Switching Tikka Factory Barrels

BigDawgWill44

Lil-Rokslider
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Feb 25, 2020
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223
Question on Tikka rifles. I see guys posting all the time factory barrels they take off and sell. I have a 6.5x55 Swede and find it harder these days to get good factory ammo (don’t reload). My buddies shoot the 6.5 creedmoor and the 6.5 PRC and have enough Precison Hunter and reloading components to supply a 3rd world country so I could get as much ammo as I want. Is it easy as spin my barrel off and put on a new one in these other calibers? Does a gunsmith need to do it? Will these calibers work on the factory Swede? Any info is greatly appreciated.


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Buzby

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Jul 3, 2019
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378
The bolt face will be different. PRC is a mag, creedmoor and Swede, are a standard bolt face. You could swap in a creed barrel and be good to go. I haven’t done it, but Tikka barrels are known to be a bit more difficult to remove.
 

Tmac

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Mar 16, 2020
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Swede has a little larger base diameter than the CM, iirc, best to consult a gunsmith to see if they are close enough to be interchangeable. If not, see if the bolt face can be opened up to take a PRC, if not, sell it and get what you want.
 

XLR

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Should be able to swap them right over. Both Swede and creed should be a 473 bolt face. It is always good practice to run a go/no go gauge in just to double-check your headspace! Also take into consideration how hard it is to get Tikka barrels off. The barrel shank is so short on some of them that you do not have much to grab onto. I have had to put relief cuts around the barrel in order to get them off. When you are ready to swap the barrel, take some KROIL and put it on the inside of the action so it can seep down into the threads. Leave that there for a couple of days and then do it again. You can put a foam earplug in the chamber to keep it from getting inside your bore! That is the best advice I have though because they are a pain!
 

B23

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Aug 17, 2017
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If it's just going to be a one time barrel swap I'm not sure it would make sense to buy the tools required to take the old barrel off and install a new prefit but if you have some buddies and y'all have Tikka's and plan to do a few rebarrel jobs then it may make sense to purchase the necessary tools to remove/install a new prefit barrel.
 

Jimbee

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Mar 16, 2020
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I bought a new 6.5CM and pulled the barrel off with no issues, it twisted right off with a wheeler universal action wrench and a barrel vise. I did have kroil soaking into the threads for about 3 weeks while waiting for a new barrel. Sample of one, but I plan on doing some more barrel swapping.
 

wildcat33

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Feb 17, 2015
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CO
You might be able to cut a new chamber in the barrel you have. A smith can open up the bolt face if you want to PRC.

Smith near me just quoted ~250 to cut a 6.5cm chamber to 6.5-284 for a tikka.
 

tyler75

FNG
Joined
Jul 22, 2020
Messages
15
It took a breaker bar to pop the atolls action off the barrel. I was worried I might of messed up the action but it shoots good.
Definitely need go/no go gauges, and torque wrench for installing new barrel


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You might be able to cut a new chamber in the barrel you have. A smith can open up the bolt face if you want to PRC.

Smith near me just quoted ~250 to cut a 6.5cm chamber to 6.5-284 for a tikka.

Wouldn’t cartridge length also be a factor? 6.5 creed is a short action, and the 6.5-285 long. I could be wrong though.


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wildcat33

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Feb 17, 2015
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Wouldn’t cartridge length also be a factor? 6.5 creed is a short action, and the 6.5-285 long. I could be wrong though.


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Tikka actions are all same length. All that is needed is a LA mag and longer bolt stop.
 

SDHNTR

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Aug 30, 2012
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6,210
Man you’ve got the grand daddy of em all already! The Swede is what started the 6.5 craze. To me, the easy solution is to just start reloading. Keep the tradition alive!
 

Redside

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Jul 23, 2013
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Southwest MT
Have you tried ammoseek? Maybe I'm not looking at the correct caliber as it seems like quite a few options in 6.5x55.
 
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Tikka actions are all same length. All that is needed is a LA mag and longer bolt stop.

I am definitely wrong, LOL. Thanks for clearing it up. Apparently tikka blocks the mag and adjusts the bolt stop for short action cartridges. Appreciate all the good info.


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I had no trouble swapping my 308 barrel for a 6.5 creedmoor with the wheeler action wrench and a barrel vise. No kroil needed. Just make sure the action wrench isn't over the barrel threads. Maybe mine was an outlier.
 
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Krumfola

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Dec 8, 2021
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I've seen factory takeoffs for sale and I'm interested in getting a stainless fluted. Has anyone done a barrel swap like this? How likely are the flutes to line up correctly? Pics?
 

Formidilosus

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I've seen factory takeoffs for sale and I'm interested in getting a stainless fluted. Has anyone done a barrel swap like this? How likely are the flutes to line up correctly? Pics?

Not sure what you mean by the flutes lining up correctly? The barrel will headspace fine, the markings likely won’t be in the normal spot.
 
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