Tikka T3X Hunter...left handed...looking for advice.

[BPowchak]

I am looking to buy my first hunting rifle and have decided I would like a Tikka. The "Lite" models intimidate me a bit because of the potential recoil factor. I live in AL, so would likely be hunting deer or headed to GA to hunt hogs. I liked the look of the T3X Hunter and it's a little heavier, which I imagine would help a little with recoil. I'm 5'7" and a woman, so I want something I can shoot comfortably, but in the field and at the range. So...my question...which calibers should I reasonably consider? I know whatever I buy, I will have to order, especially being a lefty. Cabelas is having a sale on the "lite" models right now, and I know Academy will match it, minus 5%, but then I started "shopping" again and found the T3X Hunter model, which has a beautiful Walnut stock. Do I need a .308 or a .270 or a .260? I'm trying to consider ammo availability as well. My husband is a gun guy, but this is something I'd like to do "on my own"...sort of. Help! LOL.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I'm a left-handed male, and one thing I'd like to suggest is that you consider not just caliber but ammunition.

I've done most of my big-game hunting with a Savage 110 in .30-06, and I've had excellent results with Remington's Managed Recoil ammunition. It really does soften the recoil, and it hits plenty hard against Texas deer. Alabama deer are probably a little larger than Texas deer, but I imagine the Managed Recoil rounds will do the trick.

Is that something you've considered?

 

[Gtscotty]

Does your husband reload, or will you be shooting factory loads? If factory, I'd probably look at the .308 and .243 over the .260 for better availability. The original T3's benefited from a limbsaver recoil pad, but I've heard that the T3x comes with a much improved recoil pad; I wouldn't be afraid of the T3x lite.

 

[outlawjw]

The 7-08 is big enough bullet for almost anything & soft enough shooting to make my granddaughters grin. Bullets are generally everywhere& a good choice of bullet types

 

[steven58]

The .260 will give you the lowest recoil and still have plenty of power to hunt any deer, hog or black bear with the proper bullet selection. While you may not find ammo as "Walmart available" as .308 it is the 21st century and you can order your ammo on line.

 

[HexHead]

7-08 was an excellent suggestion. It's lighter recoiling than .308, and there are low recoil loads available for it.

 

[macgrumpy]

I see no reason why gender has anything to do with cartridge selection. To me caliber selection is based on how well a person handles recoil and what they plan on using the weapon for. My wife is 5' 5", she spent a couple years in the Army and then about 10 years in the Marine Corps and she has shot just about every caliber from a .22 rifle to a M2 .50 caliber machine gun. In a rifle, she likes a .30-30 lever action best because she likes old cowboy style firearms but she has shot rifle up to a 300 Win Mag. She really enjoys shooting my old M1A .308 and she carries an old 3 screw Ruger .357 revolver for hiking around our Montana home but really enjoys shooting a Desert Eagle pistol in .44 magnum. While I don't believe that gender has any real connection physiologically to recoil sensitivity I will admit that women in general seem to have be more sensitive to recoil but I think that this is more because of social environment than real physical differences. Socially, women are taught to scream and act surprised to loud/ violent events more than men are. My wife grew up in a farming environment and lived in a military world most of her life and she acts no different than I do about recoil, and yet I know a lot of women that react very energetically to the same kind of events that my wife doesn't even react to. In other words, recoil sensitivity is something that is partially learned and partially built in to our nervous system and you can reduce your sensitivity to some degree by using the weapon more often - practice more often and you will handle the recoil better.

My question is; have you any experience shooting any of the calibers that you mentioned? If so then the next question is what kind of hunting do you expect to do with the rifle? If you hunt nothing bigger than deer than I'd say that if you need minimum recoil then go with the .260 but if you want to hunt larger animals then go with the .308 (you just might have to limit the range you try to take the larger animals at).

While a Tikka is a light rifle it will still dress out (with scope and ammo) to around 7.5 lbs. At 7.5 lbs a 178gr .308 will produce about 16.5 ft/lbs of recoil energy while a .260, with a 140gr bullet, will produce around 13 ft/lbs of recoil energy, that's about 3 ft/lbs difference between the typical max bullet weights used in these two calibers, I don't really think that this is enough difference to create a problem for you.

If you were to compare the same bullet weights in the two calibers with the same rifle weight and muzzle velocity then the recoil energies would be about 1 ft/lb difference with the .308 producing the greater recoil. The real difference would be in the knock down power, the .308's larger diameter and heavier bullets will deliver far more energy on target so it will be more flexible in regards to the kinds of animals you can take with it.

If you choose the .260 then you are limiting the maximum bullet weight you can use but if you choose the .308 then you can adjust the recoil energy by simply selecting a lighter/ slower bullet. For example, if you use the heaviest weight bullet in a .260 (lets say a 140gr bullet weight) and one of the smallest weight bullets in a .308 (lets say a 110gr bullet weight) then the .308 will produce faster muzzle velocities and less recoil energy with similar capabilities (depending the type of bullet you use - varmint/ target/ etc.) as the .260 and yet with the .308 you could easily buy heavier bullets and take a wider range of game animals.

 

[rust collector]

My T3 lite stainless 308 has been my primary deer rifle for many years. It is very accurate and I never notice the recoil in the field. We do much more carrying than shooting with most of our guns, so light is good. No need for magnums in my country.
The 260 is a very accurate and versatile cartridge, but I am very partial to the 6.5x55 swedish if Beretta (owns Tikka) will bring them into the country. All the energy needed, extremely pleasant to shoot. Good luck in your quest!

 

[Elkins45]

You don't notice recoil when hunting, only when sighting in. A folded towel goes a long way toward taking care of that. I have the lefty in 308 and I think if you wore a jacket or the folded towel you wouldn't find it to be a problem.

 

[DM~]

Given all the factors that you have in mind, there's no question I'd pick the 7mm-08...

DM

 

[BPowchak]

You don't notice recoil when hunting, only when sighting in. A folded towel goes a long way toward taking care of that. I have the lefty in 308 and I think if you wore a jacket or the folded towel you wouldn't find it to be a problem.

Agreed, except I'd like to be able to practice with it at the range as well. I want a good tool for hunting, but I also want something fun to shoot. Ya know?

 

[BPowchak]

I see no reason why gender has anything to do with cartridge selection. To me caliber selection is based on how well a person handles recoil and what they plan on using the weapon for.

Thanks for that. I'm a farm girl at heart, but I do not have any military background. I mentioned my gender so y'all understand where I'm coming from and generally, all things being equal, women and men a physiologically different. Simply compare a woman 5'7" to a man who is 5'7", muscle mass, build, all that, tends to vary with gender. That's not to say that there are not exceptions like your wife, but I would consider her the exception and not the rule. I am newer to hunting and shooting. I don't want a cannon and I don't want to get hurt. I want to go out, hunt, put some meat in the freezer and at the same time expand my knowledge and proficiency. I don't just want to get the rifle out when I hunt. I want to be able to practice at the range and get comfortable with it, and maybe use it to protect my livestock, should the need arrise. I conceal carry a 38 Special, which I'm comfortable shooting, and while the .45 Cal Glock packs a little more punch, that's fine too.
I am considering placing an order directly with Seko because I can't find this mystery fun anywhere, and I think I've decided on a .243. It should be enough for my purposes and still be quite comfortable to shoot. Thanks for your insight!

 

[LoonWulf]

The .243 is a great round, and I think youve picked a fine gun. My wife uses a .243 savage model 11 when we hunt, She snever missed or needed a second shot with that gun....which is frustrating, because she dosent understand why I practice so much lol.

 

[desidog]

I think 243win is a good option because of the versatile loading you can get for it and the fact that it's common; walk into most any gun store and they've got it. 7-08 is gaining popularity, but it's just not as common as 243. Also, going from a 6mm bullet to a 7mm bullet, the case size and all things being qual, you're gaining projectile weight and therefore gaining felt recoil.

 

[rust collector]

If you can do without the "x" features, there is a left hand 260 here: https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/3211419 I've not dealt with them, but hear generally good reviews. Bud's shows the LH 243 T3 hunter in stock here: https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...ucts_id/97892/TIKKA+JRTA315L+T3+HUNTER+243+LH
This outfit claims to have lefthand 6.5x55 hunters in stock. No experience. http://www.kylesgunshop.com/product.tikka-t3x-hunter-rifle-65x55-left-handed There may be 243s available too if you peruse these sites.

 

[steven58]

.243 is an excellent choice. When loaded with appropriate, bonded, large game rounds it will do the job on any deer or hog. I'm a 5'7" 170 lb male (also lefty) and have owned .308, 260 and .243.

I bought a Tika .243 for my 5' 16 yr old daughter. Her 6' female (same age) friend got a .308 Ruger American compact from her dad. Both are first centerfire rifles. Both Young ladies can shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yds with the .243. Neither can keep the .308 on a pie plate at the same distance due to recoil and muzzle blast. Both rifles shoot 1/2" groups in the hands of more seasoned shooters.

One thing to be careful of with .243, be sure you are using "big game" ammo for deer and larger animals as this caliber is also loaded for "varmints" such woodchucks. Those loads are designed to expand violently and will not penetrate to vital organs reliably in large game.

 

[Kingcreek]

You should be fine with .243 or 7-08 and the tikka is a great choice. I highly recommend the limbsaver recoil pad.
My wife shoots a 243 featherwt and she is 5 foot nothing and 105 pounds.

 

[macgrumpy]

The .243 is an easy rifle to shoot and I always recommend that people choose what they shoot best, if recoil worries you then pick something with less recoil. I will say that you will find that most .243 rifles have a sharper recoil than some larger rifles and that could make it feel uncomfortable - it's like a poke in the shoulder with a finger rather than push with a fist.

Please don't take this as an attack against you, it's not, but there 9 year old girls competing in 3-gun competitions nowadays (pistol, shotgun, rifle) and they are winning. The Army has had women on their rifle teams for about 15 or 20 years now and most often they place on the top of any competition. There are many smaller civilian women that have been competing for many years (more than 30 for some) and they are able to shoot anything up to and including the .375 H&H. I'd bet that after you shoot that .243 for a while you'll be interested in something bigger, you're probably being overly-cautious due to not being familiar with shooting rifles, don't sell yourself short. The only limitation that a woman has compared to a man, when it comes to shooting, is upper body strength. An average man can hold a 9 pound rifle/scope/ammo setup in a shooting position longer than the average woman, that doesn't mean she can't shoot it well or that she can't handle the recoil as well, it just means she can't hold it in firing position for as long.

 

[Sunray]

Like macgrumpy says(mine was a 5 foot nothing, teenage, female, Army Cadet, who shot circles around most of the males with a C1A1 and a No. 4 Lee-Enfield.), it's not about your size, handedness or gender. It's about what you're comfortable using. What have you used before?
"...most .243 rifles have a sharper recoil..." Yep. More about the weight of the rifle and the width of the butt plate though. Both are easy modifications.
Mind you, that T3 Lite(with an odd rifling twist. 1 in 10.) runs about 6 pounds and comes with 20, 22 or 24" barrels. Which barrel length is going to make a difference in the muzzle blast with any chambering. High muzzle blast at 20" and going down. Partial to the .243 in a wood stocked, bolt action myself.
"...The .260 will..." Recoil is the close to the same(.9 ft-lbs. difference) using a 140 grain at 2750 as a 95 grain at 3100 .243 out of like weight rifles.

 

[Rich D]

I'm a little guy, and I had a Tikka T3 Lite SS in both.308 and .223. Get the .308, add a Limbsaver pad, and you will barely notice recoil. I sold them as I quit hunting, and got an M1 and AR15. The pad in conjunction with the plastic stock really soak up recoil, and if you are just hunting deer, light bullets will help, too. You can hunt anything in the USA, many loads are available, and plinking ammo is cheap. The Tikka trigger is fantastic.

 

[MattB]

Check out the savage lady hunter in .243. The stock is Lady specific and is definitely a different stock designed especially for women. My wife has one in .243 and .30-06 and loves both rifles. They truly are made for women in balance and stock fit. I bought my wife's first one via special order and surprised her. She was used to shooting my CZ 550 and said it was just too big and she could never get comfortable behind the rifle. Not the case with the Lady Hunter. She says it feels like it was made custom for her which is great as she is now reloading her own rounds and shooting sub .75" 5 shot groups @ 100 yards. Sometimes Cabela's runs specials on these and they can be had for under $600. I am not knocking the TIkka and it is a great rifle as well but the stock fit is more traditional and might not fit as well as the Lady Specific rifles.

PS-Also check out the Weatherby Camilla.

 

[macgrumpy]

I really like the Tikka rifles but that Savage sounds like a better option. Tikka has a strong reputation for accuracy but Savage has been making extremely accurate rifles since they came out with their accustock and accutrigger. Tikka doesn't make a stock specifically for women and since Savage does I'd recommend checking them out. Stock fit to the weapon and the shooter is THE no. 1 thing that dictates accuracy.