Scope Rings - CTR

So I probably didn't plan things out as I should, but here is my situation....

Got a Tikka CTR for Christmas (6.5CM). Have been waiting to find the scope that I want, and decided to get the Leupold VX-5 HD 3-15x44 w/Firedot reticle (**just ordered this and it is on the way).

Now...what rings?? And what size??

I was looking at Seekins rings, but they are all out of stock. Vortex PMR rings appear to be made by Seekins (or that is what I found on one website)...maybe go with them??

Any suggestions? Thank you!

I run the Seekins .97" on my CTR with a 50mm scope. The PMRs are the same thing. You can assuredly get by with .92" but you might even have clearance with the .87" rings. If you have to order, order both and send one back, IMO, or if you're not picky about height just order the .92s.


Pic of clearance:

Sportsmatch mount right to the dovetail.....very tough, rugged, and well made. Shipping is fast.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sportsmatch-TO84-30mm-suits-TIKKA-15mm-dovetails-early-Brno-15mm-eg-Model-2/302359501564?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Night Force Ultralites

I have that rifle (.308) and scope, with Warne rings. 4 years, rough hunting, everything has held up great and never had to adjust zero.

I've been known to order two sets, and return the set I didn't use.

Thanks all. One thing to note is that this will be primarily for hunting. Not sure if that matters, but I saw someone else make that point.

QuitShootinYoungBucks - Nice rig! Thanks for the visual. Curious - Did you try the .92" on yours/would it not fit with the 50MM? And anything you would do differently?

Jgraider - Will look into those. Thanks

FiremanJG - Will check those out as well. Thank you!

onlysmith&wesson - Anything you would differently? Did you mount the rings directly to the rail or on a base? And what size (all I saw were mediums - not sure if they carry 3 sizes)?

.92 is a good height

I ran the seekins .82 on my ctr with a vx5 3-15x44mm

Texican, I had some .87s on hand and they did not work with my Bushnell. I headed to my dealer and he was out of 92s so I had to use the 97s. Really it is pretty close, the 92s may have worked but I’ll never know. If the 92 would work on mine, and you have 3mm to play with, then you could conceivably go with 82s.

Not a thing



Directly to the rail, it's been 4-5 years, as I recall medium. This is great hunting set up, you'll be very happy with it.

Curious - with 82’s, we’re you able to get lens cap on?

Very nice! I am looking forward to getting to use mine in the near future.

I never tried any covers before i removed scope, but it would of been a close fit.

In the pic's I posted above, the last one was the wrong rifle from my folder, that's a T3x.

Here's my CTR. These are Medium rings. Warne posts critical dimensions, they are in .125" increments from low, medium, high and extra high. I'm confident I could have got away with low. If you go with these, order or buy medium and low, mount low and see. If you order from a place that also has a retail store where you shop the return is easy, you don't have to ship them back.

Man - thank you for those pictures! Helps me quite a bit.

S&W, do you have any experience with the direct mounts for the normal Tikka?
I've never heard of these even thought I got a couple Warne products that i like. I see the the one for the regular dove tail. The fact that it has the little recoil lug seems like it makes this thing rugged.

Back to the OP, i've been turned onto the idea over the years of interchanging scopes onto multiple rifles. Working out great so far but was also advised to get good rings. Doing this practice made me realize I really like the rings with a single 1/2" nut. I only got a couple Badger Ordnance rings I try this on, one pair of rings and one uni-mount. I've swapped the scope onto another and then back to the original rifle and it was all gravy. Once tried without my normal torque wrench but instead installed with the standard small socket wrench, again no issues. All I did was try to crank it down "hard and evenly as possible" and it worked like a charm.
Not a must have, but I really like standardizing and the single 1/2" nut feature is something I like more than I originally considered.

Yes, on the T3x shown in my first set of pictures.

On this rifle the build was all about shaving weight and increasing accuracy, sometimes hard to do. I upgraded the stock to a Bell and Carlson Medalist with an aluminum bedding block, and used that with upgraded bottom metal from High Desert Rifle Works. Fit of this bottom metal to the stock was perfect, and after working the barrel channel for full float, I was able to torque the action over original (all plastic) spec's. I put the weight where it mattered most to me.

Adding a rail is weight. Also, adding another component to any assembly is always an opportunity to add to the stack up of tolerancing. I was influenced by the lug you mention. I have nothing negative to say about using these directly to the dove tail. I've killed a pile of stuff with this rifle and hunted it hard. Recently I upgraded the scope. So after tearing down, remounting and zeroing again I'm still sold on my decision. I have to put my stuff together so that I don't have to baby it. It spends time on the front rack of my ATV, thrown over my back on a sling along with a back pack, shot a lot, carried in soft cases, etc.......

So....if I’ve never done it before, should I even try to do myself?

$35 for shop to do it. May be worth it?

Where are you located?

That's not a difficult task, relatively speaking. Cabelas or Bass Pro will do it for nothing, and I've watched them do it a few times. They set eye relief to your cheek weld, then take it back and use the same torque wrench set up most of us have to tighten it to manufactures called out torque settings. The guy that does it at BP in Grapevine does a good job, and he boresights it also. A lot of hunters here would volunteer to do it for you for nothing, me included. Then, you'll be doing your own from then on.

Weatherford

Much appreciated, S&W. May reach out!

Glad to help, we can also bore sight.

Know I'm 3 weeks late to this but I've used DNZ on Tikkas before and they've been awesome. If you're looking for a one-piece set up I'd go that way.

I recently switched to a VX5 myself and decided to mix it up. Went with Warne rings and a Mountain Tactical rail. About the only one I could find with a recoil lug, not that you really need it. That set up was perfect for the one season I've used it as well.

I really like EGW Picatinny-Style Rings. As good or better than Nightforce at half the price.
From their web page - "We bore the holes to 30mm +.0014" When we machine the profiles of the ring we build in a .030" radius on all outside edges. Next we machine a 45 degree bevel around the entire ring and clamp. We clamp the pair on a 30mm mandrill with a 1/8" pin to keep the pair exactly together. We then thread form and tap holes in the ring. Thread forming is 40% stronger than cut threads."
Contact them and they will give good advice.
https://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts-rings/