Warne or Talley LWs for Tikka M695

I just picked up a Tikka M695 chambered in 338 Win Mag and need some scope mounts. I have Talley lightweights on several rifles and really like them, but I'm wondering if the Warne mounts may be a better match for this hard kicker. What do you guys think?

In my experience the Talley LW's (which wee designed by Melvin Forbes of New Ultra Light Arms for his rifles) are very tough mounts. They'll hold up fine.

I would use Talley LW without reservation on a .338. I use them on my harder kicking 300 ultra without issue.
My only gripe about LW's is the fact that I have a heck of a time getting the reticle plumb with them. Having four screws seems to make this task harder, although it certainly makes them tougher.

I'm a big fan of Warne rings.

Tom

BWalker,

The easiest technique I've found for keeping the reticle square while tightening the screws on rings like the LW's is to rotate tightening, like you would with lug-nuts on a pickup tire.

After getting the reticle square, tighten one of the very front ring-screws just a little, say the right-hand screw. Then tighten the left rear screw on the opposite side just a little. Go back to the front end and tighten the left-hand screw a little.

Keep at it until all the front and rear screws are tight, then start on the rest of the screws, using the same rotation. The reticle should end up as square as it did when you started.

I will personally take the Warne rings over the Talley

It's always more interesting to hear specific reasons, rather than blanket statements. Care to expand?

I like Warne because I have great experiences with them. Once you know how the proper way to install them its actually much easier to do than conventional rings. Also the design doesn't have the problem of canting the scope one way or the other. The Warnes, at least for me have never ring marked one of my scopes. They don't need to be lapped.

Also the customer support is amazing. I've made a couple of ordering mistakes and Warne has handled the issues directly.

Tom

I find the Warne vertical split rings very difficult to use, spent hrs on one set trying to get them tight on bases.

Really depends on the scope being used, the Warne rings might give you a little more flexibility when setting up your scope. The Tikka front mounting position for the Talley will have your front mount further ahead than what the Warne front mount would be, so if you need to slide the scope back to get your proper eye releif the Warne's might be the better option. I have several M695's and M595's and I use both the Warnes and the Talley's.

I personally prefer the sako optilocks on my 695.

I use the Warnes on my 695 and have no complaints whatsoever. They are very good rings in my opinion.

Reno

Thanks for the input. I think I'm going to stick with the Talleys. I'm also going to mount a Minox 3-9x40 so this could be a good test for the mounts and the scope... hopefully both don't fail

dkevinbarnes, Just curios how the Talleys and the Minox have been working on your 695?

Scooter, The Talley Lows fit good with the Minox 3-9x40. I don't think there would have been enough clearance using X-lows. I've just started working on loads with the 225 TSX, but I think it's going to be fine. The 695 is not a lightweight rifle and surprisingly recoil does not seem bad at all. I'll report back if any issues come up. Are you considering a similar set up?

BTW, Minox apparently just came out with a new line of scopes known as the ZV series. Anyone know anything about them? I have 3 Minox scopes and have been very pleased with them so far.

You can't go wrong with the Tallys. I use them on my M695 in .338 Win with 4.5-14 Leupold. The rilfe is shooting 225 grain bullets.
I have never had an issue, and don't expect I will.

R