Tikka T3 lite or Remington model 700 SPS

They are both great rifles. And, as other have pointed out, your choice really should be based on your individual ergonomics. I have a SPS in 7mm-08. Two seasons ago, I was 6 for 6 on whitetail (game biologist supervised cull hunt for those arm chair flamers). That being said, I often think a Tiikka would be a great addition. But, so would a stainless Featherweight, a custom shop Model Seven..., well, you get the idea.

But, how many deer rifles do you need if you are great with the one you have?

I pray to never definitively answer this question.

Swamper
 
I see that faithful have turned this into yet another religious straw-grasping nit-picking contest. :D

I've owned and loved a 700BDL. She was a beauty that's for sure and I wish I still had her. But I'm mystified what hand built $3000+ bench rest or sniping rifles have to do with comparing out of the box rifles. Do you really believe that the Chevy Monte Carlo that you brought home from the dealer is the exact same car that is run on NASCAR? What does one have to do with the other other than a name plate? Do you honestly believe that there is anything left absolutely bone bare stock those megabuck customs? If there is I'd ask for my money back! It's the old "If I put $500,000 into my Monte Carlo it will beat your stock Shelby Mustang so mine is better" argument.

Remington 700s are darn fine rifles, but on average a bone bare stock 700 isn't going to out perform a bone bare stock Tikka. On the contrary in my opinion having owned both a bone bare stock Tikka T3 is on average going to slightly out perform a bone bare stock Remington 700 at an equal price point. Will it make the slightest difference to the critter at the receiving end? Probably not.

/reality check
 
sholling: Good post; however, I think you'll find that trying to dialogue logically with folks who are incapable of logical cogitating is an exercise in futility! ;)
 
Remington 700s are darn fine rifles, but on average a bone bare stock 700 isn't going to out perform a bone bare stock Tikka. On the contrary in my opinion having owned both a bone bare stock Tikka T3 is on average going to slightly out perform a bone bare stock Remington 700 at an equal price point. Will it make the slightest difference to the critter at the receiving end? Probably not.
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But add the notoriously poor service at Tikka and you get?

Remington wins

WildendofdiscussionAlaska ™
 
Over the years I have bought, sold and traded around and have owned a lot of different rifles. Probably 25-30 Remingtons and never had a problem with them. Most were pretty accurate with a few that were unacceptable. I bought my first Tikka 4 years ago and have not hunted with a Remington since. I still have my old 700 that I bought in high school 35 years ago and it is equal in accuracy to my Tikka, but the Tikka beats every other Remington I have ever owned.

The main selling point for me is the light weight of the Tikka. The Remington SPS will be about 1 1/2 lbs heavier. If you do not go overboard with a scope the Tikka will be 1/2-3/4 lb lighter scoped than a Remington with no scope. This may not be important to everyone but it suits my style of hunting.

Will the Tikka still be working 25 years from now like an old Remington? Who knows and only time will tell. For me I will enjoy using a lighter, more accurate rifle for now.
 
But add the notoriously poor service at Tikka and you get?
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I'll have to take your word for it Ken. I'm 52 and I've never had to send any rifle in for repair. I did have a magazine issue but Beretta is offering a free replacement (< 1 minute on hold) as soon as I get around to sending it in. So what common failures have you seen in Tikkas and Remingtons that required a return to depot? I'm just curious.
 
Tikka, hands down. I have had many, took one to Africa with me to hunt (M695 .30-06) and you just can't beat the accuracy, reliability, bolt smoothness, and excellent trigger of the rifle.

I have a T3 as well in .223 that is nothing short of amazing. All my bolt action rifles will always be Tikkas.

BTW - when I was in Namibia, both my PH (Professional Hunter) and his father (a very well-respected PH himself), both of whom have had YEARS of experience hunting and shooting, and have each taken thousands of animals, both offered to buy my Tikka, calling it one of the finest shooting and performing rifles they have ever held. Take that for what it is worth (not much to some, a lot to others).

And I've used it pretty hard in some tough conditions and have never had any problems.
 
I did have a magazine issue but Beretta is offering a free replacement (< 1 minute on hold) as soon as I get around to sending it in.
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Wanna work for me? Shortest hold I ever had was 20 minutes.:D

So what common failures have you seen in Tikkas and Remingtons that required a return to depot? I'm just curious.
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Remington? Probably biggest is failure to extract....but volume of those is low compared to number of guns out there and we service them.

Tikka? Broken parts, lost magazines or loose magazines, broken stocks...try and get a part from those guys.

WildtheystinkAlaska ™
 
lost magazines
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You've hit the only Tikka Weakness that I've found. Spare magazines are rare as hen's teeth. Service hasn't been an issue I've called twice and talked to a human in less than I minute both times. Helpfulness was so-so but not horrible. The thing with Tikka magazines is jump on them when they come up. I have one spare for my 300WM and 3 spare five rounders for my 223 all from Cheaper Than Dirt.
 
Rem or Tikka,... it depends

I've owned both and have to say that 'it depends' whether or not you're going to use it 'as is' for the foreseable future or if you plan on putting some time and money into tinkering, futzing with, and upgrading your new rifle.

If I were going to buy a rifle with the idea of getting the best shooter straight out of the box that doesn't need much in the way of upgrades as I don't have the money to do much more than buy the rifle and my scope,... I'd DEFINATELY go with a Tikka. As I mentioned in another post

(http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307672)

my little Tikka T3 Tactical is a great, handy little rifle and shoots like a dream for the cost! As a Tikka owner, I gravitate toward, and attract, other Tikka owners at the range and I've NEVER had any one of them say nothing but great things about their rifles - face it, Tikka's are really great shooters! Personally, I'm not a fan of the stocks, but at this point I couldn't care less as they 'just shoot'! Sure, others will knock the 'plastic mags', but not because they show evidence of an inordinate amount of breaking,...they're just different.

Now, if I were planning on taking a stock rifle and upgrading it into an ultra-accurate sniper rifle, or even long range hunting rifle, i.e. new stock, barrel, bedding, trued action, etc. - something that is easy to get 'accessories' for and upgrade, then I wouldn't hesitate to get a Remington Model 700 over any other rifle. As another poster mentioned, Rem700's are the backbone of the serious shooting crowd, but only after serious money and time is invested in making them that way. On the flip side, if you're into spending money for a highend rifle, you might consider also looking into Tikka's parent company; Sako. If you're looking for a high-end shooter you can't do much worse than Sako's TRG line of rifles,... and the cost will be as much or less than most of the custom Rem700's :)

In either case, both are good rifles, but for different reasons. Personally, I consider my Tikka to be a really good rifle,... not a GREAT rifle,... but really good and I haven't done a thing to it other than put on a quality optic and dial in a tack-driving handload. As for my Rem700? It was a 'good' rifle when I bought it,... not really good, but good. I've since had a new stock, bedding, and trigger put on it to get it to be a 'really good' rifle,... but it's still not great.

Both my Tikka and my Rem700 are close to eachother now (Tikka holding an edge), but to date, I know that I've spent more on bringing my Rem700 up to par and if I just sink even MORE $$$ into the Rem700,... it could be a great rifle,... it's just a matter of investment. Just a thought :)

Ryan
 
My only point was that to discount Remington as a hobbyist rifle is a little extreme. The Remingtons I own as well as the numerous ones that my father owns all shoot well under 1" 5 shot 100 yard groups. My .223 shoots sub .75" and the .22-250 Sendero I'm buying from dad will shoot .50". I'm quite certain this would allow any "professional" to take even small varmints at any relevant distance just as well as a Tikka or even a $4000 custom. I was not knocking Tikka or any other brand. No, I don't believe Remington makes the absolute best rifle. That said, in my experience, the ones I have will shoot just as well as any other factory rifle (without modifications).

Chevrolet makes a stock corvette that is raced professionally in stock condition. In some cases the horsepower has to be reduced.
 
Inspector 3711,

My experience with Remington accuracy has been the same as yours with BONE STOCK 700's. I know that's hard for some to believe but it's true. It seems like it's becoming a rite of passage for some to belittle 700's to prove their "knowledge" about rifle accuracy.

Although there are many brands capable of excellent accuracythese days, this does not make 700's any less accurate than they've always been.
 
Amen, Horseman. I'd seriously look for a good deal on a Rem. LVSF (up to .243; no sure what cal. were talking about) and compare to a Tikka lite. I've got one and also a Varmint SPS, both shoot great with no problems. The SPS is a Cabela's special with a stainless barrel.
Also, I'd think about dealer availability/service and country of origin. We need to keep as many $ in th U.S. as possible. And, I'd bet the Rem. will have a greater resale value, too.
 
The .223 I mentioned above is a Rem 700 LVSF. If you are looking for a bench gun it won't be ideal but if you are looking for a light, accurate rifle to carry, at 6.5 lbs it'll do the job as well as any. Mine has the old trigger design which is it's one downfall. There is some creep I can't seem to adjust out but I did manage to turn the pull down to 3lbs. I may replace the trigger someday but the rest of the rifle is just right!
 
hard to spend money on a remington and make it shoot worse.

hard to spend money on a tikka.





easy to spend a LOT of money on a remington to make it shoot like a tikka out of the box.


If you want to spend energy, time, and money to build a custom rifle with just the right recipe for just the right combo, the remington is better for you.

if you just want the rifle to shoot where it is pointed with whatever loads you happen to have bought that day, try the Tikka.
 
hard to spend money on a remington and make it shoot worse.

hard to spend money on a tikka.
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I've read complaints that the Tikkas do have occasional parts breakage. I guess it's hard to spend money on them because it's hard to get parts...:p

As stated above, I have a Remington .22-250 in stock form that will hold 1/2" 5 shot groups. That surely is as tight as a Tikka. I'm sure ALL Tikkas shoot SUB .500" groups with no mods though.
 
I've read complaints that the Tikkas do have occasional parts breakage.
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Can you document this without going back 7-8 years? Links please. Can you document that fewer Remingtons have broken? Links please.

The Remington 700 fine rifles but let's not get carried away with trashing because another brand shoots as well or better for less money. It sounds largely like Glockaphile trash talk. The reality is that it's hard to go wrong with a Tikka T3 or a Remington 700.
 
I've read complaints that the Tikkas do have occasional parts breakage.

Can you document this without going back 7-8 years?
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Anyone who was reading gun forums in 2003-2006 can tell you all the stories they read with pictures about stainless Tikka's blowing into tiny pieces upon firing. Use the search function on this forum and it's sister forum and that will be my "provided documentation". The bad part about the whole deal is how Beretta tried to keep it hush hush. They did not send out letters to owners of guns affected. They waited for the consumer to call and ask them if their gun was going to blow up. This seems irresponsible to me with an issue of safety.

I hope you find the thread that was started last year about the guy who was shooting 12 benches down from a Tikka. All of the sudden a piece of stainless landed on his bench that said "Made in Finland". He looked down the firing line and saw people gathered around what was left of a stainless T3.
 
There was one bad batch of stainless barrels, I doubt you can find 5 posts on the entire internet from people whose rifle failed. Further, I bet I can find more than 5 posts about Remingtons that have failed. Further still, how many of those failed Tikkas were reloaders who were working up loads...care to guess?

Point being, people in glass houses, rocks etc. No manufacturer of firearms has put out a product for years without the occasional problem. Tikka, despite your assurances, did deal with the problem as well as any firearm manufacturer. When a reloader has a barrel blow up...you don't exactly hit the panic button as a firearm manufacturer. When it happened again in a factory ammo use...then they took action. Surf on over to the reloader section and read for a while...plenty of guys going over the limits out there. More often than not the primer or case shows the overpressure.....but if the chamber is tight....you may not see the signs as early as you like.

In any event, old story, fixed half a decade ago. If that is your only beef with Tikka, you really are stretching. I am still waiting to read of any Remington and Tikka owner who prefers the Remington. I've seen a half dozen go the other way in the last week in here. There seem to be plenty of Remingtons sitting in safes while the Tikka they share the safe with is out playing. Why is that?
 
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