Hydrographic for Tikka

[Desertguy]

Debating getting a Tikka since they make LH models, but the veil and roughtech don’t come in lefty. If I got the standard T3x and had the stock hydrodipped and the barrel cerakoted, would that make the barrel sit too tight in the stock and cause accuracy issues?

 

[MuleyFever]

You can always just open up the stock if you are worried about it.

 

[MTlan66]

Stocks are quite easy to carve out if it does. I have primarily owned cheap rifles, and have had to carve the plastic stock on nearly all of them to float the barrel.
Depending on how handy you are, and the look you want, a decent sponge paint job is quite easy to execute.

 

[EastHumboldt]

As muleyfever said it’s real easy to open up the barrel channel on a factory T3x stock. Do that before you dip it and cerakote so you dont mess up your camo job. Search “open up barrel channel” and you’ll see different ways to do it. I took some 80 grit sandpaper and put a piece of packing tape on the smooth side. Then I loosened up the action screws and run the sandpaper back and forth against the barrel (with the smooth side against the barrel). Factory tikka socks are usually $75 or less on here so if you F it up just get another one out of the classifieds. I put a rattlecan camo job on several of my tikkas. Little spots have rubbed off here and there, but you know what… I have more paint.

YMMV and remember this is free advice you got on the internet from a guy you don’t know.

 

[Desertguy]

As muleyfever said it’s real easy to open up the barrel channel on a factory T3x stock. Do that before you dip it and cerakote so you dont mess up your camo job. Search “open up barrel channel” and you’ll see different ways to do it. I took some 80 grit sandpaper and put a piece of packing tape on the smooth side. Then I loosened up the action screws and run the sandpaper back and forth against the barrel (with the smooth side against the barrel). Factory tikka socks are usually $75 or less on here so if you F it up just get another one out of the classifieds. I put a rattlecan camo job on several of my tikkas. Little spots have rubbed off here and there, but you know what… I have more paint.

YMMV and remember this is free advice you got on the internet from a guy you don’t know.

Dumb question but how much should you shave off the stock if you do it before getting it dipped? You don't know for sure until you get it dipped, so do you shave down until you can tell a difference?

 

[The Harbor Master]

Dumb question but how much should you shave off the stock if you do it before getting it dipped? You don't know for sure until you get it dipped, so do you shave down until you can tell a difference?

There are contact bumps in the barrel channel that are touching your barrel by design, so yes your hydrodip and cerakote will touch if you do not clear the barrel channel.

It would be hard to overdo it. The consensus is, take enough off that you can fit a dead cat through the gap. Then take off a little more.

As said, the stocks are fairly cheap if you screw something up. Clear it out real well, re-assemble with barreled action and check. You should AT LEAST be able to slide a doubled up (folded in half) piece of paper from muzzle to action. I'll try to find pics that @mxgsfmdpx has posted, or he can chime in showing what that looks like.

Edit, here's the post:

Post in thread 'Tikka accuracy question' https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/tikka-accuracy-question.413302/post-4251336