Thread: Hardy Tikka Carbon Stock and Barrel Good deal ?

Spend another $8-900 & get one with a proper stock, proper carbon fibre barrel & proper brake...just saying...

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

Spend another $8-900 & get one with a proper stock, proper carbon fibre barrel & proper brake...just saying...

Should have also added, YOU can sell the new barrel & stock to off set that cost

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

Spend another $8-900 & get one with a proper stock, proper carbon fibre barrel & proper brake...just saying...

And it would still be "just a Tikka".

If my Suzuki Vitara had a $3000 paint job, $4000 worth of alloy wheels and tryes, and a $3000 spoiler kit, guess what? I still drive a Vitara......and it will still do what Vitaras do.

If you want to spend $4500 on a rifle, my view would be look for something that is a decent value rifle. You can spend that much on extras on any Tikka / Howa / Weatherby / or any other budget branded rifle, and it will still be the same brand rifle. It wont make it worth that much to anyone but yourself. And to be brutally honest $5000 is chump change for a rifle in Europe, try Kreighoff, Prinz Waffen, Purdey, Holland and Holland. And I am sure there are others. Now they make some serious kit.....

Probably more important is to consider what you are trying to achieve. If you want long range accuracy then go down that rabbit hole. It gets very deep but its worth it. It is not just a case of buying the best gun. Its also learning how to get the most from it. The more you learn about this the more you will learn about what you still need to get better. As your skill improves, so will your understanding of the equipment. (This is not suggesting anyone is a beginner as this statement is true for experienced shooters too)

If you want light weight for a carry, then that is mostly a different rabbit hole....but bear in mind where the biggest gains come. One bloke I know spent heaps on losing 1 kg from his rifle, when he would have had far more impact taking 10kg from his frame (Waist would have been a start) I also know someone who is deep into the lightweight hunting, and one of his comments is if you want a light rifle, why add weight by using heavy ammo? shave grams off your bolt or take one round out of the magazine for the same effect....He is looking at a 3lb rifle (SSR https://www.facebook.com/ssrnz/ ) I look at it that if I have trouble carrying a 4kg rifle and need to make it lighter, then I will really have trouble when I try carrying 20 times that in meat on the trip out....

It is all about the overall picture. What can be done and what should be done.

Originally Posted by timattalon

And it would still be "just a Tikka".

If my Suzuki Vitara had a $3000 paint job, $4000 worth of alloy wheels and tryes, and a $3000 spoiler kit, guess what? I still drive a Vitara......and it will still do what Vitaras do.

If you want to spend $4500 on a rifle, my view would be look for something that is a decent value rifle. You can spend that much on extras on any Tikka / Howa / Weatherby / or any other budget branded rifle, and it will still be the same brand rifle. It wont make it worth that much to anyone but yourself. And to be brutally honest $5000 is chump change for a rifle in Europe, try Kreighoff, Prinz Waffen, Purdey, Holland and Holland. And I am sure there are others. Now they make some serious kit.....

They make kit for people with small peepee's. They don't actually do anything better than a $4200 rifle... in fact in many cases they don't do anywhere near as well, like a lambo getting eaten by a gtr...

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

They make kit for people with small peepee's. They don't actually do anything better than a $4200 rifle... in fact in many cases they don't do anywhere near as well, like a lambo getting eaten by a gtr...

No. They make rifles with a different focus that what we normally see. Yes the GTR might beat the Lambo, but his is more like buying a tylored suit rather than a "off the rack" one at Farmers. Yes you are still in a suit. Yes most wont tell the difference. No you wont feel comfortable in one that does not fit. I had the pleasure of handling a Kreighoff semprio at the range a few years back. Everything about it screamed quality. The action worked like silk, POI stayed the same with the changing of the clip-on scopes and barrel changes. (multi calibre- went from a 300 win mag to a 223in about 45 seconds.) Design and function, and it was clearly well made. These are made for people who appreciate quality.

Maaaate. If only you saw where we take our vitara (And where we managed to get with our old Lada.......)

We once went trail bike riding up the firebreaks near where I lived many years ago. On the way up a dead end track to a skid site, we passed the local 4wd club out for a drive. Land Anchors, winches and ropes all out getting through a "rough" bit. I would have loved to see their faces when they finally got to the top but we did not have that long to wait for them. What we found at the top on the skid site was a local hunter (Literally) He was driving an beat up Hillman Hunter and had came up that same track the day before........No ropes, no 4wd, no power and no clearance.

Originally Posted by timattalon

These are made for people who have more money than brains and only hunt the gentrified rolling paddocks.....

Fixed it for you - have yet to see one of these rifles anywhere it might see a bit of a knock in a river or a bit of rough stuff...

Originally Posted by Nickoli

Fixed it for you - have yet to see one of these rifles anywhere it might see a bit of a knock in a river or a bit of rough stuff...

Yeahhh naaaa.

Each to their own. I have no problem if someone wants to spend a whole heap of money to shave a little bit off their rifle weight cos they gotta carry it. Its your money to spend- you earnt it, you spend it. And I honestly do hope that you enjoy and like it. I simply choose not to as I gain greater differences else where. I carry a single shot- no magazine, just saves 5 rounds worth just like that. I lost 5 kgs using a push bike to go to and from work for 6 months....cant shave that much off my rifle. And if you pass me a heavier rifle, I man up and carry it and enjoy it. Mainly because it means I am somewhere I can carry a rifle, and enjoy life for what it is.

And I do see people using those "expensive" rifles to hunt with. That is what they are made for. The Semprio I was able to handle etc was heading up the alps for Tahr hunting having just had its 300minmag barrel sighted in. When (if) you ever get to handle rifles of this grade, you will go back to your tikka / winchestor / Howa / Ruger and think that the action now feels like it is full of sand. It is like comparing silk boxers with ones made of Hemp. Both do the same job but they do not do it the same....

As for your carbon fibre analogy- your carbon wrapped barrels and carbon fibre stocks have more in common with the Lambo than they do with the GTR.....all the bling and pretty, a bit lighter an yet still dont perform much better than much cheaper rifles....If a sub $1000 Howa can put 4 shots through the same hole at 100m and my .303 single Ruger can get a 40mm group at 300m why would I spend triple that on anything except more ammo for what I have?

Perhaps I am lucky that I get a different perspective on money and the attitudes towards it by those who have stupid amounts of it. (I dont- I work hard and save harder) When my decendants hand my grand fathers firearms down to their grand kids I can promise you it wont be a Tikka. Kiwis tend to look at rifles as a tool, a short term investment that has a job to do. Where a lot of more international hunters take a lot of pride in their firearm of choice. In fact a lot of these "gentrified" people you refer to wont even buy a Tikka to give to a servant or porter as a gift. Not good enough. Aesthetics, function and form all come together to make rifles that are a joy to hold.

Tikka do make a decent rifle, please dont get me wrong. Its just that Howa, Zastava, Weatherby, Savage, Toz, and Izhmash all make good rifles as well and for similar or less money. The firearms world is huge if you ever want to feel like a kid in a candy store.