Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

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azgarand
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Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by azgarand »

Good Morning to all and thanks in advance for any help with my inquiry!

After shooting cowboy lever, hunter pistol and air pistol for a number of years I am finally taking the plunge into high-power. I have acquired a new Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 and plan to mount a 6.5-20x40 EFR Leupold scope. The rifle came with factory rings but I want to do the mounting right the first time. Am I right in presuming that a 20 MOA solution is favored/required with most scopes? I would greatly appreciate any wisdom passed on regarding using the factory rings without or with shimming, other available rings or a one-piece mount/ring solution.

I went on the DNZ website and their Tikka Game Reaper 20 MOA 1 piece solution is $135.00 which is approximately twice the price of a 0 MOA 1 piece solution. If 20 MOA is the consensus then that probably is the best choice unless soda can shimming is in the future for that new scope.
Jerry G
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by Jerry G »

You need to use the tapered mounts or shim the back of your scope to keep everything centered in your scope. I have the tapered mounts on my 6.5x47 but all my other rifles have 3 layers of beer can under the back of the scope. Either system works just fine.
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Jason
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by Jason »

I've had to use shimming to keep things centered up on a couple smallbore rifles, but not on highpower rifles. I think you should just mount it in the factory rings and see what adjustments are needed before spending big money to fix a problem you might not have. I have tall rings on my current highpower silhouette rifle due to my body build (skinny, 6' tall) so that I can keep my head more upright, but haven't needed drop built into rings or bases. Where I've needed to use a fair amount of the adjustment range just to get to chickens on some smallbore rifles and then have to go up to rams from there, I've been pretty well on target at chickens for highpower with the scope adjustments in the center of their range, so I just needed to go up 9 minutes or so to rams. I'd be more careful about making sure that you get the right height of rings as a primary concern.
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ppkny
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by ppkny »

azgrande:
I've had my Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 for about 4 years. Out of the box killer accuracy. I don't know what your powder preferences are but here's some loads to try.
Chk/Pigs/Trk - 123 gr SierraHPBT 44.0 gr. Hodgdon 4831sc or 107 gr Sierra HPBT 45.5 gr Hodgdon 4831sc
Rams - 140 gr SierraHPBT 42.00 gr. Hodgdon 4831sc
I'm starting to experiment with RL19 but nothing solid yet.
Enjoy, ppkny
Jerry G
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by Jerry G »

It is between 8 and 10 minutes adjustment for both SB and HP.
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by Bob Mc Alice »

That is solid advice from Jason. Mount it normally and go test it. The 6.5 x 55 is plenty flat shooting, my bet is no shimming needed. That Leupold will have more than enough adjustment to reach. It will function fine at the upper limits.

Welcome to high power, your gonna love it. 8)
azgarand
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by azgarand »

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies and encouragement. I am now confidently inclined to keep it simple and just use the factory rings and see how it goes. Kind regards to all.
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Re: Newbie issue: Mounting scope to my new Tikka T3

Post by Tcross »

I too bought a new Tikka in 6.5x55 for this game and so far it has proven to be the most accurate factory rifle I have ever owned. That being said, I thought about these same issues as well. Try the factory rings, and if they work for you, great, your off and running (or better yet - shooting). For me, I realized early on that I wanted something taller and ended up with Burris Signature Zee high rings. (Which aren't really that high) I also had to add Burris Weaver style bases since the Signature Zee's aren't made Tikka specific, but that was o.k., it adds a touch more height. Some may say that the more pieces you add to the setup, the better the chance of something loosening up. Maybe so, but so far it's been rock solid, and the 6.5x55 isn't a big kicker anyway. The inserts that go with those rings allow you to adjust for MOA if you want, so you don't have to buy a MOA base. You can center your cross hairs to the scope and with a slight rotation you can center windage as well. You won't have to lap any rings, and if you ever decide to sell that Leupold (doubt it) there won't be a mark on it from those Burris rings. I don't mean to sound like a sales rep, it's just an affordable setup that works for me and there's something to be said for feeling comfortable with what you have. Get out and shoot, enjoy your tikka and let us know how it goes. Most of all have fun.
As a side, I was really happy to see those loads that ppkny posted. They were almost identical to what I ended up with after my load development. Now, if I could only hold those crosshairs steady on target...... T.
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