reciever screws tension?
I have the .308 T3 that still has the aluminum lug but it took a little tinkering with screw tension to get it to settle in.

Limbsaver recoil pad if recoil is your problem. Mine was money well spent.

^THIS^
cheapest easiest thing to try before anything else

Just a thought… You can get a lefty T3x with factory 20″ barrel and surprise him with it for Christmas. If he isn't absolutely thrilled with it the way it comes out of the box, its a lot easier to make a barrel shorter than it is to make it longer! (Can be done anytime after he gets it and tries it out) I have personal experience with .308 in… Read more

165-180 but also consider construction.
personally, I will go with 165gr Nosler partitions in a .308 as a good combination of accuracy, weight retention, and trajectory.

If it is FL resized and won't chamber check length.
If all else fails, a case guage can be your friend.

I agree on the safety.
I also wish we could top off the mag without removing it from the action. For longer than I can remember, whenever I fired a shot hunting I topped off the load as I approached the downed game.
The poly mag doesn't bother me, but the price of them sure does!

I'll give you an alternative break in process. A little JB bore paste on a patch for a few swipes to condition the bore (fine polish). Clean the bore with conventional solvent when dirty.
My Tikka barrel was very slick right out of the box. Settled in after 6-8 shots and has been great since.

The more you research this subject, the more disagreement you will find with plenty of respected “experts” coming down on both sides.
I do not do the traditional shoot/scrub/repeat break in. I think its a waste of ammo and bore wear.
I do use JB Bore polish to start out clean and polished with a new barrel and I repeat it if showing much fouling or… Read more

You can spend a lot of money trying to shave 1/2 pound.
Personally, speaking as an aging hunter that has hunted a lot of deer, elk, and pronghorn over the years, I would focus on getting myself in top condition and not worry much about a few ounces of rifle. But then again, I realize this is not a fitness forum but a Tikka forum. The limbsaver… Read more

You probably won't get your money back on your vanguard but why lose money on the scope also?
If you sell or trade and the scope is OK, I would pull it and mount it to the next rifle.

I don't see anything but maybe more grease than I use. You might try a good clean and degrease followed by fresh lube and see if it helps.

Nice. What is your total cost estimate for the final “budget build” package? If you don't mind me asking..

Its painful and feels personal when it happens but you'll always have some customers that you are better off without. The guy took advantage of your trust.

You're correct about the door. A significant part of the weight is the door. Some safes use a pin hinge that will allow you to lift the door up and off the hinges which sometimes makes moving them a little easier.

You can move one on same level pretty easy if you tip it a little and put some 1/2″ pvc or round wood dowels to roll on. golf balls also work great if its not a wood floor surface (will mar wood with grooves if heavy enough). If you have to, use a flat prybar to lift an edge up to start.
Just put it where you want it. Drill from inside the cabinet… Read more

What I would do…
Position the safe (and any pad or moisture barrier) and drill from the inside of the safe down into concrete. Over drill the safe floor if needed to clear the anchors. Bolt it down- no need to move or reposition. If you can bolt floor and wall its even better.
Use “gun socks” to prevent dings and scratches and alternate long guns… Read more

Haven't tried it but I think I could drop one mag and insert another without using my support hand for anything but holding the rifle without changing my grip on it. Topping off and reinserting reguires cradling the rifle in my left elbow or slinging it on my shoulder to use both hands to feed rounds into a mag. Picture doing this in the middle of… Read more

At least I'm not alone. I will probably pick up a spare mag, but its too bad some design engineer didn't think of a staggered mag or maybe even an option for a fixed mag with staggered top loading. (Could have fit another round in.)
Oh well, certainly not a big issue or a deal breaker. Any time I've walked up on downed game, ie deer, elk, antelope,… Read more

Thanks for the good info.
I'm new to the tikka rifles and purchased a laminated just because of this issue.
Jason, if I understand are you recommending bedding the laminated stocks also?