Tikka 6mm Dasher - Failure to Eject Issue

[Mags]

I recently had a brand new Tikka CTR action rebarreled to 6mm Dasher. I know a fair amount of guys around here have experience with Tikkas (and Dashers), so I'm hoping some of you can help me out.

First time shooting the rifle today, fireforming brand new Lapua brass and had ejection issues. Pretty much every other round would not eject correctly. It seems like the case is trying to eject too early (for lack of a better way to describe it) - the neck is hitting the front side of the port and then falling back into the the receiver.

No problems with primary extraction and it seems the ejector is doing what it's supposed to do... just the case is hitting the front of the port and causing it to fall back in. This issue is isolated to fired cases only, loaded rounds eject without issue. I am coming to you guys in your infinite wisdom and hoping that this will be a simple fix.

I can take a video or pictures if necessary; otherwise, please feel free to offer any advice, knowledge, experience, etc. Hoping to get this sorted out quickly.

Thanks!

 

[tbeasley]

1)have you cut your plunger spring down? It sounds like there isn't enough outward pressure to keep the case pressed up against the inner walls of the action.
2)have you checked the fitment of the sako extractor? Does it fit totally around the rim?

These answers may point us in the right directions

 

[Rtheurer]

case is to short. its at such a angle by the time it gets past the end of the chamber and then slides into the raceway there is hardly any spring pressure on the plunger to give it good kick out the door... or in this case out the port.
This is the problem with the 6BR.

 

[tbeasley]

Sounds like a longer plunger in your future.

 

[Mags]

Ok that makes sense. I've made no modifications whatsoever, figured it was smarter to ask here first before making any permanent changes.

What Rtheurer described seems to be the cause of my issue, but then I don't believe it makes sense to cut the plunger spring down. If I'm needing to try a longer plunger, are there any recommendations for aftermarket options that will fit the Tikka bolt? I've heard plenty of guys running Dashers on these actions so it's curious that mine is having ejection issues right from the start.

 

[dkhunt14]

What type of ejector is in a Tikka? Usually a Sako works bexuase it pulls up and away and doesn't let the case go into the raceway. Matt

 

[Mags]

To be honest I'm not sure, I'm assuming Sako since Tikka is made by them but that's just a guess.

I'm going to start by lengthening the cross pin notch on the plunger a little bit. Hopefully that will allow it to sit a little further out and keep pressure on the case as it comes out of the chamber and into the raceway. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can find a stiffer spring. And if neither of those things work, I'll start looking at other plunger options.

 

[Dino67]

I've got a dasher built on a Tikka. Mine has nil issues ejecting both live rounds and fired cases. I can swap in any of my 3 bolts from other 308 case head tiikas and all have nil issue. Maybe see if you can borrow someone's bolt and see if it cures your issue. You then have it narrowed down to something in your ejector spec in your bolt.

 

[Mags]

Good idea, I will see if I can track another bolt down. The gunsmith said the same thing about Tikkas, so I'm not sure why mine is having issues.

I was able to get it better - I wouldn't say that it's perfect - but a different spring and a longer plunger seems to have made a difference. I need to fine tune it a bit more but I'm hoping I can get the kinks worked out. Worst case I will track down another bolt/spring/ejector.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Texas10]

I had the same issues with all my Savages, except the 308 which ejected fine. So I removed all the ejectors from the bolt heads. No more fishing around in the action for a spent cartridge that's flipped around backwards and laying on top of the magazine. Bolt comes back, pick the brass off the head and return it to the box, load and fire. 100% reliable, and for bench shooting, why put up with anything less?

 

[Longtrain]

I ran a 595 XTC for several years, having it load and eject anything I feed it. However, after a barrel change I started to have some problems with it ejecting, causing a few alibis in rapid strings.

I replaced the ejector spring with several different lengths and compressions, did find a size that worked but, just some of the time. I turned to the extractor, a Sako design, and wondered although it extracted ok, if the claw had a deep and firm hold on the case. Pulling the bolt back it would just flop back into the well. I took the extractor and extractor spring out, stretched the spring a bit by working a flat blade screwdriver between the coils, and then using a Dremel with a cut off wheel, lightly increased the depth of the claw on the extractor.

This worked, it extracts and ejects everything it's feed. Maybe this can help.

 

[BCBRAD]

I have two Tikka's rebarreled to 6 Dasher, one uses Lapua brass the other Norma.

I have had zero issues with ejecting spent hulls.

Suggest taking bolt apart and giving it a good cleaning for starters.

 

[Mags]

I had the same issues with all my Savages, except the 308 which ejected fine. So I removed all the ejectors from the bolt heads. No more fishing around in the action for a spent cartridge that's flipped around backwards and laying on top of the magazine. Bolt comes back, pick the brass off the head and return it to the box, load and fire. 100% reliable, and for bench shooting, why put up with anything less?

This is for my PRS rifle so I need it to feed and eject flawlessly.

I have thought about looking at the extractor but haven't messed with it much. I will see about spacing the springs out and modifying the ejector slightly. A new ejector spring and a longer "custom" did help significantly as I'm able to eject pretty much every case now, though the placement is not very consistent. I'm going to mess with a few different combinations to see what works the best

Thanks all for the help!

 

[6xcshooter]

case is to short. its at such a angle by the time it gets past the end of the chamber and then slides into the raceway there is hardly any spring pressure on the plunger to give it good kick out the door... or in this case out the port.
This is the problem with the 6BR.

Get some jb weld and fill in the barrel end of the ejection port so the bolt holds on to it longer as it slides out.
Just kidding.

 

[EricF]

Super old post but this is all I could find on the subject. Mags, did you ever get this straightened out? Which magazines were people running, and did anyone think a mag kit was necessary like is used in AI pattern magazines? Thanks!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

To be honest I'm not sure, I'm assuming Sako since Tikka is made by them but that's just a guess.

I'm going to start by lengthening the cross pin notch on the plunger a little bit. Hopefully that will allow it to sit a little further out and keep pressure on the case as it comes out of the chamber and into the raceway. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can find a stiffer spring. And if neither of those things work, I'll start looking at other plunger options.

This is the correct answer

 

[Mags]

Super old post but this is all I could find on the subject. Mags, did you ever get this straightened out? Which magazines were people running, and did anyone think a mag kit was necessary like is used in AI pattern magazines? Thanks!

A slightly modified plunger (cross pin inlet lengthened) and new spring were the cures to my issue. Apparently mine was pretty weak from the factory so it wasn’t enough to kick the cases all the way out. Lengthening the cross pin inlet allows the plunger to protrude further from the bolt face and retain better case engagement throughout ejection.

Regarding mags, I run AICS exclusively with Primal Rights kits. Haven’t had a feeding issue since I’ve switched to this setup.