Switch Barrel Tikka Setup

[tt_johnsclist]

instead of torquing barrels on and off I went this route. Been very happy with it.

SWITCHLUG – West Texas Ordnance, Inc. | Custom Rifles & Accessories

westtexordnance.com

This is what I have and love it. I have a remage system on another gun and while it’s nice, the switch lug is better. The only disadvantage I see is having to get new barrels headspaced the first time. And I disagree with a previous poster, I use mountain contour barrels and low profile scopes on mine and have plenty of room to work.

 

[Moose83]

Reburn, where did you source your bolts from? I've been thinking about a setup like yours for a while but couldn't think of where to find bolts for different cartridge families.

 

[hereinaz]

Consider an Origin with multiple bolt heads. After you buy the Tikka and bolts, its close money. With the Origin, you also get Rem 700 aftermarket.

WTO switchlug or wrench flats works fine. So does a Viper barrel vice and rear action tool.

Don't do do wrench flats on the end of a carbon fiber barrel. You need the flats on the chamber side, but I would just do a vice. Its simple enough that I have a tool box with C clamps and can do it any where, even on my tailgate. Although, you need to pull your scope to use the vice on the carbon fiber chamber area and I'd think even wrench flats.

Shooters been using wrench flats for a very long time. It works. You can record your offsets and don't need to boresight it again. A torqued barrel will return close to its zero.

I have run Savage barrels for my few years shooting and been taking them on and off the whole time. The switch barrel is cool, but, man, I stopped doing the switches unless I need to.

It is pretty cool to have a different barrel for different purposes, like hunts. I spun on my short 308 barrel for a blind hunt for bison. Then spun my magnum back on for long range elk. Its easy enough to do that and useful.

Most will tell you that using the switch barrel is better in your head than in real life. A few really use it often and have the situation that lends itself to it. Many just end up building another rifle, lol.

You can get a stock and scope that will allow it without pulling your action from the stock, but two action screws isn't that big of a deal.

 

[hereinaz]

Forgot to add that Terminus actions has a quick change barrel system.

 

[Reburn]

Reburn, where did you source your bolts from? I've been thinking about a setup like yours for a while but couldn't think of where to find bolts for different cartridge families.

Well first you have to have a first born son, then blood of a virgin, a chicken foot and $500.

Seriously. Gun was a magnum bolt to start. I lucked into a standard bolt from midwest gun works. After signing up for in stock notification and waiting 5 months. Then bought a 223 tikka. "lost" the bolt and had to send it back to beretta to get a new bolt installed. Then I just turned that 223 into a trainer gun in a mesa stock with a swfa 3-9 for my son.

as hereinaz said. Bighorn action is easier to start with. I wanted a tikka switchlug though not a rem 700 switchlug.

 

[Moose83]

Thanks. I kind of figured it would take flaming hoops like that.☺ back to the drawing board I guess....

 

[awildswanger]

could be a dumb question but I figured I would ask. I have an opportunity to purchase a Tikka T3X Lite in .270. Would I need to do anything else to switch it to .30-06 other than change the barrel?

 

[fatbacks]

could be a dumb question but I figured I would ask. I have an opportunity to purchase a Tikka T3X Lite in .270. Would I need to do anything else to switch it to .30-06 other than change the barrel?

Just swap a barrel and that’s it with that combo


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JDBAK]

This is what I have and love it. I have a remage system on another gun and while it’s nice, the switch lug is better. The only disadvantage I see is having to get new barrels headspaced the first time. And I disagree with a previous poster, I use mountain contour barrels and low profile scopes on mine and have plenty of room to work.

wow, that is really slick. I'll be paying attention for how that works out over time. The ability to fly with a compact set up with 2 barrels and no tools, that's really appealing.

 

[HighUintas]

Had I known about that switch lug system when a previous gunsmith jacked up my Tikka action by taking 1/16" off the face without asking, I'd have just went that route rather than selling and getting a new one.

Another benefit for that system is it you fly to hunt, you could remove the barrel and have a smaller piece of luggage.

 

[kswaterfowl]

@260284
Don't you have some barrels with flats milled in them?

 

[260284]

@260284
Don't you have some barrels with flats milled in them?

I do on 3 barrels. Preferred Barrels will put 3/4" flats on barrels. I can swap mine with a crows foot and a torque wrench. 40 ft/lbs is plenty.

 

[crich]

The only disadvantage I see is having to get new barrels headspaced the first time.

I thought this may be the case but I wasnt sure how much they alter the action. Im waiting for WTO to give me a call back but I guess its safe to say you cant spin any regular factory tikka barrel or prefit on or is that incorrect?

 

[sram9102]

I thought this may be the case but I wasnt sure how much they alter the action. Im waiting for WTO to give me a call back but I guess its safe to say you cant spin any regular factory tikka barrel or prefit on or is that incorrect?

They shave .1 off the front of the action to make room for the switch lug. You do have to get each barrel fit to your specific rifle. They keep the measurement of your rifle so the only time you have to send the action back in is when you get a barrel spun up with a different bolt face.

 

[Reburn]

They shave .1 off the front of the action to make room for the switch lug. You do have to get each barrel fit to your specific rifle. They keep the measurement of your rifle so the only time you have to send the action back in is when you get a barrel spun up with a different bolt face.

This is correct.

 

[Khaosoi]

Sure its not a problem bud. Sorry if i came in hot.

The cost of a top of the line carbon barrel headspaced, cerakoted and chambered and delivered to me is $1100. That is a bit more then a tikka costs but much less then it takes to reproduce a hells canyon tikka. Or any other custom action in a manners stock with a trigger tech. Then you have the optics for multiple rifles vs one. While you didnt bring all the other stuff up it does serve to prove additional points. However if you just say the $1100 is a wash on what a new gun cost its still cheaper to have 1 gun with 4 barrels vs 4 ready to go guns with 4 ready to go scopes. 4 ready to go guns with 1 scope maybe close to the same price depending on how nice you make the guns.

The second point a agree with. Everytime you take something apart and put it back together you do run the chance of something breaking. I couldnt tell you about what happens if you over torque or under torque a barrel as I use the WTO switch lug. The only catasrophic failure I could see would be over tightening the clamp and stripping out the threads or cross threading the barrel. Im pretty comfortable that they designed the switch lug to take more then the 30 ft lbs which is what fix it stick you use. I am just careful when I swap barrels and take a deep breath. The old mechanics way of if it doesnt go stop and take it out and try again. Never force it.

Third point I can see how that would make sense but I can tell you that your mistaken and here is why. I was demostrating the repeatability of switching barrels and making a cold bore hit on a 2moa gong that can represent the vital on a sheep, elk or even a large mule deer. Although I use a 8" gong for mule deer vitals and a 6" gong on pronghorns and small whitetail. Anyways. What I was trying to say is the system is repeatabe but you must have a good dialing scope and you must have the offsets of where barrel A shoots vs Barrel B shoots POI vs POA. 406smith demonostrated this is another post beautifully on how even a very good 100 yard zero can and noramlly will have a touch of offset to it. You can use programs where you take a picture of the target and it will tell you the offset and group size. Being as I shoot a bunch ammo cost is what it is. There is no more associated cost with running a switchlug vs normal guns for me. Average hunter that shoot 20 rounds a year this is a horrible system that they shoud stay away from. You need to have a firm grasp on ballistics and how to use your chosen ballistics program. This isnt a system I would reccomend for a casual level shooter. I use about 60 rounds just to sight in my barrels. Lets just say 6 10 round groups. 3 10 round groups chronoed and suppressed and 3 10 round groups chronoed and not suppressed. This give me a good data set to build my offsets in my ballistic solver. But I do this on standalone rifles too not just switchlugs. The point is im very comfortable with barrel swaps and being able to hit a cold bore 10" vital gong on an animal at 500 yards everytime drop wise. Wind is always the determing factor when shooting that far. Drop is very easy to solve for.

Fouth point you are right. I take great care when im switching barrels and bolts. All the bullets are red tip hornady on the particular tikka I have been refrencing. when I swap I just do it undistracted verify 3 times and put the other componets up when they can not be accidently grabbed. For me its kinda like clearing a rifle to verify its unloaded. I clear it and look 3 times that is unloaded before I say its unloaded. Same with a barrel swap I verify the bolt vs ammo vs barrel 3 times. Most times I will have the other components out so I can put the ammo with the correct barrel and the correct bolt. I havent had a trip where I felt it was nessecary to take 3 barrels anyways so Im usually just working with 2 sets of componets and the third and fourth set are still at home.

The setup I am using is a tikka switch lug with a 300 wsm barrel, 6mm creedmoor barrel and a 223 barrel. I just ordered a 6.5 prc barrel for this setup. Why did i order another barrel. Just had a itch i guess. The 223 barrel is normally just used for practice so it normally doesnt go on trips. The gun was built to go to africa with in 2020 but that was a F up and we didnt get to go. 2021 not looking to swift either. It was funny that you brought up plains game vs dangerous game in africa.

Picture so you know this isnt all theoretical bullshit. This gun actually exists. As it sits it weighs 8lbs with optics and mags but unloaded without bipod. I like it so much I am building another switchlug in LA. The tikka is a awesome SA to medium action but cant run some of the LA chamberings I would like to play with as well.

View attachment 262101

Beautiful. Planning to do this to my tikka over winter. Might also put it in a MDT Hnt26 or Element 4.0.

Did you end up building a LA switch barrel set up?

 

[Reburn]

Beautiful. Planning to do this to my tikka over winter. Might also put it in a MDT Hnt26 or Element 4.0.

Did you end up building a LA switch barrel set up?

Yes.
Defiance Deviant rem 700 clone.
Its a nice gun. I like it but there isnt much I cant chamber in a tikka.

 

[Khaosoi]

Yeah, I'd rather build up the tikka and put my money into a wto switch lug, barrels/bolts and the chassis rather than go the full custom route. I'm trying to decide if i do go the chassis option, weather to go short action or 'tikka long action'. starting at a 308, thinking of adding a 22cmn then 7prc? into the mix.. still to be determined.

 

[Reburn]

Yeah, I'd rather build up the tikka and put my money into a wto switch lug, barrels/bolts and the chassis rather than go the full custom route. I'm trying to decide if i do go the chassis option, weather to go short action or 'tikka long action'. starting at a 308, thinking of adding a 22cmn then 7prc? into the mix.. still to be determined.

On the chassis short action. I wouldnt do a LA tikka chassis. Both will go into a rokstock when ever they show up.

How the 2 rifles sit now.

 

[Khaosoi]

Beauties! I love the orange, possibly give it a little rattle can pattern to break it up.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking for the chassis, the mag options sound better for the SA too.

Do you have experience with the Hnt26 chassis and how it compares to the XLR for you?


And your right, if I want to get more into larger rounds anyways, a 700 clone would offer more options than a tikka. If this were to happen, it would be a ways down the road...