-custom shoots 1/4 moa better than mine at 600 yds; but both really nice guns. In the end, get what you want, not what saves you a little money. I love my factory Tikka, but also will build a carbon one someday. In addition, a factory Tikka trigger with an aftermarket spring are some of the best triggers out there. They brake like glass. Savages definitely shoot well, but there actions are definitely rough. Good luck.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Sako S20 Hunter 6.5 PRC 24" Bbl 1:8" Rifle JRS20H319

Sako S20 Hunter 6.5 PRC 24" Bbl 1:8" Rifle JRS20H319 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

This is a better rifle and better price than the other options you're considering.

 

[Cactus kid]

You will find that the tikka is going to be favored for many reasons on rokslide.

Incredibly reliable system, factory stock is plenty stiff, accurate, and upgradable down the road.

I chose a tikka action for my "custom" build because of its attributes: reliable trigger, built in rail, and prefit barrel availability. I chose this action over many custom actions, cost was not a factor.

The rifle will feel much better balanced when you put a scope on it.

I am always concerned when the first priority of a rifle is its weight. i have to ask, why are you looking for ultralite?

 

[trolson90]

I have the Savage in 6.5 PRC. It's been a good gun. Shoots ELD-X like they were made for it. The action and stock certainly leave something to be desired, but they aren't terrible. While the action isn't smooth like the Tikka and has not gotten noticeably better for me, I've never had an issue with it. I would recommend the Ultralite to anybody who wanted an affordable light weight rifle. Just understand you're paying for the barrel.

Now, if you think you're going to upgrade this gun down the road, go with the Tikka. I have a Tikka as well and it's been easier to find parts for my Tikka than it has been for the Savage. At least the stuff I want.

 

[Jjustus16]

Sako S20 Hunter 6.5 PRC 24" Bbl 1:8" Rifle JRS20H319

Sako S20 Hunter 6.5 PRC 24" Bbl 1:8" Rifle JRS20H319 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

This is a better rifle and better price than the other options you're considering.

That’s tikka’s parent company correct?

 

[Jjustus16]

You will find that the tikka is going to be favored for many reasons on rokslide.

Incredibly reliable system, factory stock is plenty stiff, accurate, and upgradable down the road.

I chose a tikka action for my "custom" build because of its attributes: reliable trigger, built in rail, and prefit barrel availability. I chose this action over many custom actions, cost was not a factor.

The rifle will feel much better balanced when you put a scope on it.

I am always concerned when the first priority of a rifle is its weight. i have to ask, why are you looking for ultralite?

Planning on doing some mountain hunting with this gun and 7 pounds scoped sounds a lot better than 10 pounds scoped.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

for hitting what I'm aiming at, 10# sounds a lot better. there's other ways to cut weight out of the pack.

 

[MCS]

Get a full custom it will be a better rifle then the savage or tikka.

 

[Mountainrancher]

Get the tikka then put it in a stockys carbon stock.

Stocky's NextGen Ultra Carbon™ Hunter VG (Vertical Grip) Composite Accublock® Stocks - Tikka T3/T3x

Vertical Grip Carbon Fiber Stock for Tikka T3/T3X

www.stockysstocks.com

The savage is a 1000 dollar barrel on a 300 dollar action. The tikka is a much nicer rifle all around.

 

[Turkeytider]

Suggest you give max credence to those who have experience with BOTH rifles. Otherwise, all you get are recommendations from fans of one or the other.

 

[ElPollo]

I own both. Hunted with a Savage for over 20 years. Still own it but prefer my Tikkas. Savages are generally accurate, but so are Tikkas. Tikka triggers, magazines, actions, and stocks are all significantly better than Savage stuff. The aftermarket for Savages is almost non-existent, as is the resale. Savage ultralights come with carbon fiber barrels but are the same weight as a standard T3x with a steel barrel. I personally don’t care enough about carbon fiber barrels to deal with all the other issues.

 

[Turkeytider]

I own both. Hunted with a Savage for over 20 years. Still own it but prefer my Tikkas. Savages are generally accurate, but so are Tikkas. Tikka triggers, magazines, actions, and stocks are all significantly better than Savage stuff. The aftermarket for Savages is almost non-existent, as is the resale. Savage ultralights come with carbon fiber barrels but are the same weight as a standard T3x with a steel barrel. I personally don’t care enough about carbon fiber barrels to deal with all the other issues.

THAT`s what I`m talking about when it comes to truly useful recommendations and comparisons. Unfortunately, these kinds of evaluations are all too rare. Mostly it`s just fans of a particular brand promoting said brand.

 

[Tylsmith33]

I have the ultralite in 6.5 prc, have had it for 2 years it has been a pretty decent rifle, I got it new on clearance for 875$ so to me it was a no brainer. I’m not a fan of the stock but that can be changed for about 700$. But it doesn’t affect the shoot ability of the rifle at all. I shoot it suppressed so recoil is nothing feels like my old .243 or less so with a brake I’m sure it would do the same. I have had good luck shooting eldx 143 with rl26 consistently .35-.45 groups at 100 and I have shot it out to 800 and it has held under .5 moa all the way out there. Shot one box of factory ammo 143 precision and it shot them consistently .6-.8 at 100 during barrel break in. The savage sandy feel action is what it is I guess, I can still cycle the bolt with index finger if I want, but it just isn’t a butter feel and I don’t know any that are. The blue printed action is however very solid and accurate and light. Long post but in a nutshell
Cons savage action feel, light junky feeling stock, 2 round mag
Pros accurate, light, all weather finish, cool looking carbon barrel, can adjust accutrigger below 2lbs

 

[david2duck]

I have a savage ultralight in 6.5cm and my dad has it in 6.5prc. I also own 4 tikka’s. Both savages shoot really well. Mine has feeding issues, my dads doesn’t. I made a little thread on how we modified my dads stock just search stock modification savage ultralight. It took 6oz off and stiffened up the front end. I put my savage in a XLR chassis and it is fun to shoot minus the feeding issues. With all that said I would take a tikka over the savage. It’s just a better gun with way more aftermarket options. All my tikkas are shooters and the resale value is way better.

 

[jimh406]

I have a Savage Ultralite in 300 WSM. I bought it primarily for the barrel, and the adjustability of the stock. Mine comes in at 8 lbs with EGW Picatinny rail and rings with a Leupold 5HD 3-15. If you want to go extremely light, it's not a good choice. I could save 1/2 to 1 lb by going with a lightweight rings instead of a rail with lighter scope, but my goal is a lighter stable rifle. Some people have broken lightweight one piece rings, and I think the possibility of that with a magnum increases. I'd rather not have that issue.

I think either Savage or Tikka will work, but if you like the Tikka action, you probably should go that way. By the time you change the stock, you'll have what many of us consider a lot of money in the rifle. Might as well have the gun you feel is better. I don't shoot my hunting rifles that many times in hunting season or try to shoot multiple times in a hurry. As long as I have reliable feeding, I don't personally care about the smoothest action. However, I don't find my Savage rough by any means.

Finally, there are some higher priced models that some would consider "customs" that aren't really customs. Unless you have having it build by a specific gunsmith, I don't think it's really custom. It's a higher priced production gun. There are some people on the internet that have paid a lot of money for rifles that have issues from some of the gun makers. Assuming you know how to assemble the parts, you'll probably be better to do it yourself.

 

[Turkeytider]

I have a savage ultralight in 6.5cm and my dad has it in 6.5prc. I also own 4 tikka’s. Both savages shoot really well. Mine has feeding issues, my dads doesn’t. I made a little thread on how we modified my dads stock just search stock modification savage ultralight. It took 6oz off and stiffened up the front end. I put my savage in a XLR chassis and it is fun to shoot minus the feeding issues. With all that said I would take a tikka over the savage. It’s just a better gun with way more aftermarket options. All my tikkas are shooters and the resale value is way better.

Just curious. Would you mind being a bit more specific concerning " feeding issues " ? Do they have to do with the gun itself ( bolt? ) or perhaps the magazine? Thanks.

 

[nobody]

I used to hunt with a guy who had multiple Savage 110's in multiple chamberings and flavors, including a home built semi-custom that drove absolute tacks (zero taper 26" bull barrel 6.5 creed in a Boyd's laminated heavyweight stock, darn thing weighed like 20 lbs). Feeding from all of his was poor to poor plus. Very rough feeling and he had one rifle where, if you filled the magazine to Savage's stated capacity, the rifle would double feed. The mag would seat in the gun very well and always seemed to have positive engagement, but the gun always struggled to feed one at a time from the magazine.

Last summer, he picked up a standard model 110 Savage in 6.5 PRC. You mention you worry about recoil, and the recoil in that sucker was STIFF, even with a heavy (31 OZ) optic on top. Felt recoil on it was higher than that of my dad's mid 80's rem 700 in 7 rem mag. It didn't necessarily hurt to shoot, per-se, but it was very difficult to shoot well in the stock configuration. The stock geometry of the 110's, even with their "adjustability," is poor for anything but offhand shooting. The Ultralight model is a hair lighter so I would imagine the lighter weight would only exacerbate the problems.

EDIT TO ADD: Accuracy was ok, not great not terrible. Hornady factory Match ammo as well as Precision Hunter was tested, neither one was that great.

Had a coworker who had a 110 chambered in 243 that he handloaded 108 Grain Hornady ELDM's in and holy piss did that thing shoot. That said, it was about it's only redeeming quality. The bolt was rickety, the trigger group was literally lose on the bottom of the action and had legitimate wobble and play to it. On top of that, the rifle would only single feed/sled load, and would double feed EVERY TIME from the magazine with any ammo you put in it. It was accurate at a bench, that's the only thing it had going for it.

Triggers are adjustable on the Savage, which is cool. But so is the Tikka (along with 99% of other factory rifles on the market today), and the "accutrigger" style trigger (Remington makes one, Savage, Ruger, Mossberg, ETC.) is pretty much bottom of the barrel for overall trigger feel. Every one I've shot has had noticable creep and grit to it, and they only seem to get worse over time as dust and debris inevitably infiltrate all the nooks and crannies of trigger group.

With all the shortcomings I've experienced and seen with the Savages over the years, I know I personally wouldn't take one on anything but a coyote hunt. With all the time and effort and money put into drawing tags and getting to your spot and the time off work and such, why leave the moment of truth up to a rifle with a spotting reputation for reliability?

Someone above put it perfectly, the Ultralight model is a $900 barrel on a $400 action/rifle, and it feels like a $400 rifle.

If your budget is $1500 +/-, go Tikka all day every day. Pick up one of the upgraded, threaded and cerakoted models and smile on the drive home. Killer aftermarket support, great tolerances (shouldered prefits galore available for when you burn up your barrel), excellent trigger, great scope mounting solutions (Sportsmatch rings), and a known reputation for durability and longevity.

 

[david2duck]

I should have put feeding/extraction issues. The magazine seems engaged fine but sometimes they don’t go up the feed ramp at the correct angle and jam. If I don’t run the piss out of the bolt on extraction the brass won’t make it reliably out the ejection port.

 

[Turkeytider]

I should have put feeding/extraction issues. The magazine seems engaged fine but sometimes they don’t go up the feed ramp at the correct angle and jam. If I don’t run the piss out of the bolt on extraction the brass won’t make it reliably out the ejection port.

Interesting. I read on Savage Shooters that there has what seems to be excessive extraction and related ejection issues particularly with 6.5s. Not good since they are so popular. That may be a magazine issue. Have you contacted Savage? They`ve been good about sending out no cost replacement mags. They did for me. MIght be worth a try. I`ve not had any exteraction/ejection issues with my .223.

If you`ve a mind to, go to Savage Shooters web site and describe your issue. There are some knowledgeable people there ( Dave Hoback, Charlie b to name two ) who may be able to help. Personable and friendly site.