Tikka T3x Rifle: Hunting tactic.

[OldBroad44]

@Dan_g --
I'd suggest getting a good gunsmith to mount your scope. To do it right requires special form for clamping rifle, special levels, stuff you won't have and its not worth getting unless you are going to have to scope additional rifles.

I also suggest getting a Limbsaver recoil pad and having gunsmith install it to your measure. Without elite recoil pad, gun may beat you up so bad you can't practice much or develop a permanent flinch.

 

[bionic knees]

oh, come on everybody needs a .300 win mag for their first-ever rifle.

that was entirely in jest. .300 win mag has probably scope bit more folks than most.

 

[bionic knees]

@Dan_g --
I'd suggest getting a good gunsmith to mount your scope. To do it right requires special form for clamping rifle, special levels, stuff you won't have and its not worth getting unless you are going to have to scope additional rifles.

I also suggest getting a Limbsaver recoil pad and having gunsmith install it to your measure. Without elite recoil pad, gun may beat you up so bad you can't practice much or develop a permanent flinch.

and that is the gods honest truth!

 

[thorborg]

If your hunting the coast range, 4 might be a bit high

 

[bionic knees]

never shot a rifle, never hunted, so you want to start with a .300 win mag bear hunting. well, that is jumping in with both feet for sure.

take a first aide kit with you on your first few trips out to shoot your new rifle, you know, just in case.

 

[cameron25]

that was entirely in jest. .300 win mag has probably scope bit more folks than most.

I can attest to this from personal experience! Only time ive ever been scoped.. my friend handed me his without warning me when i was young lol. Still got the scar between my eye brows

 

[bionic knees]

I have been bit a couple of times, once with a .300 win the other was a 30-06 with a crappy scope with very little eye relief. hurts like hell!

 

[cameron25]

Yes same thing, my buddy had a very crappy scope lol

 

[OldBroad44]

hello @Dan_g --
If I had been suggesting a priori I would have suggested the Tikka but in 30-06 , and with a scope starting at 2X. hunting in the coastal mountains, you would ordinarily leave the scope set on 2X. Most game is shot at distances close enough that 4X is inconveniently high-powered, meaning its difficult to find the animal in the scope and it leaves the vicinity before you can locate it in the scope. The higher the magnification the smaller the field of view. If the animal is out beyond 100 yards you can crank magification up some. But the higher mags on scopes are mostly for bench rest target shooters and for sighting in your scope. If you can afford a second gun I'd suggest you get the Tikka in 30-06 with a 2X up scope and forget about the .300 win mag. Still with the Limbsaver recoil pad. You don't need .300 win mag to shoot a black bear in the coastal mountains. And the normal way to learn to shoot rifle is to start with a 22. Then move to something with relatively gentle recoil like a 30-30 or .270 or .243. Then to a 30-06. The latter is considered the highest recoil the average male military recruit can master in a full size military rifle. Anything higher in recoil and many military recruits never master it. Instead they develop a horrific flinch that makes it impossible to shoot human/deer size targets even at trivial distances like 25 yards.

If your bucket list is partially about the .300 win mag caliber, then you are stuck with it. And I can relate and don't criticize, as part of the challenge and bragging rights for me in taking a deer is doing it with a handgun. And for some its a black powder rifle or bow. However if your bucket list is defined in terms of just getting a bear, I'd suggest you are lots more likely to do that with a 30-06, as you are much more likely to be able to master it in the time you have. .308 is also good but 30-06 is way more versatile. And the Tikka has a long chamber, so you might as well take advantage of that with a caliber with a long cartridge and a big range of loads.

 

[Gonzales]

Brass cased .308 ammo is $15 a box at bi-mart right now. 300WM $50-60 a box online. It may be cheaper to buy another rifle for training purposes. Then practice a little with your Tikka as the season gets closer?

 

[Koda]

Federal 300 win mag for $46 a box right now at Midwayusa would get him going closer to most other popular hunting ammo prices.

Federal Power-Shok Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 150 Grain Soft Point Box of

The only tag these loads won't fill is the price tag. The traditional lead-core hunting bullets in Federal Power-Shok rifle loads provide solid accuracy...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[bionic knees]

Federal 300 win mag for $46 a box right now at Midwayusa would get him going closer to most other popular hunting ammo prices.

Federal Power-Shok Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 150 Grain Soft Point Box of

The only tag these loads won't fill is the price tag. The traditional lead-core hunting bullets in Federal Power-Shok rifle loads provide solid accuracy...

www.midwayusa.com

$59.14 with shipping for 1 box. $105.93 for 2 boxes with shipping

 

[Koda]

$59.14 with shipping for 1 box

hes gonna need way more than one box of ammo the shipping will be worth it. Maybe he can find some at his local gun store but 45 a box aint bad for 300 win mag.

 

[cameron25]

hello @Dan_g --
If I had been suggesting a priori I would have suggested the Tikka but in 30-06 , and with a scope starting at 2X. hunting in the coastal mountains, you would ordinarily leave the scope set on 2X. Most game is shot at distances close enough that 4X is inconveniently high-powered, meaning its difficult to find the animal in the scope and it leaves the vicinity before you can locate it in the scope. The higher the magnification the smaller the field of view. If the animal is out beyond 100 yards you can crank magification up some. But the higher mags on scopes are mostly for bench rest target shooters and for sighting in your scope. If you can afford a second gun I'd suggest you get the Tikka in 30-06 with a 2X up scope and forget about the .300 win mag. Still with the Limbsaver recoil pad. You don't need .300 win mag to shoot a black bear in the coastal mountains. And the normal way to learn to shoot rifle is to start with a 22. Then move to something with relatively gentle recoil like a 30-30 or .270 or .243. Then to a 30-06. The latter is considered the highest recoil the average male military recruit can master in a full size military rifle. Anything higher in recoil and many military recruits never master it. Instead they develop a horrific flinch that makes it impossible to shoot human/deer size targets even at trivial distances like 25 yards.

If your bucket list is partially about the .300 win mag caliber, then you are stuck with it. And I can relate and don't criticize, as part of the challenge and bragging rights for me in taking a deer is doing it with a handgun. And for some its a black powder rifle or bow. However if your bucket list is defined in terms of just getting a bear, I'd suggest you are lots more likely to do that with a 30-06, as you are much more likely to be able to master it in the time you have. .308 is also good but 30-06 is way more versatile. And the Tikka has a long chamber, so you might as well take advantage of that with a caliber with a long cartridge and a big range of loads.

Thats a great suggestion, however unless im mistaken, he has already bought the 300 win mag and its his only gun. Not only that, if he draws this tag and hopes to hunt bears this april, he only has like 7 weeks to become proficient lol. Seems a bit ambitious and rushed in my opinion but if he pulls it off he better come back to post up a pick of his bear lol

 

[cameron25]

OP, go buy a bunch of ammo and pray it shoots good in your rifle. Bears are not easy to hunt, i really think you should consider finding some undisturbed clearings or clear cuts and setting up a foxpro or something. A deer hunt with a smaller rifle would be a much better first hunt in my opinion, but take that with a grain of salt. I took my buddy on his first hunt in 2020 and we did 38 miles in the wilderness backpacking over the whole spring bear season lol. Somehow he got hooked still and now he's all about it

 

[3MTA3]

A 300 WM will have a pretty stiff recoil. Don't be afraid of it but make sure you lean in so it doesn't push you off balance, especially while standing. Oregon black bear aren't all that big, so you don't necessarily need a heavy bullet like you would for elk or larger bears. you an get an idea of bullet performance using a calculator like this one http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

If you have a friend with a 22 you can use it to practice shooting to get technique down without the distraction of heavy recoil. Recoil will make some people flinch, and really nobody wants to spend a lot of range time with a magnum.

Good luck with your bear!

 

[pharmseller]

Keep us posted on your success.

Bear are pretty easy to call in, especially early in the spring when they are ultra-focused on eating after a long hibernation. The trick is to find a large clear cut with a south facing side. Make sure you have clear fields of fire, then start calling, saying "Pick-a-nic basket, pick-a-nic basket" really loudly.

Nothing to it.

 

[cameron25]

OP did you draw the bear tag?? I cant believe i didn't draw my unit with 1 pt already, but my hunting partner did so at least im still going

 

[Dan_g]

OP did you draw the bear tag?? I cant believe i didn't draw my unit with 1 pt already, but my hunting partner did so at least im still going

Yeah. I got a tag for the SW unit.
Surprisingly, my friend didn't draw, so I'm going solo.

I've gotten pretty good at shooting the rifle.
Breathing technique is key.

 

[cameron25]

Yeah. I got a tag for the SW unit.
Surprisingly, my friend didn't draw, so I'm going solo.

I've gotten pretty good at shooting the rifle.
Breathing technique is key.

Nice. I didn't draw my NE tag for the 2nd year in a row now but my buddy did lol. We're headed into the backcountry in a little over a week, im stoked!