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Am currently awaiting the return of my fac with a variaton for .243 for deer and fox. I am not in a financial situatin to have a custom job done at the moment so am looking at factory rifles (threaded for a mod). Have been admiring the rifles some of you guys have and the accuracy and performance that can be achieved. How would a factory Remmy compare, and is this a good choice or should I be looking at others? Advice and opinions welcome and appreciated.

Rik.

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Am currently awaiting the return of my fac with a variaton for .243 for deer and fox. I am not in a financial situatin to have a custom job done at the moment so am looking at factory rifles (threaded for a mod). Have been admiring the rifles some of you guys have and the accuracy and performance that can be achieved. How would a factory Remmy compare, and is this a good choice or should I be looking at others? Advice and opinions welcome and appreciated.

Rik.

 

hi toots

 

if it is straight out the box accuracy you are after,

tikka t 3 not as good as the 595 but shoot just as well

rem 700 normally need a bit of work but normally shoot

sako 85 not as good as the 75 IMO, and cost a lot more than the above

ruger will never buy another (but thats just me)

savage the ones i have seen shoot where a bit agricultural but shot very well

 

personally i would buy a tikka t3 and i don't like them, but i have never heard of one that will not shoot.

i just don't see the improvement in the t3 from the 595, or with the sako 85 from the 75 for that matter.

 

but I'm sure there are a few on here that will disagree with me,but thats the way i see it

 

hope this help

ATB

Colin :blink:

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Value for money, out of the box accuracy, very well made, not trying to be something its not, buy a Howa. Then when your in a position to get a new stock put a Wild dog on it and it will serve you well.

 

Tikka T3, garbage! As Col said the 595 was just superb, but you dont need to spend big bucks, the Howa will out do the Rem 700, quite simply the Howas just so good for the money.

 

 

 

Kal

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Toots

 

This factory Howa shoots ¼ groups a 100 yrds not bad for a factory gun that has had it’s barrel shortened to 20” and trigger adjusted to 2lbs, that’s it.

PIC00148.jpg

 

 

If you can find a Tikka 595 I do rate them as a bit better quality than the Howa but not sure if it will shoot any straighter, the last 595/695 I saw in a gun shop were more money than when they were new 5 years ago.

 

Although the T3 technically is not as good as the old the 595s they are still good shooters.

 

Any of the above are better than a Remmy 700 IMHO.

 

B-b

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James

"garbage" is a stronf word the most accuarte factory rifle I have ever seen was a Tikka 3 and Col 48 happend to own it,yes there not as well made ora patch quality wisw as the old 590 or 595 a step backwards for Tikka i feel but they still shoot well and for roughly £500 thers a good useable rifle,would I ever own one the simpel answer is No I would look for a old 595 which i just happen to know were one is which I used to own and is also fitted with a mod

 

 

Yeah whatever Funky we can agree to disagree as always, IMO the T3 is garbage, they took a good rifle and cannabalised it to save money, the stock is bloody awful and ive not heard that many good things about them. Find a 595, yep if you can buy it!

 

Howas are just great little rifles, they are what they are, not dressed up or hyped, just good rifles.

 

 

Kal

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Youv,e picked on an odd calibre for one very important reason Toots. The only factory gun available [cant say for the howa] with a twist rate suitable for a 100 grain bullet [deer] is the remington at 9 and 1/8" . the tikka and sako, are 1 in 10, and dont like much over 87 grains. The t3 isn,t the gun the 595/695 was, basically because the yanks told them to build a $500 gun, which translates to a £500 gun over here. This meant cheap stocks, all long action, and various other bits, which adds up to a no frills gun, but they do shoot well. However, they wont take a trigger kit, the mags are plastic, but they are available in a HUGE range of calibres. Howas are good, but the barrelled actions which were available from good old brian Fox, are no longer available fro the new distributor...highland. They now will only sell a complete gun, preferably with a nikko sterling sight attatched, so they are no longer the bargain they were.The howas drawback is the trigger, which requires the attention of a gunsmith to make decent, but there will shortly be a rifle basix kit available, for the home diy man [no other kits available]. I had a remmy sps varmint apart today, and restocked it. It had the new trigger in, and seemed a good budget deer gun, everything there, but not sure on the exact price, but around the £500 mark at a guess.

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Guest 308Panther

It all depends on how much ya want to spend at one time....

 

The Tikka,Sako might run a bit more on the intial investment....but for the most part you wont do much to them...Slap on a good scope and your good to go.

 

Rems ya gotta look over close....some shoot good outta the box...some ya gotta tinker with...

Check the scope base mounting holes really close...some are off.

Rems ya either love them or hate them...They got a tactical that isnt available to the general peoples that I want....308win of course.

They are a fun rifle to customize ....lots of goodies to pick from too,stocks,triggers and the sky(or your wallet) is the limit as to how far ya wanna go.

 

Savage,Been hearing lots of good things about the new ones.Lotta people seem to really like the new trigger on them.

 

Ruger...either love these or hate these too...But I been thinkin about a Model One in 25-06 for some time too....Dont know much about their bolt guns.

 

.243 aint a bad way to go...especially if ya roll yer own...but ya are goin from one extreme to the next...so ya might be money ahead workin up a good deer load and usin them on the fox as well.You aint gonna do nothin with the pelts so, put as big a hole in them as ya can...and there is something impressive about splatter factor...

 

And I would take my bow over that damned .204 any day.

 

 

308Panther

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Toots

 

This factory Howa shoots ¼ groups a 100 yrds not bad for a factory gun that has had it’s barrel shortened to 20” and trigger adjusted to 2lbs, that’s it.

PIC00148.jpg

If you can find a Tikka 595 I do rate them as a bit better quality than the Howa but not sure if it will shoot any straighter, the last 595/695 I saw in a gun shop were more money than when they were new 5 years ago.

 

Although the T3 technically is not as good as the old the 595s they are still good shooters.

 

Any of the above are better than a Remmy 700 IMHO.

 

B-b

 

Like the look of the Howa. Simple and obviously effective. Thinking about what Baldie said, how does it perform with deer legal rounds (100 grain bullets)? Need to do some homework regarding bullet weights/twist rates and the science of "rolling my own" as this is an option I am also considering.

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James

a rather childish reply but what else should I expect from roedales partner :blink::blink:

 

Funky, you want to look at some of the posts you have put on these forums. Talk about pot calling the kettle black, oh boy you are something else! :blink:

 

Anyway back to the original post, the Howa performs reasonably well with 100g bullets so theres no worries, I think they are 1-10 twist.

 

 

Kal

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No matter what advice is given here, the best solution is go to a gunshop and try the various brands for fit to your body. Most of the manufaturers mentioed will shoot sub MOA with factory loads. You should be able to feel the differnces in quality / price etc when you have the weapon in your hands.

 

My two penneth?

 

Rem 700, Rem 700, Rem 700, get a laminate stock not plastic.

 

If you consider a Tikka, look for a second hand 595 or 695, the T3 is not in the same ball park, Howa?, yeah ok, but my first choice has always shot well out of the box and better with a bit of fettling - not needed, but to nice to say you got the most out of it, if you decided to go that route.

 

You'll know whats right for you the moment you shoulder it.

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.243 twist rates are difficult. I have a sako, that started as a .243, and i tried everything to make it shoot 100 grain bullets, it just wouldn,t, but i know people with the same gun who claimed to have sorted it. However, my "sorted" and theirs may not be the same thing...i call "sorted" at least 3/4" at 100 yards.

I cant comment on the howa, as i,ve no experience of it, but if its 1 in 10" there is gonna be work to do, i would guess, but worth it, as they are a fine gun.

The remmy will do it out of the box, shooting 58 grain v/max, up to 100 grain soft points, no problem.You will have to sort the trigger etc, but the barrel will do it, the twist is right, and it wont take hard work either.

Be wary buying second hand, its not a good calibre to be buying , unless you know the guns history. .243,s can be shot out relatively quickly, but there are genuine bargains out there, if you are lucky. We had a 595 in .308, come in the other day, thats had around 50 rounds down it, and it looks like new, so they do exist.

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  • 5 weeks later...
Guest The Equaliser
James

"garbage" is a stronf word the most accuarte factory rifle I have ever seen was a Tikka 3 and Col 48 happend to own it,yes there not as well made ora patch quality wisw as the old 590 or 595 a step backwards for Tikka i feel but they still shoot well and for roughly £500 thers a good useable rifle,would I ever own one the simpel answer is No I would look for a old 595 which i just happen to know were one is which I used to own and is also fitted with a mod

 

 

Or the 55contenentals with heavy barrel thats when Tikka could produce the goods ;)

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I have both the 595 and the T3 hunter, which is far from garbage, its capapble of .5" at 100yds, holds zero and has a good trigger, the wood is satisfactory particularly for a working rifle and tikka mags have been plastic ( glass reinforced) for years. People are quick to denounce things usually based on hearsay or a play in the gunshop.

There is no doubt that they have kept the price of the rifle in mind, in order to compete in a shrinking market and of course driven by Berettas desire for profits. but that doesnt make it junk just not a hand made custom rifle.

I have owned mine for about 3 yrs now, it has shot a lot of deer and I don't remember any of them getting up again and complaining about the quality of bullet, or rifle that despatched them. Keeping things in pespective is a valuable asset.

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.243 twist rates are difficult. I have a sako, that started as a .243, and i tried everything to make it shoot 100 grain bullets, it just wouldn,t, but i know people with the same gun who claimed to have sorted it. However, my "sorted" and theirs may not be the same thing...i call "sorted" at least 3/4" at 100 yards.

I cant comment on the howa, as i,ve no experience of it, but if its 1 in 10" there is gonna be work to do, i would guess, but worth it, as they are a fine gun.

The remmy will do it out of the box, shooting 58 grain v/max, up to 100 grain soft points, no problem.You will have to sort the trigger etc, but the barrel will do it, the twist is right, and it wont take hard work either.

Be wary buying second hand, its not a good calibre to be buying , unless you know the guns history. .243,s can be shot out relatively quickly, but there are genuine bargains out there, if you are lucky. We had a 595 in .308, come in the other day, thats had around 50 rounds down it, and it looks like new, so they do exist.

Baldie, you say " I have a sako, that started as a .243".What is it now, if you don't mind me asking?

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Toots,

 

I have a Tikka 595 with the 1 in 10 twist barrel in .243 and can honestly say that it shoots into less than 1/2 inch at 100 (using decent factory 100 grain ammo - Sako preferably, although Federal will do at a push). Perhaps I have been lucky with this rifle - due regard to Baldie's and Andy's comments - they know way more than I will ever learn.

 

A mate has a Remmie (again bog standard) which I have used (but I can't get it to group as tight as the 595), but still around an inch at 100.

 

Probably not helpful (given they've stopped producing) but if I had to replace mine I would definitely go for another 595 if I could find one.

 

Never managed to get a look at or use a Howa but lots of people seem very impressed.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

I personaly like the Remington; the 700 the VSSF out of the box with a little bit of fetteling of the trigger will shoot well. It will shoot even beter once you bed it to the fulllencth aluminium bedding block. Personaly I would get a timney trigger from the states at only £50 and drop that in. The standard triger is not bad once it has been adjusted properly but a well sdjusted timney is better.

 

The 700 I have at the moment is not eaven a heavy barel contour and it shoots between 1/4 and 3/4 but I swear my eyes dont do the rifle justice! Thats not off of any fancy bean bags or rests just a Harris and the shoulder.

 

Dave

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Baldie, you say " I have a sako, that started as a .243".What is it now, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Its now a 6mmbr , buddy. Rebarrelled with a border "archer" barrel, shooting berger vld 105,s. Without a shadow of a doubt, its the most accurate rifle i,ve ever owned.Wonderful gun, and a wonderful cartridge.I won the latest round of mcqueens last sunday at diggle with it, and been placed second in a couple of other comps with it too. Its its first season really, and its superb.

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  • 4 weeks later...

After some consideration, head scratching and some time spent traveling round looking at various rifles I have now ordered a remmington sps blued and threaded ;) . Should be ready to collect at the end of the week so am thinking about loading some mild(ish) rounds to start running it in at the weekend (hopefully). Thanks folks.

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