What would you do - glued rail?

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What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tubs » 08 Sep 2022, 8:21 pm

So, imagine you had a 308 Varmint Tikka, about 10 years old. Youve shot it a fair bit and found it extremely accurate. It has a 20MOA MDT rail. Great gun.

One day when cleaning it you realise that the rail isnt drilled and tapped - it has only been glued on (epoxied?).

What do you do?
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Blr243 » 08 Sep 2022, 8:44 pm

It’s just like if you find out that you were adopted Roll with it
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bladeracer » 08 Sep 2022, 8:51 pm

Tubs wrote:So, imagine you had a 308 Varmint Tikka, about 10 years old. Youve shot it a fair bit and found it extremely accurate. It has a 20MOA MDT rail. Great gun.

One day when cleaning it you realise that the rail isnt drilled and tapped - it has only been glued on (epoxied?).

What do you do?


If it shoots fine don't do anything with it.
If it's not shooting great re-epoxy it.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by on_one_wheel » 08 Sep 2022, 8:53 pm

The old saying rings true
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it "
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Die Judicii » 08 Sep 2022, 9:40 pm

A little Bear will fix it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, :lol:

Don't lose any sleep over it,,,,,,,,,,,, just get a grip on yourself. :drinks:
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tiger650 » 08 Sep 2022, 10:47 pm

Depends, 5 minute Araldite is an epoxy, so is Devcon.
Poor surface prep with even Devcon will give poor adhesion.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Diamond Jim » 08 Sep 2022, 11:50 pm

If it's "extremely accurate" then don't do anything and worry about it if it falls off. If it works, it works.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bigpete » 09 Sep 2022, 2:21 am

Run around with my head in my hands screaming about the unfairness of it all.....then install iron sights :D
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by northdude » 09 Sep 2022, 4:23 am

on_one_wheel wrote:The old saying rings true
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it "

Or if it aint broke fix it till it is
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Boundry Rider » 09 Sep 2022, 8:49 am

Tubs wrote:So, imagine you had a 308 Varmint Tikka, about 10 years old. Youve shot it a fair bit and found it extremely accurate. It has a 20MOA MDT rail. Great gun.

One day when cleaning it you realise that the rail isnt drilled and tapped - it has only been glued on (epoxied?).

What do you do?


In my personal opinion which should not be taken as advice: I would drill and tap it as is and install Loctited grub screws, in the future you may want it removed for whatever gunsmithing reason, then to reinstate it just clear out the thread in the pic rail so it will bed on the action with some bedding compound.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by on_one_wheel » 09 Sep 2022, 4:43 pm

northdude wrote:
on_one_wheel wrote:The old saying rings true
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it "

Or if it aint broke fix it till it is


:lol:
Done that a couple of times

I've got 2 standard warranties that come with my work.

"It's fixed or it's f***ed"

The one 2 warranty
"Once it's f***ed, too f***ing bad"
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Lazarus » 09 Sep 2022, 4:57 pm

FWIW
Personally, I'd leave well enough alone.

I've had too many experiences of seeing something that was working turn to shyte by trying to "reinvent the wheel"
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hurt, and doing it anyway.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tubs » 09 Sep 2022, 9:29 pm

Every time I launch one of my SMK 175 grain pills down range at 2600fps I cant get over the thought of the rail and scope flying off and smacking me in the face
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bladeracer » 09 Sep 2022, 9:51 pm

Tubs wrote:Every time I launch one of my SMK 175 grain pills down range at 2600fps I cant get over the thought of the rail and scope flying off and smacking me in the face


It's more likely if it breaks that the scope will go forward, that differential force is what causes such a failure, the rifle recoils rearward and the mass of the scope tries to stay in place.
If it concerns you just have it drilled and tapped.
If you remove the bolt and look inside the receiver you should be able to see if there are holes already drilled for it, but if it's been glued I would expect it hasn't been drilled.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tubs » 10 Sep 2022, 1:40 am

Ye definately not drilled
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Die Judicii » 10 Sep 2022, 12:49 pm

Tubs wrote:Ye definately not drilled


So, what is the problem ?
Either drill and tap it,,, or leave it as is.

Nobody else can make that decision but yourself.
I do not fear death itself... Only its inopportune timing!
I've come to realize that,,,,, the two most loving, loyal, and trustworthy females in my entire life were both canines.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tubs » 10 Sep 2022, 1:11 pm

Die Judicii wrote:
Tubs wrote:Ye definately not drilled


So, what is the problem ?
Either drill and tap it,,, or leave it as is.

Nobody else can make that decision but yourself.


Thank you for that pearl of wisdom
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by SCJ429 » 10 Sep 2022, 1:21 pm

Tubs wrote:So, imagine you had a 308 Varmint Tikka, about 10 years old. Youve shot it a fair bit and found it extremely accurate. It has a 20MOA MDT rail. Great gun.

One day when cleaning it you realise that the rail isnt drilled and tapped - it has only been glued on (epoxied?).

What do you do?

After 10 years I would whip off that 308 barrel and switch to 6mm BR and shoot 105 VLDs.

Also my Tikka T3 action came with four drilled and tapped mounting holes so you could always get a rail to suit if you want it bolted on.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by SCJ429 » 10 Sep 2022, 1:24 pm

Die Judicii wrote:
Tubs wrote:Ye definately not drilled


So, what is the problem ?
Either drill and tap it,,, or leave it as is.

Nobody else can make that decision but yourself.

No need to tap the rail, just need holes to poke the bolts through.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bladeracer » 10 Sep 2022, 1:26 pm

SCJ429 wrote:No need to tap the rail, just need holes to poke the bolts through.


The receiver is not drilled and tapped.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by SCJ429 » 10 Sep 2022, 1:31 pm

Are you sure? All the T3 actions I have see have them from the factory.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by niteowl » 10 Sep 2022, 3:12 pm

Tubs wrote:So, imagine you had a 308 Varmint Tikka, about 10 years old. Youve shot it a fair bit and found it extremely accurate. It has a 20MOA MDT rail. Great gun.

One day when cleaning it you realise that the rail isnt drilled and tapped - it has only been glued on (epoxied?).

What do you do?

I have only just really read this post.

!. the RAIL will not be drilled and tapped ! Drilled, should be.
2. If the rail is "glued" on, can you really see if the action is drilled and tapped or not ??
3. Is it actually a T3 as people have suggested?

I am not sure of a Tikka 10 years old, but I have been a licensed gun smith since 1968 and have never seen a T3 that is not drilled and tapped. They come with little plastic plugs in the holes that can be a pain to unscrew and are usually just pushed through the holes to remove.
I have to admit I am not sure when the T3 came about.
Or is the problem old age and not reading it all properly?
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bladeracer » 10 Sep 2022, 3:23 pm

SCJ429 wrote:Are you sure? All the T3 actions I have see have them from the factory.


I would've expected it be myself, but he says it's not, and there has to be some reasonable excuse for gluing the rail on instead of screwing it if it already has holes.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by bladeracer » 10 Sep 2022, 3:31 pm

niteowl wrote:I have only just really read this post.

!. the RAIL will not be drilled and tapped ! Drilled, should be.
2. If the rail is "glued" on, can you really see if the action is drilled and tapped or not ??
3. Is it actually a T3 as people have suggested?

I am not sure of a Tikka 10 years old, but I have been a licensed gun smith since 1968 and have never seen a T3 that is not drilled and tapped. They come with little plastic plugs in the holes that can be a pain to unscrew and are usually just pushed through the holes to remove.
I have to admit I am not sure when the T3 came about.
Or is the problem old age and not reading it all properly?


I think he means the rail is not screwed on, and extrapolating that the receiver is not drilled and tapped.
Should be pretty easy to look inside the receiver to see if there are holes.
He said it's a "Varmint Tikka"? The T3 Varmint appears to be dovetailed and screwed.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by dnedative » 10 Sep 2022, 3:48 pm

Soldering or epoxying scope bases and rails in addition to having screws fitted is somewhat common, more common back in the day when it was a gunsmith job to fit em and they didnt want them to ever come loose.

An un-tapped tikka action is odd to say the least.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by niteowl » 10 Sep 2022, 3:58 pm

bladeracer wrote:
niteowl wrote:I have only just really read this post.

!. the RAIL will not be drilled and tapped ! Drilled, should be.
2. If the rail is "glued" on, can you really see if the action is drilled and tapped or not ??
3. Is it actually a T3 as people have suggested?

I am not sure of a Tikka 10 years old, but I have been a licensed gun smith since 1968 and have never seen a T3 that is not drilled and tapped. They come with little plastic plugs in the holes that can be a pain to unscrew and are usually just pushed through the holes to remove.
I have to admit I am not sure when the T3 came about.
Or is the problem old age and not reading it all properly?


I think he means the rail is not screwed on, and extrapolating that the receiver is not drilled and tapped.
Should be pretty easy to look inside the receiver to see if there are holes.
He said it's a "Varmint Tikka"? The T3 Varmint appears to be dovetailed and screwed.


Yes that is why I queried the "T3"
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by Tubs » 10 Sep 2022, 6:25 pm

Its a T3, looks like prev owner screwed the rail in and glued over the tops of the screws with something gooey?! WTF.

Oh well, all I need to work out now is a method for removing the glue that doesnt take 3 hours per screw and/or wont chemically melt everything
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by dnedative » 10 Sep 2022, 6:44 pm

Tubs wrote:Its a T3, looks like prev owner screwed the rail in and glued over the tops of the screws with something gooey?! WTF.



That's alright, better than red loctite.
Like I said, really not such a bad thing.
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Re: What would you do - glued rail?

Post by JohnV » 11 Sep 2022, 9:35 am

If you do need to remove it remove any screws and try placing a cloths iron on it and heat it up as much as you can . It might just pop off . I would be inclined to leave it alone if it's still rigidly attached and shooting ok .
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