Tikka Glass Bedding?

morgaj1

WKR
Joined
Mar 9, 2020
Messages
324
I have a 300WM Tikka T3x that shoots lights out. I am not crazy about the factory stock, so am going to replace with a Mesa Precision. What gunsmith who is familiar with Tikkas would you recommend to glass bed the stock?
 

Antares

WKR
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,724
Location
Alaska
Does Mesa recommend bedding their stocks? I know McMillan doesn't, pretty sure Manners doesn't either. Just curious.
 

J300UM

FNG
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
24
Location
Cheyenne, WY
Good chance it’ll shoot just fine as it is. I’d put it together and shoot it then determine if you want to have it bedded.
 

Vandy321

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2,424
Does Mesa recommend bedding their stocks? I know McMillan doesn't, pretty sure Manners doesn't either. Just curious.
Manners recommends a pillar bed at a minimum in a bare stock...I think they'd rather say dont bed and instead buy our mini chassis though.

If it's not in a chassis or mini chassis, 100% bed that thing. Just know it won't last forever. Can't think of a reason why not to.
 

HuntnPack

WKR
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
509
Location
The Wilderness
I have a 300WM Tikka T3x that shoots lights out. I am not crazy about the factory stock, so am going to replace with a Mesa Precision. What gunsmith who is familiar with Tikkas would you recommend to glass bed the stock?
Give Mike at Hells Canyon Armory a call.
 

Gila

WKR
Joined
Apr 25, 2020
Messages
1,127
Location
West
Forgive my ignorance, what's a pillar bed? Just bedding around the pillars instead of the whole action?
Two aluminum cylinders, one at each end of the action placed in the stock to hold the action in place in the stock. On the Tikka stock the action screws hold the action in place on the recoil lug and there is no bedding. I decided to keep the Tikka stock on my 300wm. I changed the bottom metal to run AICS mags and as I recall the action screw torque is critical. Anyway, after i put everything back together it shoots lights out.

I am thinking about getting a mesa altitude for another tikka rifle that i have so I will be watching this thread to see where it goes.
 

Antares

WKR
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,724
Location
Alaska
Two aluminum cylinders, one at each end of the action placed in the stock to hold the action in place in the stock. On the Tikka stock the action screws hold the action in place on the recoil lug and there is no bedding. I decided to keep the Tikka stock on my 300wm. I changed the bottom metal to run AICS mags and as I recall the action screw torque is critical. Anyway, after i put everything back together it shoots lights out.

I am thinking about getting a mesa altitude for another tikka rifle that i have so I will be watching this thread to see where it goes.

Right, thanks. I wasn't being clear. I know what pillars are. I was wondering if a "pillar bed" is a skim of epoxy around the pillars. Sounds like it's just pillars vs. no pillars.
 

Vandy321

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2,424
Yes, epoxy is used with pillars.

Google is your friend, plenty of DIY threads with pics
 

Antares

WKR
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,724
Location
Alaska
Yes, epoxy is used with pillars.

Google is your friend, plenty of DIY threads with pics

I am familiar. I have done epoxy bedding. I have made and installed pillars.

You said "Manners recommends a pillar bed at minimum..."

I am trying to clarify whether you mean:
1) They recommend pillars be installed; or
2) In addition to pillars, they recommend a skim bed of epoxy under the action.
 

Vandy321

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2,424
I am familiar. I have done epoxy bedding. I have made and installed pillars.

You said "Manners recommends a pillar bed at minimum..."

I am trying to clarify whether you mean:
1) They recommend pillars be installed; or
2) In addition to pillars, they recommend a skim bed of epoxy under the action.
They recommended pillars....at a minimum. I guess the question is, why not just throw pillars in and fully bed it, that is if accuracy is paramount. If durability is paramount, I'd try to find a stock with an alum bedding block, just my novice 2 cents.
 

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
6,210
Where did you get the idea McMillian doesn’t recommend bedding on their stocks? Their pillar installation process requires bedding. You can read it yourself here. I have a handful of them and they are all bedded.


Maybe that recommendation is specific to Tikkas and their ridiculous floating recoil lug? If that’s the case, I’ll refrain from further comment.
 
Last edited:

Antares

WKR
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,724
Location
Alaska
Where did you get the idea McMillian doesn’t recommend bedding on their stocks? Their pillar installation process requires bedding. You can read it yourself here. I have a handful of them and they are all bedded.


Maybe that recommendation is specific to Tikkas and their ridiculous floating recoil lug? If that’s the case, I’ll refrain from further comment.

https://mcmillanusa.com/bed-mcmilla...onclusion, NO, you do,to bed a McMillan stock.

"In conclusion, NO, you do not need to bed a McMillan stock."
 

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
6,210

Vandy321

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2,424
Of course they will say "doesn't require bedding", nobody wants to be sold a stock that they think still needs work.

But most even semi experienced folks buy a stock knowing knowing a full bed job will increase accuracy...find me a BR shooter who doesnt bed their action, maybe you can find one, but I'd wager >99% do.
 

FURMAN

WKR
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
1,793
It is not that they recommend not bedding it is that there will be little to be gained. If you are spending that kind of money on components you might as well bed the action into the stock to get the best interface you can. The mesa will most likely have the Tikka lug glued into the stock. I would bed the rifle.
 
Joined
Aug 19, 2019
Messages
687
Been thinking about doing my truck gun.

What glass bedding kits do y’all recommend?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Harvey_NW

WKR
Classified Approved
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Messages
1,489
Location
WA
I just got my Tikka build with a Mesa stock back from Kampfeld Custom, Karl said it had great fit and contact with the pillars and didn't recommend bedding. After break in these are the first two groups with just a safe load at mag length.
20211016_172226.jpg20211016_172300.jpg
 

Gila

WKR
Joined
Apr 25, 2020
Messages
1,127
Location
West
Using pillars is “bedding”. McMillan basically states that because of the composites they use with the inlets and the action bed, that stock compression with the action screws is not an issue. Therefore pillars are not required. When pillars are a desired option to be installed for some stock models, they recommend (and apply) epoxy at the ends of each pillar. That makes perfectly good sense to me because then the compression force is dispersed beyond the edges of the pillars. The T3x factory stock uses some heavy duty metal Inserts for the action screws which function similar to pillars.

With many other types of actions the recoil lug is integral and is either pinned or actually machined into the action. The Tikka action is the opposite. The recoil lug is bedded into the stock with a metal insert or other method, and the action lugs fit over top of the recoil lug. The action should fit snug over the recoil lug and there should not be gaps or play at all in the stock’s action inlet. Some hunting stocks use an integral aluminum chassis (mini-chasis) to inlet the action like with Sako’s model 20. Reading this thread has helped me narrow the search between two different stock vendors. The options are limited with aTikka action as compared to custom 700 actions but there are a few out there.
 
Top