7mm or 300 win mag
 

hey guys i just recently graduated high school and my dad said he will buy me any gun that i please (within reason of course), i narrowed my choices down to the tikka t3 however i can't decided between a 7mm or a 300 win mag. any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Hands down the 7mm. We will talk about your brand choice later. :-)

7mm remington mag, one thing about tikkas they have alot of plastic, like the magazine, bolt shroud, trigger guard and such, look at the Winchester model 70 or even a sako.

doesn't sako make tikka?

Yes, but sako doesn't use plastic parts, they better quality stainless parts. Which I think is a must.

The beauty of the 30 cals is bullet selection, 100-220grn, never had any issues finding 308cal bullets compared to 284. Either one will work just fine but my vote goes to the 300. If I was to buy another 7mm, it would be the 280 AI, rifle would be a Kimber......

ooh ok I've been looking at reviews and I've heard the clips on the sako's are plastic and the spring inside them are too lose. thats why i decided to go with tikka, i want something that looks very nice and performs well for long distance shooting but also having that light weight feature.

both of them are too much recoil for your only gun especially a t3 but 7 mil if you insist

so where does the .277 come into this .284 comparison

Your first center fire rifle, I would aim for better that a plastic tikka, many of us on here, still have our first center fire, due to the memoarys created in those first few years, many better rifles will come and go.
Two types of Sako's, mate. look at the 75 & 85's. not the A5, or quality second hand, sako, cooper, kimber.
Winchester M70 is a heck of a rifle, pick of the USA builds in the $1000 price bracket.
I will second Marxman comment, about a non mag Cal for your first rifle, and 7mm mag if you must.
Choose wisely, and you will still have that rifle, when your old and grey.
Buy the best scope you can.

Well technically the .277 is a 7mm so pretty close :)

7mm-08 in tikka with plastic stock or laminate grey would be my choice...if not 7mm RM but ...magnum hmmm

lol@haha....We are not sure how much shooting experiance you have as you have never said....But assuming you are new to the sport what some of the guys are trying to tell you is, Tikka's are a nice rifle...but there are better choices out there, as Tikkas are pretty light and will kick your teeth out in the cailibers you mentioned....probably leading to some bad shooting habits and unpleasant experiances for you.
If you really want one of these calibers you mentioned pick it in a heavier rifle or if you really like the Tikka get it in a standard caliber such as the 270 Win, 308 Win, 260 Rem or 25-06 Rem etc.

Jim

If you want a Tikka in 7 mm magnum then go for it.
Not a thing wrong there.
Put on a good recoil pad and you are ready to go.

The 7 mag doesn't kick any more than a 30-06.
Start with some lighter weight bullets and work your way up.

I love Tikkas - and all their plastic.
You can beat the snot out of them and it just does not matter.
They not pretty but they do the job.

Couldn't have said it better. ^this x 2

7mag, if youre set on your original choices.

Sako's do not have plastic magazines (except for the A7). The spring being too loose? The reviews you have been looking at aren't being reviewed by yourself seriously. Tikka T3 is a fine rifle. Avoid any magnum cartridge in this rifle or any light rifle IMHO. You are a novice right?

If it was my son I would look for a pre 64 Model 70 fwt in 270 or 30-06 and put it in a brown pounder and call it a lifetime hunting rifle.

This x3.

First off, congrats on your graduation! Now on to guns. I don't know who has gotten hold of your ear, but that's too much gun for a 17-18 year old. In all honesty it's too much gun for most 40 year olds too. I was your age 30 years ago, so I can relate. Bigger was better in everything, but rifles don't fit that equation. I have many hunting partners with Tikkas. They offer exceptional value and accuracy for the price, IMO. But they are light, and the stock design seems to do very well at transmitting all that energy straight back to your shoulder. You are setting yourself up to develop a helluva flinch that may take a very long time to overcome.

If you were my son, I would be happy to buy you a Tikka, but I would be thumbs down on the big thumpers. As Halfton said, I would be looking at a 270 Win, 308 Win, 7-08 Rem, 260 Rem or a 25-06 Rem. My suggestion would be the 270 or 308 due to cheap and plentiful ammo that will allow you more time behind the trigger. That's what really counts. Those cartridges will all kill every animal that walks this province that you can get a tag for, exceptionally with a well place shot in the boiler room. Anyone who says otherwise is delusional:)

Good luck in your shopping!

Well said!

This would be a fine choice, as well.

Lots of good advice and reasons above for staying away from the magnums.

It will be hard for a 18-19yo, starting out in adult life, not to succumb to the siren call of the magnums, esp. if that is what your buddies are getting for themselves.

If you buy a standard cartridge and practice with that (and a 22LR rimfire) you will become a proficient rifle shot....while your buddies will be proficient flinchers - some of them for life. When you guys go to the range, experienced older hunters will notice who's scared of their rifle and who's not.

Once you have several seasons behind you, and several thousand rounds through your rifles, you'll know which types of hunts are helped by a magnum. You'll know what type and weight of rifle to buy chambered in a magnum. And you'll have acquired the skill set to shoot magnums proficiently.

Remember that they've yet to invent a pill that cures flinching. ;)

The T-3 is a good rifle for the price, but I wouldn't own one in any 300 magnum chambering, due to the recoil.

7 mm

Recoil only felt on bench shooting .......
 

Recoil only felt on bench shooting .......

I use T3 300 win mag , never regretted just learn to use properly ....

Remington reduced load ammunition .....
 

Remington reduced load ammunition ..... can solve the problem of flinching

The idea is not to go there in the first place.
But you're right, given enough time and money a flinch can be cured.

How much does Remington's reduced load 7RM ammo go for, if you can find it?

I've been hunting for as long as i can remember, right now i shoot my dads 308 norma and it kicks pretty good, but like someone said before you only really feel it when you target practice. Does wholesale sports or cabelas sell kimber weapons? Because on their site i do not see that brand listed and i have heard many good things about them.

Why limit yourself to Wholesale Sports and Cabelas?

Or Kimber?

or 300 WinMag?