woodentermite Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 im looking into buying a tikka t3 in .243 and im going to be using it mostly for lamping foxes so i have settled on a nikko stirling platinum nighteater scope i was just wondering what magnification and lens diameter you would reccomend and also a good reliable set of mounts. cheers, Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 optilok are meant to go on tikka and sako rifles. As for mag setting between 6 and 8 on the lamp field of view is more important than image size anything from 40mm objective to 56mm. if you think you can place the shot you need on a fox at 50yds with no magnification at all then you can shoot a 200yd fox on 4x mag let alone 6x or 8x. Shooting 8x brings that naked eye fox in to an image size relating to 25 yds when its really out at 200 yds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockercas Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Optilock rings and bases. I have some 25mm optilock rings for sale. Like new. I wouldnt go any higher then 12x mag. Edited March 2, 2013 by cockercas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) I have Optilock, Warne and Sportsmatch mounts for my Tikkas. None are any better than the others and the Optilock are not worth the money, my Sportsmatch and Warne work, so why Optilock? Optilock was the only choice I knew of at the time for my first Tikka, never again! Sportsmatch £25 (ish) Warne £55 (ish) Optilock £100 (ish). :hmm: Sportsmatch normal mounts will not generally take a 50mm objective, you need to buy an extra mounting block/converter thing for them for bigger objective, but then you can make ANY scope fit a Tikka/Sako. Edit Whatever magnification and reticle work for you is the answer, that is far too personal to call, some like 6x at 200 yards, some like 30x at 25 yards! Edited March 2, 2013 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) I have Optilock, Warne and Sportsmatch mounts for my Tikkas. None are any better than the others and the Optilock are not worth the money, my Sportsmatch and Warne work, so why Optilock? Optilock was the only choice I knew of at the time for my first Tikka, never again! Sportsmatch £25 (ish) Warne £55 (ish) Optilock £100 (ish). :hmm: Sportsmatch normal mounts will not generally take a 50mm objective, you need to buy an extra mounting block/converter thing for them for bigger objective, but then you can make ANY scope fit a Tikka/Sako. Edit Whatever magnification and reticle work for you is the answer, that is far too personal to call, some like 6x at 200 yards, some like 30x at 25 yards! Because they hold on better, protect your scope tube better, look significantly better and are specifically designed for the gun in question, once the bases are in place you can buy further rings only for higher mounting, different tube diameters etc. Do that once or twice and the gap in price narrows. Why save £75 when you pay so much for a good gun a scope, they are the critical link between it all after all Edited March 2, 2013 by kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Because they hold on better, protect your scope tube better, look significantly better and are specifically designed for the gun in question, once the bases are in place you can buy further rings only for higher mounting, different tube diameters etc. Do that once or twice and the gap in price narrows. Why save £75 when you pay so much for a good gun a scope, they are the critical link between it all after all Very true, why invest in a good scope and skimp on the rings, mind you sportsmatch are ok, on a rimfire that is. Many Tikkas have the mounts and rings included from new, well mine did. I have leupold mounts and rings on my Tikka 308 and they do the job and are a fair bit cheaper than Tikka, Burris do something very similar to leupold but have bushings like the Tikka that are a good idea for grip and scope tube protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 My T3 came with a Picatinny rail which I removed and replaced with Optilok mounts and rings just because mate had some spare bases and I found the rings on ebay. I don't shoot anything bigger than Roe.'Scope is a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10 x 50.Plenty big enough for me, but it's a personal choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Because they hold on better, protect your scope tube better, look significantly better and are specifically designed for the gun in question, once the bases are in place you can buy further rings only for higher mounting, different tube diameters etc. Do that once or twice and the gap in price narrows. Why save £75 when you pay so much for a good gun a scope, they are the critical link between it all after all They don't hold better they all hold fine, and there is only one base screw in the Optilock for a starter! Protect your scope better, doesn't need protecting if the engineering is accurate and Sportsmatch and Warne Don't damage the scope. Look significantly better, an opinion I don't necessarily share, and so what. Designed for the gun in question, so are Sportsmatch and Warne! Get what you like and spend what you like, but there is NO advantage in Optilock! You NEED the plastic ring inserts in the Optilock because there is no alignment between base and ring, an appalling design flaw which means it is virtually impossible to line up base and ring 100%, thats why you need the insert! Edit Some here seem to have fallen into the money trap, "they are more expensive so they must be better". WRONG. Being Less expensive on these mounts is not an indicator of an inferior product, more expensive for Optilock is a measure of Because we can, they are ours (Sako/Tikka) and because we want a big margin! The OP asked about mounts, he now has some options! Edited March 2, 2013 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Ive got Optilocks on my T3 and they are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 You NEED the plastic ring inserts in the Optilock because there is no alignment between base and ring, an appalling design flaw which means it is virtually impossible to line up base and ring 100%, thats why you need the insert! Must admit,the above is a pain in the aris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 All scope rings without exception need aligning, some of the best are made to be lapped in. You might not think it Dekers but then again judging from the mounting errors that come up on here on a weekly basis...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 All scope rings without exception need aligning, some of the best are made to be lapped in. You might not think it Dekers but then again judging from the mounting errors that come up on here on a weekly basis...... Come on Kent, we certainly have differing views on some things but you are clutching at straws if that is the best you can do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Come on Kent, we certainly have differing views on some things but you are clutching at straws if that is the best you can do! If you are happy to fit a scope like that fine, mind you I don't believe in cheapy scopes, low grade ammo either. Its amazing how easy some think scope mounting is' it takes me quite some time to do correctly and much time checking on the range that I have it just right. Each to their own I cannot make a horse drink either, it has to want to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) If you want a debate Kent lets do it by PM, you listed a lot of Plus points of the Optilock and I took it apart, they are no better, and possibly WORSE to the inexperienced than some other mounts. I have used/do use all the mounts I quoted, they ALL work, and I spend a lot of time zeroing, just what are you talking about? My view based on experience is that Optilock have design flaws, are overpriced and offer no advantage over the other mounts I use. As I have previously said, If you want to use them then fine, but lets not get into daft debates about this and comments like......"All scope rings without exception need aligning, some of the best are made to be lapped in"... of course they do BUT, only by a TINY minority of hard core target shooters, and Optilock are without doubt nowhere near the best and Sako/Tikka are not used by TOP target shooters anyway (except in like for like competition), they are simply not good enough to compete with the Best. If these mounts were any good people would be shouting for them to be available for all makes, after all, it would only mean a change in the base! Buy what you like, spend what you like, but there are other choices, that from my hands on experience work as well or better, and are cheaper! I have presented information on other makes as the OP asked, I do not bow down to overpriced badly designed product (whatever they may be), yes Optilock work for me, after a load of faffing about mounting and obvious design flaws, so do other mounts, so why pay for Optilock when others perform as well! Edited March 3, 2013 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Surely the design of them means they effectively line themselves up, and is possibly the whole point of them other than nice plastic inserts that don't damage scopes. I've got to say on mine I like them they hold an expensive scope well never lost zero and job done, could I have done it with some dekers special cheapies possibly but you never know its lost zero after a knock till it happens. 2 years of being out up to 4 days a week on truck roofs, high seats and general lugging about they've stood up to everything thrown at them are they worth the money who knows they just seem to do what they are meant to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 If you want a debate Kent lets do it by PM, you listed a lot of Plus points of the Optilock and I took it apart, they are no better, and possibly WORSE to the inexperienced than some other mounts. I have used/do use all the mounts I quoted, they ALL work, and I spend a lot of time zeroing, just what are you talking about? My view based on experience is that Optilock have design flaws, are overpriced and offer no advantage over the other mounts I use. As I have previously said, If you want to use them then fine, but lets not get into daft debates about this and comments like......"All scope rings without exception need aligning, some of the best are made to be lapped in"... of course they do BUT, only by a TINY minority of hard core target shooters, and Optilock are without doubt nowhere near the best and Sako/Tikka are not used by TOP target shooters anyway (except in like for like competition), they are simply not good enough to compete with the Best. If these mounts were any good people would be shouting for them to be available for all makes, after all, it would only mean a change in the base! Buy what you like, spend what you like, but there are other choices, that from my hands on experience work as well or better, and are cheaper! I have presented information on other makes as the OP asked, I do not bow down to overpriced badly designed product (whatever they may be), yes Optilock work for me, after a load of faffing about mounting and obvious design flaws, so do other mounts, so why pay for Optilock when others perform as well! if you stuck with some good glass and good mounts you wouldn't need to spend all that time Zeroing now would you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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