Tikka Action - Shilen Blank

[Dusty Stevens]

Tikka T3x AICS Bottom Metal - Short Action and Long Action DBM

Our nEXTgen AICS Bottom Metal for Tikka T3/T3x short action and long action rifles. Aftermarket and replacement detachable box magazine (DBM) kit using AICS magazines for Tikka Rifles

www.redsnake-tactical.com

I’m not a huge fan of his latch but he makes good stuff and is a super nice guy!

This solves one of your issues Dusty.

If intj and them make em theyll be top shelf stuff

 

[INTJ]

The tikkas are cool if you make a nice hex lug to go between the action and barrel that matches the action when faced off and get rid of the plastic parts like bolt shroud and bottom plastic. If yall made those 3 items id go back to using tikkas and yall would have to buy more machines to keep up with the public. Make a good bottom metal like yall aready have that takes good mags.

We have bottom metal in the works. Not sure how much length they will have. Not sure on the shroud or lug yet.

These Tikka's will be under $3k, have a McMillan stock, an Ace cut rifled barrel, and will be chambered by fussy guys who dial in the throat area using Interapids.

 

[LVLAaron]

When you turn a shank down, its length of course becomes “longer”. I started with a blank having a short shank, so that when turning its diameter to 1.2”, it didn’t become excessively long. Just a visual preference of mine. As others mentioned, turning the radius off the action allows a 1.2” shank to mate up nicely.
View attachment 1426478

Never seen a tikka that wasn't on a store shelf... what's that face look like before its cut?

 

[BuffaloBill]

Never seen a tikka that wasn't on a store shelf... what's that face look like before its cut?

I don’t have a before pic, but the factory action has a radius that leaves a shoulder just large enough for the factory shank diameter, 1.1??”.

 

[Carl S]

Never seen a tikka that wasn't on a store shelf... what's that face look like before its cut?

They normally have a bearing face for the barrel shoulder around 120 thou.sometimes it's less.if it's less I face it off.the chamfer is a bugbear of mine.no need for it.

 

[X Count]

The tikkas are cool if you make a nice hex lug to go between the action and barrel that matches the action when faced off and get rid of the plastic parts like bolt shroud and bottom plastic. If yall made those 3 items id go back to using tikkas and yall would have to buy more machines to keep up with the public. Make a good bottom metal like yall already have that takes good mags.

The hex lugs are already on the market from a few places. After market bolt shrouds and bolt handles are cheap. Others make drop in replacement aluminium bottom metal or you can upgrade to AI format if you want to spend the extra.

IMHO the biggest downside of the tikka is the factory recoil lug. There is VERY little surface area engaging on the action. Even once you have bedded the whole lot there is still room for the action to move back and forth in the clearance between the recoil lug thickness and slot in the action. I recently did one by cleaning up the slot and then making a custom recoil lug that was a very neat fit. With switching to the hex lug there is no standardized length to take off the face of the action which becomes a problem and even more so if you end up with multiple rifles you want to switch barrels on.

The tikka is a great off the shelf value for money but think that you start loosing that value when needing to do the mods to get it to the next level. Bit controversial but almost think the howa is as good / better action for a budget custom build. Fixed recoil lug, strong action, good camming and cheap to start with so it doesn't cost as much to throw all the unused pieces in the bin. Pretty much a copy of the old Sako actions. Letdown is the absolute rubbish bottom metal on the howa minis but the medium and long actions are good so hopefully they bring out a good factory option for the mini. . . .even better if it took AR mags!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Long rifles makes a lug thats close to perfect.

 

[WSnyder]

Bit controversial but almost think the howa is as good / better action for a budget custom build.

I’ve got a Mini right now I’ve been playing with just to check out and see how they do. A little rough finish wise compared to the Tikka but pretty solid. There are aftermarket bottom metals available in several flavors. A couple are back ordered due to some supply issues but hopefully back in stock soon.

 

[INTJ]

Interestingly, a local builder who does Tikka's all the time no longer replaces the recoil lug. He said he used to, but found zero difference in how the rifles shot.

This make sense. I think the longest you can open up a Tikka is 3.5, so most of the cartridges will be short to medium. Might get a .338 or .375 on a WSM case, and that might need more recoil lug.

This might be another Rem 700 recoil lug thing. Nobody really likes the factory Rem lug, or even the sandwiched design, but it works okay.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Interestingly, a local builder who does Tikka's all the time no longer replaces the recoil lug. He said he used to, but found zero difference in how the rifles shot.

This make sense. I think the longest you can open up a Tikka is 3.5, so most of the cartridges will be short to medium. Might get a .338 or .375 on a WSM case, and that might need more recoil lug.

This might be another Rem 700 recoil lug thing. Nobody really likes the factory Rem lug, or even the sandwiched design, but it works okay.

Once you start messing with them youll see fast that keystock is a piece of junk

 

[INTJ]

Once you start messing with them youll see fast that keystock is a piece of junk

I have messed with them and agree it isn't the best design, but if it allows repeatable small groups, is it really an issue?

 

[X Count]

I’ve got a Mini right now I’ve been playing with just to check out and see how they do. A little rough finish wise compared to the Tikka but pretty solid. There are aftermarket bottom metals available in several flavors. A couple are back ordered due to some supply issues but hopefully back in stock soon.

I've seen a couple of hinged floor plate options ages ago but they were really expensive. Is there any newer budget options? It would be ideal if someone did like a HS style mag kit for them. Something that had a genuine flush fit 3 round for carrying and then switch out to 5 or 10 extended if you need

 

[WSnyder]

^^^ The two hinged styles are $175 and $185. The blind mag is $150. The DBM for CZ mags is $125 no mag included. Mags I believe are $50 ish.

 

[Dimner]

If you buy the barrel from the manufacturer see if they will turn down the breach end to 1.125". That's what I did for my Tikka rebarrel.

Which manufacturer did you go with and how did you like it?

I'm stuck in a 50/50 choice situation between buying a shilen (not select match) from Brownell's and having my smith install it with a 3-4 month wait or sending it to douglas and have them do it for a 2 month wait.

In a perfect world, I would find a bartlen #3 30 cal in a 10 twist and have my smith install it. But I cannot find it anywhere.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Which manufacturer did you go with and how did you like it?

I'm stuck in a 50/50 choice situation between buying a shilen (not select match) from Brownell's and having my smith install it with a 3-4 month wait or sending it to douglas and have them do it for a 2 month wait.

In a perfect world, I would find a bartlen #3 30 cal in a 10 twist and have my smith install it. But I cannot find it anywhere.

Funny you should ask. It's a Krieger barrel for a Tikka T3 Varmint in 22-250. I could not get the barrel to shoot consistently. Krieger replaced it. Turn the shank down again. The second barrel works great.

I had Fisher T&C do the work. Installing barrels is all he does so his turn around is pretty good.

Fisher T and C

www.fishertandc.com

 

[BuffaloBill]

The last barrel I fitted was to a friend’s Tikka. That barrel blank we happened to find in Krleger’s current inventory list. It was a 6mm, MTU with a 1.200” shank dia., so it mated to the action nicely (after facing the action).

Did we just get lucky to find this in stock? I often read about people running into long leadtimes for the blank of their choice.

 

[Dolomite]

Does it make any difference to have the larger barrel shank on the tikka action? Is it just for looks or does it cause accuracy issues to have 1.25 barrel shank hanging over a 1.1 action face?

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

Does it make any difference to have the larger barrel shank on the tikka action? Is it just for looks or does it cause accuracy issues to have 1.25 barrel shank hanging over a 1.1 action face?

That would look so awful, the thought of it kinda turns my stomach.

 

[Randfal]

Do not waste your time and money letting someone up sell up into turning down the action shoulder. Completely a waste of time and money. The barrel tenon OD can be turned down in the same operation when it’s being threaded and chambered. Leaving the the shoulder factory also allows you to just install a pre-fit barrel (without nut). The quality on Tikkas is so good they all headspace the same. I’ve been measuring every Tikka I rebarrel for a few years and they all measure the same or within a thou. And they are all as “true” as they get so forget using that excuse. Just no benefit that warrants bastardizing a perfectly good action because some Remington gun plumber thinks it’s the thing to do.

 

[ChrisNZ]

That is absolutely true as to how consistent machining tolerances are in Tikkas. Can you imagine being able to interchange a differently-chambered Remmie bbl and find the headspace is well within tolerance? If the Fins can manage it, why isn't it more common?