Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting I think my Tikka may be crooked

I have made posts in the past singing the praises of my Tikka rifles. I think my latest one may have a problem and was hoping to find a fix. Since I need the ability to dial way up because I use this rifle for long range play, I'm putting this post here.

Last year I bought a NIB 7-08 T3 lite SS. (I've had two others in different cartridges that were great.) I mounted my 3-9 Leupold in the Talley rings and found out I was about 18 minutes right of the center of the scope's center. Since scopes work better when centered and I thought maybe the base screws were drilled off center, I sold the Talleys (for a $25 loss) and bought a pair of Warnes that mount on the rifle's integral rail. Same problem, I need to use 18 MOA of the scope's windage adjustment to get sighted in.

I called Warne. The very helpful guy I spoke with sent me a new set of rings just in case. Nope, the rings are all matched and straight, something is off with the rifle. Great CS BTW.

I can't go to the Burris rings with the inserts that let you correct for alignment errors because the rifle stock has been drilled for a check rest and switching to the Burris (and it would only give me 10MOA of the 18 I want back because I now want to mount a 30mm SWFA and the BUrris 30mm only come with a +/- 10 set) would raise the scope too much for the check rest. Plus it would cost over $100, plus a new $40 check rest.

What is my best option? Just live with the scope that far over? I'm afraid of what that will do to tracking, especially if I need to put a bunch of left wind in. I shoot this rifle at 1000 at the range in Rexburg. It is usually very windy and it is very common to have over 7 minutes of wind. Sometimes way over. Because of the scope isn't centered, I've just been holding off. I'd like to dial in windage for playing, but I really think running a scope that far over from its mechanical center is asking for problems. Maybe it would be different with the SWFA? This is my first one. I ran it up to 8 mils (My 1K zero and it tracked straight up, but that was without any additional windage correction. Maybe I should continue to just live with it and hold for wind, but I know it will bother me. That's what I've been doing, and it is working, but I would like to fix it.

Should I take it to a gunsmith to try and angle the rails with a dremel? I'd imagine that would be really hard to get them all angled together? (And expensive.)

Do I see if the gunsmith can drill and tap new base holes that would be out of alignment with the receiver but straight with the barrel? I'd need to buy another pair of Talleys and pay for the work, and it may be difficult to angle all the holes the same in relationship to the barrel. I'm guessing that option would be at least $150.

I once had a Ruger 7 Mag that had the same problem. A gunsmith fixed it by putting a small brass shim under one of the base screws. However, this isn't just one screw wrong, I think the barrel wasn't threaded on straight. If I put one shim somewhere on this rifle, wouldn't that stress the scope tube by trying to bend the front the right way when the receiver is already straight?

Do I see how much it would be to have the barrel rethreaded and rechambered? I'm guessing that would be the most expensive option.

I could sell it to someone who would just hunt it and wouldn't care, but replacing it would cost me about $270. (Around here I'd get $400 for the rifle, then a new one is $670 after tax.)

Or should I just send it back to Tikka and see if they'll fix it? I've read here that Beretta doesn't have good CS and I worry that I'd be paying for shipping to be told it's fine. If I do that should I pay a gunsmith to look at the rifle first to make sure I'm not overlooking a solution before I have to box up the rifle and pay for the shipping?

I've tried three sets of rings and three scopes. I think it has to be a rifle problem.

One of my favorite things about the Tikkas was that they didn't need any work! Oh well. Thank you for any advice. I knew selling my hunting rifles and only keeping one was a mistake!

I just read back over what I typed. Sorry that was so much info. The repairs sound pretty cheesy and I'm leaning to either living with it or sending it to Tikka and hoping they'll fix it.

I think I'd try to get Tikka to fix it. That said, I'm told they're owned by Berretta now and that Beretta's not very helpful. If you have a good relationship with the store you bought it at, they might help you more. Good luck.

I'm guessing the action holes are not drilled in alignment with the center line of the bore.

While not PC with the in crowd, the simplest fix is to run windage adjustable base.

Send it back.



Travis

Picatinny Rail

Sounds like you ruled out the mounting systems since you tried two different types.

Either the barrel isn't square with the action, or maybe your scope is jAcKeD? Hold a mirror tight to the ojective lense and look through the eyepiece and see how far off your reticle is from center.

yeah,any rings with windage adjustment would be a easy fix. have you tried the factory groove mount rings.

I've now tried it with two Leupold Mark ARs, a Burris Mtac, and the SWFA. They all need about 18 minutes left to get centered. I've tried two sets of Warnes and a set of Talleys.

I'm thinking it has to be the rifle and it needs sent in.
I just called the SW about 20 minutes away. They have a set of Talleys in stock, but after three sets or rings, I think it would be a waste of time.

Regarding the rail, I think it would still point the scope the wrong way.

I may call a gunsmith and ask what he say. If we can't come up with any other explanation, or he can't, I'll contact Tikka.

I'd send it back as someone else suggested. No excuse for being off that bad.

Cut your losses and try again. God only knows what else is out of whack on the rifle

Tikka has a two year guarantee and they are always talking about their "out of the box accuracy." I would take it back to the place you purchased it along with your warranty card and let them deal with it.

Sounds like everything was ruled out. I would send it back. My Savage has the holes drilled off center, and at one point a gunsmith also pointed the barrel run out to the side too. Talk about being way out of whack.

I was told to try laying the barreled action on a level counter and measuring how high the end of the barrel was above the counter, then flipping the action and measuring the other side.
WHen laying the action on it's left side, the right side of the barrel is about .015 higher than when it's flipped. That means that the barrel is pointing that far to the right.

I'll call a gunsmith just to ask, but I'll probable either end up either selling it to someone who doesn't dial way up and won't care, (and I'd eat the difference for a new one- ouch), or sending it to Beretta. (Probable the best choice, I just don't like the idea of not having the rifle for a month. Time to get out the target rifles...)
Thanks for the ideas.

Yes, I missed that you had tried the receiver holes in your original post, I thought you were using the receiver cuts.

Your barrel / receiver is skewed. It's a factory defect, and the rifle should not have left the factory like that. I would take it back to the dealer where you purchased it, or send it back to Beretta for replacement with a rifle that is not defective on their dime.

I'll be waiting to hear how they honor their warranty.

did you try using the factory rings?? how does the gun shoot??

Not to sound negative but I sent in a 22 pistol to beretta that the safety quit working. It would fire with the safety on or off. Beretta was going to charge me a ridiculous price to replace so I told them to send it back and had a local gun smith fix it for almost nothing. All that was wrong was something came loose on the safety. I couldn't believe they would fix a safety issue on a gun only a few months old but they said it wasn't their fault.
Hope your luck is better!

I did not try the factory rings. I did on my first Tikka, and the scope slipped. It had been mounted on a Sinclair rod, everything clean and tightened correctly, but I lost confidence in the rings even though I know guys who have had goof luck with them.
Since then I've been using Talley or Warne.

I guess I could just go with a windage adjustable mount, but the reason I went to the heavy SWFA scope and heavy warne mounts is that this was supposed to me the hard use, don't worry about it rifle, and I've heard way too many people relate that windage adj. mounts are far weaker than Warnes. Looking back at what I just typed I realize how picky that sounds, but this is now my only hunting rifle and I want it set up a certain way. (And the scope at least close to being centered!)

Regarding how it shoots: It shoots like a Tikka! Okay with Horn. 120s, has a preference for H4350 over Varget or 8208, and with that 4350 and Horn 154 Sp, 139 SST, and the Amax, it is REALLY accurate.

Too busy today, but I'll take it to a smith when I can. I, too, have heard that Beretta CS is lacking and will try local first.
I'll post what he says.

You know that with the Burris you can go +10 on the front and -10 on the back to get 20 MOA, right?

Still not sure why everyone has written off Berretta without even contacting them yet. Give them a call and see what they say.

David, for some reason I thought the 30mm only had 10 MOA. Since it's 20, that would work. I'd need the Burris rings, some bases, and since the rifle stock was drilled for a check piece that can't go any higher, I'd need a strap on check piece. (I think the Burris set up will be about .3 higher and I know I'd loose my check weld.) It would work, but be $150. ($200 to go with the Tikka Performance steel base with the lug to give me strength closer to the Warnes.)

Thanks for pointing out the Burris have enough correction, it's good to have that option. I'm hoping to find a less expensive one, though!

dogcatcher, I haven't written Beretta off. Online the west coast service center says it's 4 weeks. With shipping I'm guessing longer. I'm going to talk to someone local first to make sure there isn't an easy fix I'm overlooking. (Maybe a dremel to angle the rails?) If it is going to be an expensive fix, I'll call Beretta. Since the stock has been drilled, I hope they don't say it messes up the warranty. I'd probable just send in the B/A.

I'll post what the gunsmith says.