Decided on Tikka; use stock rings?

[greg788]

I finally made my rifle decision and will order up a Tikka T3 Hunter in 6.5 Swede. The Savage 14 series was a close second place.

Question: should I use the stock rings or go aftermarket for best performance? If aftermarket, which? My best recommendations have been Warne and Talley. Warne seems better since the attachment method is directly to the receiver rail.

Forum searches have been inconclusive on the subject of stock vs. aftermarket rings.

I absolutely will not compromise the integrity of the optics. So is it worth the extra $$$ for Warne or Talley, for example? The 6.5 Swede (even handloaded hot, which I may do) isn't exactly a mule kicker ...

 

[John828]

I absolutely will not compromise the integrity of the optics.

Warne. BUT, if you are not in the least capable, have a gunsmith set it up for you. If you are going to spend good money on a rifle and optics, why not "splurge" and have it done right.

Otherwise, if you are handy, just don't put too much "hand" into the tightening.

 

[rust collector]

I've had no problems with the stock rings on my 308, but would probably upgrade if I was going on a once-in-a-lifetime moose hunt.

 

[dougwx12]

The stock rings seem just fine. I swapped to talley lightweights, but I'm ashamed to admit, just because I wanted black rings with a black scope. Stainless rings on a black scope just looks funk.

Stock rings are aluminum, right? Seem plenty stable. Talley's are always great (I have them on everything; they're plenty solid and damn easy to work with.)

Aren't warne's steel? They'll be about twice as heavy. Not sure if weight is a factor for you.

 

[Horsemany]

The factory rings are sufficient if installed correctly. Make sure the front ring does not catch on the forward most filler screw on top of the reciever. A common mistake is to push the ring forward so the lug on the bottom of the ring contacts the front of the recess in the rail, and instead bottom out on the filler screw. I believe that's how these rings can fail. It is crucial to have the lug touching the front of the recess to keep it solid under recoil.

Hunter class b.r. is dominated by Tikka's at my club and most folks compete with the factory rings. As already stated, you don't torque the *&^= out of the screws on these either. The heads are a little soft but they work fine if you don't overdo it. Appropriate stainless screws can be found at the hardware store if you mess up. They actually work with up to a 44mm too even though Sako says up to 40mm.

 

[jmr40]

If you use stock rings I would suggest replacing the screws with better quality from a hardware store. Especially the ones holding the bases to the rifle. They are shallow and soft. I had a hex wrench slip on them on 2 different rifles. The ones I bought at the store have a much deeper opening for the wrench and seem much harder. Cost for all 6 screws was around $1.00. Cheap insurance.

Other than that the factory mounts have worked fine for my 30-06 and 308. I may replace the ones on my 30-06 just because I do not like the silver colored rings on the matte black scope either. I am considering DNZ or Talley lightweights. I have Talley lightweights on all of my other guns and see no reason to ever go back to steel. In my opinion they are much stronger than seperate steel rings and bases.

 

[MIL-DOT]

I went with Warnes on my stainless .308

 

[Envisaged]

Does no one use the gunsmith loctite?

 

[John828]

Loctite or fingernail polish, for sure. I think most were referring to the softness of some screws.

When I mentioned putting too much arm on the mounts, I was more referring to damaging the scope housing.

 

[hoghunting]

My T3 in 300WSM is now very close to 600 rounds fired in it, and it still has the factory rings. Nothing has moved and the scope has not been readjusted. Don't overtighten the screws and you'll be fine.

 

[countryrebel]

I used this on my 243. DNZ medium height for a 42mm Obj. Very nice solid lite weight mount, could not be more happy with it.