Tikka: How To Mount A Scope.

[CitizenAE]

I went through this process and was not at all happy. If you're reading this for help, you're in the same boat. Congrats, step one is complete :banghead:. One less than prevalent fact is newer Tikka T3s have plastic filler screws which are either stamped in place or heated such that they don't "pop out" like other plastic fillers. If you purchased a one-piece scope mount, like a DNZ Deadnutz you'll find yourself in this situation.

The fix:

1) Remove the two Allan's screws holding together the trigger housing on the bottom of the rifle. Page 49 of the Owner's Manual lists these bolts as part 70 and 71.

2) Remove the plastic trigger housing.

3) There is a metallic bolt at the extreme end of the trigger assembly. The end closest to the barrel. This needs to be removed with a larger Allan's key. I used one for a piece of furniture which worked great. If you're not so lucky, get a set of Allan's keys.

4) After removing the bold for the trigger, carefully place everything off to the side. The trigger assembly, part 5, is a bit difficult to remove. You will need to lift the barrel and breach (same part unless removed) up and back about 1/4" to get everything to come out without any damage.

5) With the breach lifted and the trigger assembly safely placed to the side, lift the barrel and breach, part 1 and 2, from the stock. If the stock is synthetic, this will be difficult.

6) Now the fun. Get a smaller Jeweler's screwdriver, I used a 2mm. From the top of the breach, place the screwdriver in the filler screw, make sure it's in place, and push and turn until the plastic screw falls into the receiver. This will take a lot of effort.

7) Complete this with the remaining three screws.

8) Once complete, use some canned air to remove lose plastic. For good measure, get a 30 caliber cleaning patch, put some gun solvent on it and wipe the threads clean.

9) With one METAL screw which came with the mounting kit, thread one about two turns into each hole to make sure it doesn't catch and fits without any trouble. Remove the singular test screw.

10) Reassemble the firearm. Getting the barrel and breach back in place is the biggest headache, but after that, you can handle anything. Take special care when handling the trigger assembly.

11) Place the mount on the rifle, the scope in the mount, and be pleased.

The reason I posted this is because of the complete lack of information online. The Tikka manual does not mention it uses plastic filler screws which cannot be removed the way God intended, with a screwdriver. If anyone has a better suggestion, please post it.

My final result, the rifle is undamaged and I have a blister on my palm; but the scope is mounted and that was the end goal.

Good Luck,
CitizenAE

 

[hoghunting]

Seems you went to a lot of trouble for something to do. I kept the Tikka rings on my T3 in 300 WSM, and with just over 500 rounds being fired, the scope has not moved nor has the scope needed to be adjusted after sighting it in. My buddy decided to use Talleys on his T3, and simply stuck a rag in the action, punched out the plastic plugs, pulled the rag and threw the plugs away. Not sure why you needed to remove the trigger.

 

[M1key]

Used the factory rings on my 223....they work fine.

 

[308pilot]

Verdict still out on my factory tikka rings

I am using the factory rings on my T3 lite stainless/syn .308. I have tightened the caps that hold the scope on the mounts as tight as I am going to, because I don't want to damage my Nikon Monarch scope. There is still a gap on each side of the caps, so I am still clamping the scope tighter as I tighten the cap screws. I just finished tightening the front cap (the one with the recoil lug) as tight as I dare. Last time at the range, after about 12 shots the scope slid forward in the mounts about the thickness of the thin pencil line that I drew on the scope. If this last tightening still shows signs of slipping after some more range time, then maybe some Warne or Talley rings will be necessary. With the recoil lug on the front mount, the problem of the mounts moving is pretty well solved. Maybe some of that thin, double-sided masking tape that golf grips are mounted with will do the trick. if the factory rings are good for a 300 WSM they should for sure be good enough for my 308. A little more range time will tell.

 

[CitizenAE]

The factory rings were a poor fit for the scope I purchased. In answer to the first question, the trigger assembly needs to be removed in order to remove the barrel and breach. The reason this was done was to avoid getting plastic bits near the assembly and to avoid damage to any other rifle parts. It's not necessary, but the piece of mind is worth the relatively small effort. Stripping the T3 involves little more than removing 3 bolts. Placing a rag in the action will be fine, but the effort required to get the fillers out can translate to hitting the top of the safety for the third plug from the top.

If the factories work, use them. If you want to go with rings which screw into the rail, the fillers need to be removed.

How exactly did your buddy just "punch out" the plastic plugs? If there's a way to do it without applying much force, that would be useful to know.

Mine were secured in the threads and required more effort than I care to exert on any sensitive parts of the rifle.

 

[KzoneAL]

Heres an easier way...Remove the bolt from the gun ...lay the gun down on the ejection port...push&turn the plactic plugs inward until they fall out the ejection port.

 

[Terpfan41]

On the issue of rings for the Tikka's..........I too have the T3 .308 Win in SS/synthetic and after 100 rounds or so I noticed that my scope had moved from its original position, this was with the factory aluminum rings/bases installed. Upon removing the front base I discovered that the steel recoil dowel had actually mushroomed the soft aluminum of the base making an oval shaped hole and allowed the base to slide. I called Beretta (Tikka's U.S. importer) to inquire/complain and they promptly agreed to send me replacement rings, but not the stainless Sako Optilocks that I wanted, so I ordered a set of Warne steel rings for it from TJ's General. When the package from Beretta finally arrived, one day before the Warne ones, I was shocked to see that they had actually sent me the stainless optilocks that I wanted originally, so I installed them with my Nikon Monarch that night. Needless to say, a few hundred rounds later and no slippage or movement in the scope are evident. My advice would be to save yourself any further headaches and ditch the factory aluminum crap and get some good stainless ones instead! Try calling Beretta first though......maybe you'll get lucky too! Good luck!

 

[hoghunting]

the trigger assembly needs to be removed in order to remove the barrel and breach.

I think you mean the trigger guard and not the trigger assembly.

How exactly did your buddy just "punch out" the plastic plugs?

Use the proper size screwdriver, just turn and push, and the plug pushes out.

 

[o0ben0o]

http://www.hss.net.au/product_info.php?cPath=118&products_id=313
Makes picking rings easy, although I dont have one so cant give feedback.