Any Tikka owners tried to mount scope on factory rail?

[clunker]

I'm in the process of trying to mount some scope rings on my Tikka T3x Creedmoor, and I can't get those dang plastic screws out of the factory rail. The rings were already mounted on my Tikka T3 .223, but the plastic screws on that rifle came out without too much fuss. Is there some secret to getting those suckers out, or do I seriously have to get out the drill and perform surgery on my brand new rifle?

 

[Buffalo_Bill]

Have you tried screwing them through the bottom? Those holes are open to the bolt raceway. On one of my Tikkas that's how I had to get a couple of them out.

 

[clunker]

Yep! I tried up and down. They won't budge. The plastic is so soft that I'm going to strip the slotted tip if I turn any harder.

 

[clunker]

This is going to be the shortest thread ever.

Figured it out. For those with the same question, here's what I did. Use a mini screwdriver that is slightly too thick for the slot and force it into the slot. Rotate the screwdriver with a pair of channel locks or other long-handled pliers while pushing down hard on the screwdriver with your other hand. After half a rotation, they unscrew easily by hand. They were so tight that some of the plastic sheered off the screws and was embedded in the rail threads. Definitely spend some time to get that out, so it doesn't end up somewhere else in your rifle.

 

[dolek]

All you had to do is punch them out.

 

[JFrank]

I'm in the process of trying to mount some scope rings on my Tikka T3x Creedmoor, and I can't get those dang plastic screws out of the factory rail. The rings were already mounted on my Tikka T3 .223, but the plastic screws on that rifle came out without too much fuss. Is there some secret to getting those suckers out, or do I seriously have to get out the drill and perform surgery on my brand new rifle?

Any pictures

 

[xswanted]

Punch them through.

Use a little screwdriver or punch and tap them out.

I’ve done it on upwards of hundreds of Tikka rifles. After you try unscrew the first one you do you’ll use a punch for ever.

 

[clunker]

Punch them through.

Use a little screwdriver or punch and tap them out.

I’ve done it on upwards of hundreds of Tikka rifles. After you try unscrew the first one you do you’ll use a punch for ever.

Tried that, and they wouldn't budge. It would have taken a hammer with more force than I would be comfortable with, and I wasn't willing to risk damaging the threads. The little screwdriver actually started splitting the plastic rather than pushing it through. A punch might have worked better, but none of mine were the right size. If the unscrewing method didn't work, I was going to resort to a bamboo skewer, so it wouldn't damage the threads.