weatherby or tika

[retiredcpo]

I am helping a buddy put together a light weight rifle
he keeps getting conflicting advice fro the sales guys
I told him htis would be the place to get good advice.
1- which would be better weatherby sub moa or a tika or sako?
2- is there a big advantage for using the short mag rounds?
(270 short mag vice 270, 300 short mag vice 300 win mag)
3 which would be a better choice for caliber 270 264 300

shooting will be no farther than 500 yards on deer,elk,bear and antilope.
thanks
retired cpo

 

[JUDD]

Weatherby Tikka and Sako are all good guns. I heard Weatherby is a little better customer service then the others but I never experienced that. I like Sako's personally.

All the above calibers would work at that range it's just gonna come down to your referance. I'm sure some others will chime in here also. Personally I would choose the 300 WSM.

Good luck

 

[wasgas]

I am helping a buddy put together a light weight rifle
he keeps getting conflicting advice fro the sales guys
I told him htis would be the place to get good advice.
1- which would be better weatherby sub moa or a tika or sako?
2- is there a big advantage for using the short mag rounds?
(270 short mag vice 270, 300 short mag vice 300 win mag)
3 which would be a better choice for caliber 270 264 300

shooting will be no farther than 500 yards on deer,elk,bear and antilope.
thanks
retired cpo

Looked up "500 yard deer, antelope caliber" in Websters and it said: 270 Winchester

Looked up light weight hunting rifle and Websters said: Tikka T3

I assume you are looking at the Vanguard, I personally do not like them and they do not feel light weight to me. I think you would have a hard time finding any bad comments on a Tikka. The only issue is that all Tikka T3's have the same receiver legnth so the WSM does not give you a shorter throw in the Tikka's.

Will he reload or use factory ammo?

Here is my semi custom Tikka 270 (500 yard deer antelope gun)

 

[retiredcpo]

he does not reload now but hopefully will in the future untill then I will help him with that.
the weatherby we are looking at is the vanguard sub moa

wasgas nice looking gun.

i shoot a savage 300 wsm the only
thing I dont like about the WSM is I can only get 2 rounds in the mag.

 

[wasgas]

I think the Tikka mags are small too, I can only fit 3 270win in my Tikka mag, but my Rem 700 270win will take 5 in the magazine. My M70, X-bolt, and BLR WSM's all hold 3 in the mag. My Rem 700 30-06 will only take 4 and those are the same cases as the 270win???

 

[Dr. Vette]

The kicker is that you put the term "lightweight" in there. That's both good and bad, in a way.

Why?

At the price point you are looking at, light weight "usually" means lower quality. True lightweight rifles (i.e. those built on purpose to perform well and be lightweight) are probably 50-100% more expensive than the rifles you mention.

Personally I would pick the Weatherby and know that yes, it weighs more than the Tikka T3. I've handled both and with the Weatherby's already-guaranteed accuracy plus the upgraded stock, I think it's worth it. The Tikka is lighter and does state a 1 MOA accuracy guarantee, but I've never been a fan of their small port and the stock is not in the same league as the stock on a Wby Sub-MOA.

And as already noted, Weatherby's customer service is excellent.

 

[retiredcpo]

dr vette
thanks for the great info
by light weight i was mearly refering to a more carry weighted gun vise the heavy barreled long range guns. something comfortably to carry by a sling all day.
I was telling him the same thing about the weatherby stock.
I sugestged it would be better to start with a good stock insted of the added cost of replacing it latter.\
I really like the look of the weatherby

 

[Autorotate19]

I have both weatherbys and tikkas and both are good rifles. If it was me I would go with the weatherby and I have also dealed with their customer service and its awesome. I had a weatherby mkv ultra light weight in .270 weatherby mag. that wouldnt shoot and they gave me a new stock free of charge and turnaround was like a week and a half. Good luck!

 

[Dr. Vette]

dr vette
thanks for the great info
by light weight i was mearly refering to a more carry weighted gun vise the heavy barreled long range guns. something comfortably to carry by a sling all day.
I was telling him the same thing about the weatherby stock.
I sugestged it would be better to start with a good stock insted of the added cost of replacing it latter.\
I really like the look of the weatherby

Dad and I carried our Mark V Weatherbys for our elk hunt this fall (5 days) and had no problems at all. He has a Bell & Carlson stock (same brand as on the Sub-MOA, I believe) and I've got the Fibermark.

Here's Dad with his rifle and his 4x4 from this past fall:



Oh, and a secret to carrying all day in the field? We use the (original) Ultraflex slings available at sloganoutdoors.com No comparison to any other I've tried or owned. And no, I don't have any interest in the company - just a satisfied customer.

 

[4bycamper]

The Weatherby is no lightweight. And accuracy with the Howa-built Weatherby is always a crap shoot.

Tikka T3 and Browning A Bolt both come in as accurate hunting rifles. Easy to carry and high satisfaction marks from both from a wide variety off customers.

I've been a Browning fan for a long time. Never found one that wouldn't shoot.
And from what I hear Tikka's are just as good.
+1 for 300 WSM. A very popular 30 cal...good for everything.

..

 

[4th_point]

Can't go wrong with a T3 in my opinion. I had a T3 Lite in stainless (300WSM) that shot under 1 MOA with factory ammo (Rem Premier 180gr Scirocco, and Federal 180gr Hi-shok). Smooth action, 2-4lb adjustable trigger, lightweight, etc. Shooting under 1 MOA with a Tikka using various factory loads doesn't seem too uncommon in whatever cartridge. The forums are full of people reporting the same.

Not trying to bash the Weatherby, but isn't the MOA just a Howa in a different stock? I distinctly remember a rifle or hunting magazine testing the MOA and they noted that the rifle would not shoot under 1 MOA. I was surprised that they wrote that since many magazines seem to suck-up to the manufacturers. I also recall reading posts from MOA owners who stated the same... the rifle failed to meet the Weatherby claim. Maybe the magazine testers and forum guys didn't try enough loads or it was operator error. It just seems like the interweb is full of happy Tikka owners who report that the T3 seems accurate with various factory loads. You don't need to find a pet load, and they literally seem accurate from the very first round (really no break-in period).

I've never owned a MOA or Weatherby, but do know that the T3 is really popular. Most every owner reports excellent accuracy. The major complaint seems to be the synthetic stock, but I think its comfortable and relativley durable for the price.

The Tikka may not meet everyone's requirement, but I have heard that it is now one of the most popular hunting rifles based on sales in the US now. I know my local gun store sells a lot of them, and they say its by far the best seller. I've never heard that claim made about a Howa or a Weatherby. Not to say those rifles aren't nice, but there must be a reason why there are a lot of Tikkas sold these days. I think its because of the great accuracy, lightweight compared to the competition, and price. Add-in a smooth action and crisp 2lb trigger with little or no over-travel and how can you go wrong for $500-600? Really, what rifle offers those features for $500?

 

[J E Custom]

I am helping a buddy put together a light weight rifle
he keeps getting conflicting advice fro the sales guys
I told him htis would be the place to get good advice.
1- which would be better weatherby sub moa or a tika or sako?
2- is there a big advantage for using the short mag rounds?
(270 short mag vice 270, 300 short mag vice 300 win mag)
3 which would be a better choice for caliber 270 264 300

shooting will be no farther than 500 yards on deer,elk,bear and antilope.
thanks
retired cpo

They are all good choices so tell him to buy the one that he likes the best.

The weatherby vanguard is the best buy @ less than $400.00 and the long action would \
be my choice because if he ever decides to re barrel the long action will give him more choices
in the future.

And of coarse the short actions are handier for carrying and in box stands.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Dr. Vette]

I also recall reading posts from MOA owners who stated the same... the rifle failed to meet the Weatherby claim. Maybe the magazine testers and forum guys didn't try enough loads or it was operator error.

Weatherby recently said on their forum that they have replaced a total of ten (10) Sub-MOA rifles for not meeting the claim. Apparently these "magazine testers and forum guys" have never contacted Weatherby.

Your bias shows, and I'm sure mine does too. But, that's OK.
My 7 Weatherbys and I are happy.
I've never owned or shot the Tikka but I've looked at several as well as spent time at the SHOT show looking at them and comparing many, many rifles.

 

[DKA]

I have 3 Weatherby Vanguards and like all of them. Have never owned a Tika or a Sako, but why when you can get a rifle like the Vanguard. All of mine are very accurate and handle very well. I have one in 30 06, 7mmRem Mag & 300 Win Mag, don't like the short mags, market gemic to try and help boost sales. There is mor short mags for sale now than I have ever seen.