Mountain rifle combination - Request for opinions

Milehighshooter said:

Vance, its still there! In fact they list 2, oddly. One is the VX-2 3-9x33 Ultralight, the other is VX-2 Ultralight 3-9x33..... different price, not sure what the difference is.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/rimfireultralight-riflescopes/

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Yup you are correct, they used to be listed under the VX-3.

raimanparoni said:

Last year I hunt mountain reedbock with my Tikka Sporter 30-06. It weights 5.5 kg with scope. after 6 hours of walking hills up and down I shot a nice animal, but after that I decide to buy lighter gun for.

I bought a Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in 30-06 cal and Its a great gun for its price
It shoots sub MoA groups/3 shoots /100m with all ammos I have tested.

I bought a 30-06 because its cheap to reload and practice, nice to shoot, and you can find ammos everywhere in the world.

My opinion is that best caliber for long distance shooting is that you can practising the most. You can buy 50 ammo of 30-06 against 5 of 338 Lapua Magnum.

In Finnish winterwar we have a worlds best sniper Simo Häyhä who has over 500 hits. The longest hits he shoots with open sights was 800m.

Later a interwiewer asked what is his secret that he shoots so well
Practicing he said

good advice for all of us

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I just change limbsaver recoil pad to my gun. They said it will take 75% of recoil away. I will test it tomorrow

raimanparoni said:

I just change limbsaver recoil pad to my gun. They said it will take 75% of recoil away. I will test it tomorrow

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They really make a difference on the Tikka!

geoff rath said:

A bit more from this old bloke.... I was challenged to build (have built really) a medium/long range hunting/mountain rifle, so this is what's happening, based on what I had on hand:
Weatherby Vanguard short Magnum (300WSM) action, "worked" trigger , 2.5 lbs crisp; laminated stock; Nightforce 2.5-10X32 scope. The only new bit is a Kiwi-made carbon-fiber wrapped Hardy barrel. All up weight around 7.5 lbs. I'll run high BC top quality bullets 165 - 180 grains in 300WSM. MV about 3100.
Critiques, please?
Oh, yeah; I'll be shooting it a LOT....

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Sounds like a great combination. Hope you enjoy what sounds like an excellent rifle.

Thanks , Dr Ray, appreciate your comment. This old bloke keeps getting caught up in projects; not all come to fruition.
If I can work the situation in the future, it may go to New Zealand after Chamois/Tahr/Red Deer. Over there I'm told one may need to reach out beyond the 5/600 yard mark. This one should do it.
Cheers, and good hunting.

sheephunterab said:

They really make a difference on the Tikka!

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Thats right I test it with handloaded Norma Oryx 13g. And recoil was ok

geoff rath said:

Thanks , Dr Ray, appreciate your comment. This old bloke keeps getting caught up in projects; not all come to fruition.
If I can work the situation in the future, it may go to New Zealand after Chamois/Tahr/Red Deer. Over there I'm told one may need to reach out beyond the 5/600 yard mark. This one should do it.
Cheers, and good hunting.

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Geoff,

If you can get them, give the 30 cal Berger 190 VLD Hunting Bullets in your WSM. I have 3 300 WSMs I have worked with and they all seem to really like this bullet. My son took a Coues deer at 714 yards with this bullet in his 300 WSM recently. We've been shooting IMR4350 but other powders will likely do as well.

Thanks for the advice; I'll surely try them...
Cheers

Ok, here goes my 2 rands worth of opinion:
Sako Finnlight in 308 & a Leupold VX3 2.5-8 scope.
My last Finnlight was a 243; I was able to shoot under 1" groups at 200 yds. Get the Sako bases & rings - WORTH every rand...
The Leupold is all you practically need for antelopes at range; you aren't trying to shoot the eyes out of a genet at 400 yards....
PLUS - its a tough rifle built for hard use. I have hunted Africa twice; the terrain can be hard on a wood / blued rifle.
Good luck, and glad to talk more if needed...

Another variation; one of my nephews will beat me to NZ after Tahr/Chamois; wanted a 280AI. I arranged a new Kimber Hunter for him, scope will be a Weaver Super Slam 2-10X42, with the ebx reticle. I had a look through it; danged nice set-up. He plans on running 140s of some sort.... All up weight around the 7lb mark....

geoff rath said:

Another variation; one of my nephews will beat me to NZ after Tahr/Chamois; wanted a 280AI. I arranged a new Kimber Hunter for him, scope will be a Weaver Super Slam 2-10X42, with the ebx reticle. I had a look through it; danged nice set-up. He plans on running 140s of some sort.... All up weight around the 7lb mark....

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I don't like to ruin ones idea of a perfect set up but I've never had any luck with Weaver; let's just say that there's a lot of choices on the market including Ziess and Leupold that will put a weaver to shame. When it comes to durability they just don't add up. You've asked for opinions so I'm just responding to your request.

Fair enough, Michael; it's just what he had on hand. I'd go elsewhere myself....

I promised I would let everyone know how it turned out.

After some paperwork, registration and bureaucracy, trying to source rifles etc I have today paid for a Tikka T3x Lite in .308W.

I hope to get it in the end of June after 90 working days which is what it may take to get the license in SA.

I choose the Tikka for the weight, price and availability.

I didn’t choose the .308W as my 1st option. I would have preferred a 7x64, but they are not available in SA, at least not this year. Perhaps next year and I didn’t want to wait that long, so I went with a solid caliber that is also capable of taking the animals I expect to hunt with this rifle. If they bring in the 7x64 to SA again, I may go after that depending on other factors.

I have a Zeiss 4-12 with RZ that needs a platform and I’ll start with that. Depending on how that works for me I may upgrade, but for the beginning that’ll have to work.

With Tikka I don’t see any reason why the rifle shouldn’t shoot better than me, so I have no worries about that.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: And thanks for all the input and opinions, facts and anecdotes.

//Gus

Aka Happy Hunter!

A follow up on the nephew's Kimber Hunter. (280AI)
He's only been out once, down in Victoria, chasing deer; primarily a meat animal, then trophy.
Four days in the Grampians, and in the first hour-and-a-half he dropped a nice 2 year old male at 156 paces, DRT; then the rain came; buckets of it. Could barely see his 4X4 20 yards from his tent. So, back home with one nice stack of chilling venison.
His load with Nosler 140 Accubonds I had on hand run well under the magic 1", and his heavies, Hornady 162 ELD X (I think) are the same.
I've tried to get it back, not a hope in hell. Reckons he'll take it to Krygistan one day.... Bugger.

@geoff rath

My mountain rifle is in 280 AI and I shoot the 140 grain Accubonds. I used that combo successfully on a BC Stone's sheep hunt this past September. I love the cartridge 280 AI....

Two weeks ago I had the chance to drool over a Merkel K3 in 30-06, OMG I want one.

Hunting Sailor said:

I have today paid for a Tikka T3x Lite in .308W.

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Hunting Sailor said:

I didn’t choose the .308W as my 1st option.

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Hunting Sailor said:

With Tikka I don’t see any reason why the rifle shouldn’t shoot better than me, so I have no worries about that.

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@Hunting Sailor

I think you made a fine choice in a lightweight mountain rifle. And the cartridge 308 Winchester is no slouch as far as accuracy and lethality. If you do your part, a 150 grain 0.308 bullet with a high B.C. and made for animals that call the mountains home, will be all that you need. I would think Nosler Ballistic Tips and Accubonds, Hornady SSTs/Interbonds, Swift Scirroccos, Berger VLD Hunting bullets, etc. are what I'd be thinking as far as quality bullets with relatively high BC's. I'm not sure what you're planning on hunting with your rifle, but sheep species of the world are generally not that tough. If you put the bullet in the boiler room, they will go down. The goats of the world are a different story, and are plenty tough, but a quick expanding bullet that will anchor them on the rock they stand on is still good policy. I'd think the 308 Win would be good medicine for the Mountain Reedbucks and the like of the mountains of the Eastern Cape of SA.

I know of plenty of sheep hunters back home that have used the 308 Winchester cartridge successfully for many years in taking numerous goats and sheep. The more I've hunted mountains, I don't discount lightweight and trim rifles. Every ounce counts....

Tikka's and Sako's have a reputation for stellar out of the box accuracy. I don't have a Tikka, but I own a Sako Finnlight in 7mm Remington Magnum and it will lay 160 grain Nosler Accubonds into a small ragged hole all day long at 200 yds. Many times I've come close to putting that rifle up for sale, but I can't make myself part with it. It's just too good of a rifle to sell right now. ...

Congratulations on your new rifle. Enjoy it....

I’ve hunted in mountains all my life for elk, mule deer and blacktail deer. Steep mountains.

I like a light rifle but not ultra-light. I like to have a bit of weight in the barrel since you are often out of breath at altitude and a bit of weight helps with a quick shot. An ultra-light rifle can be hard to steady when you’re out of breath.

I know, Gus, that ammo availability is VERY different for you in RSA than it is for here in the US. If I were considering a mountain rifle today I’d get a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight or Tikka T3X chambered in one of three cartridges. In order of my favoritism:

6.5 Creedmoor
.308 Win
.270 Win

Here, ammo availability is top-notch for all three, and with wide ranges of bullet choice. All will take any hooved game on our continent out to any reasonable shooting distance. All are great long distance rounds and recoil is manageable, even almost unnoticeable in the Creedmoor.

I’ve killed dozens of animals with the .270 and .308 and even more with the 6.5x284 and .260 Rem (basically identical performance to the Creedmoor) and they drop even the biggest bull elk every bit as well as my .338 Win Mag or even my mighty.300 Weatherby. A whole lot easier to shoot, too.

Shooting Barnes bullets, all three will penetrate as far as a .338 Win Mag will with 250 grain lead bullets, and that’s more than enough for your uses.

My current 6.5 Creedmoor likes the Barnes 127 LRX and 142 Nosler ABLR, so I’m covered for maximum penetration and for maximum range. It would be my choice.

Thanks @sandman0921 and @seattlesetters. I appreciate the comments from you, and everyone else. Being in SA does limit the availability to both rifles, ammo and other hunting equipment. If not by presence, also by price for the things “needed”.

There are premium ammo available in SA, although not always exactly what you want.
I grew up in Sweden so I’ve used Norma’s ammo from a young age. I like the Norma Oryx and compared to other premium brands it is not that expensive. If it is available in the wanted weights is another story.
I don’t handload so I’ll have to use what’s available on the shelves.

I’ll circle back to this thread once I have shot the rifle, hopefully with an animal next to it.

Once again, thanks to all for the inputs and opinions.

//Gus

Hunting Sailor you did well with your choice, IMO. I think you’ll like the Tikka.