Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Anyone replace the recoil lug on their Tikka with steel?

If you have, did you notice a difference? Or did you just feel warm and fuzzy all over, knowing you have steel instead of aluminum?


P

It's been a while, and no one has spoken up.

NO, I bought mine in 03 and have not had one problem. I don't fix what ain't broke.

If you've shot it extensively I'll bet your aluminum luggette is indented and the action subsequently shifted minutely to the rear.

Be interesting to see if you find that next time you have the BA out of the stock.

A few months ago, I purchased an elite series SS recoil lug from the Tikka Performance center to replace the aluminum lug on a 6.5x55 T3 in a walnut stock. The aluminum lug had the typical upside down trapezoid dent that appears over time. The rifle has been very accurate but I wanted a steel recoil lug. When I removed the aluminum lug from the stock and mated it with the lug recess in the BA, there was a little play. The SS lug is machined to much tighter tolerances and fit the recess perfectly with no play at all. I bedded the SS lug into the stock with Devcon epoxy steel. I can't say groups have improved significantly since they were already .5 - .75" on a fairly routine basis for 3 shot groups. But, the groups and POI have remained consistent and yes, I have a warm and fuzzy feeling, knowing I have steel instead of aluminum.

Below is the unique stock that prompted me to do this. It is better quality walnut than I've seen on a T3 with a different checkering pattern. The stock is also a few ounces lighter than another typical T3 hunter stock that I have. I think it was an early prototype stock but don't know any other history regarding it.

Pretty stock. Grain flow through the pistol grip would give me pause though.

I probably should just let this F A D E, but...

Even amidst all the horror stories of 'cracked',' broken' bolt shrouds, and inevitable 'rust' of the SS Tikkas....

I can but will not post anymore pics of my SS Lite 270 that was purchased in 2003. I have hunted it 12-(oops-10) seasons and ONLY given cursory attention.

Guess What? I have NO cracked nor broken parts NOR rust.

I promise IF/WHEN I have problems, I'll post & pic them here.

Beautiful stock MCT3. How long ago did you buy it? I've never seen that checkering either.

I purchased a blued 223 T3 a few months ago that came with this stock. The seller said he got it from a Beretta dealer who found it in a show room. I transferred the stock to my SS 6.5x55 and spent several range sessions with it before changing the recoil lug. There's another fire member who has one of these stocks that he purchased on Ebay about 5-6 years ago. He told me that a dozen of them were listed for sale at that time.

I bought 1 - if I ever get myself a 9.3x62 T3.
All our T3 alloy recoil lugs had that 'slight' indentation(270wizzum, 3006 & 308) right out of the box, which I dare say is from the 2 overloaded/proof loads Sako put through all their rifles. IMO our 3006 & 308Win do not need the steel lugs & I dare say the 9.3 does not either, but, I will swap it out anyways

Well, well.

Ats interesting!!

My gun smith told me I don't have to worry for a long time cause I't only .270 Win and mostly shoot 130 gr. He sais the magnums are different though.

I haven't, but a Bud replaced his aluminum recoil lugged Tikka with a Kimber Montana in 7mm-08.

Gunner

gunner -

I really hope he got a good one.

My Tikka is a known shooter and light. I would NOT trade it for an unknown.

He did JWall, he shoots the 139 Interbonds into nice groups with H-4350, I have heard the Tikkas are very accurate, though never owning one to date.

Gunner

I bought one. No difference I can tell in group size, but it was a better fit, and I do feel warm and fuzzy knowing it's steel.

I purchased a replacement stock for my synthetic with that same checkering and marking from CDNN. They had a bunch for about $70 each IIRC. That was a couple of years ago, supposedly left over from some kind of special order.

I also put a SS lug in but actually never had a real issue with the aluminum. An imprint formed and stopped in the OEM one and that was all. Even after a couple hundred rounds of 30-06, the imprent remained the same and there was no lug set back and accuracy never changed.

Looking back, the original design was perfectly fine and the SS lug was no more than a warm fuzzy but that's OK. It's an inexpesive warm and fuzzy.

Thinking about it Sako/Tikka probably made the luggette in aluminum precisely TO take the wear rather than to wear out the miniscule slot in the receiver.
The luggette is easily replaceable. The receiver, not so much.

Just a thought.

Fonzie could not admit he was wr..wr..wr..not right, either.

I'm surprised you're not an engineer in firearms manufacturing.

Lumley offers one in titanium. I'm thinking about a Christmas present to myself.


P

I replaced the stock on my left hand light in 270 wsm after about 125 rounds with an mpi stock that I fit and finished myself. I had a new lug made out of ss at my local machine shop that fit my action exactly and then bedded it permanently to the new stock. My old aluminum lug had a pretty deep indention from the action which is why I decided to replace it. The aluminum is probably fine in the lighter recoiling guns such as a 223