Window Shopping / Good Deal ??

[Tornado1979 145]

So which one is the best again and why ??? hahaha

[Alsone 789]

I don't think you're going to get a definitive answer.

 

Stainless vs Moly, no real performance difference other than stainless doesn't rust. Unsure on barrel wear. Stainless is very hard but some ferrous steels can be super hard as well so difficult call without knowing the exact steel used. However, I've yet to hear of an accuracy difference from stainless vs moly.

 

Laminate vs synthetic, similar performance and stability. Both exceed the performance of normal wood. Laminates are waterproof and extremely strong and stable due to their multiple layers and laminate looks nicer and can be refinished if you like wood. All you should ever have to do is run a cloth over a laminate if properly sealed.

 

Synthetics on the other hand have the sniper look and are entirely waterproof and stable, but once scratched are scratched. To me synthetic just looks like plastic (even though it isn't so personally I'd rather have the wonderful patterns / grain you get in a laminate stock).

 

So there's very little to choose between synth vs laminate and stainless vs Moly. All preference and maintenance.

 

For me laminate stainless all the way, beauty of wood, stability of synthetic and corrosion resistance of stainless. Others might prefer synthetic moly.

 

As for brands, Tikka, Howa, Anshultz, CZ all good guns. Up the price and there are better, but they don't necessarily make you shoot any better. The biggest factor is always the shooter.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Alsone

[charlie caller 3,654]

But at the risk of repeating myself, a wood stock glass bedded is a superior platform to cheap, hollow, tacky, flimsy plastic stocks, the reason that plastic is in vogue at the moment is the shooting community have been conned once again by the rifle makers, we have been led to believe that we must have a plastic stock to shoot accurately, nothing could be further from the truth, look at the poor offering by Remington for instance, many of their plastic stocks are very flimsy around the barrel channel, and result in poor accuracy, until the problem is addressed, the reason we have been conned? Well you guessed it, money, it costs them far less to churn out plastic crap than a nice wood stock, I have seen some very good synthetic stocks, but they are aftermarket expensive items, most factory synthetic stocks I have seen are fit for the bin only, apart from looking cheap and tacky, you can bet your bottom dollar that if the price of wood dropped below plastic, we would doubtless over night be sold on the idea that we all needed a wood stock, so what you ask do I have on my stalking/foxing rifle? A Boyds custom laminate wood stock, as Alsone says, the best of both worlds, but dont write off wood stocks guys they can be very very good indeed.

[Tornado1979 145]

I've now narrowed my search down after handling them all and I'm going for tikka laminate but not keen on normal laminate so camo option if any.

 

The other one I really liked was the super varmint, just felt solid, bit of extra weight but with me being a big lad felt good, unlike the others which felt like a toy guns.

 

Not familiar with picatinny rail on the super but looks like you can get decent mounts for good price, what's the advantage / disadvantage with picatinny rail ??

 

Only other negative with the super varmint is they don't do Burris scope package, this is only in lite models.

[Alsone 789]

Camo option is synthetic but if it floats your boat why not.

 

IF you wanted a different laminate then the Sako 85 Varmint Laminated Stainless uses a natural wood stainless. However, you're upping budget (and quality) considerably:

 

http://www.sako.fi/sako85models.php?varmintlamss

Edited November 8, 2013 by Alsone

[charlie caller 3,654]

Or you can buy the Howa an choose from a superb range of laminate stocks from Boyds, across the pond, in thumhole, sporter, target styles to name a few, in a range of laminate colours including cammo, all for around a hundred quid, and they turn them into real tackdrivers

[GEOFF.223 83]

So which one is the best again and why ??? hahaha

Spend more more on a scope than a rifle

 

Any rifle will will shoot sub moa/1" at 100yards with the right ammo.

 

If you can afford a rifle with a bedded stock go for it. More consistent apparently.

 

Best advise I can give.

[charlie caller 3,654]

Or get whatever you want and have it beded with acraglas, or do it yourself, and as for scopes, for the money you cannot beat Nikon prostaff, I really do struggle to see the difference between my mates 8x56 SB and mine/his prostaff, they are superb scopes, and I believe they are the number one best seller in the states, you can get them for around £170 here, I am a massive Nikon scope fan, I really dont know how they can make them that good for the money.

[Tornado1979 145]

Cheers for info mate, worth a look when ticket finally arrives, one of the second hand packages I've been looking at has the Burris scope fitted.

[GEOFF.223 83]

Nikon scopes have been getting some great attention lately

They make some of the worlds greatest cameras I dont think there gonna struggle with a pipie with a bit of glass at each end.

 

As for bedding a rifle it's a piece of piss I done my howa with Devcon steel putty basically take stock off clean fill holes and mag area with blue tac/playdoooooo cover metal in clear shoe polish stick putty in stock put rifle in stock nip down wipe away excess clean up jobs a good one

[Tornado1979 145]

With picatilly rail do you just need to purchase the rings ?

 

Or rings + base like picture attached ?

Edited November 10, 2013 by Tornado1979

[GEOFF.223 83]

Depends wat gun ur getting

 

Most guns can be fitted with a picatinny rail

 

And is usually thee cheaper option.

Wait until you have rifle and scope in front of you so uou can measure bwhat height of mounts u will need.

[Tornado1979 145]

Ordered rifle last week and RFD called today to let me know it's arrived.

 

I decided to go for Tikka T3 super varmint.

 

Just waiting for ticket to be delivered now, the post man must be getting hacked off with me chasing him up street before work everyday lol.

[Deker 3,478]

Ordered rifle last week and RFD called today to let me know it's arrived.

 

I decided to go for Tikka T3 super varmint.

 

Just waiting for ticket to be delivered now, the post man must be getting hacked off with me chasing him up street before work everyday lol.

 

Tikka offer a number of rifles, nothing wrong with any of them and we all like/want different things, the Super Varmint is all tricked up and in my opinion doesn't know if it wants to be a target rifle or a field rifle, but is working hard to be a target rifle, I'm sure it will shoot straight.

 

If you are happy with the weight then a fine choice.

 

I have never made any secret of the fact that I don't like heavy rifles for field work, and at circa 2lb heavier than the Lite and 1.5lb heavier than the Hunter, the Super Varmint is heavy, I'm a complete tart and after an hour or two in the field that would do me.

 

ATB!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Deker

[Tornado1979 145]

 

 

Ordered rifle last week and RFD called today to let me know it's arrived.

 

I decided to go for Tikka T3 super varmint.

 

Just waiting for ticket to be delivered now, the post man must be getting hacked off with me chasing him up street before work everyday lol.

Tikka offer a number of rifles, nothing wrong with any of them and we all like/want different things, the Super Varmint is all tricked up and in my opinion doesn't know if it wants to be a target rifle or a field rifle, but is working hard to be a target rifle, I'm sure it will shoot straight.

 

If you are happy with the weight then a fine choice.

 

I have never made any secret of the fact that I don't like heavy rifles for field work, and at circa 2lb heavier than the Lite and 1.5lb heavier than the Hunter, the Super Varmint is heavy, I'm a complete tart and after an hour or two in the field that would do me.

 

ATB!

Went to a few RFD and just like the feel of the super could of been with the extra weight, it just felt a bit more solid.

 

As long as it shoots straight I'll be happy mate.

 

I'll remember this post though when my arms are dropping off in a few week haha