What Am I Missing with the Savage & Tikka?

H

hopeisnotastrategy

New member
If you've been reading the forum lately, you've probably seen several of my posts and know that I am in the market for my first hunting rifle. After lots of research and great feedback from this forum I settled on either a Remington 700, Browning A-Bolt, or Weatherby Mark V.

I finally felt like I knew enough to go down to Cabela's today to see how each rifle felt in my hands. While there, the sales associate who was VERY helpful let me try every single manufacturer including Kimber, Winchester, Ruger, and more.

To my surprise, 2 of the most impressive were not even on my radar: Savage 111 & Tikka T3.

The Savage had construction and features that seemed to blow away the Remington and Browning with the AccuStock and AccuTrigger. The extraction method seemed to only be bested by the Winchester which seems to lead the market in that category. The build quality had obvious superiority. While all the major rifles claim a floated barrel, the Remington and Browning (and Winchester for that matter) had obvious issues where the barrel contacted the stock on one side. This was not the case with the Savage.

Similarly, the Tikka was very impressive in terms of quality and features.

I did not actually shoot any of these rifles, and I know that's what really matters. So what I'm asking is this: What am I missing? Where's the gotcha? Why aren't these manufacturers talked about more as at least equals, if not superior, to the Remingtons of the world?
 
the Tikka and Savage are both great rifles. I personally think savages are ugly but they have a reputation for exceptional accuracy. My next varmint rifle will probably be a Savage. I really like the Tikka in all aspects.
 
Because people love their remi's..... They're everywhere, and so is the aftermarket support.

I have a tikka T3 lite in .308 that I picked up about a year ago and I love it! Been quite a tac driver out to 300yds, which is all I've gotten the chance to do so far.
The stock is a little cheesy feeling, but super lightweight (the sako is nicer) and still solid. And at least for me, the super smooth action more then makes up for that
 
WOW,Dont know how you missed the Savage fans here,they are plenty.Both Savage & tikka boast great out of the box accuracy & quality for your money.Both have good triggers & barrels. IMO. your not missing anything,the Savage or the Tikka would make you a fine rifle.Congrats on a good eye for quailty good luck with your choice.;)
 
The first rifle I bought was a Savage. When I took it out of the box, slapped a cheap Tasco on it and it shot .6" groups with cheap wally world ammo I was sold. Every bolt gun Ive bought from then on was a Savage and I havent been dissapointed yet.
 
Savage's "gotcha" traditionally is they are fairly ugly.. at least not as nice as Remington. Before their accustock (which isn't that old) they had flimsy, utilitarian stocks. I have held the accustock and it definitely seems nice, but I haven't seen any reviews that claim it actually helps accuracy.. LOL, of course Savage is arguably the most accurate rifle right out of the box, definitely accurate enough for hunting. (There are a lot of accurate rifles now-a-days, it's not so clear cut and dry as it used to be.) Savages are also nice if you ever decide you want to tinker, they've got lots of aftermarket support and its easier to change the barrels on Savages than any other rifle.

No experience with Tikka's, but around here they seem to be cultish... either they aren't even on your radar or you are absolutely in love with them and can't imagine life without one. I would try one if the opportunity ever came up, but I just don't like the way they look.
 
If you're a fan of the Winchester (Model 70) type extraction design, and you like the trigger of the Savages; try the trigger on Kimber 84's. It'll pretty much blow you away. It blows the accu-trigger out of the water.
 
Pick the one that fits you best.

It's harder to find a bad rifle than a good one. All the ones mentioned are good.
 
tikka and savage

they are both very good guns. i own and love my synthetic Tikka T3 Varmint. the smoothest action i have encountered for that price. In Australia they are often refereed to as " a poor Mans Sako" (funny that they are made in the same factory) well for a gun that has shoots 1moa with everything iv tried and half 1/2moa at 100yrds with premium factory loads ill take it.

Sure the synthetic stock isnt the best around but there are a lot of after market options if it really bothers you. there are better rifles around but to out shoot a stock Tikka or savage you do need to spend a fair bit more $$ and unless u are a target shooting an moa gun will do what you need.
 
Savage's "gotcha" traditionally is they are fairly ugly..
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I've heard this many times and yet when a Remington is near a savage on the rack in a shop difficult to tell them apart, I just don't see the ugly part as I hear so often, but none the less the accuracy out of the box goes to savage in my opinion. A second option not spoken much about is the Thompson Center Icon, price fair and accuracy is super. Recently I was in the market for a 204 Ruger caliber, I looked at Remington,Savage,Tikka, Weatherby,Howa, T/C Icon Precision Hunter, I ended up with a T/C, fit and finish, stock bedding, trigger all excellent and shot .375 out of the box with factory ammo. Most of my rifles are Savage but would not hesitate to buy another Icon. Honestly most rifles today will shoot 1moa and some under with hand loading, for hunting you don't really need more so it comes down to what you think looks good,price and availability plus warranty.
 
I'll chime in as a fan of the Tikka T3. Had a 22-250 (gone as I just punch paper) and a .223, which is a charmer. Smooth action, very accurate (1.5" groups at 300 yards with match ammo (a better shooter than I met get better results)), and handy and light. Topped with a Zeiss Conquest 6.5 x 20 x 50mm it's a lot of fun, and the scope can carry way out, if you feel inclined.

Best of luck.
 
Tikka T3 Lite .308

I have a Tikka T3 .308. The stock does not feel as good as my Browning or Weatherby, but it sure does shoot awfully well. It likes all types of ammo, from factory to reloads. The action is so smooth. It's way more accurate than I can shoot. One hundred yard shots are too easy under 1 MOA. The only thing I want to add to it is a cheek pad. Maybe it will make it feel warmer.:cool:
 
I did not actually shoot any of these rifles, and I know that's what really matters. So what I'm asking is this: What am I missing? Where's the gotcha? Why aren't these manufacturers talked about more as at least equals, if not superior, to the Remingtons of the world?
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Why? Try this scenario and tell me if you've seen it play out.....

A person comes on the forum...announcing that they've decided to buy either a brand X or brand Y rifle. (neither of them are a Savage or Tikka)

Some (or those that are informed) know that both Savage and Tikka will out perform brands X and Y are tired of suggesting the person consider a Savage or Tikka. Why? Because the forum nannies will respond with a post that goes something like this...."The OP specifically stated they were interested in brands X and Y. You need to limit your responses to what was requested.....Blah, blah.....blah.....".

I know what works. I don't need the fan boy nanny drama......perhaps starting out a thread without imposing limits on what can be discussed is a better way to approach the idea of finding the best bang for the buck (pun intended). :)
 
I too am the proud owner of a Tikka T3 Lite. I had gone to BPS with the intention to buy a Weatherby (or if I could find a similarly priced accutriggered Savage...). They had a Weatherby, but it felt flimsy to me. They didn't have a well-priced Savage in 270 Win.

So the guy suggested that I handle the Tikka and a T/C. I didn't care for the grip inserts (rubberized? Don't remember...) on the T/C. But the Tikka was stainless, feels very solid in my hands, and matched all the criteria I had.

My pathetic riflery is even able to do pretty close to MOA with it, which stuns me. I'm sure my skill is the limiting factor.

I guess the short of it is that when I got to the store, the Tikka "felt" right, and it's certainly continued to "feel" right since. I'll be taking it out tomorrow, actually ;-).
 
It would be hard to beat either one of those rifles. They are both superbly accurate. Not even bringing cost into the picture, they are simply very good shooting rifles. But the simple fact is, they do indeed cost less than a lot of other rifles.

So, why do people insist on badmouthing them, calling them "ugly" or something else? Well, you have to go back to when a lot of us bought our first rifles. The first time I was lusting after a bolt action rifle was in about 1973. At the time, our options were kind of limited. Weatherbys were for fabulously rich people, Brownings only slightly cheaper. Savages were bargain basement el cheapo things (although even then they could shoot pretty good). Yes, the Savages were ugly because the wood on their stocks was about the cheapest wood they could find. So, that left the bulk of us arguing about Winchesters and Remingtons. They both shot well (for that era) and were both affordable to normal people (although $200 for a new Remington seemed like a whole lot to me back then). But they both had certain "lines" to them and the wood was real pretty. But for most of us that was the standard for what a good rifle should look like and feel like. And it's hard for us to get those ideas out of our minds.

So now 40 years later, some of us are still struggling against our old biases. Yeah, rationally I know that synthetic stocks are better than the prettiest wood. A rifle is just a tool really, like a hammer or a pipe wrench. The shape or color shouldn't have any bearing upon how well it does the job. I tell that to myself whenever I pull out one of my beautiful Winchester 70s or Brownings and I love to take them shooting. But the reality is that my ugly Savage with its ugly synthetic stock will outshoot all of them. It's just hard to get over that today I can go out and buy a superb shooting rifle that will cost me 2 days worth of wages and it will outshoot a rifle that cost me 2 weeks of wages 40 years ago.

Oh well, that's the way it is. Buy a Savage or a Tikka and don't look back.
 
I had a Savage Tactical in 30:06 with a 24" heavy barrel. This was prior to the accutrigger. It had a Shepherd scope. The best that this gun would do is .75" for five shots at 100 yards.

I read all the hype about the tack driving accuracy, but Savage doesn't guarantee any standard that I'm aware of. If you look on the savage shooters site there are a lot of impressive stories. But, also savage has recently put a lot of freebore in their rifles to keep pressures in check from poeple who load hot. This cannot be good for accuracy, if that is what you want. Not running down Savage, but you should check this out before laying down hard earned dollars.
 
I had a Savage Tactical in 30:06 with a 24" heavy barrel. This was prior to the accutrigger. It had a Shepherd scope. The best that this gun would do is .75" for five shots at 100 yards.

I read all the hype about the tack driving accuracy, but Savage doesn't guarantee any standard that I'm aware of. If you look on the savage shooters site there are a lot of impressive stories. But, also savage has recently put a lot of freebore in their rifles to keep pressures in check from poeple who load hot. This cannot be good for accuracy, if that is what you want. Not running down Savage, but you should check this out before laying down hard earned dollars.
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I've bought two rifles in the last few months, both of them Savages and have not found "excessive" or "a lot" of Freebore to be to be anything near true. Maybe its the rifle(s) I bought but the Predator Hunter in .243 and the Precision Carbine in .308 have tight tolerances.

My favorite rifle prior to the purchases was a Sako 75 in 7mm08 and I still love that gun. It shoots fantastically and is lethal on whatever I put the crosshairs on. However after purchasing these two Savages, I have to say my opinions have altered slightly. I'd rather put the $700.00 in these ugly but tack driving guns that I can take out and use in a hard way than my $1300.00 wood stocked beautiful Sako.

Savage rifles are utilitarian and meant to be used hard. They're more accurate and dare I say better made than a comperable Remington of today. The Brownings and Rugers are well made guns but will cost more and typically shoot worse than the Savage. Dime sized groups from both of my Savages have made a believer out of me and I know what I'm toting in the woods the majority of the time next season. I just wish I could get a Precision Carbine or Predator chambered in the 7mm08 from the factory.
 
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tikka

My t3 stainless steel varmint in .308 has been exceptionally accurate. It's a great little rifle in my oppinion.

Pros
sub moa accuracy
Durable stainless action and barrel
Magazine fed
Trigger is amazing for an out of the box rifle

Cons
Expensive/hard to find magaznes (70+ in my area)
The varmint /heavy barrel in the light plastic stock doesn't balance well for me.
Not a lot of aftermarket accessories around for these.
 
I read all the hype about the tack driving accuracy, but Savage doesn't guarantee any standard that I'm aware of. If you look on the savage shooters site there are a lot of impressive stories. But, also savage has recently put a lot of freebore in their rifles to keep pressures in check from poeple who load hot. This cannot be good for accuracy, if that is what you want. Not running down Savage, but you should check this out before laying down hard earned dollars.
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Let's see the numbers to support that claim.

Here is an example of my excessive freebore Savage, purchased about 4 months ago. Aside from the optic, it is stock out of the box. I had just started working on hand loads (since I reload) for it. 5 out of the 8 loadings were sub MOA 5 shot groups @ 100 yds. Here was the best of those five. Next step is to play with a few of them and see how good I can get it.....but I'm sure it won't be too good on account of the excessive freebore and poor inherent accuracy. :rolleyes:

savage-6.jpg



And yes, it sure does seem like you are trying to run down Savage.
 
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