Tikka T3 vs Marlin XS7

[eric1115]

Hi there,

I'm looking into picking up my first bolt gun, and pretty well settled on .308 (versatility, ease/cost of ammo, etc).

Everyone raves about the T3, but the new Marlins are getting a bunch of good words too. Assuming that the difference (~$125-150) needs to come out of glass, bumping me from something like a Monarch on the XS7 down to a Buckmaster on a T3, what would be your pick? Something I haven't considered?

I hunt mule deer and elk, and have been shooting a BLR in 308 pretty happily, but am interested in getting into some long(er) range stuff, steel at 500, 750 at the very long end. I know the light barrels aren't ideal for the long range target stuff, but I'm OK with taking my time to keep them cool.

I'm still a rifle newbie, relatively speaking; I grew up hunting whitetails in the Midwest almost all in areas where shotguns with slugs were the law. With the BLR I don't feel good about shots much outside 200, unless I'm on a really steady rest with a solid distance reference. Open sights and a rifled barrel with sabots I was confident to 125 or so with the shotgun.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[Gtscotty]

Have you had the opportunity to pickup and mess around with both rifles? If not, I would suggest doing so, anybody can tell you whether the Tikka is worth the extra $150 to them, but that doesn't necessarily have any bearing on whether its worth the extra $150 for you. From a functional standpoint, they are both excellent, well designed and well made rifles that would meet all of the needs you described. As an aside, they Weatherby Vanguard S2s look like a pretty sweet deal, that might be another option.

I was personally in this same situation (minus the opportunity to hunt mule deer and elk ) and wound up going with the Tikka.... and then going with another Tikka again later on. I was pretty well sold on the XS7 until I started reading reviews on the Tikka, and went to the GS to play with one, at which point, things happened pretty fast and the end result was me becoming $500 poorer and one Tikka richer... I have not regretted parting with that $500 in the least. That said, an XS7 would also functionally do anything I need done..

As for the caliber, I know your post stated that you are pretty well set on .308, but if you are getting this rifle to open up your range a little bit, you might want to consider a few of the common higher velocity rounds such as .270, or 7mm mag. .270 hunting rounds are no more costly than .308, and while 7mm mag is a bit pricier, its not really a huge difference for hunting rounds. Obviously a .308 will work fine for what you want to use it for, just some food for thought.

 

[sixgunner455]

Weatherby, Tikka, Savage, Howa ... there's lots of good rifles around. Enough variations and calibers, too, to make anybody happy.

 

[Gtscotty]

I forgot to mention, but since you are looking at scopes in the $200 range, Cabelas still has Bushnell Elite 4200s on sale for $199... I have two and am really impressed with them.

 

[Elkins45]

I would choose good glass on an average rifle over a good rifle with a second rate scope every time. Optics are one of those things where you get what you pay for and almost never get more.

 

[nathan]

The Marlin has come up with the bull barrel version of the Xs 7 rifle. They are priced a liitle higher and must be a tackdriver at its already is.

 

[BrocLuno]

The long range thing means you really want the Tikka in varmint trim with heavier barrel and bigger magazine. Same for the Marlin. The Marlin is blind magazine if I recall correctly and the Tikka is drop out mag. I like the feel and fit of a Tikka, but as others have said, that's very important and very personal. Pick the one that fits you best, comes to shoulder best and points most naturally. The price difference is meaningless if it don't fit well.

 

[Kachok]

I own both. Here is the breakdown.
Trigger-Crisp adjustable single stage vs adjustable two stage, I perfer the Tikkas single stage but to each their own.
Stock-No comparison the Tikka has a super nice fiber/matrix vs the injection molded toy on the Marlin.
Action-Both cycle just fine but the Tikka is super smooth and feels much more refined.
Accuracy-Both shot sub MOA groups for me, the difference is that the Tikka did it with every kind of factory ammo I have tried, and most handloads I have worked up.
Metal-Hard to compare because my Tikka is Stainless, my Marlin has had minor issues with the blueing, but better then most budget guns.
Egronomics-Tikka wins bigtime, lighter, slimmer, and just a better fit for me anyway.
Recoil Pad-Clear win for the Marlin, the Tikka has a hard pad and the Marlin has alot more give to it. Though I must say that if you are used to shooting slugs, and are moving to a light kicking 308 I doubt that will be an issue with either.
Conclusion-If all you need is a functional rifle to put meat on the table the Marlin is a super buy (as are the Savages), if you are willing to spend a few more bucks on the Tikka you won't regret it for a second, it is a fantastic rifle that is every bit as good as much more expensive weapons in every reguard.

 

[Fullboar1]

I own both. Here is the breakdown.
Trigger-Crisp adjustable single stage vs adjustable two stage, I perfer the Tikkas single stage but to each their own.
Stock-No comparison the Tikka has a super nice fiber/matrix vs the injection molded toy on the Marlin.
Action-Both cycle just fine but the Tikka is super smooth and feels much more refined.
Accuracy-Both shot sub MOA groups for me, the difference is that the Tikka did it with every kind of factory ammo I have tried, and most handloads I have worked up.
Metal-Hard to compare because my Tikka is Stainless, my Marlin has had minor issues with the blueing, but better then most budget guns.
Egronomics-Tikka wins bigtime, lighter, slimmer, and just a better fit for me anyway.
Recoil Pad-Clear win for the Marlin, the Tikka has a hard pad and the Marlin has alot more give to it. Though I must say that if you are used to shooting slugs, and are moving to a light kicking 308 I doubt that will be an issue with either.
Conclusion-If all you need is a functional rifle to put meat on the table the Marlin is a super buy (as are the Savages), if you are willing to spend a few more bucks on the Tikka you won't regret it for a second, it is a fantastic rifle that is every bit as good as much more expensive weapons in every reguard.

Good review Kochok. I will add I dont own both (I own 4 Tikka T3's plus one on order) but I have used a XS-7 and for the money it's hard to beat and probably the better of the "budget no frills bunch". Every bit as accurate as the Savage Axis (more accurate then the Mossberg) with a better trigger and finish then both.

The Tikka T3 is in a whole nother league compared to the budget bunch (it costs more as well). Like Kochok said, all of my Tikka's shoot sub MOA with anything you feed them (the Tikka's use the same barrels as what the Sako's do). The trigger is as good as any after market job like a Jewell, Timney, Basix ect and you can adjust it down (youself) to around 2lbs without worrying about it disengaging the saftey (don't know if you can do that with the XS-7). The stock is fibre reinforced and has no flex unlike the injection molded stocks. The Tikka with its detachable magazine is alot easier to unload compared to XS-7's blind magazine, but because the Tikka has such a small port you will have to load it with a magazine even when loading it single shot.

If you do get the Tikka T3(I would get the Lite if you are mostly hunting) the first thing to do is junk the scope rings that come with it (they are a waste of time) and get some Warne, Leupold or Talley rings (around $35 to $50 depending on what brand you buy). If your worried about getting the Tikka because you will have to get lower quality glass then PM me your email address and I will send you a couple of fliers of a company that are selling the Weaver Super Slams at around 1/3 of the retail price and Burris Fullfields at around 1/2 of the retail price. Good luck with whatever you get (cough cough Tikka).

 

[Kachok]

I would not say the Tikka costs alot more, you just have to shop around, I found my T3 Stainless 6.5x55 for $408 NIB and if I find another one for that price I will snatch it up in a heartbeat.

 

[viking499]

if I find another one for that price I will snatch it up in a heartbeat.

Mine was not much more than that when I bought it. If I could find 6 at that price, I would buy all 6.

 

[dprice3844444]

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