Remington 700 vs Tikka

[Ponydog]

Ok...with the help of several members here, I was able to locate a 700 ADL Deluxe with wood (walnut) stock....in a .270 caliber.....( they only made the ADL Deluxe in a 30.06 and the .270 with walnut and a 24" barrel). Now my problem is, I am hearing so many good things about the Tikka T-3 Hunter.....I am a bit undecided. I have an ADL already , but this one was for my son. He currently shoots a single shot .243, and is ready for a bit more gun. I am open to comparisons from those who have shot both. I am aware of the pro's and cons...and I also know the ADL is a bit less gun that the Tikka......should probably compare the new CDL or Mountain rifle to it. But anyway....I need some help.
I appreciate the forums expertise.

Thanks

[Handwerk]

I have an older adl in 7mm-mag (22years old) it's been a great gun. But now days it seems I always end up with tikkas. Have had a couple other remy 700's but got rid of them favoring the tikkas. Better triggers, lighter, detachable mag and so on. The tikka is the best gun on the market for less than $1000.

[Grubbs]

I agree with handiwerk.....if you want the smoothest bolt out there, adjustable trigger, outstanding accuracy, great craftmanship, detachable mag, free floated barrel.....get the Tikka.  The T-3 comes with scope rings also...all of this and very affordable.  I have three of them and I'll wind up with more.

[smk]

I am another Tikka guy. I have replaced all my M700's with 4 Tikka's. For hunting purposes they are great. Trigger, accuracy, smooth bolt and feeding, light weight (with the T3 Lite especially). I have found their "out of the box and into the hunt" slogan to be accurate. The only thing I have done to any of my Tikka's is spend 1 minute to adjust the trigger - 1 screw.  No bedding, barrel re-crowning or accuracy issues I had with my M700's. I like the 700 and if I was going to do any customizing or build a gun for silhouette or something I would get another 700.

[Grubbs]

I forgot to say, the only thing I've done to mine is replace the recoil pad with one from Sims Vibration Labs.  It is made specifically for this gun, and fits perfectly.

[roper]

I've got a t-3 light in 300wsm good shooter.  They say it has the same barrel as the sako and  would I sell all my rem just to own a tikka "NO".  I really don't like the closed in bolt figured I'd get use to it but haven't so no more tikka.  Just my .02

[Braden]

go tikka all the way.  no problems whatsoever.  ive got a 270win and i love it.  lightweight but sub moa at 100yds.  ive got a VariX III 3.5-10x40mm leupold.   its an amazing rifle that really has no equal in its price range, and would probably be just as goood as many custom rifles on the market, accuracy-wise.  the triggers is factory set fairly light, and its very smooth.  definitely the right choice.. adl doesnt have the detachable magazine, which is a great feature.  remingtons a good rifle as well, but tkka is the way to go.

[Redhawk1]

Go with the tikka.  

[Muddyboots]

I've got them both and my new CDL 7RM shoots rings around the 300 WSM plus I get velocity as advertised. This is ongoing heartburn with me and Tikka's. No issue with accuracy since it does shoot just about MOA but the CDL shoots well inside 1/2". The throat on the Tikka's is a forcing cone which does not allow reloading to longest COL to maximize accuracy. Tikka is a fine rifle but to say it superior to M-700 is ludicrous. That is like comparing the Tikka to my Sendero, no match at all. Not even close. My opinion is you can't go wrong with either one but if you reload, I would go with M-700.
Muddy

[Grubbs]

With the tikkas I have there is no need to reload for accuracy or velocity.  All three of them (1 whitetail and 2 T-3's) shoot sub moa anyway.  I shoot Hornady Light Mag in the -08 and Heavy mag is the 7mag and they are very close to or slightly exceeding the advertised velocity.  I have reloading gear and love to reload, but not necessary in this case unless I'm looking for something to do.

[smk]

I have Tikka's chambered in .223, .243, .270win and .300 win Mag and I seat all of my loads in all of these guns .020" short of the lands and have no trouble with COL fitting in the magazines or reaching advertised velocities. My old m700 .270 seating dummy was .040" longer than the .270 tikka dummy and both are set to .020" off the lands. Both guns shot to the same velocity with the same load so I don't know if the throat issue is just with the WSM or what but I don't see it. I believe the workmanship on the Tikka is better. Machined surfaces have better finishes, both recoil lugs actually engage pretty evenly on the reciever with my Tikka's and this was not the case in any of the Rem's I owned -they needed lapped. If you really want to see something interesting look down the barrels with a borescope. The Tikka has a much better finish and my Tikka's have broken in quicker and copper foul less than my Remingtons. The last 700 I bought had a huge burr on the muzzle crown, which didn't help my opinion. I also like the lower bolt lift of the Tikka especially when wearing gloves and with a scope cover I can still get my thumb in between the bolt and scope. The Tikka/Sako extractor is a better design and putting this extractor on a M700 is a common upgrade on custom 700's. Maybe I have just been lucky with Tikka and unlucky with Rem, but based on my personal observations of accuracy and workmanship on guns I have owned, I prefer Tikka and I don't think my reasons are ludicrous. Comparing a sporter T3 Tikka to a Sendero is not really apples to apples. A better comparison would be against a 595 or 695 Continental Long Range Hunter which I have and would not trade for a Sendero for all the tea in China.

[Muddyboots]

smk,
You hit the nail on the head when you said its based upon experience. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones but I have owned probably 30-35 M-700's over the years and never have had any accuracy or QC problems that I read about on some of the boards. Just wish I had same luck in LOTTO. The WSM's appear to be the problem or difference in the Tikka's. Savage, Browning , Win all have standard throats and you don't lose velocity as you do in the Tikka's. There was a side by side comparison with Savage and Tikka in an article not long ago and it was about 150-200 fps difference between the two. As you stated you really like the Continental as I do the Sendero. I am lucky again since it truly shoots inside 0.5" at 200 yds with 200 gr Accubond at 2950 fps through my chronograph. This rifle shot everything right out of box MOA so if this is a fluke , I still plan on keeping it. Those are few and far between. The only rifle that ever beat me as a No.1 that only shot 140 BT's and nothing else no matter how hard I tried. The Tikka's are a fine rilfe but based upon my experiences with Big Green, I wouldn't hesitate buying another one. My last rifle was a CDL last year and shoots great so I guess I need to buy MegaMillions ticket.
Muddy

[Prophet]

Hey, I have a Tikka  T-3 in a 270wsm and I have a Rem. 700 CDL in a 280. I really enjoy both guns but I would choose another CDL instead of the Tikka. That is simply a matter of personal choice. Both guns are great you can't go wrong with either. I don't suppose this is much help. The best advice is to compare both guns side by side then choose the one you like . I think you will be most satisfied because its the one you personally like and not what others have convinced you to buy.

[ought6]

I have had both the Remington and Tikka.  I did not experience the problems with the Remington that many on this forum have.  However, I will say without hesitation, that the Tikka was more accurate out of the box and had the best trigger.  I adjusted the trigger on the Remington, but the Tikka's trigger was already very crisp and light.  It needed no adjustment.

I agree with Prophet, it is a matter of personal choice.  But, I would not discount the posts of those who have had problems with their Remingtons as of late.  I believe you are safe going with the Tikka.  

[Todd1700]

I have a Tikka T-3 in 25-06 and I like it a lot. One of the best factory triggers out there. Very accurate straight out of the box. Mine shoots at least 3 different factory loads 1 MOA or less. Of the two it would be my choice.