which one?

[LABS4ME]

This is possibly a toss up, but...

If you could choose between these 2 deer rifles, which would you choose and WHY? They are both within $40.00 cost of each other...

Tikka T3 lite, stainless, synthetic stock, luepold scope .25-06. Used on one antleope hunt. less than 2 boxes of shells. supposed great groups. Has not been shot since antelope hunt 2 years ago. Does not see using it again... hence the sale...

Thompson Center bolt action, new at dealer, 7mm-08, Thompson scope, weaver rings. this one is $40.00 more.

Gun is for my son for a deer rifle. moving up from single shot .243 and want to get him a good gun to last him for his life. I know many will have an opinion, and in the end it will most likely be a coin flip, but looking for honest reviews of pro vs. con to either of them.

Good Luck!

Ken

[creepworm]

I have the exact Tika setup as you are looking at. It is an amazing rifle and my favorite gun to shoot. I talk that thing up to anyone that will listen to me.

A person in our deer hunting party has the Thompson rifle mentioned in your post. It seems a bit heavy but other than that, it is an extremely nice rifle.

Either way you can't go wrong. Have your son see which one he likes better and go with that one. Both are accurate, well built guns that should last him a very long time. One negative to the Tika is that if you are looking for an extra or replacement clip, expect to spend $70.

[LABS4ME]

I am heavily leaning towards the Tikka... I like the fact Sako as a parent company produces their barrels. I read on line some people knocking the 2 piece bolt, but could not find any mention of one actually failing. I did read about guys losing their clip and paying big money for a new one...

The Thompson seems to be a well made mid-priced American gun. Too many of the American guns have really been cheapened to the point the bolts feel like they were machined with a side grinder... Looked at Howa too, but whittled them off the list to these last two...

I never had either of these calibers, but am intrigued by the 25-06...

Thanks for the reply... anyone else?

Good Luck!

Ken

[Gordie]

My dad used to have a 25-06 and loved it I have never shot one but have always wanted one.

The Tikka would be my choice in either caliber the 7mm-08 is making its way back into the lime light by alot of shooters

Personally I would go with the Tikka 25-06

Labs another one to look at is the Vanguard series from Weatherby I have one 30-06 and its a pleasure to shoot

[NEUT6899]

I also had almost the same question. I have a Savage 30-06 already and last week i won a Ruger 25-06 at a D.U. Banquet. I have never shot a 25-06 and had questioned if i should keep it or trade it in on something else. The more i look at it and read about it the more i am going to keep it. Guess i will take both deer hunting this year.. Anyone have anything to add?? Pro's vs Cons???

[Musky Buck]

The 30.06. I'd get him the largest gun he can handle or if you think he'll grow into a good sized guy, just thinking if you or he wants to hunt moose or elk some day I'm not clear if the 25.06 with it's relatively small projectile would be the answer there, then again I know little about the 25.06 except my friend showed me a round and the slug looked a bit small, then again a good shot is a good shot and I'm sure it can do the job.

[Red Cabin]

I've been shooting those same models recently (in different calibers Tika in .270, TC in .308). Tika seems to be of slightly better quality, and the Leupold scope seems to give an advantage over the TC.

[WalleyeGod]

I think you are right you can't make a bad choice here. Both have great parents. Not knowing the Leupold model it is hard to know if it is much different than the TC but for resale I would say it is is easier to sell the Leupold. Not that you would sell it. Recoil is almost identical with the variable the rifle weights and choice of ammo. Splitting hairs there too.

I would say it comes down to what feels right to him when he shoulders it. If you can, have him shoot the used gun? Go from there.

WG

[LABS4ME]

The used Gun is at a gun shop and is a friend of the owners gun... It looks brand new... and is (was) on the rack right next to the new Tikkas.

I am going forward with it over the T/C. I like the lighter weight and I over all feel and smoothness of the working parts. One thing I did not like about the T/C was the safety was a very loud snap when slipping it to fire... not a fan of that. The rest of the gun felt good... maybe a bit more bulky. Overall I felt it was (is) a solid second choice.

I am going to pick up the Tikka today. I'm sure he'll be happy and it'll give him many years of service.

Thanks for all the replies!

Good Luck!

Ken

[FishGUY]

I have the Tikka in a .270 and it is a great gun, very accurate. I have shot a .25-06 and it is a flat shooting bullet like the .243, but will shoot heavier bullets upto 120gr, which will work for any deer. Your son will be happy with the Tikka.

[Ufatz]

Keep in mind fellas that those light bullets in the 25.06 can cause those "mysterious" misses in heavy brush-doesn't take much to deflect them. I'd suggest shooting the heaviest bullet you can find when in heavy cover.

Otherwise go for it....and have fun.

An old 6.5X55 man from fifty years back.

Hell boys.....I got brass older than most of your guns! LOL

[LABS4ME]

So you're telling me the 410 grains of lead in my .45-70 oughtta be safe!?

HA! the first shot is just to cut a trail!

Good Luck!

Ken

[creepworm]

Keep in mind fellas that those light bullets in the 25.06 can cause those "mysterious" misses in heavy brush-doesn't take much to deflect them. I'd suggest shooting the heaviest bullet you can find when in heavy cover.

Otherwise go for it....and have fun.

An old 6.5X55 man from fifty years back.

Hell boys.....I got brass older than most of your guns! LOL

Believe it or not, according to what I have read, heavier slower moving bullets suffer from deflection worse than fast moving lighter bullets. Which makes sense because it is all about momentum. A fast moving "lighter" bullet has more momentum than a slightly heavier bullet moving considerably slower.

[Ufatz]

That's absolutely correct! The 45-70 is a PERFECT heavy brush deer gun!

You BLAST a path and I thread a 6mm right to the target!

[Ufatz]

Creep......I would dispute that based on shooting and a lot of discussions with serious shooting guys and a lot of reading and reloading.

You may have seen something to that effect but common sense would also say otherwise.

You're gonna have to show me!

[deets22]

tikka makes an awesome rifle had one in .300 WSM loved the gun but it kicked like a mule traded it in on a ruger .25-06 wished i would have found a tikka first and gave it a feel, but i like the ruger too.

[fishuhalik]

i shoot a rem. 700 in 25-06 and will never hesitate to sing its praises. in the 10 years i've had it i've shot 12 deer and the only deer that went more than 30yds was due to shooter error. buck was running at a 45 degree angle. bad decision and bad placement but the deer was still recovered, thanks to my dads expert tracking.

also, given the right conditions, i wouldnt hesitate shooting up to around 500yds, maybe a little more. it consistently shoots moa-2moa out to 400yds. a little different at a bench, but its best 600yd 5shot group was 11", not bad for a hunting rifle!

[Ufatz]

....shooting out to maybe 500 yards huh? Man you are a far better rifleman than I'll ever be!! And with that little bitty bullet yet! LOL

[fishuhalik]

ufatz, i'll admit its 95% attributed to the rifle/optics/handloads. the other 5% is from hundreds of practice rounds. i dont feel that i'm a great marksman. throw in a mild wind and i'm all over the paper! i guess i just need more practice in wind...

[walleye365]

Thats why its called a wildcat round it does what it shouldnt and it does it well.

[TooTallTom]

i shoot a rem. 700 in 25-06 and will never hesitate to sing its praises. in the 10 years i've had it i've shot 12 deer and the only deer that went more than 30yds was due to shooter error. buck was running at a 45 degree angle. bad decision and bad placement but the deer was still recovered, thanks to my dads expert tracking.

also, given the right conditions, i wouldnt hesitate shooting up to around 500yds, maybe a little more. it consistently shoots moa-2moa out to 400yds. a little different at a bench, but its best 600yd 5shot group was 11", not bad for a hunting rifle!

I'm sorry to rain on the parade, but a 10-11" group is great for wounding a deer. If that's the group size of the rifle at that range, even an expert shooter really has no business hunting it at that range. It'd still be fun to punch paper with it at those ranges though...

[Archerysniper]

+1 Tom

[fishuhalik]

theres no way i'd reach out to 600 for a deer. 500's about my rifle's max. at that range, in perfect conditions, i'm confident i'd kill that deer. with all that being said, the farthest i've ever shot a deer was 390 paces, and that deer took about 20 steps and expired. other than that, my farthest shot was about 75yds. but i don't need to justify myself. i know my limits, i've spent the time at the range to know my rifle's limits, and when you start questioning your rifles abilities you will miss shots, whether its 100yds or 500yds

[Ufatz]

Okay. Let's accept that you are a consistently good shot at up to 500 yards. I applaud your dedication to shooting at the range and knowing your rifle. I expect you are familiar with the ballistics of that cartridge and what it's downrange characteristics are and the impact any breeze or a small twig will have on the bullet.

But, truth is most of us try to get as close to critters as we can to minimize bad shots. You state last deer was maybe 75 yards. In MN, in the woods, that is often a LONG shot. I've know fellas who pride themselves on showing off their hunting/stalking ability be killing game so close it sometimes (literally in one case) has powder burns on it.

I will grant that you are an accomplished shooter out to 500 yards. Now lets you and I compete to see who can get closest to the next critter. Okay?

[TooTallTom]

fishuhalik, just so we're all on the same page, you said your rifle consistently shoots moa-2moa out to 400 yards. This would put a 500-yard group at something like 5-10 inches, assuming the accuracy is consistent for that last 100 yards. (One minute of angle equals 1 inch at 100 yards, 2 inches at 200 yards, and so on...) Did you mean that it shoots 1-2 inch groups out to 500 yards? That would be way less than one moa, and it would also be a great gun for the right shooter to use at those ranges.

Again, I'm not questioning your abilities here, just making sure we're all on the same page.

Ufatz, that sounds like a great competition for a deer camp. Lots of guys talk about their long shots (which are still a great accomplishment) but you seldom hear about the very, very close (and earned) shots...