Tikka has an incredible smooth action, but I just can't get past the dovetailed bolt handle.... Not saying it is a major issue, just personal choice.
Really, action concern is so overrated in the scheme of things. 3B's = Bullets, barrels and brass, that is what sorts the real accuracy. If the action feeds, extracts, ejects.... well, not much more to it really
Cheers
Pete
That's a huge statement, with a huge amount of truth...
But.
There's another entry into that acronym... "S" ... the Shooter... The "smoothness" brings controllability & consistency... While you may not even a notice a lack of smoothness in field conditions... Or you may not know is the presence of smoothness... If rifle is not all that smooth, or should we say, 'fluid', empty... Then it's probably not going to be while it is feeding rounds either...
The more fluid the motions of extracting, loading, locking, etc.., are.... The more concrete your positioning is, the better off we are...
This is why a lot of people only like to buy big name, big dollar rifles, it is because they buy into the doctrine of mitigation... They understand, or they have the desire to mitigate every possible contingency of both human contamination and mechanical contamination... Mechanical contamination being of a "poors gear"..
They look to improve the user interface to the highest number... At that level, these folks don't mind putting in another 98% to gain 0.7% of return... So I do understand, of why guys look to buying only the best... But like anything else, there are different limitations and different ins and outs of ability... Some of these people, have been in certain situations, that have taught them to have the very best tools that money can buy, while it may not help every situation, it helps to mitigate pitfalls at almost every level... But not everytime...
How many times has a 19yr old died, in sector; despite having $60,000 worth of gear on his person? Surrounded by his friends, all with another $260,000 worth of gear standing around watching their friend die...maybe in the back of a $4,000,000 Track...along with having $3,000,000 worth of education & training... Killed by a 40yr old, rusted out AK, wielded by 12yr punk... Now all of a sudden, all that high dollar gear is worthless..
Some systems are better than others.. a $400 rifle will kill a monster elk, just as dead as a $4000 rifle... But there are some huge differences between the two... Further adding to the muddy Waters, a lot of those differences, will be situational differences, and not just mechanically based, or based of the result of user interface / user preference... There a HUGE difference between a 3/4-series Ferrari, and a Kia, of any model.... Theres a sizable difference between that same Ferrari, and new Corvette... And a larger sizable difference between the Ferrari and a Camaro... But what about the difference between it, and a Camaro ZL1? Is the difference that much? And in what metric? Is it possible for that Camaro ZL1 to defeat that mid grade Ferrari on a road course? ABSOLUTELY. Without a doubt.
Some folks, couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, if they WERE STANDING IN IT. .. regardless whether they had the wherewithal to purchasing $10,000 rifle, or not... Would they have a better chance with that setup, then a setup costing a fraction? I suppose they would, assuming they knew how, and were very adept at exploiting those differences...
It puts me in mind of the huge movement to the 6.5 era, coming into its own... Then a fella, taking home a 1000m match with a "stock" .284win... Despite the tens of thousands of dollars up on the line... And the cascading numbers of people all slowly retrograding back to the 7mm class cartridges...
We do what we each have to, to be successful I suppose... Some of us do what we need to, to be happy... And for some, that only comes with success. Despite what's involved with obtaining it.