Five years ago while re-assembling my Tikka T3 Lite rifle, the plastic "bottom metal"/trigger guard on the rifle cracked. Frustrated I went online to order a new one, and was taken aback by the lack of a suitable replacement. The OEM trigger guards from Tikka were expensive and never seemed to be in stock.
Sitting down with a good friend who happens to have a fancy engineering degree and a state-of-the-art machine shop, we created the prototypes that would eventually become High Desert Rifle Works's Tikka T3 Aluminum Trigger Guard.
We make our Aluminum bottom metal/trigger guard out of 6061 aluminum then hard coat anodize it. Our Trigger Guard is designed to accept factory Tikka magazines and works with the Tikka T3/T3X Lite, Superlite, Compact, Varmint, Stainless, Forest and Hunter models. Our Trigger Guard will not work with Tikka's awesome Compact Tactical Rifle (CTR).
What do you get when you purchase a High Desert Rifle Works Tikka T3 Aluminum Trigger Guard? Besides the Trigger Guard, you will get a Craftsman T25 Torx driver, shim kit, vinyl American Flag patch, and some swag.
Why a shim kit? During our exhaustive testing, we found that factory Tikka stocks are not uniform regarding the bottom metal/trigger guard well. In some instances, when an aluminum bottom metal/trigger guard is installed on a factory stock, the magazine does not seat correctly. This issue rarely arises with factory plastic trigger guards because the plastic guard flexes, which negates manufacturing inconsistencies and allows the magazine to seat. Aluminum is more rigid than plastic, so it does not flex. Our solution? Include a shim kit that allows an end user to shim out the Trigger Guard in .010 inch increments.
Although the increased rigidity of aluminum over plastic potentially adds the step of custom fitting the guard to your Tikka, it brings additional benefits. Aluminum's increased strength means you can easily torque the action screw to 45 in/lbs. The guard's decreased flexibility removes vibration. These two benefits together increase accuracy.
Tikka makes a fantastic rifle. The addition of our Trigger Guard maximizes the accuracy potential of the rifle and will not fail.
Uneasy about swapping out the Trigger Guard? Ship it to us, and we will happily install it. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
info@highdesertrifleworks.com
For reference, I dont normally give feedback. Your product performance on my equipment warrants my endorsement.
Bottomline: the outcome of putting your bottommetal piece + pillar bedding kit from Lundy cut bench group from 1.275" to 0.42" @100yds using out of the box .243Win Federal PowerShok, 100gr @2960fps.
I did same bottommetal + pillar bed instal on two different Tikka T3x .243Win with different low-end Nikon scopes.
Both rifles group size = no notable variance.
I put my 18yo daughter behind one of the zeroed rifles; she was successful from the bench with numerous hits on 4" disk @180yds.
Your product enabled consistent and notably better results using commonly accessable equipment.
Well done.
Best regards, Happy New Year-2022 from South Texas.