Thoughts on a Training Rifle

[he_lives]

You won’t regret it. I purchased a Tikka .223 trainer and it is incredibly fun to shoot. I took my wife and daughters out shootings few weeks ago and asked them what was their favorite gun to shoot and it was the Tikka .223 for all of them.

Also a WA resident and I have a few more guns on the list before 2027.

It’s rough having new laws to dodge every year. Good luck on completing your list!

 

[freezerfull]

Somehow I didn’t catch that this was a thing with .223 tikkas. How far back was this defective spring issue? Or are folks still encountering it with new mags?

I picked up a Ranahan a while back. Put 70 rounds through it yesterday and had 20+ bolt overrides using 2 different 4 round mags. Both mould stamps are 2025 and each had a similar amount of failures. Looked like bolt face to case head engagement was on the minimal side rather than a mag spring issue but after seeing this thread maybe that is the root cause. Yes, the action is seated on the lug properly.

 

[22rave]

Well. 7mm-08 is a light recoil round that’s great for hunting. Same with .308 (little heavier) and 6.5.

.22 is just super cheap to shoot and it will make you a better shot because you’ll be more willing to target practice if it’s cost effective.

 

[B Harrison]

Sounds so complicated.
Why not just grab a 243, 6mm in a factory hunting rifle and let them learn on a standard setup.
7-8 pound guns are easy for kids to move around, and learn to actually hold in the field.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[he_lives]

Somehow I didn’t catch that this was a thing with .223 tikkas. How far back was this defective spring issue? Or are folks still encountering it with new mags?

I picked up a Ranahan a while back. Put 70 rounds through it yesterday and had 20+ bolt overrides using 2 different 4 round mags. Both mould stamps are 2025 and each had a similar amount of failures. Looked like bolt face to case head engagement was on the minimal side rather than a mag spring issue but after seeing this thread maybe that is the root cause. Yes, the action is seated on the lug properly.

I had read similar reports. I am still in the 2-week wait for my rifle to be released to me, hoping I don't have those same issues though.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I had read similar reports. I am still in the 2-week wait for my rifle to be released to me, hoping I don't have those same issues though.

I’ve never had an issue with any Tikka T3X magazines through thousands of rounds. I guess I am just lucky.

 

[he_lives]

I’ve never had an issue with any Tikka T3X magazines through thousands of rounds. I guess I am just lucky.

I'm in the same boat with various other T3x rifles, but have never owned a 223 version. Hoping for the best, but not overly concerned as there seems to be good options if I need to swap the factory mags.

 

[freezerfull]

I'm in the same boat with various other T3x rifles, but have never owned a 223 version. Hoping for the best, but not overly concerned as there seems to be good options if I need to swap the factory mags.

Same here. I have fired a large quantity of rounds through T3/T3x variants in .473 and .540 bolt faces, in both long and short bolts stop configs and don’t ever recall a failure to feed. Probably why I didn’t go looking for the .223 mag/small bolt face issues before procuring mine.

I’m gonna play with a few handloads in the .223 to see if I can find something it really likes. If theres some real winners found I’ll look into tracking down a couple of the metal feed lip mags available overseas.

 

[Formidilosus]

@pods8 (Rugged Stitching) mags are the ones to get for factory 223 compatible.

 

[freezerfull]

@pods8 (Rugged Stitching) mags are the ones to get for factory 223 compatible.

Thanks for the reminder on these. A COAL longer than the Tikka factory .223 mag will be nice.

 

[coyotekilla]

Thanks for the reminder on these. A COAL longer than the Tikka factory .223 mag will be nice.

I stuck mine in an oryx chassis, that let me use 2.5" aics mags. Though there are some 3d printed ones out there that would with factory bottom metal

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Though there are some 3d printed ones out there that would with factory bottom metal

Yeah mine is one of the options, complete with a spring, no need to borrow one from a factory mag, @Formidilosus was mentioning above. I conservatively say ~2.5" for the 223 but if you want minimal clearance it'll fit ~2.55".

I've been asked to make a longer variant for use with 223ai and 6x45 which is on my list to play with. The 6ARC mag is now released after some back and forth on that one. Sounds like it'll feed BR rounds also, a couple folks have tried some dummy rounds in theirs but no heavy use yet. I would assume dasher would be no issue if it's feeding ARC and BR rounds but as of this moment I don't know of anyone on here with a dasher tikka in factory compatible bottom metal to try it out.