Broke a Tikka T3x in less then a year

[PNWGATOR]

 

[jimh406]

Anything can break. I'd consider starting over even if you buy Tikka again. You can probably get a decent trade for it.

I think the biggest problem with test drops is you don't know if you caused damage unless it's obvious.

 

[TaperPin]

Your cocking ramp was asking to be greased.

 

[eric1115]

This is like hearing from the Chevy and Dodge guys that Fords are trash because your bumper dented when you backed your F150 into a bollard.

 

[TaperPin]

This funny European gun is growing on me - I still picture European dudes at the factory dancing together listening to Techno music and eating rotten shark fins while assembling them.

Yesterday, Scheels had a pair of stainless 8” twist 22-250’s for $675 ea. and that seems like a good deal for what you get. I picked up a 22 Creed barrel for $400, and it will be another $100 for brass and $100 for dies. An entire rifle for only $75 more if I can use existing dies makes sense.

Those 8” twist 243’s were a little more, but like the 22-250, still lets someone with existing 243 brass and dies shoot heavy bullets for cheaper than getting geared up with new 6 creed stuff.

The plastic hurts my heart, like that really fun, good looking gal that turns out to have IBS. Luckily aftermarket steel parts can be more easily replaced.

 

[The Harbor Master]

This funny European gun is growing on me - I still picture European dudes at the factory dancing together listening to Techno music and eating rotten shark fins while assembling them.

My mind's eye cannot unsee this, and I will forever picture the Tikka/Sako factory this way. Thank you, sincerely.

 

[Hunter270Win]

my tikka has a weird noise that it makes when I put the bolt down. Probably unrelated but check out my thread on it… weird.

 

[chindits]

I think the drop is coincidental as the scope took the initial impact. The mimic drops on the pad were attempting the same rifle orientation. Checking my records the mimic drop test was on 11/17 and from that point until last week there were no issues. What I failed to make clear is the rifle shooting live ammunition to verify the replacement scope dope did not have difficult bolt lifts. I believe it was dry firing that seemed to initiate the difficult bolt lifts last week and definitely this week. The first time it occurred last week I wasn’t paying close attention because there weren’t any prior issues.

I have taken this bolt apart in the past and I know you twist the shroud past cocked to remove the shroud and back to uncocked to remove the bolt handle and firing pin. I don’t know how to take the shroud off without taking it past cocked position notch. I also know the spring being pinned during this process makes it easy. I was providing full disclosure when I admitted removing the bolt in the field yesterday and twisting the shroud the wrong way to disassemble it. However, I have made this mistake before and always been able to manually (with just my hands) cock the bolt outside the rifle to then twist it past cocked for subsequent shroud removal. Not easy but doable if your hands aren’t cold.

The bottom line the bolt worked fine for live rounds and then seems like it didn’t with dry firing. Obviously timing could all be coincidental. Or maybe carbon gets knocked loose dry firing but not live fire. It seems like the firing pin would have to get a lot of grit to resist bolt lift, but I’m not seeing it. I have the parts on order, but I probably will not dry fire again until they arrive.

 

[JGRaider]

Well, I obviously don't know what happened, and apparently you're not sure either which is fine. I find this interesting because I've owned 6 Tikkas dating back to 1998, my son has 3, and my nephew has 3, and we've never had the first issue. Then again, we don't intentionally beat the crap out of them either or drop them on rocks. That' obviously doesn't help the cause of the problem at all.

 

[JGRaider]

You didn’t understand correctly. You read what you wanted to read. The on purpose drops were 18inches on a pad over snow, and I doubt he intended to drop test over rock mid hunt. I don’t think a lot reasonable person would call the 18 inch drops abuse.

Then again, IMO a reasonable person doesn't throw his scoped rifle around on the ground for the heck of it for the sake of a "test". Whether he intended to drop it on the rocks is irrelevant, as it doesn't change the fact that it was dropped on the rocks.

 

[Southern Lights]

Tikkas are reliable rifles. It looks like the bolt has been physically damaged.

Sako TRGs come with a cocking wrench which can help put the bolt into the cocked position if you uncock it by mistake out of the rifle. You can do it with your hands also, but takes a bit of finesse and if the bolt is not lubed well can be hard.

This is what the tool looks like for the Tikka. The Sako TRG version would likely work as well.

Tikka Bolt Cocking Wrench Tool -

Tikka Bolt Cocking Wrench Tool. Tikka T3, T3x, CTR, Tac A1 models. Factory original Tikka part made in Finland to the highest standards and specifications.

jaoutdoors.com

 

[Bowfinn]

Then again, IMO a reasonable person doesn't throw his scoped rifle around on the ground for the heck of it for the sake of a "test". Whether he intended to drop it on the rocks is irrelevant, as it doesn't change the fact that it was dropped on the rocks.

I guess we have different opinions of what throwing a rifle on the ground or “beating the crap out of his rifle” means. I agree with you on the initial drop on the rocks that had potential to cause significant damage to his scoped rifle. So I feel like he was doing a reasonable function test with his intentional drops at a later date.

 

[chindits]

Yeah I never bought into the drop tests because I don’t drop my guns, well actually there was a time in an MRAP roll over but who’s counting. Then a funny thing happened this year. I take my gun out of my rifle carrier on the side of my pack just to hand carry it through the oak brush as I climbed out of a canyon. Both feet slip at the same time on a steep climb. I avoid the face plant and drop my rifle. When I shot that bull a couple days later I wanted to see if my poi changed from the drop or was it just positional. I tested doing an impact no where near what the hunting impact was. Some people would put their rifle away after processing that bull and not shoot it until next season. I am just an idiot that wants to understand was it the scope, was it positional. I know it wasn’t wind and I know it wasn’t time related. I watched that bull for 4-6 minutes. I wasn’t excited, it was the second smallest bull I’ve killed and my freezer wasn’t empty.

So probably unrelated but the cocking ramp looks galled, but I don’t know if that’s even something I could feel. The nose of the cocking indicator does ride higher on that ramp now because of the bend. So I might try buffing that out. Hard to photo

 

[chindits]

 

[Shortschaf]

View attachment 810706

Hard to say if a bent cocking piece lead to galling the ramp, or if a galled ramp lead to a bent cocking piece.

Did you ever have a STUCK cartridge that took great effort to extract?

 

[chindits]

I do occasionally get a hard to extract case. Maybe 1 in 25 on cases that are on their 10th firing.

I have 50 hand loads in virgin brass that I was going to use for off hand practice but I haven’t gotten to it yet. There only 140eldms so I don’t expect apples to apples.

 

[chindits]

Nothing that I would call “great” effort but I don’t have much of patience with that

 

[Hunter270Win]

LOL...been saying these are junk......but RS loves them. I think most just don't publicize their problems as they are too embarrassed or don't want shit from the RS gang ganging up on them....LOL. Until you buy one, then spend a load of money making them into something that works...you might as well just have bought a good rifle to begin with. Good luck with your Tikka.

What is better for the price than a base Tikka? Genuinely curious.

Something stainless steel that’s as reliable and accurate.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

LOL...been saying these are junk......but RS loves them. I think most just don't publicize their problems as they are too embarrassed or don't want shit from the RS gang ganging up on them....LOL. Until you buy one, then spend a load of money making them into something that works...you might as well just have bought a good rifle to begin with. Good luck with your Tikka.

I have been saying this for a while. I think its an over rated gun. Its what the M700 used to be. Guys buy them, if they shoot, great, they still replace the stock. If it doesn’t shoot you get a stock and a new barrel. Back when they were $500 guns new, its no big deal. But Tikka prices have gone up and they aren’t that great of a deal. Yeah yeah, I am going to hear about how the actions don’t need any work etc.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]