Ultralight reliable tikka rings?

[Macintosh]

Looking at a tikka build with a focus on reducing weight, but maintaining reliability. All my other tikkas use a oem pic rail. I’m hoping to cut some weight here and elsewhere—an ounce here, an ounce there, etc adds up. Looking at everything, curious what options the “reliability crowd” likes when erring on the ultralight side of things? These’ll be 30mm/low rings. I searched, I am hoping to get some better first hand accounts on some of the really light options, which I couldnt really find.

UM direct mounts are 4.5oz
Hawkins featherweight are 1.9oz. And are a frontrunner, as well as a question mark.

What has your experience been with these? What other good options have folks had success with (and what do they weigh?)??

 

[nm.otter]

I'm running a set of these torqued to factory specs, but they've seen no real abuse so far.
67 grams including fasteners and recoil lug.
134.5 grams for the UM Tikka rings with fasteners and recoil pin.

 

[Andouille]

Sportsmatch are a good option, I didnt weigh mine but ive seen 100g mentioned, and they are appreciable lighter than UM rings and probably 6061 aluminum, which is preferable over the Warne Hyperlite's magnesium alloy, which is reputedly prone to stripping.

 

[Chris in TN]

I put the Sportsmatch rings on the Tikka 6.5cm I bought for the kids this summer. Degreased everything, mounted a NF SHV and it has held zero perfectly after shooting through the summer (not high round count, but almost every trip involved being thrown in the bed of the SxS and bouncing around the farm to where we shoot, and back) and then driving it to Colorado, running up and down those terrible USFS roads for 10 days, then driving back home, then another two months of deer season.

I have no idea what they weigh. But they've held thus far.

 

[id_jon]

I switched from UM rings to pic rails and NF ultralights so everything was standardized and easier to move scopes around. They're almost the same weight. Like within .2oz or something

 

[Macintosh]

I'm running a set of these torqued to factory specs, but they've seen no real abuse so far.
67 grams including fasteners and recoil lug.
134.5 grams for the UM Tikka rings with fasteners and recoil pin.

Those look interesting. How is height? Looks like the lowest they offer is “m”, no low. Is it a relatively high ring, or is it the equivalent of a low rings on a pic rail?

 

[Macintosh]

Where is the go-to place to get sportsmatch rings? I recall they arent widely distributed.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

I know people trash talk them, but I've been running Talley one pieces on Tikkas for about 20 years, and have never had a problem with them. I don't abuse my rifles per se, but I don't baby them either (I've been know to use a Tikka for a walking stick, and a climbing aid, and to throw the gun in the truck without a case, etc, LOL).

 

[Ferrulewax]

Sportsmatch.

 

[bigunit]

I know people trash talk them, but I've been running Talley one pieces on Tikkas for about 20 years, and have never had a problem with them. I don't abuse my rifles per se, but I don't baby them either (I've been know to use a Tikka for a walking stick, and a climbing aid, and to throw the gun in the truck without a case, etc, LOL).

I was about to say the same. Have at least 6 sets of talleys. I did Crack one at one point on the top near one of the clamp screws but that's was before I had an inch pound torque wrench so I may have ham fisted it too much.

 

[nm.otter]

Those look interesting. How is height? Looks like the lowest they offer is “m”, no low. Is it a relatively high ring, or is it the equivalent of a low rings on a pic rail?

Their 30mm medium is 1.05" above bore, same as the 30mm UM Tikka lows.
1/4" clearance from 42mm objective bell to Superlite barrel.

 

[nm.otter]

Where is the go-to place to get sportsmatch rings? I recall they arent widely distributed.

Airguns of Arizona was the place. Tariffs have made them not cheap.

 

[Ferrulewax]

Airguns of Arizona was the place. Tariffs have made them not cheap.

Just looked, you aren’t kidding. Those are basically double what I paid a couple years ago.

 

[bojangles808]

Sportsmatch to84

 

[Formidilosus]

Looking at a tikka build with a focus on reducing weight, but maintaining reliability. All my other tikkas use a oem pic rail. I’m hoping to cut some weight here and elsewhere—an ounce here, an ounce there, etc adds up. Looking at everything, curious what options the “reliability crowd” likes when erring on the ultralight side of things? These’ll be 30mm/low rings. I searched, I am hoping to get some better first hand accounts on some of the really light options, which I couldnt really find.

UM direct mounts are 4.5oz
Hawkins featherweight are 1.9oz. And are a frontrunner, as well as a question mark.

What has your experience been with these? What other good options have folks had success with (and what do they weigh?)??

Using functionally anything other than Sportsmatch, UM, or legit bonded pic rail for “less weight” is like choosing a Leupold for less weight.

Sportsmatch TO84 are what you seek.

 

[Macintosh]

@Formidilosus this is going on a traditionally low combed stock and scope is a lpvo, so I dont need much height. Are the to84’s low enough?

Also, any experience with the warne hyperlites that nm otter linked above? With a tikka dovetail and recoil pin they seem like they should be a good option.

 

[Formidilosus]

@Formidilosus this is going on a traditionally low combed stock and scope is a lpvo, so I dont need much height. Are the to84’s low enough?

Well, it depends. They are low enough that a 40mm is about as much as will fit on a standard tikka barrel.

Also, any experience with the warne hyperlites that nm otter linked above? With a tikka dovetail and recoil pin they seem like they should be a good option.

Absolute junk. Do not hold zero from real use, and strip and fail. The lowest and lightest ring ms on a 30mm Tikka worth using are the Sportsmatch.

You might call Near and see if they’ll make you a direct to rail mount that is lower…. But it’ll cost.

 

[ni7ne]

I've been happy with the durability of the Warne magnesium rings so far, as much as that would not be my first material choice for anything threaded.

By the numbers, a 4 screw setup in magnesium should have slightly higher clamping force before stripping than a 2 screw setup in 6061 with all else equal, which is not uncommon.

If warne offered dimensionally identical hyperlites in 6061/7xxx, I would have chosen them.