Free Float Barrel in Tikka Factory Plastic Stock

[weisenbu]

Hi. I recently picked up a T3x and am doing some mods to it. I have opened up the barrel channel a bit to ensure the barrel is fully free floated. This was quite easy when using a deep socket wrapped in sandpaper. It only took 20 minutes and turned out great.

However, now that I’m putting things back together, I noticed the first 2.5” of the barrel is not free floated. I’d like to remove that plastic on the stock. What is the best method for doing so? It isn’t as easy as the main barrel channel because it is angled. I’d like the finished job to look professional and not like a dremel hack job.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sdupontjr]

You have a pretty consistent gap running down your barrel channel. trace that same gap all the way down the side of that 2.5" all the way to receiver. I used a dremel and a burr bit. Not wide open however fast enought to remove material. I then lightly feathered it back and forth until I reached the line. Then cam back with some fine sandpaper to smooth it out. Did this on both my tikkas and the kids Rem 700's.

 

[weisenbu]

Thanks for the reply. I do have a very consistent gap down the barrel with the exception of the first 2.5”. Using a dremel on that 2.5” scares me a bit because I don’t want to screw it up. Are you happy with how yours turned out? What is the benefit of using a burr bit? I’ve never used one in my dremel so I just don’t know how they differ from a normal dremel sanding/grinding stone. Thanks again!

 

[Harvey_NW]

Thanks for the reply. I do have a very consistent gap down the barrel with the exception of the first 2.5”. Using a dremel on that 2.5” scares me a bit because I don’t want to screw it up. Are you happy with how yours turned out? What is the benefit of using a burr bit? I’ve never used one in my dremel so I just don’t know how they differ from a normal dremel sanding/grinding stone. Thanks again!

Take your time and start removing material lightly, if you're artistic or accustomed to fabrication at all you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. I used a carbide bit on a dremel and just kept taking a little bit and then setting the barreled action in and checking fitment. I had to carve mine out to fit a slightly different profile of a custom barrel, came out great. Slap some Rust Oleum on and call it a custom.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

use a fatter socket, angle it as necessary so you can match the angled contour better.

 

[sdupontjr]

Thanks for the reply. I do have a very consistent gap down the barrel with the exception of the first 2.5”. Using a dremel on that 2.5” scares me a bit because I don’t want to screw it up. Are you happy with how yours turned out? What is the benefit of using a burr bit? I’ve never used one in my dremel so I just don’t know how they differ from a normal dremel sanding/grinding stone. Thanks again!

Same as Harvey. Take your time. You don't have to have the dremel wide open. As long as you you very lite pressure it won't take out too much material. If you try to take too much at one time, it will gum up the bit because instead of removing material, your removing and melting it. Practice on a piece of 2x4 just lightly moving back and forth and you can't mess up as long as you have the stopping line like i mentioned.

 

[ElPollo]

You aren’t going to screw anything up as far as the function of the gun. I used a dremel to grind out the supports under the barrel. I started with a scraper on the sides, but then switched to a dremel on that too. If you get too concerned about it, read the recommendation in this post.

Post in thread 'Show your Tikka ten round groups'
https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/show-your-tikka-ten-round-groups.172391/post-2258869

 

[4th_point]

I would shoot it the way you have it now, before removing stock material from the barrel shank area. You may be surprised how well it does.

FWIW, I've owned several older T3 that were factory floated except that shank area and they shot great. And have helped with several more.

Some later T3 had speed bumps mid-stock and we removed those and kept contact at the shank.

I would take a dollar bill or thin paper and take note of where you think the contact begins (i.e. is it even on both sides). But don't remove any material yet.

 

[Gadjet]

I have a few Tikkas and I'm wondering why you guys are doing this. Does it actually improve the accuracy? They shoot pretty dang good right out of the box, but if this modification makes them even better then I'm interested in giving this a try.
Thanks

 

[SDHNTR]

I highly doubt doing anything to the shank area of the barrel will produce any measurable results.

 

[weisenbu]

I highly doubt doing anything to the shank area of the barrel will produce any measurable results.

You could be completely correct. I just figured that since I have everything apart right now and not sighted in (don't even have a scope mounted), it would be a good time to do this type of mod just in case it helps the accuracy. I can't think of any downside other than potentially making my stock a bit uglier if I screw something up.

I have a few Tikkas and I'm wondering why you guys are doing this. Does it actually improve the accuracy? They shoot pretty dang good right out of the box, but if this modification makes them even better then I'm interested in giving this a try.
Thanks

Doing the main barrel channel was easy. I took a deep socket and wrapped sandpaper around it and moved it up and down the main barrel channel. It took me a couple tries to find the right size deep socket, but it was simple. No chance of screwing up the stock. Looks fantastic. The reason I created this post is because I'm not sure how to best do this in the barrel shank area where the barrel is angled. It sounds like most just use a dremel and go slow and careful.

 

[Gadjet]

You could be completely correct. I just figured that since I have everything apart right now and not sighted in (don't even have a scope mounted), it would be a good time to do this type of mod just in case it helps the accuracy. I can't think of any downside other than potentially making my stock a bit uglier if I screw something up.


Doing the main barrel channel was easy. I took a deep socket and wrapped sandpaper around it and moved it up and down the main barrel channel. It took me a couple tries to find the right size deep socket, but it was simple. No chance of screwing up the stock. Looks fantastic. The reason I created this post is because I'm not sure how to best do this in the barrel shank area where the barrel is angled. It sounds like most just use a dremel and go slow and careful.

Thanks, but what I'm trying to find out is this. Is anyone actually seeing real improvements in accuracy by doing this mod to their Tikka T3X?

 

[Antares]

Hi. I recently picked up a T3x and am doing some mods to it. I have opened up the barrel channel a bit to ensure the barrel is fully free floated. This was quite easy when using a deep socket wrapped in sandpaper. It only took 20 minutes and turned out great.

However, now that I’m putting things back together, I noticed the first 2.5” of the barrel is not free floated. I’d like to remove that plastic on the stock. What is the best method for doing so? It isn’t as easy as the main barrel channel because it is angled. I’d like the finished job to look professional and not like a dremel hack job.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Wrap your barrel in masking tape to protect it and then run strips of sandpaper between the barrel and stock. You're using the barrel as a guide so the end result looks very uniform in terms of consistency of the gap created. If you don't have enough room to work, loosen the action screws. As you remove materiel, slowly retighten the action crews until they're full seated.

 

[weisenbu]

Wrap your barrel in masking tape to protect it and then run strips of sandpaper between the barrel and stock. You're using the barrel as a guide so the end result looks very uniform in terms of consistency of the gap created. If you don't have enough room to work, loosen the action screws. As you remove materiel, slowly retighten the action crews until they're full seated.

This seemed like a great idea, so I tried this last night. I just couldn't get it to work. When the barrel was wrapped with tape for protection, the backside of the sandpaper just didn't slide well enough to make any noticeable progress. I tried loosening up the action screws, using different grit sandpaper, etc, but no luck.

So I simply used blue painters tape to mark my desired line (connecting the notch in the stock near the receiver to my opened up barrel channel), and got started with a dremel. I removed 90% of the material with the dremel, as close to the tape line as I was comfortable. I then took some sandpaper and wrapped it around a popsicle stick and smoothed everything out. It worked slick. I now have full clearance all the way up to the receiver.

Thanks to all who pitched in and provided advice. I have no idea if this will increase the accuracy, but I figured it couldn't hurt and if I was ever going to do it, it was now when the build was in-process.

 

[weisenbu]

Final result

 

[sdupontjr]

Very nice. Told you it was easy,

 

[Antares]

This seemed like a great idea, so I tried this last night. I just couldn't get it to work. When the barrel was wrapped with tape for protection, the backside of the sandpaper just didn't slide well enough to make any noticeable progress. I tried loosening up the action screws, using different grit sandpaper, etc, but no luck.

So I simply used blue painters tape to mark my desired line (connecting the notch in the stock near the receiver to my opened up barrel channel), and got started with a dremel. I removed 90% of the material with the dremel, as close to the tape line as I was comfortable. I then took some sandpaper and wrapped it around a popsicle stick and smoothed everything out. It worked slick. I now have full clearance all the way up to the receiver.

Thanks to all who pitched in and provided advice. I have no idea if this will increase the accuracy, but I figured it couldn't hurt and if I was ever going to do it, it was now when the build was in-process.

Well huh, I opened a factory stock up to a Sendero contour with that method. Worked ok for me.

 

[SloppyJ]

Came out great! I just had to do this for the first time when I bought a Boyd's stock for a cheap savage 308. It was a lot of fun. I bedded it too which turned out great.

 

[Formidilosus]

Thanks, but what I'm trying to find out is this. Is anyone actually seeing real improvements in accuracy by doing this mod to their Tikka T3X?

Precision, no not really. “Accuracy”, yes. By that I mean your groups probably won’t change in size, but totally fee floating the barrel removes point of impact shifts when using different rests, bipod, or torquing the forearm.

 

[SDHNTR]

Precision, no not really. “Accuracy”, yes. By that I mean your groups probably won’t change in size, but totally fee floating the barrel removes point of impact shifts when using different rests, bipod, or torquing the forearm.

Form, you think floating all the way back into the shank, or to the lug/receiver face, makes a real difference with this? Definitely see your point for floating the majority of the barrel channel to deal with different rests and pressure exerted out on the front end of the stock forend, but you really think floating an inch or two of barrel shank matters much? The stock and barrel are pretty darn thick and stiff back there.