Thread: Hardy Tikka Carbon Stock and Barrel Good deal ?

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.