Tikka Action with Different Tikka Factory Barrel

[bharv2221]

I own a Tikka T3x Superlite and I want to remove the barrel and replace it with another factory barrel (a 20” CTR). So I’d be using my Superlite action still. Obviously, they are both chambered the same and the threading should be no issue.

I have had two different gunsmiths. Tell me that they are concerned about the head spacing fitment after replacing it. In theory it should work, right? Their main concern is that they will not be able to torque the barrel back into the action as tight as it was when it was delivered from the factory. To remove the barrel it takes 200+ pounds of torque but only 80 pounds of torque to put it back on. So they think that it may not be threaded on as far as it was originally which causes the issue.

Has anyone done this or have any experience? Any thoughts that would either agree, or disagree with the gunsmiths?

 

[dirtytough]

People do it every day. Torque the new barrel on and check.

 

[Macintosh]

I did it just this past weekend. Especially the older tikkas have a reputation for being extremely difficult to remove. Not sure if they are put on cold, if they use an adhesive, or if they just torque the snot out of them. Regardless, it is par for the course to be hard to remove. The new barrel with some anti-sieze is much easier.
Anyone worthy of the title “gunsmith” should be able to check the headspace after fitting the new barrel to make sure it is within spec. If you get guages you can easily check this yourself. Tikkas have a good reputation for having good-enough tolerances to do what you are trying, but worth checking. They are probably not used to working on tikkas and are used to other actions that dont maintain close-enough tolerances to do this—they are just trying to save you some $ if thats the case, but people do this all the time and they usually headspace correctly.
If you search this site there are at least a dozen threads on the topic, including a sticky at the top of the firearms forum.

 

[SamsonMan22]

I have an action here that has been through 4 factory barrels and not one problem with any of them, a second action is on its third factory barrel and no problems there either. Screw the new one on and check head space and shoot, I highly doubt it will be out of spec. All of my 6.5cm barrels have had fired brass that kept the same length or within .001” of previous chambers.

 

[atmat]

As others have stated, you’ll be fine.

 

[MattB]

It seems the OP is asking if he needs to check the headspace or if he could just assume and shoot it?

 

[atmat]

It seems the OP is asking if he needs to check the headspace or if he could just assume and shoot it?

Headspace gauges are cheap; always check them.

 

[SamsonMan22]

If you are having a smith do it they should already have the gauges to check it quick. I check mine because I have gauges and it only takes a minute. That being said I doubt you will get one out of spec, anything is possible but so far every one of mine has screwed on and been good to go.

 

[wyosam]

It will be fine- though the engraving has ended up in the wrong spot on most factory barrels I’ve moved. They aren’t hard to remove if you get the whole thing cold, then apply a tiny bit of heat to the action. They pop right off with nothing close to 200ft/lbs.


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[sdupontjr]

I own a Tikka T3x Superlite and I want to remove the barrel and replace it with another factory barrel (a 20” CTR). So I’d be using my Superlite action still. Obviously, they are both chambered the same and the threading should be no issue.

I have had two different gunsmiths. Tell me that they are concerned about the head spacing fitment after replacing it. In theory it should work, right? Their main concern is that they will not be able to torque the barrel back into the action as tight as it was when it was delivered from the factory. To remove the barrel it takes 200+ pounds of torque but only 80 pounds of torque to put it back on. So they think that it may not be threaded on as far as it was originally which causes the issue.

Has anyone done this or have any experience? Any thoughts that would either agree, or disagree with the gunsmiths?

I was in you same situation. I looked for almost 1 year for a 20" CTR takeoff in SS with the only one found, and it turned out to be a scam. There were only a few blued models and they had tons of shots down the barrel. I ended up buying a CTR here on the site for an intended purpose, but now I have gone a different route. Replaced it with a different stock, plastic bottom metal and T3 lite mags and also pulled the rail off the CTR action. Sold all the new takeoff items. Now it looks basically like a short barrel T3x 308, just with a slightly heavier barrel. I'll prob suppress it.

You may be better off buying a Preferred barrel prefit, then waiting on a CTR takeoff. Or just simply go my route.

 

[sdupontjr]

They have a few on JA Outdoors right now. Lucky you.

 

[wind gypsy]

It's been posted before but this is an interesting video on the tikka/sako factory. I wish they would have covered the barrel fitting part but it looks like they make a stack of barrels and just spin them on actions rather than "fitting" each barrel to an action.

 

[TAArrowood]

In a production environment like TIKKA's, they use a form tool to cut the Shoulder, surface to be threaded and the chamber face all in one cut/one pass.. The single tool is ground to very precise dimensions and can guruantee dimensions within well under one thousandths of an inch.. That's the reason the haedspace is so repeatable.. as the cutting edge wears they simply grind a few thousanths off the surface to get a new cutting surface and the dimensions never vary... I used to do it every day while at TRW on steering gear columns that were the same concept except that the shoulder was searated rather than threaded... They don't do it like a gunsmith would on a lathe.... They do it on screw machines or similar at high volumes.. Im talking hundreds of barrel per hour.. In fact, they can chamber the bore at the same time before the barrel blank is cut to length... Again well under 1 thousandth of an inch to spec.. With the right equipment high quality, precision and repeatability are really pretty easy to acheive and maintain..

 

[dpalinsk]

I just saw this video and was waiting to see how they mated the barrel to the barrel to the action but like noted above, they skipped that part. Must be some proprietary stuff they didn’t want filmed. I also noted the rifling is not cut into the barrel but is actually pressed into it during the cold hammer forging process. Because of this method, Sako claims there’s no need to break the barrel in!