Tikka or Ruger

[almostthere!]

Need to buy another rifle but need some info on a Ruger M77. I need some first or second hand information of the Ruger M77 rifle. I like my Ruger 22 but that is the extent of might Ruger Experience.

I've finally found a Tikka SS/Laminate in 243 for about $700 but then beside the Tikka is a KM77RBZ SS/Laminate in 243 with a price tag of $600.

Is the Ruger as good a rifle as the Tikka? Is the $100 savings worth buying the Ruger over the Tikka or should I just stick to the Tikka?

[frabillfisher]

Never owend a tikka?...but i know my buddy got really really lucky at a raffle and won a ruger m77 and fell in love with it and i've seen it and shot it too i thought it was a reall beauty but then again havent shot a tikka

[irvingdog]

Tikka: Very well designed. An addictively smooth, glassy bolt. MOA guarantee. Crappy plastic magazine. Until last year, very innexpensive. Now, priced up there with the big boys.

Ruger M77: Craftsmanship and good looks. One of the best extractors made. Tremendous steel, beautiful bluing. Ugly wood. No MOA guarantee (don't get to caught up in that). A great safety. Bolt "feels un-inspiring" but feeds well. Floor plate magazine that won't allow you to carry an extra magazine in your pocket (who cares?) and feeds like a charm.

Tikka has unquestionably outsold Rugers around here lately, but Ruger just keeps chugging along. Great value. Looks like a rifle should.

Advantage: Ruger. But, you won't go wrong with a Tikka.........

[jlm]

Great post ID, you hit it about right. The other thing is that if you really look around, you will be able to find a better deal than what you have quoted on that Ruger. For some reason, Rugers seem to be on sale a lot in this area, at least in my observation. However, if you have the ching, I would put my money on the Tikka! Good luck!

[BigDaddy]

I can only speak to the Tikka. I bought a black/lam 270 WSM a little over a year ago. I can't remember the price but I think that it was around $5??, with an VXII I was out the door a $8?? including tax.

What I didn't really appreciate until shooting the Tikka was the trigger. A lot has been written about triggers, but until you shoot a good one you don't know what you are missing! The Tikka has an exceptional trigger.

I'm happy with my purchase.

[Rost]

I am Tikka all the way.

I shopped around for a rifle last spring with an open mind. I asked a few gunsmiths/salesmen about the difference between a few guns and Tikka. Popular response was that Tikka/Sako arguably sports the best barrel on the market. The barrels are "Cold Hammer Forged". This means that they do not drill or bore the barrel. Each barrel roles off the line identicle. Tikka also guarentees a a 1" group at 100 yrds out of the box. Also the barrel is free floated, which the Ruger is not.

I have a buddy that owned a Ruger that shot perfectly for awhile..Then all of a sudden his groups were all over the place.

One thing I do hate about Tikka is that stupid plastic clip which cost $50 to replace!

[irvingdog]

Oops, my bad. Big Daddy is right. The Tikka trigger is definitely nicer. Truly, something to consider when assessing accurate shooting.

[Rost]

Yes, the Tikka trigger is an adjustable 2-5 lb trigger. It comes factory set at 3 lbs. If you wanted to adjust your Ruger trigger, you'd have to pay to have it filed. You'd also have to pay for a free float and to have it glass seated if you want optimum performance.

The Tikka is not glass seated either though. But I can heat the barrel (shoot a few times) and still slide a dollar bill all the way down to the bolt.

[sparetime]

The ruger comes with Rings and bases, something that cost an extra $40 bucks for most other rifles. I have two, like both, have looked at Tikka and want one of them also. Varmit hunting without a clip is a pain.

Trigger is a pain on the Ruger. My gun dealer said if you want to adjust it, replace it with an aftermarket trigger and don't mess with the factory one.

[Rost]

Tikka comes with Rings and bases also. Man, I think I could work for this company

[almostthere!]

Thanks everyone for the info's.

I'm the type of guy who will pay the extra buck for the better equipment but will never pass up a bargain with the same quality: hence, the question. Tikka will be the gun of choice according to all the responses.

I will tell you that searching for this particular Tikka has been like searching for a needle in a hay stack. It is a stainless steel with laminate stock in 243 Winchester.