Length of pull is one of those things that most shooters know matters but few actually adjust. The factory setting works well enough at the range, so it gets left alone. But “well enough” and “right” are two different things — and the gap between them shows up in your consistency.
What length of pull actually is
LOP is the distance from the face of the trigger to the centre of the recoil pad. On a factory Tikka T3x, that’s approximately 13.4 inches (340mm). On the T3x Compact models, it’s shorter — around 12.6 inches.
The right LOP for you depends on your arm length, your shooting position, and what you’re wearing. A shooter in a t-shirt at a benchrest needs a different LOP than the same shooter in a heavy jacket shooting off sticks in the field. There’s no universal number — it’s personal.
How to tell if yours is wrong
Shoulder the rifle with your eyes closed. Settle into your natural shooting position. Open your eyes. If you can see a full, shadow-free sight picture without craning forward or pulling back, your LOP is close. If you have to adjust your body to find the scope, it’s not.
Other signs your LOP is off:
- Your trigger finger wraps too far around the trigger (LOP too short) or barely reaches it (too long)
- You feel cramped behind the scope, especially prone (too short)
- Recoil pushes the scope into your brow because you’re leaning in too far (too short)
- Your shoulder pocket doesn’t naturally catch the recoil pad (too long)
How to adjust it
On a Tikka, LOP adjustment is done by adding spacers between the stock and the recoil pad. The process takes about five minutes:
- Remove the two screws holding the recoil pad to the stock
- Pull the recoil pad off
- Place the spacer(s) against the stock face
- Reattach the recoil pad through the spacers using longer screws as needed
The Nokka LOP Spacer Kit includes an adapter plate, a 10mm spacer, and a 20mm spacer. Use one spacer, both stacked, or neither — giving you four LOP settings in 10mm increments (0, +10mm, +20mm, +30mm).
A note on recoil pad compatibility
The Nokka spacers are designed for Tikka OEM stocks and work with both factory recoil pads and popular aftermarket pads like the LimbSaver AirTech. If you’re running a non-standard pad, check that the mounting hole spacing matches the Tikka standard before ordering.
What to do after adjusting
Once your LOP is set, re-check your scope’s eye relief. Changing the stock length shifts your head position, which changes where your eye sits relative to the scope. Loosen the ring screws, shoulder the rifle naturally, slide the scope to where you see a full picture, and retighten.
If you’re also adding a cheek riser, do both adjustments before setting eye relief — otherwise you’ll be doing it three times.
For the full setup sequence, see: How to Set Up Your Tikka T3x for Precision Shooting.
Make your Tikka fit you
The Drop Comb Cheek Riser and LOP Spacer Kit, bundled and set up to work as a system — at a price that beats buying them separately.
