CA Ridgeline vs Tikka T3x

[DartonJager]

Before you poo poo this stop and think about how many of your shooting buddies are having shoulder problems and surgery. If you are active in the shooting community and know a lot of different shooters then you might notice that a lot of us who are not exactly young anymore having shoulder issues...and surprisingly it's the shoulder that you hold your rifle or shotgun against. Between newer style recoil pads, stocks with different designs to help reduce recoil and especially muzzle brakes there is absolutely no need to beat up your shoulder to the point that surgery is needed. Wake up and smell the roses. You don't have to get beat up when shooting. Use technology as it is currently available to keep your body strong and not being beaten into submission.

I would never berate a persons reply and I unless proved wrong will as a rule always give the poster credit for speaking honestly and sincerely.

I would also like to be clear I am NOT immune to the affects of recoil, but I can withstand harsh recoil enough to be able to take enough shots from the bench to complete my load testing goals. That number can vary from around 35-40 or so for my 300wsm T3 to 50 or so from my MUCH heavier (10lb+) 10ML-II. Yes eventually heavy recoil will become a factor for me but not enough to allow it to affect what calibers I buy or rifles I shoot.
I do not know if it is a factor or not but I am of a very large beefy frame (250ishlbs and 54" chest) and suspect that helps to mitigate the affects of recoil at least somewhat.

As far as recoil go's as I have said MANY MANY times it is PURELY a 100% personal thing. I have absolutely no explanation as to why, but recoil as far as up to that of my Savage 10ML-II that generates recoil approximately the equivalent to that of a 375 H&H with it's four best performing loads has been mostly a non-factor when shooting from the bench. My normal range day with my hardest kicking rifle reloading's is somewhere below 40 rounds. I will admit I wear a PAST Magnum recoil pad when shooting my hardest recoiling rifles or slug shotguns. Also all of my hard kicking rifles and shotguns have Sims Laboratory Limbsavers AM recoil pads on them and YES they really do help reduce felt recoil.

I can only speak from personal experience but I have serious issues with both shoulders including a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder (I shoot right handed) and after best guess closer to 3k than 2800 rounds of heavy recoiling rounds from the bench I can honestly say I'm so worse for the wear.

As I said recoil is completely a personal even subjective issue. I have a friends son in his mid 20's who is quite tall but of a relatively slight build and weighs under 200lbs and I've seen this kid take recoil from 12ga 3.5" turkey loads like its fun.
I should add to date 12ga 3.5" magnum turkey loads are the ONLY loading I've ever shot from the bench that made me call it quits in less than 10 shots. Per my calculations a 12ga 3.5" 2.25oz turkey shell generates between 61 and 62ft/lbs of felt recoil out of my 8-8.5lb 870's with optics and mounts.

Turkey loads are the only loading I do not enjoy shooting and as far as technology I do use AM recoil pads and in the case of my turkey loads once I choose to put optics on them I had to do something to make taking 20-30 shots from the bench not only entirely possible but productive. So I modified a one piece shooting rest I own to carry a 25lb bag of #7 shot and that solved my 12ga turkey load recoil problem.
I do not use it for my rifles as it is not compatible with longer range accuracy needed for rifles.

And to be honest if I were to buy slug guns for my sons or myself I would undoubtedly by 20ga and NOT 12 purely for the greatly reduced recoil of the 20 VS the 12 as both their ballistic and on game performance are equal so there is no justifying the significant added recoil of a 12ga. I currently own 3 fully riffled 12ga slug guns bought long before I got married or 20ga fully riffled slug guns existed and if I had to buy my sons slug guns now they would undoubtedly be 20ga. But thankfully all states we deer hunt in now finally allow some form of a centerfire rifle so I bought rifles chambered accordingly but only because I can reload ammo for them at a 50% savings VS sabot slug gun ammo recoil was not a factor.

For some people recoil becomes punishing within a few shots even shooting what I consider as mildly recoiling calibers like 270 or 30/06 and will affect their abilities to shoot well and enjoy shooting and that is absolutely understandable and normal for others they can fire enough rounds before recoil becomes a factor that affect accuracy or enjoyment. I am very fortunate I am one of those people that can manage and enjoy heavy recoiling rifles within my limit, and yes I have a limit, and be no worse for the wear.

Again 100% personal preference and choice.

I felt I should add If I were to be shooting in a competitive setting and NOT HUNTING such as long range precision were you will be taking dozens of shots then I willingly concede I would undoubtedly opt for a lower recoiling round in the class of 308 Winchester recoil.

 

[Teri Anne]

I would never berate a persons reply and I unless proved wrong will as a rule always give the poster credit for speaking honestly and sincerely.

I would also like to be clear I am NOT immune to the affects of recoil, but I can withstand harsh recoil enough to be able to take enough shots from the bench to complete my load testing goals. That number can vary from around 35-40 or so for my 300wsm T3 to 50 or so from my MUCH heavier (10lb+) 10ML-II. Yes eventually heavy recoil will become a factor for me but not enough to allow it to affect what calibers I buy or rifles I shoot.
I do not know if it is a factor or not but I am of a very large beefy frame (250ishlbs and 54" chest) and suspect that helps to mitigate the affects of recoil at least somewhat.

As far as recoil go's as I have said MANY MANY times it is PURELY a 100% personal thing. I have absolutely no explanation as to why, but recoil as far as up to that of my Savage 10ML-II that generates recoil approximately the equivalent to that of a 375 H&H with it's four best performing loads has been mostly a non-factor when shooting from the bench. My normal range day with my hardest kicking rifle reloading's is somewhere below 40 rounds. I will admit I wear a PAST Magnum recoil pad when shooting my hardest recoiling rifles or slug shotguns. Also all of my hard kicking rifles and shotguns have Sims Laboratory Limbsavers AM recoil pads on them and YES they really do help reduce felt recoil.

I can only speak from personal experience but I have serious issues with both shoulders including a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder (I shoot right handed) and after best guess closer to 3k than 2800 rounds of heavy recoiling rounds from the bench I can honestly say I'm so worse for the wear.

As I said recoil is completely a personal even subjective issue. I have a friends son in his mid 20's who is quite tall but of a relatively slight build and weighs under 200lbs and I've seen this kid take recoil from 12ga 3.5" turkey loads like its fun.
I should add to date 12ga 3.5" magnum turkey loads are the ONLY loading I've ever shot from the bench that made me call it quits in less than 10 shots. Per my calculations a 12ga 3.5" 2.25oz turkey shell generates between 61 and 62ft/lbs of felt recoil out of my 8-8.5lb 870's with optics and mounts.

Turkey loads are the only loading I do not enjoy shooting and as far as technology I do use AM recoil pads and in the case of my turkey loads once I choose to put optics on them I had to do something to make taking 20-30 shots from the bench not only entirely possible but productive. So I modified a one piece shooting rest I own to carry a 25lb bag of #7 shot and that solved my 12ga turkey load recoil problem.
I do not use it for my rifles as it is not compatible with longer range accuracy needed for rifles.

And to be honest if I were to buy slug guns for my sons or myself I would undoubtedly by 20ga and NOT 12 purely for the greatly reduced recoil of the 20 VS the 12 as both their ballistic and on game performance are equal so there is no justifying the significant added recoil of a 12ga. I currently own 3 fully riffled 12ga slug guns bought long before I got married or 20ga fully riffled slug guns existed and if I had to buy my sons slug guns now they would undoubtedly be 20ga. But thankfully all states we deer hunt in now finally allow some form of a centerfire rifle so I bought rifles chambered accordingly but only because I can reload ammo for them at a 50% savings VS sabot slug gun ammo recoil was not a factor.

For some people recoil becomes punishing within a few shots even shooting what I consider as mildly recoiling calibers like 270 or 30/06 and will affect their abilities to shoot well and enjoy shooting and that is absolutely understandable and normal for others they can fire enough rounds before recoil becomes a factor that affect accuracy or enjoyment. I am very fortunate I am one of those people that can manage and enjoy heavy recoiling rifles within my limit, and yes I have a limit, and be no worse for the wear.

Again 100% personal preference and choice.

I felt I should add If I were to be shooting in a competitive setting and NOT HUNTING such as long range precision were you will be taking dozens of shots then I willingly concede I would undoubtedly opt for a lower recoiling round in the class of 308 Winchester recoil.

As I stated previously recoil, while being an individual thing is also affected by a persons size as well as the type of firearm and the caliber/gauge of the ammunition. I do not have a 54 in chest and do not weigh 250 pounds but have been shooting for some 62 years hunting, military as well as competition. I can comment on my experiences with some of the types of rifles/shotguns mentioned above. First of all let's talk about the Remington 870, undoubtedly the most popular pump shotgun in the world. I have owned several in various gauges and experienced their recoil, which is similar to that of doubles, over under's and bolt action shotguns where there is nothing to mitigate the recoil I find the 3 inch 20 gauge is pleasant to shoot as in the 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge. When one moves up to the 3 inch Mag 870 things get a bit dicey but still manageable a 3 1/2 inch 870 is pretty much out of this world in recoil and makes my shoulder hurt after one shot...and I have a well seasoned and hard shoulder. Now take that 3 1/2 mag and put it in a Remington 11/87 semi auto with a limbsaver recoil pad and while it still packs a wallop it isn't much worse than a 30-06. If one must shoot a 3 1/2 inch mag, do it the smart way with a firearm that minimized the recoil. The Benelli Super Black Eagle is another one that tames the 3 1/2 inch mag quite well. Moving on, rifles are somewhat similar in that their recoil varies dependent upon weight, stock configuration and action type but one has to add bullet weight into the equation. Using a
30-06 as an example. A 9 pound rifle shooting a 150 grain bullet is quite manageable. Move up to a 180 grain bullet and it packs a pretty good wallop, go up to 200 and we are in sore shoulder territory and I won't even talk about a 220 grain bullet. Newtons law, equal and opposite reactions will prevail. Moving into Magnum territory, I have a student what wanted to learn how to shoot long range, something near and dear to the readers of this blog. Before he contracted me based upon what his research was he decided that he wanted a 308 and proceeded to buy a .308 hunting rifle from a well known hunting rifle manufacturer. Is it a rifle I would have recommended...nope. Will it perform...with a lot of playing around with ammo to try to get the groups down to 1 MOA the combination he chose will do 1 MOA out to 600 yards, but it's hard to keep it in the X ring of the target (6 inches) I recently, well these days not so recently bought another 300 Win Mag. Not my first venture into Magnumdom. Many years ago with the aspiration to go Elk and Moose hunting I bought a 300 Win Mag of one of my favorite manufacturers, one I may add I have several of the same make and model but different calibers. That 300 WM was one of my dismal failures. Could not make it shoot at less than 3 moa no matter what I did, which was disappointing. Sent it down the road and didn't venture into magnum land until recently when my long range student with the .308 entered into the scene. Wanting to again shoot out to 1000 yards which was his ultimate goal I bought a Browning AB3 Hunter in 300 WM. Wood stock, 26 inch barrel beautiful piece of art. Before the first shot was ever fired sent it off for a custom muzzle brake installation. I shoot prone and the regular muzzle brakes that mostly come with rifles have 360 degree gas ports. If any of you have tried shooting in the prone position with these every shot brings dust, dirt and grass blowing up off the ground and into your face. The muzzle brake installed did not have any bottom ports thus no blowback into your face. The question was,, how effective was this muzzle brake in taming the recoil of the 300 WM? I teach shooting, both rifle and pistol. One of my current pistol students came out to class early and found me playing on the rifle range and after watching me shoot the 300 WM wanted to try it. I gave her one of the attach to bra strap recoil pads, told her it had a pretty heavy recoil, showed her the correct position for bench rest shooting and let her take a shot. After her first shot she looked back at me and said, "That wasn't so bad!!!!!!" She shot 3 shots using a rifle scope for the first time and shot a 4 inch group at 100 yards. The following week she came early again. This time I was playing with a Tikka T3x in .270. Of course she wanted to try it too. After her first shot she looked back at me and said, "Holy S*** this one kicks like a mule!" That comment proved what my thoughts were about the muzzle brake reduced the recoil down to less than that of a .270. Actually further shooting put the recoil of the 300 WM close to that of a 243. Recoil mitigation is real, and all it takes is a bit of using current technology and smarts to keep whatever rifle you choose from beating you to death or shoulder surgery. Recoil is real, so is your shoulder. Treat them both in the manner that will keep you healthy.

 

[koonazz]

I have a CA Ridgeline in .280 Ackley that is hard to develop a load but am making progress. I have a Tikka T3X in .243 Winchester that shoots very well. I also have a Browning X-Bolt in 7mm-08 that shoots very well. My bolt is hanging up in my Ridgeline and has a very tight chamber which leads me to load Bullets that like a jump. Steve from Hammer has helped me and confirms Christensen can be hit or miss. MOA not a problem, but expect more out of that rifle's price line. There are more than a few fellow shooters on this site that are happy with their CA's.

I also have a Ridgeline in 280 Ackley. Mine has been very "interesting" to find a load for as well. Seems that MOA is its ceiling with every powder/bullet combination I've tried so far. I expected better accuracy from a semi custom rig. Also I've noticed it wont quite get the velocities everyone else seems to get with the same bullets and powders. And hitting pressure is abrupt, no early warning signs and the next .3 grain increase blows a primer. Most finicky rifle I've ever done load development on.

 

[DesertBoy]

I just put the TI Pro 3 on my 7mm T3x, game changer. It's only 2.2 ounces. Turned the rifle into a gun my kids and wide can use as well.

 

[DesertBoy]

*Wife

 

[Teri Anne]

I bought a new Tikka T3x in 300 WM last year before an elk trip. Very disappointed. I have terrific glass on the rifle and even from a bench vise, I cant get anywhere near Sub MOA. I am a precision reloader and had no idea the Tikka's were so magazine limited in terms of COAL/CBTO. After alot of measurements, I am working with more than .2" jump with loads that are max length for the magazine. Thats a big number! I swapped out the bottom metal with Red Snake Tactical (great product and Red is a great American) but that still only got me slightly longer rounds and then I had to deal with Tikka feed issues. I see so many folks singing Tikka praises and can only assume they dont reload because you cant get anything in them greater than 3.35". I am looking at a Christensen Arms Ridgeline. Seems to have everything I want in terms of weight, stock quality, trigger pull, and range of loading options. Anyone out there make a transition from Tikka to CA and if so, are you happy?

Before you condemn the Tikka try shooting it with some good commercial ammo. I would recommend 180 gr Sig Sauer Elite or Federal Premium. According to my reloading data SAMMI specs for the OAL of the 300 WM os 3.340. I load using this or less as my OAL and have no issues.

 

[emp1953]

I've yet to see a Tikka that wasn't a performer.

 

[Teri Anne]

I've yet to see a Tikka that wasn't a performer.

I have 3 of them and all shoot mid to low MOA with both factory and hand loads. The T3x's 30-06 and .270 both love Sig Sauer and Federal ammo and my clones using IMR350. The T1x shoots 0.6 MOA or less using Federal Hunter Match 40 gr hollow points. CCI Stinger shoots almost as well. Note that all 3 of these rifles are out of the box with no addition other than a rail, rings and Vortex scopes.