[Barraddict]

Dog Down
Thanks for the reply, those pillars look great, but being in Australia makes it a bit impractical to get them. I ended up going with the Lumley kit as they have a distributor in Melbourne and I got them over night. I have always made my own from aluminium, but I've just moved interstate and my entire workshop is in 2 40' containers at the moment including my Mill & Lathe, hence the need for a kit!

Just a couple of points for anyone using the kit.
1. Score the outside of the pillars with a stone or drum sanding bit to increase grip (Mechanical Lock), as they are very smooth/polished

2. Only drill 1mm over the size of the pillars (pretty much the standard I've always used even with heavier walls)

3. Score inside the holes you drill in the stock to increase grip (Mechanical Lock)…dremel make a flat circular cutting tool perfect for this.

4. Use the original Tikka action screws to install the pillars prior to bedding, the taper on the screws centre the pillars perfectly and they also are small enough to pass through the holes in the stock when bedding.

5. The recoil lug is a very tight fit in the stock and the action, I put a very small chamfer on the top front and back edges to help it locate fully in the lug grove on the action.

6.When bedding I only pushed the lug into the stock 1/4″ then put the devcon up to it on either side. I then located the action onto the lug and used the action to push it in the remaining distance. You may need to tap the action at the lug area to centre it if your barrel tape isn't sitting down and centred in the stock. The wax (mold release) on the action will assist it in sliding to centre.
* You may be inclined to put the lug onto the action first, but if you get bedding material into the recoil lug groove on the stock you may get a hydraulic and not allow the action to get completely down.

Hope this helps anyone using this kit in the future

Cheers