Pig / Deer Rifle? Tikka T3x CTR .308 - Advice for a NOOB

[Bombus1]

Hi all. Apologies if this has been asked a million times. I'm just getting back into shooting (haven't done anything in 20 years) and am looking to go pig hunting (I live in WA) and also Deer hunting (in Vic Highlands with my brother who lives over that way).

I've done a bit of research and am considering the Tikka T3x CTR S/S in .308. It is pretty exy though and over my $2k budget for a rifle (I've been quoted nearly $2,500 for this - but comes with spare mag and muzzle break).

I would certainly welcome some feedback on this given what I want to do, including:

1. Rifle Selection - given what i want to do with it per above. I see Howa's are comparable? How do they stack up?
2. Optics Selection - have been recommended the Bushnell Elite 4500 4-16x40. Are these decent? Any other brands/models i should consider
3. Good gun shop (price/service) in WA - will also consider Oz wide too and will share the love to whomever wants my business essentially.

As a lot of you on here are very experienced, I'd really appreciate your opinions and advice.

Thanks everyone and looking forward to getting back into the swing!!!

[evilstig]

A 308 or 270 Calibre will cover you for both Animals.

If you want to go cheaper but not less quality, A Howa, Ruger american or Mosserg Patriot will get you there no problem.

As for a scope. HAWKE VANTAGE 6-24×50 (about $415 from shooters delight Qld) i can recommend it.

Muzzle breaks buy from Gunbloke off Ebay. they around $100

You would be looking at $1100-$1400


Hope this helps

[Oldbloke]

Dont get tied up too much with specialised gear.

Any reasonable 308, 270. 30-06 will do the job no problems. 1.5 moa is good enough.

Scope, again stick to the commonly use gear.
3-9x40 or 2-7x40. or a 4x40 fixed. Dont fall for scopes with small objective lenses, they are sheet late evening.

PS. I wouldnt bother with a muzzle brake

[Blr243]

I find that when hunting I don’t often have time or discipline to wear ear protection....for this reason I would never hunt with a brake

[Blr243]

Is west oz a sad place to be for a hunter..? When I lived in Kimberley’s decades ago there was only donkeys to shoot

[duncan61]

biggest pigs in Australia are in the Kimberleys and now the Buffalo are starting to spread.The pig I am refering to I saw a while ago and It was shot by a pro shooter who had a hydraulic hoist and this pig is just about tipping his ute over It was a massive ginger boar and he head shot it with a .223 on his way back to camp after culling all night.Like the top end the ground is soft so their tusk dont wear down as much as areas with harder soil,I shot an estimated 250Lb boar on a buffalo safari in Arhnem land and its tusks were pristine

[flutch]

bloody tikkas, save yaself the financial pain and get a howa

also as mentioned before the 270 is a goer, another tid bit, 30-06 out-shoots a 308 and in a lot of cases the 270 out-shoots the 30-06 for both trajectory and energy... so my vote would be with 270.

[bigfellascott]

I wouldn't go putting a high mag scope on a hunting rifle that will be used for pigs and deer and certainly not one with side focus - any good quality 3-9x50 will get the job done.

I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.

The 308 will get the job done and not to hard on the shoulders and ears, you don't need a muzzle brake on hunting rifle so don't waste your time and money on one, you don't need a rifle with 10rd mag capacity either as most times you are lucky to get 1 or 2 shots off before everything disappears so don't waste your time buying stuff you won't ever need.

[flutch]

Is west oz a sad place to be for a hunter..? When I lived in Kimberley’s decades ago there was only donkeys to shoot

Depends how opposed you are to heading on a drive.... there are hogs, deer, cats, foxes, rabbits, camels, donkeys, horses, goats, water buff, scrub bulls etc etc...

thing is in WA there is no legal hunting in state and national forest, and unless youre in the know, or know someone in the know and arent a complete poser or d**khead or noob with too much bravado, you wont be getting onto 95+% of places. Another point is like myself, most are very reluctant to take newbies shooting because the majority dont have someone to go with or somewhere to shoot for a reason (gut shooting, miss too much, equipment is sub par, dont chip in for costs, shoot livestock, just plain careless and dangerous, white ants {go back to your property without you and without permission}, poach, raid dams, sook and whine, damage property or equipment), So this can make it a glum place for blow ins that dont have family/friends/work connections to gain access to these places.

[mickb]

308 is a great choice, it kills everything in the list above which are also in QLD too. The advantage over 270 is with 308 you can load up heavier bullets for the big stuff, 200-250 grain softpoints if you want. I would not feel undergunned plugging big scrub bulls with that.

Being a cheap arse, I make do with cheaper brands but two of my relatives got 270's in Tikka and cant say enough about them. 3-9x power scope is all I would bother with and no muzzle brake.

Coming from a perspective of big game rifles with muzzle brakes, which was all they were really seen on 20 years ago(along with long range rifles), I personally dont have any interest in them on medium bores. Particularly the 308 with its moderate powder capacity. A case could be made for tripod shooting and stuff like 300 win mag, which burns a ton more powder( and recoil) but general hunting with a 308, I just don't see it worthwhile for the extra weight, barrel length and noise.

[Wm.Traynor]

Bombus1
A scope with that much magnification could be too big but I am basing that on my Qld experience where a long shot is 100 yards. Also, a lower powered scope will give you a wider field of view for running shots, which were not uncommon here. Again, WA could be different for all I know.
Good hunting mate

[flutch]

308 is a great choice, it kills everything in the list above which are also in QLD too. The advantage over 270 is with 308 you can load up heavier bullets for the big stuff, 200-250 grain softpoints if you want. I would not feel undergunned plugging big scrub bulls with that.

Being a cheap arse, I make do with cheaper brands but two of my relatives got 270's in Tikka and cant say enough about them. 3-9x power scope is all I would bother with and no muzzle brake.

Coming from a perspective of big game rifles with muzzle brakes, which was all they were really seen on 20 years ago(along with long range rifles), I personally dont have any interest in them on medium bores. Particularly the 308 with its moderate powder capacity. A case could be made for tripod shooting and stuff like 300 win mag, which burns a ton more powder( and recoil) but general hunting with a 308, I just don't see it worthwhile for the extra weight, barrel length and noise.

you wont fit a 308 loaded with 200gn projies into a tikka magazine... just saying... and tbh, if you really wanna use rounds that heavy just bite the bullet and buy a 300win or bigger. especially for a noob, using anything that heavy in a 308 is going to require some pretty serious knowledge of the rifles "dope" that which a noob isnt going to have a handle on. I still say go the 300 win, but then again i dont own anything in centerfire that shoots slower than 3100fps, takes all the guess work out of it.

[Bombus1]

A 308 or 270 Calibre will cover you for both Animals.

If you want to go cheaper but not less quality, A Howa, Ruger american or Mosserg Patriot will get you there no problem.

As for a scope. HAWKE VANTAGE 6-24×50 (about $415 from shooters delight Qld) i can recommend it.

Muzzle breaks buy from Gunbloke off Ebay. they around $100

You would be looking at $1100-$1400


Hope this helps

This helps a heap! Obviously a lot of choices out there and I don't want to make a rookie mistake when buying! I've checked out the Howas and the saving compared to Tikka is pretty significant.

I'd prefer an S/S but some of the packages with blued are pretty darn good too.

Appreciate the advice!!

[Bombus1]

308 is a great choice, it kills everything in the list above which are also in QLD too. The advantage over 270 is with 308 you can load up heavier bullets for the big stuff, 200-250 grain softpoints if you want. I would not feel undergunned plugging big scrub bulls with that.

Being a cheap arse, I make do with cheaper brands but two of my relatives got 270's in Tikka and cant say enough about them. 3-9x power scope is all I would bother with and no muzzle brake.

Coming from a perspective of big game rifles with muzzle brakes, which was all they were really seen on 20 years ago(along with long range rifles), I personally dont have any interest in them on medium bores. Particularly the 308 with its moderate powder capacity. A case could be made for tripod shooting and stuff like 300 win mag, which burns a ton more powder( and recoil) but general hunting with a 308, I just don't see it worthwhile for the extra weight, barrel length and noise.

Awesome and appreciate the advice. Yeah, reckon I'll give the muzzle break a miss. They were going to be included in a package as the Tikka came with a threaded barrel but not fussed based on the good feedback on here.

[Bombus1]

I find that when hunting I don’t often have time or discipline to wear ear protection....for this reason I would never hunt with a brake

bloody good point! Reckon I'll give them a miss.

[Bombus1]

Bombus1
A scope with that much magnification could be too big but I am basing that on my Qld experience where a long shot is 100 yards. Also, a lower powered scope will give you a wider field of view for running shots, which were not uncommon here. Again, WA could be different for all I know.
Good hunting mate

Yep - fair point. Reckon i'll be looking at 200 yards plus though...going on what others have said. Especially deer hunting...prob not so much the pigs over here in WA though but I'll just suck it and see I guess.

[Bombus1]

Is west oz a sad place to be for a hunter..? When I lived in Kimberley’s decades ago there was only donkeys to shoot

Depends how opposed you are to heading on a drive.... there are hogs, deer, cats, foxes, rabbits, camels, donkeys, horses, goats, water buff, scrub bulls etc etc...

thing is in WA there is no legal hunting in state and national forest, and unless youre in the know, or know someone in the know and arent a complete poser or d**khead or noob with too much bravado, you wont be getting onto 95+% of places. Another point is like myself, most are very reluctant to take newbies shooting because the majority dont have someone to go with or somewhere to shoot for a reason (gut shooting, miss too much, equipment is sub par, dont chip in for costs, shoot livestock, just plain careless and dangerous, white ants {go back to your property without you and without permission}, poach, raid dams, sook and whine, damage property or equipment), So this can make it a glum place for blow ins that dont have family/friends/work connections to gain access to these places.

I hear you Flutch. Definitely not worth the hassle a lot of the time and damn hard unless you have your own property or permission from someone you know well...

[Bombus1]

I wouldn't go putting a high mag scope on a hunting rifle that will be used for pigs and deer and certainly not one with side focus - any good quality 3-9x50 will get the job done.

I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.

The 308 will get the job done and not to hard on the shoulders and ears, you don't need a muzzle brake on hunting rifle so don't waste your time and money on one, you don't need a rifle with 10rd mag capacity either as most times you are lucky to get 1 or 2 shots off before everything disappears so don't waste your time buying stuff you won't ever need.

Very sound advice and have been wary about the weight of the rifles I've looked at so far! Cheers bigfellascott

Reckon the Howa might be the way to go...either .308 or .270 and happy to be convinced of either.

Just need to find a decent gun shop in Perth metro to sort me out. Will need the works really - gun safe, bag, optics (3-9x50 sounds like the go!), etc.

[xDom]

[quote="bigfellascott"I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.

.[/quote]


Good point, I believe the CTR is as heavy as the Tikka Varmint, which I just traded in for the lite model albeit in .223.

Why the interest in the CTR?

[RoginaJack]

I'd look for a low powered variable scope, like 2-X or 3-X. that's all you'll need.

[SCJ429]

I own a couple of Tikkas and the barrels on them are fantastic for a factory barrel. Howa don't come close, I would not own a Howa with a factory barrel. A friend has had two Howas and the quality is not good with chatter marks right up the barrel.

If the Tikka is too dear then get a second hand one. The 308 should last you for in excess of 4000 rounds so getting a lightly used one will still have plenty of life in it.

[SCJ429]

[quote="bigfellascott"I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.

.

Good point, I believe the CTR is as heavy as the Tikka Varmint, which I just traded in for the lite model albeit in .223.

Why the interest in the CTR?[/quote]

How much did they give you in trade for your varmint in 223?

[flutch]

I own a couple of Tikkas and the barrels on them are fantastic for a factory barrel. Howa don't come close, I would not own a Howa with a factory barrel. A friend has had two Howas and the quality is not good with chatter marks right up the barrel.

If the Tikka is too dear then get a second hand one. The 308 should last you for in excess of 4000 rounds so getting a lightly used one will still have plenty of life in it.

arent anecdotes fun, three howas in my family all are well sub moa, and not fussy on ammo like a hipster coffee critic like tikkas, also know a few ppl with more than useless tikkas, but hey all anecdotes, my honest opinion is howa and tikka are equal, just only one of them charges the correct price, the other is taking the piss.

[Stix]

Hi all. Apologies if this has been asked a million times. I'm just getting back into shooting (haven't done anything in 20 years) and am looking to go pig hunting (I live in WA) and also Deer hunting (in Vic Highlands with my brother who lives over that way).

I've done a bit of research and am considering the Tikka T3x CTR S/S in .308. It is pretty exy though and over my $2k budget for a rifle (I've been quoted nearly $2,500 for this - but comes with spare mag and muzzle break).

I would certainly welcome some feedback on this given what I want to do, including:

1. Rifle Selection - given what i want to do with it per above. I see Howa's are comparable? How do they stack up?
2. Optics Selection - have been recommended the Bushnell Elite 4500 4-16x40. Are these decent? Any other brands/models i should consider
3. Good gun shop (price/service) in WA - will also consider Oz wide too and will share the love to whomever wants my business essentially.

As a lot of you on here are very experienced, I'd really appreciate your opinions and advice.

Thanks everyone and looking forward to getting back into the swing!!!

Hi Bombus.
You cant go wrong with a 308...(i have a 7-08 & love it...!!-(basically same as 308)--no goat or pig has ever noticed it had a "270" or a "308" death.. )

308 will kill everything you need it to kill, not be stupidly sharp & loud (dont use a brake!--especially hunting), & the price of ammo-both factory & reloads-are very reasonable/as cheap as you'll get..

As for scope...i have 3 of those elite 4500's in 4-16x40 & i absolutely love them...!!!

I think 4x is (JUST) wide enough for close quarters fast paced action...
Ive smacked plenty of fast moving goats at close range with it...!!
You will eventually delelop a different technique for that kind of close quarters shooting where you will shoot both eyes open which gives you plenty of field of view--plenty enough to give well enough lead on pig & goat type animals in full flight.
The key is setting the scope up correctly--i think scope height is critical for fast paced stuff like that--dont be sucked into thinking you need scope as close as possible to barrel--in fast paced stuff you dont have time to cheek weld--its more like shotgun...

I like adjustable parallex too...!
Gives for sharper image on longer shots, & also gives better detail when using scope for scouting distances for game or when you need good detail if shooting at distance into shadows--like maybe goats on another hill in scrub/shadow...not to mention i find the high mag super handy for long shots...

Dont think you need to be setting it all the time either--you only need to set it once & leave it--reset it if you move it for a long shot--dead easy & only takes a few seconds.

The 4-16x40's i have are good enough for spotlighting too...when you go over 16x is when it gets a little too dark for spotlighting.

I think 3-15/4-16 is a good mag for all round rifle scope...
Modern technology gives us these options at a reasonable price, may as well take advantage of it mate...
People may say you dont need the extra magnification...but you dont need a landcruiser either, yet i bet the "dont need it" crowd arent driving 1970's Ford Cortina's accross paddocks like my ol man did when i was a kid...!!

As long as the scope you get bslances out the rifle well, go the 3-15/4-16 mag range...im sure you eont regret it..!

[bigfellascott]

I own a couple of Tikkas and the barrels on them are fantastic for a factory barrel. Howa don't come close, I would not own a Howa with a factory barrel. A friend has had two Howas and the quality is not good with chatter marks right up the barrel.

If the Tikka is too dear then get a second hand one. The 308 should last you for in excess of 4000 rounds so getting a lightly used one will still have plenty of life in it.

arent anecdotes fun, three howas in my family all are well sub moa, and not fussy on ammo like a hipster coffee critic like tikkas, also know a few ppl with more than useless tikkas, but hey all anecdotes, my honest opinion is howa and tikka are equal, just only one of them charges the correct price, the other is taking the piss.

Same here, the Howas I own shoot like lasers, the Tikka I own shoots shotgun patterns in comparison and cost me twice as much and then some, lucky for me I only wanted it to smack pigs and deer with and it's capable of that so far so all good otherwise it would be out the door! Mind you I've only run one brand of factory ammo in it so far (Fed Premium stuff) I'm sure with some tinkering it will be a better shooter so again I'm not overly concerned

[SCJ429]

I guess it comes down to expecations, some Howas will shoot quite well, most heavy barrelled 223 are great. You would buy a Howa based on price. Don't expect the barrel to be up to the standard of the Finnish barrel makers.

Talk to your gunsmith about what he has seen and recommends. There is also a gunsmith in NZ, Nathan Forster, who publishes some information online. He gives some excellent frank advice regarding rifles to be used for hunting.

I don't have shares in Sako and Tikka but my experiences with six of them have all been outstanding, all of them able to shoot under 0.3 and a couple of them shooting the odd group in the 0.1. Perhaps I am just lucky.

[TassieTiger]

^ this is exactly why I bought the 300wm in howa vs my friends tikka 300 - so I can see for myself.
Thus far, both rifles are shooting Moa with a long way to go retuning.
But - I will say, the bolt on the howa is a little loose and tight compared to the glass like tikka, a bit rattly but nothing excessive and once locked - it’s tight.
I think both triggers are superb - not up to the steyr “set” trigger but not too far away and if your hunting, a extreme light trigger is not necessarily a good thing.
At this stage—— I’d say a howa is the hilux and the tikka is the Lexus.
*** I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time.

[xDom]

[quote="bigfellascott"I'd also pick a light rifle if you intend doing a lot of walking (which you will be doing if you are hunting deer in Vic.

.

How much did they give you in trade for your varmint in 223?

$800, paid $1400, had about 700 shots through it. Probably could’ve got another $250 for it if I sold it privately. Couldn’t be arsed with the hassle.

[mickb]

you wont fit a 308 loaded with 200gn projies into a tikka magazine... just saying... and tbh, if you really wanna use rounds that heavy just bite the bullet and buy a 300win or bigger. especially for a noob, using anything that heavy in a 308 is going to require some pretty serious knowledge of the rifles "dope" that which a noob isnt going to have a handle on. I still say go the 300 win, but then again i dont own anything in centerfire that shoots slower than 3100fps, takes all the guess work out of it.

Mate the big bullets I refer are roundnoses. I admit I dont know what COAL the tikkas handle but you might find these bullets shorter than you realise. And it doesnt require pretty serious knowledge of the rifles 'D.O.P.E', (Btw I spent a few years in the middle east, when did we start calling shooting at animals back here 'engagements', are we hunting or at war with the animals? ) A 200 grain bullet will get 2450-2500fps+ out of the 308, 220 is 2400, that is a good velocity and plenty flat shooting for big game ranges, aka under 200 yards. Its no guesswork for noob or otherwise.

[flutch]

you wont fit a 308 loaded with 200gn projies into a tikka magazine... just saying... and tbh, if you really wanna use rounds that heavy just bite the bullet and buy a 300win or bigger. especially for a noob, using anything that heavy in a 308 is going to require some pretty serious knowledge of the rifles "dope" that which a noob isnt going to have a handle on. I still say go the 300 win, but then again i dont own anything in centerfire that shoots slower than 3100fps, takes all the guess work out of it.

Mate the big bullets I refer are roundnoses. I admit I dont know what COAL the tikkas handle but you might find these bullets shorter than you realise. And it doesnt require pretty serious knowledge of the rifles 'D.O.P.E', (Btw I spent a few years in the middle east, when did we start calling shooting at animals back here 'engagements', are we hunting or at war with the animals? ) A 200 grain bullet will get 2450-2500fps+ out of the 308, 220 is 2400, that is a good velocity and plenty flat shooting for big game ranges, aka under 200 yards. Its no guesswork for noob or otherwise.

2400 fps is mortar speeds, might aswell have a trebuchet, and to pretend that there isnt a FK tonne of bullet drop at that weight and velocity is pretty silly as it is pertinent here in WA, a lot of terrain and areas people shoot its not uncommon to have to engage at greater distances, we after all arent amongst valleys and mountains for the majority of our terrain. so to me there are many options way more effective than a 308 for shooting in WA, sure a 308 will suffice with compromises but then again, its a bit of a clitoris isnt it, yunno given that every C#nt has one.