I took my Tikka Lite in .300 Win Mag out to the range yesterday.

It has been a couple of years since I shot it. The zero was still good and I was breaking clay targets out at 200 yds without too much trouble (before the wind picked up).

I still don't like how the thing slaps me in the face every time I squeeze off a shot.

I have a Limbsaver on it, and the recoil doesn't bother my shoulder at all, but the damn thing keeps jumping up and slapping me on the face.

Anyone know a way to counter this face slap from a lightweight Tikka?

BH63

Sounds like the wrong stock for your build.

Just from my limited experienc but being slapped hard in the cheekbone is usually from too light of a barrel or too high of a comb.

My 458 Win Mag Zastava Mauser had a .660" muzzle diameter barrel and a roll over cheek piece and was absolutely brutal. I had it re-barreled to a .750 diameter and shaved the rollover off the top of the stock and now it's a pussycat.

Are you holding onto the foreend when shooting at the range? Sporters with strong recoil aren’t designed to be shot with your left hand under the butt despite what you see on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
Sounds like the wrong stock for your build.

Exactly!

Had a 7x64 Blaser with one of those utterly stupid European stocks.

I saw stars each time I fired that bloody thing!

quote:

Originally posted by Bushchook:
Are you holding onto the foreend when shooting at the range? Sporters with strong recoil aren’t designed to be shot with your left hand under the butt despite what you see on the internet.

Actually I do shoot it that way as I use a bipod.

I think the stock fit and lightness of the rifle has a lot to do with this as well as I sometimes shoot my .375 Ruger this way and don’t get whacked in the face.

I’ll try holding the forearm and see how that works. I also have a cheek piece I can strap on and see if that helps.

Thanks.

BH63

A 300wm should weight about 3.4kg not 2.8kg as tikka t3 light.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
Sounds like the wrong stock for your build.

Exactly!

Had a 7x64 utterly stupid Blaser, as they all are. with one of those utterly stupid European stocks .

Fixed it for you Saeed.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
Sounds like the wrong stock for your build.

Very few realize how important stock fit is on a rifle. If you want to keep it, find a stock fitting gunsmith in your area and get it fit to you. You will never be sorry.

It is a one piece plastic thing, so I would have to buy a new stock.

I’ll try changing the way I shoot it and modify my stock weld.

It’s a good shooting rifle and I get MOA groups at 100 yds, but because of the face banging it is not fun to shoot.


Maybe that’s why I haven’t shot it for a while. LOL

Cheers,

BH63

There's a bunch of cheek protectors that attach to your stock starting at about $11 on MidwayUSA. Haven't tried any but it might be worth a shot.

Good luck. Unless you are a masochist, that is a great recipe to develop a flinch.

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:

quote:

Originally posted by Bushchook:
Are you holding onto the foreend when shooting at the range? Sporters with strong recoil aren’t designed to be shot with your left hand under the butt despite what you see on the internet.

Actually I do shoot it that way as I use a bipod.

I think the stock fit and lightness of the rifle has a lot to do with this as well as I sometimes shoot my .375 Ruger this way and don’t get whacked in the face.

I’ll try holding the forearm and see how that works. I also have a cheek piece I can strap on and see if that helps.

Thanks.

BH63

I’ll bet you find you can shoot better off a bipod when holding the foreend (as you would shooting offhand) than you can with your left hand under the butt (crossed arm hold).
I’ve had a bipod for 40 years and have tried both styles on a number of rifles. The crossed arm method seems to work ok with light recoiling rifles and/or very heavy barrels but I have found it provides inconsistent results with something like a magnum sporter.
When you hold onto the foreend there is little or no change of impact point when shooting off the bipod on different or sloping surfaces or when shooting from field positions offhand, prone or sitting either. This certainly doesn’t hold true with the crossed arm method.
I have shot a T3 lite and they are fairly lively so maybe a neoprene boot over the cheekpiece wouldn’t be a bad idea. My “utterly stupid” Blaser R8 pro success .300 is a little heavier but fine off the bench.
An interesting article here from a bloke that concurs with my thoughts on bipod and bench technique for sporting rifles :- https://www.ballisticstudies.c...mv=-&__utmk=87357208

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
I took my Tikka Lite in .300 Win Mag out to the range yesterday.

It has been a couple of years since I shot it. The zero was still good and I was breaking clay targets out at 200 yds without too much trouble (before the wind picked up).

I still don't like how the thing slaps me in the face every time I squeeze off a shot.

I have a Limbsaver on it, and the recoil doesn't bother my shoulder at all, but the damn thing keeps jumping up and slapping me on the face.

Anyone know a way to counter this face slap from a lightweight Tikka?

BH63

Change the angle on the buttplate.

Mag Na Port or a brake.

Thanks for all the good suggestions.

I will start shooting it off the bench by holding on to the forearm as has been suggested.

Of all my rifles the only one I shoot off the bench holding onto the forearm is my .416 Rem Mag. I guess I will have to add the Tikka to that category as well.

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
Sounds like the wrong stock for your build.

Agree...face slap is generally from stock fit. Ill be honest though...a 300 mag from a light gun like that is not going to be gentle regardless of how you stock it.

Have a read of this - very useful for lighter weight rifles with significant recoil.

https://www.ballisticstudies.c...old+that+Forend.html

Great article! Thanks guys!

BH63