DIY Tikka Barrel Swap, By Dioni Amuchastegui

[Justin Crossley]

In this article, Dioni explains his process and the tools he used to do his own rifle build on a Tikka action. Check it out if you're thinking of doing your own rifle build.

DIY Tikka Barrel Swap

 

[NSI]

Great writeup Dioni. Nothing to niggle with, tracks with my experience.

-J

 

[Dioni A]

Thanks

Great writeup Dioni. Nothing to niggle with, tracks with my experience.

-J

Thanks! I was a bit intimidated at first but it really is a simple process.

 

[Muley Buck]

Nice job Dioni. Great write up.

 

[XLR]

Great write up! One thing I would like to note is when you are checking your headspace with a Hornady comparator set, you also have to make sure the diameter of your comparator is correct. For example, if the comparator measures .418" and the datum line measurement calls for a .420" then your measurements are not going to be correct. I have measured a few of the Hornady gauges and they have varied a ton. Just figured I would make note of that, so someone doesn't measure brass and think their chamber is out of spec. I would always recommend just renting some gauges from 4D reamer rentals and going that route to be on the safe side.

 

[Dioni A]

Great write up! One thing I would like to note is when you are checking your headspace with a Hornady comparator set, you also have to make sure the diameter of your comparator is correct. For example, if the comparator measures .418" and the datum line measurement calls for a .420" then your measurements are not going to be correct. I have measured a few of the Hornady gauges and they have varied a ton. Just figured I would make note of that, so someone doesn't measure brass and think their chamber is out of spec. I would always recommend just renting some gauges from 4D reamer rentals and going that route to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the clarification. I had measured mine when I bought them, but didn't think to mention that for the article.

 

[willfrye027]

One thing I’ll add regarding barrel torque. I had a tikka barrel nut prefit that was constantly losing zero, chased my tail and finally realized it was not torqued down hard enough. I now err on the side of torquing those suckers down as much as I physically can with the tools I have.

 

[Dioni A]

One thing I’ll add regarding barrel torque. I had a tikka barrel nut prefit that was constantly losing zero, chased my tail and finally realized it was not torqued down hard enough. I now err on the side of torquing those suckers down as much as I physically can with the tools I have.

There doesn't seem to be a downside to torqueing them harder other than difficulty of removal later. I do think the barrel nut system is less forgiving that way. Thanks for sharing. I think it would be great if the comments filled up with more information for people looking to do this. I hope this becomes a one stop shop for roksliders looking to do a tikka barrel swap.

 

[willfrye027]

There doesn't seem to be a downside to torqueing them harder other than difficulty of removal later. I do think the barrel nut system is less forgiving that way. Thanks for sharing. I think it would be great if the comments filled up with more information for people looking to do this. I hope this becomes a one stop shop for roksliders looking to do a tikka barrel swap.

After that experience I probably will not do another barrel nut, they are just a bit harder to get right I think.

 

[VinoVino]

After that experience I probably will not do another barrel nut, they are just a bit harder to get right I think.

After my experience swapping to a barrel nut prefit, I would also like to throw my vote in for shouldered prefits for any future barrel swaps. I’d never done this before, so maybe it was my inexperience, but it was a bit fiddly getting the headspace right and torquing it down.

 

[TaperPin]

Great write up!

If you are considering this, by far the hardest part is removing the old barrel and as stated in the article heat is your friend. Many are intimidated with a propane torch because overheating and causing heat treat issues is a big no no. 200 - 250 degrees is well below any tempering temp and easy to check with nothing more than water. Evenly heat the threaded area and use a drop of water to determine when to stop - water boils at 212f.

Degreasing everything also helps increase friction a lot.

Barrel torque to keep the barrel from shifting can vary a lot depending on how well the mailing surfaces match up. Mass produced rifles get really high torque above 100 or even 150 ft lbs to squish less than ideal machining together. Benchrest barrels on custom actions have won national championships with 50 ft lbs.

One thing I’ve found if you are searching on eBay for a used takeoff in a different caliber, is you have to search in a few different ways or the goofy search algorithms won’t show a lot of good deals. Of course search for “Tikka barrel”, but also ”rifle barrel” ”take off barrel” “takeoff barrel”. Look at every Tikka barrel that’s close or not just to see the other recommendations at the bottom of her page. I get the impression a lot of barrels turn up in abandoned storage lockers or estate sales and often someone doesn’t know what to call it.

Right now there is a 6.5 prc for $150, but 6.5 creed, 7 mag, 300 mag, 308, 223 have sold for under $100 - sometimes as low as $50-$60.

If you want a cheap good shooting rifle and have more time than money, buy two takeoff barrels in the same caliber, keep the best one, sell the other for what you paid for it, rinse and repeat until you‘re happy with how it shoots. Of course headspace differences need to be watched and accounted for.

For a switch barrel gun, just lube the threads with a little grease or antiseize and get a nice barrel vice that’s easy to use and fits well to avoid scratches. It’s not uncommon to have a monster barrel vice to take off factory barrels and another for installing/removing at lower torques.

 

[Dioni A]

Great write up!

If you are considering this, by far the hardest part is removing the old barrel and as stated in the article heat is your friend. Many are intimidated with a propane torch because overheating and causing heat treat issues is a big no no. 200 - 250 degrees is well below any tempering temp and easy to check with nothing more than water. Evenly heat the threaded area and use a drop of water to determine when to stop - water boils at 212f.

Degreasing everything also helps increase friction a lot.

Barrel torque to keep the barrel from shifting can vary a lot depending on how well the mailing surfaces match up. Mass produced rifles get really high torque above 100 or even 150 ft lbs to squish less than ideal machining together. Benchrest barrels on custom actions have won national championships with 50 ft lbs.

One thing I’ve found if you are searching on eBay for a used takeoff in a different caliber, is you have to search in a few different ways or the goofy search algorithms won’t show a lot of good deals. Of course search for “Tikka barrel”, but also ”rifle barrel” ”take off barrel” “takeoff barrel”. Look at every Tikka barrel that’s close or not just to see the other recommendations at the bottom of her page. I get the impression a lot of barrels turn up in abandoned storage lockers or estate sales and often someone doesn’t know what to call it.

Right now there is a 6.5 prc for $150, but 6.5 creed, 7 mag, 300 mag, 308, 223 have sold for under $100 - sometimes as low as $50-$60.

If you want a cheap good shooting rifle and have more time than money, buy two takeoff barrels in the same caliber, keep the best one, sell the other for what you paid for it, rinse and repeat until you‘re happy with how it shoots. Of course headspace differences need to be watched and accounted for.

For a switch barrel gun, just lube the threads with a little grease or antiseize and get a nice barrel vice that’s easy to use and fits well to avoid scratches. It’s not uncommon to have a monster barrel vice to take off factory barrels and another for installing/removing at lower torques.

I ended up with an extra action that had no bolt. I picked up a cheap factory 6.5 PRC barrel spun it on and borrowed the bolt from this project. That piecemeal rifle is possibly one of the most accurate guns I've ever shot. I've got a few barrels now. It's pretty fun being able to swap all this stuff around. I picked up another standard bolt and plan on doing a 22 creedmoor now. It's fun!

 

[Harvey_NW]

Great write up! One thing I would like to note is when you are checking your headspace with a Hornady comparator set, you also have to make sure the diameter of your comparator is correct. For example, if the comparator measures .418" and the datum line measurement calls for a .420" then your measurements are not going to be correct. I have measured a few of the Hornady gauges and they have varied a ton. Just figured I would make note of that, so someone doesn't measure brass and think their chamber is out of spec. I would always recommend just renting some gauges from 4D reamer rentals and going that route to be on the safe side.

Also, those aluminum bushings can have a slight chamfer and cause the contact point to be a few thousandths off from the zeroing point. I just had an experience with that where I thought my chamber was under min spec measuring with those bushings, but the gunsmith clarified the gauge and chamber are within spec, my brass is just a bit long and needs to be sized because of conflicting tolerances. They're more of a reference only tool.

 

[TaperPin]

I ended up with an extra action that had no bolt. I picked up a cheap factory 6.5 PRC barrel spun it on and borrowed the bolt from this project. That piecemeal rifle is possibly one of the most accurate guns I've ever shot. I've got a few barrels now. It's pretty fun being able to swap all this stuff around. I picked up another standard bolt and plan on doing a 22 creedmoor now. It's fun!

That’s awesome. Yes, this is a lot of fun - only slightly more involved than the AR Lego guns.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Headspace gauges can be rented from

reamerrentals.com
4drentals.com

A couple of tricks that I have learned when swapping barrels.

• Drywall tape wrapped tightly around the barrel before putting in the vice will help you get a better grip on it as well as preventing marking up the barrel.
• Penetrating oil can assist in removing the factory barrel. What I do is a couple of days before I plan to remove it, I take the bolt out, stand the barreled action up on an old T-shirt on my workbench (muzzle down) and spray a bit into the action, making sure it gets to the barrel/action junction. I do it twice a day (one before leaving for work and one when I get home). That may be overkill, but the stuff is pretty cheap in comparison.
• When removing the factory barrel, the Wheeler Action wrench on the outside of the action is the best tool for the job. You want it as close to the barrel/action junction as possible, but don't over-tighten it as you can actually clamp the action tighter to the barrel. Again, drywall tape between the wrench and the action will help to prevent marring. Once you have it on snug (but not too tight) a good whack with a dead-blow hammer is usually enough to loosen it up.

 

[Castle Rock]

The easy way to remove a factory barrel

 

[NSI]

I'm triggered.

-J

 

[TypicalHaas]

I saw the recommendation for the Wheeler action wrench to remove the barrel.

Would a standard adjustable wrench with the previously mentioned buffers (note card, tp tube) work to separate the factory barrel and action? Or is there a better tool I may already have?

 

[Dioni A]

I saw the recommendation for the Wheeler action wrench to remove the barrel.

Would a standard adjustable wrench with the previously mentioned buffers (note card, tp tube) work to separate the factory barrel and action? Or is there a better tool I may already have?

I definitely know of one that was taken off with a crescent wrench. I think there's a higher probability of scratching your action but it should work fine. If you could figure out a fixed wrench that fits it perfectly that would be my first choice before an adjustable wrench.

 

[TypicalHaas]

I definitely know of one that was taken off with a crescent wrench. I think there's a higher probability of scratching your action but it should work fine. If you could figure out a fixed wrench that fits it perfectly that would be my first choice before an adjustable wrench.

Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have a solid wrench big enough for the action, so it looks like I will have to get another tool.