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New to rifles and the T3
First off, I don't own a rifle. I have just been into shotguns and pistols for about 7 years now and am now getting around to the world of rifles.
For about 6 months I have been going into the gun shop handling and holding different rifles to see what feels best for me. And the Tikka feels best. (I may be a little bias cause I love my beretta shotguns.) But, honestly it does. Most of the other rifles I held seemed to be rather flat in the stock and grip. anyway…
Other than the tikka feeling good in the hand, I've heard nothing but praise when it comes to accuracy. So those are the two big wins!
Here's my technical question. Whats with the aluminum recoil lug? And here's the kicker, being a complete novice and merely guessing by the term of the part, what does it exactly do?
When I would read the reviews of the tikka, the “con” of the ALUMINUM recoil lug always pops up as a major issue. Is it something that can be changed out? does a Steel lug improve durability? does a steel one affect performance? Please, I am ready to pull the trigger on one of these rifles (pun intended) but need more infor on this issue. Thank you
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4 Replies
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New to rifles and the T3
updated 7 years, 8 months ago
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The slot machined into the bottom of the action sits on top of the lug, which is inserted into the stock. When the two are mated together, it essentially ties the action to the stock. The recoil lug helps transfer “recoil” from to barreled action to the stock, so the two will recoil together, or as one. In theory, the better they work together, the better the rifle's accuracy will be.
Some heavier recoiling rifles will mar the factory lug. The factory lug is easily changed out. Pull it out of the stock with a pair of vise grips, and tap a steel replacement in with a nylon hammer. Steel replacements are designed to hold up better. This website sells them in their store.
Performance will be as good or better, with a steel replacement lug.
Best of luck with your new rifle.
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YukonAl described it perfectly. My 30-06 showed some damage to the lug after 50 rounds or so, and I bought the hard lug from http://www.tikkaperformance.com. My T3 Sporter .223 on the other hand shows no such marks and I don't feel any urgency to mess with the recoil lug. I think it is a factor of recoil although if I get the stock bedded I will probably change out the lug. That said, the high quality replacement part in question is about $30 and should not be the deciding factor in choosing a rifle. The best measure of a factory rifle is Accuracy and fit in that order (in my opinion). If the rifle fits you and is accurate, you can play with the details to focus on either as you like.
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I'm going to have to side with both YukonAL and Eric. Get the Tikka. You won't regret it.
As far as the recoil lug goes, it depends on the amount of recoil you're likely to have. You didn't mention a caliber so it's difficult to determine how much effect on an aluminum lug there will be. Like Eric inferred, the lighter calibers may do just fine with the factory lug.
When in doubt, upgrade. Steel lugs are available, fairly inexpensive and (I think) have tighter tolerances that the factory aluminum. I'm upgrading my entire stock with a replacement from the store here and as a bonus, it comes with a steel lug.
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Sorry if this is not relevant to this subject but I am interested in your pistol endeavors. Where are you from and what pistol shooting do you do? (if you are willing to share).
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