Tikka T3 lite, 7mm-08 or .308

[1000yardstare]

I would recommend the Burris Tikka-to-Weaver scope ring bases. Solid steel with excellent Torx screws. Allow use of plentiful Weaver-style rings. Multiple slots for more flexible scope positioning. Part # 410630.

The T3 receiver is drilled and tapped for these bases.

Bill

 

[TonyR]

Well, pulled the trigger today and got the t3 lite 7mm-08. The great guys at grundmans had a lot of good advice. We almost walked out with the 6.5x55 swede in a tikka but not this time. I didn't because I knew nothing about the 6.5 swede and dont like making uneducated purchases when it comes to guns. Now all we have to do is get some glass wait 10 days to get it because of this wonderful state of california!!!
Thank you everyone who helped I feel good about what we ended up with. I will try to give an update on how well it groups and how well she shoots with it.

Here is something you can play with while the State investigates your fitness to buy a rifle. I was looking something else up in Bryan Litz's new book and came across a section on the lethality of hunting bullets. The discussion centers around something called "The Matunas Optimal Game Weight Formula" (OGW). The formula estimates the optimal weight of a game animal that a bullet of a particular weight and terminal velocity can be used to take. The formula is:

OGW = Velocity cubed times Weight squared times 1.5 times 10 to the minus 12th power where the velocity is the velocity at the target.

Without getting into the age old debate over light fast bullets versus slow heavy bullets, I think it is interesting to note that the OGW changes with the cube of the velocity and by the square of the weight of the bullet.

So, in your choice of a 7mm vs a 308, I think it is safe to say that, if a 7mm bullet and a 308 bullet of the same weight leave the muzzle with the same muzzle velocity, the 7mm bullet will be effective either on a heavier animal at the same range or on the same sized animal at a longer range because the higher BC 7mm bullet will loose velocity at a slower rate than the 308 bullet.

It would also be possible to start with an assumption about the weight of the animal and the distance and work backwards, with the help a ballistics program, to the lightest bullet that would be effective on an animal of that weight at that distance. This would be a way to estimate an effective load with minimal recoil which seems to be an important consideration for you.

Anyway, hopefully this will give you something to play around with until you have the gun in hand. Good luck with the rifle. I think you have made an excellent choice.

 

[norcalshoot]

Tony R that is very interesting and seems like a useful formula. We are both very excited to get this gun and see how she does with it. I knew she has been wanting her own rifle for a while but had know idea how badly she did until after we got to the store and told her that we were there to get her a rifle. She has had a pretty good smile plastered to her face ever sense. Now she is really excited to learn how to kill some paper at a distant.
The guys at the shop were telling us the Redfield scopes are now made buy leupold and are very good for how much they cost. Looking at them they seemed of good quality and the 3-9x50 seemed very bright with a good field of view So I am going to research that some. I would like to put zeiss glass on it for her but don't really know about dropping $400 on it until we know she is going to stick with it.
Being that I don't have any experiance with 7mm does anyone have a good guess on what grain bullet I should start with for a 9.5 twist rate?
Thanks again for all the help! This site has been great so far I have learned alot

 

[TonyR]

Tony R that is very interesting and seems like a useful formula. We are both very excited to get this gun and see how she does with it. I knew she has been wanting her own rifle for a while but had know idea how badly she did until after we got to the store and told her that we were there to get her a rifle. She has had a pretty good smile plastered to her face ever sense. Now she is really excited to learn how to kill some paper at a distant.
The guys at the shop were telling us the Redfield scopes are now made buy leupold and are very good for how much they cost. Looking at them they seemed of good quality and the 3-9x50 seemed very bright with a good field of view So I am going to research that some. I would like to put zeiss glass on it for her but don't really know about dropping $400 on it until we know she is going to stick with it.
Being that I don't have any experiance with 7mm does anyone have a good guess on what grain bullet I should start with for a 9.5 twist rate?
Thanks again for all the help! This site has been great so far I have learned alot

Most for the bullet manufacturers have recommended twists for their bullets which can sometimes be conservative. Just skimming Bryan's book. it appears the you should be fine with the 1:9.5 with most hunting bullets up to 175 grains; however, you will have to be careful with some of the long skinny VLD type bullets over 150 grains if you shoot them in cold temperatures. My guess is you should be fine even with the 168 VLDs if you shoot them in anything other than cold winter temperatures. We generally shoot the 7mm 180 grain-class VLD bullets from 1:9 or faster twists.

 

[1000yardstare]

My Stevens 200 in 7mm-08 has a 9.5 twist. An excellent starter load is the 120 gr VMax seated over 49.5 gr Win 760. COAL 2.810. Chronos at 3020 fps. Gives me 1 1/4 inch groups at 200 metres and 2 inch groups at 300 metres. Flat shooting. Prints 2 inches high at 200 and 2 inches low at 300. Great coyote load. Moderate recoil.

This load would let your wife comfortably sight in her new rifle, enjoy the experience and would let her see the advantages of a flat shooting bullet.

An excellent deer load would be the Sierra 140 gr spbt over 48 gr H4350. COAL 2.760. Chronos at 2840 fps. Gives me 1 1/2 inch groups at 200 metres. Zeroed at 200 prints 2 inches high at 100.

To be honest I have not had much luck with bullet weights above 154 gr. Not enough velocity or fast enough twist. Even then the 154 has to be a flat base, not a boattail. The 162 gr Hornady spbt keyholes at 100 metres. The heavy boattails are too long for the twist.

Best of luck to your wife with her new rifle. Let us know how she makes out.

Bill

 

[norcalshoot]

I Like the idea of starting with light lead and creeping up when she gets comfortable. I just so happen to have a unopened pound of 760 supreme powder collecting dust too. I will give a report of how she does in a few weeks when it is all put together and in our hands. I hope it turns out like my tikka 270wsm. at 100 yards resting on a log I can get 3 shot groups under an inch without trying very hard. After 3 shots it starts shooting lower and lower but that is ok for hunting If I cant make a hit in less than three I shouldn't be trying to make the shot anyway. I have actually had good luck with the tikka scope rings too so we will try that and if it doesnt work I will look for a weaver set up.

 

[norcalshoot]

I Bought some my reloading components to start working some loads. I ended up getting sierra match king 130 gr bullets, Lapua 308 brass and rcbs dies. I cannot locate any reloading data for the sierra 130's using winchester 760 powder. Does anyone have this data?
Is there going to be anything tricky that i need to watch out for when resizing the 308 brass or is it as simple as it sounds?

TonyR I am courious what the danger is with shooting the heavier vlds out of the 9.5 twist barrel? when you suggest not shooting them in cold weather how cold do you consider cold weather. We are starting with these 130s but I am going to get some heavier bullets to see what works best for accuracy but dont want any trouble. thanks for the info fellas

 

[TonyR]

I Bought some my reloading components to start working some loads. I ended up getting sierra match king 130 gr bullets, Lapua 308 brass and rcbs dies. I cannot locate any reloading data for the sierra 130's using winchester 760 powder. Does anyone have this data?
Is there going to be anything tricky that i need to watch out for when resizing the 308 brass or is it as simple as it sounds?

TonyR I am courious what the danger is with shooting the heavier vlds out of the 9.5 twist barrel? when you suggest not shooting them in cold weather how cold do you consider cold weather. We are starting with these 130s but I am going to get some heavier bullets to see what works best for accuracy but dont want any trouble. thanks for the info fellas

The issue is not about danger. It is the possibility that the bullet might not be stable in colder air, which is more dense, and your accuracy could be reduced. I rarely shoot in temperatures below 50 degrees and I would consider anything from the 30's down to be cold. I was just looking in Bryan Litz's new book and, according to his estimates, your 1:9.5 should be fine with any of the GameKings up to 175 grains and the MatchKings up to 168 gr. The GameKings are shorter than the MatchKings for the same weight so they need less twist. Bryan's "Worst Case" assumptions are Sea Level, 0% Humidity, and 0 degrees F temperature with a bullet at 2600 fps MV. More altitude, more humdidity, higher temperatures, higher MV all increase the stability of the bullet. I have heard reports that some barrels do not have the nominal twist specified by the manufacturer but I don't know bout the Tikka's. It should be easy enough to check.

 

[1000yardstare]

The Hodgdon web site shows W760 loads for the Sierra 130gr hpbt. Starting load of 44 gr giving 2761 fps. Max load of 47 gr at 2925 fps. COAL 2.800. First off compare the COAL for the T3 to the 2.800 value and go from there. As always start low and work your way up slowly. Neither Hodgdon nor myself assumes any reponsibility for these loads.

Check out Hodgdon at http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

 

[bozo699]

norcalshoot,
I bought my wife a 7-08 in a browning a-bolt last year, she loves it ;D I then bought myself a Tikka T3 light in 7-08 and she and I love it, it is not nearly as pretty as the browning but it will out shoot it. I loaded for accuracy in the Tikka and shoot the same load in her's and hers will shoot under a inch, mine well under 1/2" we are shooting mild loads 40 grains of Varget with 140 accubonds @ around 2700 fps, she took her deer at 127 yds I think and five minutes later my cousin took hers at 385 yds with my 7-08, the bullets performed perfectly and both mule deer died with one shot, the wifes fell dead and the cousins took three steps and fell. My wife doesn't shoot often so recoil was a big factor she has no problems with either rifle, however I have a .308 in the 700 vtr and it is a little to much for comfortable and fun shooting she has taken deer with my 25-06 but same thing but the 7-08 she has shot more than a box of shell in one sitting without complaining I hope your wife really enjoys her new shoot stick.
Wayne.

 

[Cade]

I think the only difference between the Lite & the hunter is the stock which is 1 lb heavier.