jerry d

First off I want to thank all you folks that gave me input & helped me decide between the .243 & 7mm08.I haven't hunted in 10-12 years & was "out of the loop"so to speak.
Thanks for your patience!!
Only a few more questions then I'm done being a PITA.
Question #1 Tica T3 good,just ok,or junk. This rifle is the one that felt the best in my hands.I also "fondled" the Rem.700,Browning A bolt & X bolt,but the Tica felt right.
Next question,scopes I was shown the Swarovski {out of my price range}Zeiss conquest 3-9 Nikon Monarch 2.5-8 & a Bushnell Elite 3-9. The Bushnell & Nikon came in @ Under $300 the Zeiss @ $500.
All 3 scopes seemed good to me.I have Buhnell on my Marlin for years & never had a problem.Is the Zeiss worth the xtra $200? What is your opinions on the scopes that I was shown?

RugerM77.270

The Tikka is a great rifle and will likely out shoot most of the people who buy it. It has a little plastic but if you don't mind and it feels good to you get the Tikka. As for the scope the 7mm-08 and the 243 have little recoil and you won't need a super expesive scope to handle either of them. I would go for the Nikon then the Bushnell.

jerry d

thanks ruger

stalkingbear

Good choice on the Tikka. Are you SURE you'll be more satisfied with the .243 over the 7mm08? Just be sure to get a decent scope. They can be had for 150$ on the bottom end, but naturally the better lines should feature better optics and tracking/adjustments. Nikon, Bushnell elite, Leupold vx2, Burris fullfield 2 are all decent scopes that'll serve you well.

jerry d

Well I'm 90% sure Stalkingbear.I didn't buy it yet but I'm planning on it right after the holidays.Do you feel the 7mm08 is a better choice?

VAhuntr

The Tikka is an excellent rifle and should prove to be very accurate. IMO the 7-08 would be a better choice than the .243. As far as the scope, I really like my Nikon Monarch and feel thatoptically, it isthe equal or very close to the VX-3. I had a Bushnell Elite 3200 and it is an excellent scope for the money but mine was very picky when it came to eye relief and eye position.

jerry d

Well after doing a little more research I found that the Tikka is a fairly light gun,6.44 lbs,so because I'm looking for a mild recoil & I will not be hunting anything larger than deer I think I'm going to stick with the .243. Also the availibility of ammo with the .243 is greater.

zrexpilot

Great chioce. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the Tika.I convinced 2 of my buddys who are brothers to buy 7-08s. They have killed 5 deer this year between the 2 of them. didnt notice anything different in killing or damage between the 7 and the .243. One of them killed a doe with his .243 and dropped it on the spot with a body shot. He himself said the .243 is still a bad mutha in his opinion, and still doesnt have a preference between his 7-08 or .243. What I like is ammo availability in the .243 and I just like smaller calibers, I am just more confident with them. They are point and click, go retrieve your game type weapons, well for me they are.

Rammer

I owned a Tikka T3 243 for about 5 years and shot the barrel out of it, roughly 4500 rounds thru it. I purchased a brand new Tikka T3 Lite 243 last week, I will be scoping it today and sighting it in. They are excellent firearms and are very accurate, with a great user-friendly ajustable trigger.

As for optics, the Nikon Buckmasters is a great optic for a pretty good price. If not the Buckmaster I would step into a Leupold VX-II. I have no experience with the Bushnell higher end optics, but will strongly reccomend staying away from their "Trophy" series. Zeiss are great scopes as well, I have one, but I'm not sure its worth the extra costs over the Leupold VX-IIs, and I'm not sure its any better than any of my Leupold VX-IIIs.

jerry d

Thanks Rammer,I think I'm gonna go with the Nikon Monarch.4500 rounds huh? That alot of shooting!!! It was a tuff choice between the 7mm08 & .243.