I just picked my Tikka T3 0.243 Winchester that has a set of
factory scope rings that came with the rifle. I am leaning
towards a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope. Does anyone have comment on the rings that come with the TIKKA T3? Are they
sturdy enough?

THANKS

i dont know if the tikka rings that come with them are good as i have not seen them yet. it they are not strong enough get 2 weaver 61 bases and a set of burris z rings. it is strong and light. the tikka optilock are the best but they are heavy and pricey. i dont care for the millet rings as they have put a nasty ring mark on one scope.

I have scoped over thirty Tikka Whitetail hunters and T3's. The rings that come with the T3 are an alloy aluminum,and I believe they may be soft enough to loosen up after repeated recoil. Millett makes the steel ring offered by TIkka, so I buy the same Angle-loc ring (# TK00002) medium high, for up to a 44mm lense opening, from Millett for a couple bucks less. They have a paper insert to protect and grip the scope barrel. They are also windage adjustable. ALso like your choice of scope. Have put on several and had zero complaints. I also shoot 2 Tikka rifles and think they are the best buy in the rifle market today. Happy shooting....Ken

Ken, Thanks for the advice on the rings. I should have a
free weekend within the month to sight the rifle in.
As you have a lot of experience with these rifles do
you recommend a "break in" when shooting the first time?
I have read postings that suggest shooting five rounds, then cleaning the barrel, shooting five more, etc...
Is this necessary? I do plan to clean the barrel before
I start shooting, more as a precaution to remove any filings,dirt, and so on from the manufacture of the gun.

JMC

I use the Millet Angle-locs with good results as well...nary a hitch so far...either on Weaver bases or mounted directly to the receiver.

JMC...Take your time with the scope mounting, to make sure the locking lugs are square and the mount sits flat on the reciever. Attach rings first, but don't tighten them solid. Place scope on rings while they can be moved to allow for alignment of rings on the scope tube. Last thing is to snug down the rings to the reciever, making sure as you do this, every thing stays in proper alignment. Try to get ring centered so lugs are evenly spaced from side to side. All new scopes come with there Elevation and windage adjustments centered. Use some type of bore sighting to make first sightin adjustments with the attachment lugs on the rings, then fine tune it with the scope dials when you
start to shoot.
I think it is important to break in any rifle, but especially those with small bores. This process can be coordinated with other proceedures, like sightin and load development, if you reload. The proceedure I use is, clean after each of the first three shots. Then after each three shots, until you have fired 24 totally. Then after each 5 shots, for the next 25. This should remove most of the rough spots and allow for multiple shots before cleaning without a drop in accuracy. Remember, cleaning will change your point of impact, so don't try to do any fine sight adjustment until after several fouling rounds have been fired.
Sorry for my rambling, but some of these things will help make your shooting experiance more injoyable.....Ken