Non oem Tikka barrel swaps

[TradLife406]

Just ordered a Viper vice and an internal wrench. I'm going to attempt my first barrel swap without adult supervision.

My rifle is a UM build. So I'm guessing it'll come off relatively easily with an internal wrench? Is this right? Or do I need the external?

Then installing I need 80 ft pounds and anti seize?

Is there any tips for mounting the vice? I don't really have the room on my loading bench to mount it. I thought I saw a guy here who had a trailer hitch mount.

Might be able to ethnically rig it to my bench in the garage.

Thanks fam

 

[BBob]

I would think the internal wrench would be fine with the re-barreled rifle. A couple of largish c-clamps and clamp it to whatever solid base you can find. I personally don’t like anti seize and prefer any EP grease. (I.e., wheel bearing grease) over anti-seize. I like lots of torque but many use less so your 80 would likely be fine. If you don’t have a torque wrench just lean on it hard and it’ll be fine.

 

[mtnbound]

Just ordered a Viper vice and an internal wrench. I'm going to attempt my first barrel swap without adult supervision.

My rifle is a UM build. So I'm guessing it'll come off relatively easily with an internal wrench? Is this right? Or do I need the external?

Then installing I need 80 ft pounds and anti seize?

Is there any tips for mounting the vice? I don't really have the room on my loading bench to mount it. I thought I saw a guy here who had a trailer hitch mount.

Might be able to ethnically rig it to my bench in the garage.

Thanks fam

You should be fine if you can find someway to securely mount your vise. You don’t have to mount the vise just horizontally also look for ways vertically like a post or beam you can lag bolt the vise to. After I install a new barrel I use my internal wrench with no problems, it’s just getting the factory Tikka off is where I use the external wrench. I also use anti-seize. Do you have go-no-go gauges?

 

[TradLife406]

I would think the internal wrench would be fine with the re-barreled rifle. A couple of largish c-clamps and clamp it to whatever solid base you can find. I personally don’t like anti seize and prefer any EP grease. (I.e., wheel bearing grease) over anti-seize. I like lots of torque but many use less so your 80 would likely be fine. If you don’t have a torque wrench just lean on it hard and it’ll be fine.

Thanks!
Yeah this barrel is right on its last third of barrel life.
Debating to change it or just finish it off at the s2hU week after this.

 

[Nine Banger]

Debating to change it or just finish it off at the s2hU week after this.

Leave it be; unless you have time and ammo to really test it and really establish zero this week coming.

If you break something or get stuck in the middle of the process due to first timer issues you won't have time to order anything to fix it.

 

[5MilesBack]

Do you use just normal auto anti-seize? I have a wheeler #1 being delivered Monday.

 

[Nine Banger]

Do you use just normal auto anti-seize? I have a wheeler #1 being delivered Monday.

I use silver permatex.

It's really sticky.

You need a whole can of parts cleaner to get the excess off action/barrel inside and out.

 

[HuntHarder]

I would think you should be fine with an internal on a UM installed barrel. I assume they used anti-seize. I unscrewed one of my barrels I installed a couple years ago and it came loose pretty easy. Granted, I used anti-seize on initial install and an external to remove.

I install all my tikka barrels with Nickel anti- seize and go to 80-85ish lbs. I have no tips for mounting, I mounted mine to my reloading bench. Drywall tape has worked well between vice and barrel for me. Tighten the vice nuts insanely tight, to ensure the barrel doesnt spin and leave marks. I've yet to have a new barrel spin but removing the OEM T3's, I had a couple spin from the vice not being overly tight.

 

[mtnbound]

Do you use just normal auto anti-seize? I have a wheeler #1 being delivered Monday.

I use Permatex Copper.

 

[sndmn11]

I've never used anti-seize and go to 90ftlbs on Gramp's old torque wrench.

I thought I saw a guy here who had a trailer hitch mount.

This makes it a use anywhere by anyone tool, and I don't know anyone that can lift up a vehicle.

 

[Macintosh]

^^The single most sure-fire way to avoid subaru jokes!

 

[swavescatter]

I use Permatex Copper.

+1 - Manzella Precision recommended using the copper version over silver for all barrel installs.

 

[sndmn11]

^^The single most sure-fire way to avoid subaru jokes!

There's a custom badge on there yo

 

[Jimbee]

I thought I could remove a Tikka barrel with the same internal action wrench that I used to torque/install it. Nope. Wrecked it. Had to buy a new one.

 

[HuntHarder]

I thought I could remove a Tikka barrel with the same internal action wrench that I used to torque/install it. Nope. Wrecked it. Had to buy a new one.

The action or barrel?

 

[ckt3]

I mount the vise to a 2x4 and clamp that 2x4 to my reloading bench since I also don’t have a lot of room. It’s worked fine for removing a factory barrel and installing a PVA Osprey. Good advice here in the thread already. I really like the look of that trailer hitch mount. Will probably make one of those.

On removal and install, I grabbed some thin cardboard paper I had in the trash and it protected the barrel perfectly. Torque the piss out of the vise bolts. Like put your weight on a cheater bar to tighten them. Hopefully yours comes off easily. I usually use a cheater bar regardless on the action wrench and if it’s stubborn you’ll probably need to smack it with a dead blow hard. When I removed the factory barrel, the barrel kept spinning in the vise, so it was an iterative process of fiddling with it and really tightening that sucker down.

On install, use a lot of anti seize or L130-A grease on mating surfaces and you can just wipe off whatever excess gets squeezed out.

I used a Wheeler external action wrench for removal, an eBay internal action wrench for install, and an eBay barrel vise for both.

 

[waspocrew]

If there’s a possibility of you ever swapping a barrel out on a factory tikka, you might as well just spring for the external wrench. The internal wrench is probably fine to take an aftermarket barrel off, but maybe not.

 

[Nine Banger]

Torque the piss out of the vise bolts. Like put your weight on a cheater bar to tighten them.

This is great advice with the Viper. Ignore the torque values in the manual. I torque it until the aluminum bends. Otherwise, its just spins and spins with the factory barrels.

Grab the factory barrel close to the action; a fingernails width away.

It's questionable on a factory barrel with the Viper if the bottom 2 bolts are doing anything helpful. I think they hurt your chances by leaning the barrel into the hole and then you have to retighten the top bolts.

 

[onlybrowning]

This is great advice with the Viper. Ignore the torque values in the manual. I torque it until the aluminum bends. Otherwise, its just spins and spins with the factory barrels.

Grab the factory barrel close to the action; a fingernails width away.

It's questionable on a factory barrel with the Viper if the bottom 2 bolts are doing anything helpful. I think they hurt your chances by leaning the barrel into the hole and then you have to retighten the top bolts.

Agreed. I split my Viper before I even used it for the first time. I cut mine so that one band is more narrow and fits well on the barrel close to the action, before the barrel starts to taper.

 

[ckt3]

Do you use just normal auto anti-seize? I have a wheeler #1 being delivered Monday.

Yea and you can also use 130-A mil spec grease. Don’t be afraid to use a lot and wipe off the excess. That’s the advice I got from calling PVA. Extra antiseize was fairly simple for me to wipe off with some Rem Oil. Or you could use isopropyl alcohol or acetone I imagine to get it really clean.