Tikka T3 light strikes

[dixiecricket]

Anyone deal with this before?

I've recently have more light strikes with my Tikka .308 shooting factory M118LR than in my entire life. I have shoot at least 10k of M118lr and can never remember a failure to fire in any other bolt gun or gas gun. now, Im getting 1-5 per 100 rounds fired. The primers don't have very deep impressions, and I tried shooting each of them several times.

Even had a FTF on a CCI BR4 primer from a reload. Swapped the FP with one from another T3, didn't seem to make a difference.

already checked for debris, gunk, dried lube, rubbing, etc. Protrusion looks good, checked headspace on the rounds and they are fine.

Looking for any other oddball cause......

 

[atblis]

Brass with too deep of primer pockets.

 

[dixiecricket]

I will look for some primer setback. Im going to pull the bullets and try the same primers in my AR10.

 

[atblis]

I had one case out of 50 that had too deep of a primer pocket and would not fire now and then. Finally figured out it was the same case after the third time it happened.

I was assuming you were reloading the same cases. If it's different brands/lots/etc. I doubt this is your problem.

 

[dixiecricket]

Most of it was factory M118LR, spread out over 2-3 different lots. Sure, they have hard primers, but I have fired thousands M118lr through bolt guns and gas guns, with zero FTF if the round would chamber.

I also fired neary 800 rounds of M118 out of this particular rifle with no issues until recently. Im baffled and wondering if there is binding that i cannot find by sliding FP in the bolt by hand.

I have several hundred old M80 cases that I sized and primed but never loaded. Maybe fire them off until I can recreate the issue while watching the FP.

 

[atblis]

Do you have a comparator gauge (like Hornady) for headspace? It might be interesting to see if the offending non firing rounds are shorter and thus possibly not held as close to the bolt face.

ETA: I see you checked headspace on the rounds. Were they shorter?

 

[atblis]

Googling I found a scenario were somebody had a similar problem with a Tikka and it was the scope mounting screws interfering with the firing mechanism.

 

[dixiecricket]

Yep, I checked that too. I don't really see how that would have caused the problem, unless he couldn't close the bolt all of the way.

 

[atblis]

I was wondering myself. Was planning on pulling my Tikka out and looking at it.