Tikka recoil lug

[grit]

What are you guys doing with the fall out recoil lug on the Tikka T3's?

[Varmint Hunter]

I'm not sure if the T3's are the same as their predecessor, the Tikka 595 but the 595 fall-free, L bracket looking, recoil lug can be bedded.

Mike Bryant of Wheeler Texas bedded my recoil lug permanently into the stock. The barreled action could easily be removed while leaving the lug secured in the bedding compound. It looks odd but my factory Tikka frequently shot .5 moa @ 200 yds once it was bedded in this manner.

[phorwath]

You're stuck with it in the stock unless you want to TIG weld it onto the action, and then bed the rifle in the stock like any other standard action. This was discussed on this forum about 12 months ago and I think you'll find it with a search. No one said they had done this yet but this is what one gunsmith said he would do with a Tikka lug.

[loaders_loft]

I'm no gunsmith, but here's my 2cents anyway.

Bedding the lug into the stock seems like a good option, as long as the gunsmith is satisfied with the snug fit of the action to the lug. It it's too loose, then the gunsmith could mill out another lug with tigher fit and then bed that into the stock.

All this assumes that an aftermarket (laminate/wood?) stock will be used.

I wouldn't think the factory tikka stocks should require bedding. Its been my experience that the fit is very tight.

I've got a T-3 also, 243 considering a change to .260, and was wondering the same thing. Thanks.

Now, how to manage the removable magazine and bottom metal, if using an aftermarket stock on a T-3??? There's a head-scratcher alright....

[ameridome]

I have a tikka T3 270 WSM, and the loose recoil lug has me scratching my head too. After 5 boxes of ammo, the lug, which appears to be aluminum, has very deep scarring where it engages the action. I have read at least a hundred posts on a dozen different forums, and it seems that no one feels particularly confident about an answer. Without any work done yet, the gun shoots very accurately, so perhaps it's as the little clock says, "if it's not broke, don't fix it"

[britz]

my 300wsm's recoil lug is badly dented too, but it still seams to shoot. I'm considering having a machinist make me one out of stainless steel to replace it.

[gunsrgood]

I just spoke with a guy who has a T3 and experienced the same denting after about 300 rounds. The factory recoil lug is aluminum so he made a duplicate out of steel and hasn't had any issues since. Just thought I'd pass it along.