Tikka T3 Advice?

[noleman]

I have been looking for a new deer rifle.  I live in NW Florida and I would expect most shots would be at most 100 to 150 yards or less.  I had made up my mind to get a 270, but after a visit to a local gun shop I'm now thinking about a 7MM-08.  I had not considered a Tikka thinking it might be out of my price range, but it looks like I can get a synthetic stock with blued barrel for $500.  The salesman really liked the Tikka (they are a Browning distributor) and he really liked the 7mm-08 for a good "deer" sized caliber.  I'm not sure if I would ever get to hunt bigger animals like the guys out west.

I have two questions:  Is it worth the extra money to get the stainless barrel over the blued?  I'm not sure how much more it would add to the cost.

Now lets talk optics.  He recommends a Nikon Prostaff 3x9x50 for $200 or maybe a low end Leupold for about $250.

Notice that I'm frugal and trying to get the most bang for the buck.  Pun intended.

This is a great website for info and I have read all of the threads concerning the Tikkas.  Keep up the good work.  I spend a lot of my spare time looking at Graybeard for all of my hunting product comparisons.

Thanks in advance for any input. 

[Graybeard]

I try to ALWAYS get SS for my hunting guns so yes I think it worth the money. Take a look at the Mueller line of scopes or a Bushnell Elite 3200 instead of either.

[2eagles]

My T3 is SS and synthetic in 7mm Rem mag with a Bushnell 3200 Elite.  SHOOTS GREAT!!
My dad got my old T3 that is wood / blued with a 3200.  It was a shooter too.
See a pattern here?    Jim

[379 Peterbilt]

I am all done with blued forever. Get the stainless, for the extra $100 or whatever it is. SS aint rust "proof", but it's far better than blued. Florida get a ton of rain too, yes?

To confuse you further per your scope selection, take a peek through a Zeiss conquest, at $400. Of, if you are set on $200 max, then I'd say the above posts are good, but I don't own them.

[A.J.]

Ditto for the stainless. I just ordered me an '06 in stainless...after the folks on here talked me into it. You want a dandy scope for $99? Go on Ebay, and look up a Pentax Gamekeeper 3x9x40mm. I got mine off a dealer there for $99 and free shipping. These are really nice scopes, and come with multiple reticles for long range shooting. Of course you'd need a laser rangefinder to take full advantage of the reticles, but you don't have to use them unless and until you did invest in one. The scope comes with a lifetime no fault warranty, meaning even if YOU screw it up, they'll fix it for $20...for life. As for caliber, either one will work for you just fine, and either one would work for Elk in a pinch, as long as you kept your shots broadside and under..say..150 yards. I believe the 270 is the flatter shooting of the 2. You may want to look at the .280 also. It's just as flat shooting as the 270, and has a little extra horsepower for Elk. You MAY want to invest in some better scope rings for it too. You may get by with the rings that come with it, but it's a crap shoot. I've found Warne and Talley rings are very well thought of on this site.

[A.J.]

Told you wrong on the scope. It's a Pentax GameSEEKER. On Ebay, the dealer is Fox Optic, and are listed as "tandtfox". Real good folks to do business with.

[Zachary]

Tikka Stainless.  Elite 3200 or Nikon Buckmaster.  (Forget about the Nikon Prostaff)  7mm-08.  140 grain bullet (preferably 140 Nosler Partition).  'Nuff said.

Zachary

[doctordisaster]

The 7/08 is a great deer round.My T3 is in 6.5 sweed,I'm partial to blue guns.My T3 never has any rust problems but I keep all my stuff clean enough to eat from.The scope,I love the VXII it sports.I have a 3-9 Nikon Buckmaster thats in next to new condition that can be had for a good price.I also have an Nikon Omega Nicoplex that I can't use.I bought it for my Knight DISC but the rings are too low.I know I can change the rings but I like the VariXII 1-4X 20 that is on it now.E mail me if you(anyone)is interested.
Docdisasters@netscape.net

[Tikkabuck]

 Hey There
 This is a question that will get you thounsands of different answers. I don't like stainless guns,not since I picked out a hunter on a ridge by the glint of his barrel,changed my mind then and there. If these old eyes could see it so could an animal.I've never had a rust problem with my blued guns.
  Scopes I'm kinda backward,I'm a Burris freak tried and true. Pentax is now owned by Burris,for all I know they may be made in the same plant.
  As for the 7mm-08,it's a heck of a great round,but so is a .270. It's your call there,both are great deer rounds,with the 7mm-08 you get more bullet choices. Personally,I have 3 7mm-08's and 1 .270 so thats my take on it. Good Luck with your choice,you won't go wrong with a Tikka.

[Graybeard]

If you saw the glint of sun light off the barrel it was most likely a blued barrel. Blued barrel are generally highly polished like a mirror and reflect (glint) far more than most (I did NOT say all) SS barrels as Most NOT ALL of them are a subdued matte finish not high polish. To assume the lighter color of the SS reflects more light is a false assumption not supported by facts.

[doctordisaster]

Tikka's are a matt finish:)

[Tikkabuck]

Hey Graybeard how ya been ? 
  This here must have been polished stainless,as soon as I caught the reflection I looked for it with  my bino's and there he sat,orange vest, hat and that pertty silver barrel sitting in the rocks. Your right if it was matte I most likly would not have caught sight of it.

[fliowa]

I have been using a blued barrel  tikka t3 in 308 for a few years now. Mine is scoped with a leupold VXII 3x9. I use Federal nosler ballistic tip in 150 grain. Gun bench shoots inch and a half groups at two hundred yards. I hunt in Florida/Georgia and have not had a problem with rust but I keep it well maintained. My friend helped me set it up and break it in properly. He use to be a sniper for the county S.W.A.T. team. He was impressed with the rifle.

[wareagleguy]

I second the Leupold !!!
The VX II is hard to beat and price is about the same as others.

[tennbuck]

i bought my tikka under the same scenario. i went with the .308 big boar and put a 2-7x33 VXII on it. i'm very happy with this set-up. short, lite and a tack driver. go with what "you" feel the most confident in.