This thread is starting to turn into picking a restaurant with my wife...
What do you want? I don't know, you pick. How about pizza? Nah. How about burgers? Nah. Sushi? Nah. Well what do you want? I don't care, you decide. Italian? Nuh-uh.
It's that time of year folks. Although I've got a couple more trips on the docket, it's time to put 2024, and it's equipment, to rest - time to evaluate and plan what's coming up for 2025.
What worked:
Maven RS1.2 2.5-15x44 - I wasn't sure how I'd like a FFP scope, but after some practice...
I have a set of both the Sportsmatch and UM rings.
Side by side comparison the UM rings are on my hunting rifle, Sportsmatch are on a .223 practice rifle.
So what trips your trigger? You, tbh, don't seem like a carbon fiber, cerakote, wildcat cartridge kind of guy. Pre-'64 M70 in 6.8 O'Connor? Merkel SxS? Colt Python? You've got the utilitarian angle covered with the Tikka, why not get something cool just for the sake of it being cool?
Granted, this suggestion is based on hitting as many of your options as possible…
Ruger #1 in 6mm Remington, send it to Paul to AI and gussy up.
Hitting your Buzz goal with the 6mm, man-bun goal with the AI, lever gun/wood stock coolness with the #1.
Boom.
Nailed it.
Hard to beat a Ruger American on both price and accuracy. I bought one to replace a feed truck gun.
Some day my wife will be rich enough to make me a trophy husband, then I’ll get a Ruger #1 and rebarrel it to 1:8”.