Optics Mounting in Southern SK

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Theblackdot

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Hi there,

I am hoping someone out there can provide me with some sound advice regarding mounting. I am very new to firearm ownership and have just assembled all the necessary pieces to mount a Vortex PST on Tikka T3x CTR. I am from Regina, SK, but the rifle was purchased from a shop out of town. My question is: Where should I take my rifle to have the scope mounted? The gunsmith here has less than stellar reviews and the only other option in Regina is Cabelas. I have heard that the stock rail is a really tough to remove and some people have had to get torches involved. Can I entrust this task to a gun shop without fear of damage or should I be making the drive to Saskatoon to leave it with a gunsmith?

Thank you
 
If you're ever in the western part of the province... Bowyer's outdoor sports in Maple Creek, and Hunt's hunting supplies in Gull lake have both mounted scopes for me and I've been more than happy.
 
Why not mount it yourself? Its a pretty easy task as long as you have a way to keep the rifle level. I clamp my rifles in a jobmate for this task.
 
BeanKozi said:
Do it yourself! It's easy and fun and you can't really screw anything up. Worth a try before wasting time trying to find someone else to do it. Bore sighting has never been neccesay for me and I've mounted many scopes.
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Bore sighting has nothing to do with mounting a scope. They are for easier zeroing with less ammo used, after the scope is mounted.
 
BeanKozi said:
I assume he's not worried about tightening a few screws (although after re-reading the op, he may be) which is really all mounting a scope is, other than getting it sighted in.... it shouldn't take more than 3 shots to get as close to zero as a bore sight will.
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Well, its two things really. One is getting the scope level, two is not over-torquing the rings and damaging the scope tube. Both are not difficult, but they can intimidate some.
 
Thank you for all the feedback. A little of column A and a little of column B. I don't really have the necessary tools to do it myself. I am also afraid of damaging the rifle/scope and therefore would rather leave it up to someone who has done it many times at least for now.
 
If you don't have the correct torque wrenches, you're much better off getting someone with the right tools to do it for you. That's why I had others mount up my scopes at the time.
 
Why are you trying to remove the picatinny rail?

The rail is epoxies on to the action. I wouldn't touch it. Buy some 30mm rings that are designed to go on a picatinny rail instead of the opti-locs or whatever it is you have on hand. Decent rings are 100$. I strongly recommended the Burris Signature Zee rings with the plastic inserts that give you +/- 10 MOA.

Mounting the scope can be easily done in your basement. Tie a piece of string to the ceiling and put a weight at the bottom of the string. Line the scope up for comfortable eye releif in the position that you will be mostly shooting, the twist the scope so that the verticle cross hair is parallel with the hanging string. Once that's all done you tighten the screws on the scope rings. Tighten each screw a quarter or half a turn until they are all tight. I've never used a torque wrench, just common sense. For me, you can always tighten the rings if they come loose, you can't undo damage from over tightening.

Good luck.
 
And for zeroing, it's easy. Set up a fairly big piece of white paper at 25m. Take the bolt out and lock down the barrel to make sure the bore is pointed at the target. Keep the rifle in that position with bags, etc. and fire one shot. Then look through the scope and dial the turrets so the cross hairs cover the bullet hole. Fire another shot. You should be good to go, or very close to being zeroed. Move out to 100m, your third shot should not be more than a few inches off from shot two. Dial your turrets to cover the bullet hole, reset your turrets so they read "zero", install your zero stop shims and you're off to the races.
 
You should be able to find a forum member in Regina to help you out, I'd gladly do it for you but I'm 390km away.
 
I honestly wouldn't do that if I were you. There is nothing wrong with the stock rail and there are lots of rings out there that will give you the MOA you are looking for. As well, depending on the distance you are shooting, you may not need the 20MOA anyways.

I had a T3 Tactical which has the same rail that comes with the CTR. I tried to remove it to install a chassis and broke two of the screw trying to remove it. In the end I had to file down the end of the rail rather than remove it.

I would just hate to see you damage your rifle when there are better options (not saying that ATRS doesn't make nice stuff, maybe just get some different stuff).
 
This is the reason I do not plan to do it myself. This is an issue Tikka should be addressing, as person should be able to remove the rail without fear of damaging the rifle. I wanted ATRS rings and ATRS said they had mounted a Viper PST on a Tikka T3x CTR using their rail and low rings and it was a great fit.
 
I have been reading more about rail removal and it sounds like a nightmare. I will definitely want to take it to a gun smith. Preferably one who has removed a Tikka stock rail before.
 
Just a suggestion but why don't you get a Spuhr canted 20 MOA base and put it on the flat rail (why Tikka has chosen flat rails is beyond me). That way you are not fooling around removing the rail and have a really great base with some wicked features.

By the time you pay for rings/rail and gunsmithing work you would be in the ball park. The nice thing about spuhr mounts is you can't really screw them up.

Lots of Companies make canted unimounts - I am not sure if Near does but he makes excellent products as well. ATRS is great too but you have lots of options out there (just saw that ATRS sells a 20MOA 30MM unimount).

Benefit of this method is no downtime for gun smithing.
 
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Ryan.M.Anderson said:
Just a suggestion but why don't you get a Spuhr canted 20 MOA base and put it on the flat rail (why Tikka has chosen flat rails is beyond me). That way you are not fooling around removing the rail and have a really great base with some wicked features.

By the time you pay for rings/rail and gunsmithing work you would be in the ball park. The nice thing about spuhr mounts is you can't really screw them up.

Lots of Companies make canted unimounts - I am not sure if Near does but he makes excellent products as well. ATRS is great too but you have lots of options out there (just saw that ATRS sells a 20MOA 30MM unimount).

Benefit of this method is no downtime for gun smithing.
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^This! The reason the stock rail is difficult to remove is that they have mounted it to be solid and stable...just what you want! Take advantage of that, install a canted one-piece mount as suggested, and be happy. Contrary to what some have stated, mounting a scope (incorrectly) can definitely cause problems and/or damage. A quality one-piece mount alleviates all those concerns, while allowing you to easily do it yourself and grow comfortable with the workings of your new toy.

One last comment: if a proper gunsmith does the job for you, it will be done correctly. It you take it to a gunshop it might be done correctly. If you take it to a big-box store, the odds are that it will be done by a poorly-paid inexperienced lad who will screw it up at least as badly as you think you will! It is a simple procedure, but it takes some time and some attention to detail. Additionally, only you can decide exactly where to set the scope for optimal eye-relief for your physical build and individual preference. Even if the guy in the store does the job perfectly...for his purposes...you may find that the scope is a bit too far forward or too far backward to suit you perfectly. Learn to do it yourself; you'll be happier in the long run.
 
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