Tikka 223 magazine feeding issues

[Stocky]

So mostly it seems to be people's mags just fail to have the bolt pickup the round and my problem of the tips missing the chamber and jamming is a bit unique? Put 100 rounds through the 223 this weekend and feedings pretty terrible to be honest with anything other than the long loaded 75 eld loads and even they aren't perfect. I've sold rifle for less surely there's a fix.

 

[Lawnboi]

So mostly it seems to be people's mags just fail to have the bolt pickup the round and my problem of the tips missing the chamber and jamming is a bit unique? Put 100 rounds through the 223 this weekend and feedings pretty terrible to be honest with anything other than the long loaded 75 eld loads and even they aren't perfect. I've sold rifle for less surely there's a fix.

Factory stock? Factory mags? Sounds like your mag is latching low. Confirm that your action is seated in the lug as well.

 

[Stocky]

Factory stock? Factory mags? Sounds like your mag is latching low. Confirm that your action is seated in the lug as well.

Lugs seated correctly.
I have 3 mags. A factory metal insert 4 round a factory plastic 4 round and a modified 4 round metal insert.
In a factory stock torqued to 65inch lbs.
Fails to feed due to the tip hitting below the chamber or the lip of the neck catching the chamber edge. Soft points are the worst as they hangup on the tip more often.

Best combination so far is 75 elds loaded at 2.42" in the modified magazine where the tip round seems uncontrolled for less time and the case necks have an outside chamfer.

I'll try get a video bit I'm weighing up trying to make an insert for a spare M+ magazine I have laying around to see if I can have the mag control the round a bit longer.

 

[Stocky]

OK 100% fixed any feeding issues with reloads and fixed the failure from the bullet points missing the chamber.

Compressed the spring as watching it slowly it was apparent the spring pressure was popping the rear of the case up aggressively once clear of the feed lips causing it to jump away from the bolt face and bounce around.

Now the only failure to feed is the case mouth catching the lip of the chamber. The factory Fiocchi brass is particularly shit with a decent burr around the case mouth on plenty of the cases.

Do most tikkas typically have a chamfer here?

All of my kimbers and my old how's all have a small 0.5-1mm chamfer that would solve this. An outside chamfer solves feeding and haven't been able to cause a malfunction with reloads except by short stroking the bolt and double feeding which is unavoidable.

 

[ElPollo]

Just had three 6-round Waters 223 Tikka mags delivered. Looking forward to putting them together and trying them out. It was an expensive fix for something Tikka should frankly be doing a better job on. Dave Waters was good to deal with. Getting him paid is somewhat interesting, but everything worked out and he shipped them quickly.

 

[Lawnboi]

Just had three 6-round Waters 223 Tikka mags delivered. Looking forward to putting them together and trying them out. It was an expensive fix for something Tikka should frankly be doing a better job on. Dave Waters was good to deal with. Getting him paid is somewhat interesting, but everything worked out and he shipped them quickly.

He has awesome directions on his site, I’d recommend reading them.

 

[ElPollo]

He has awesome directions on his site, I’d recommend reading them.

Directions are good. Just seems a little wonky to pay some random guy in the US by check. It worked out fine and shipped to quickly.

 

[Lawnboi]

Directions are good. Just seems a little wonky to pay some random guy in the US by check. It worked out fine and shipped to quickly.

Iv always just done PayPal.

 

[ElPollo]

Iv always just done PayPal.

I sent the check but accidentally paid him for the PayPal fee because I suck at following good directions. Told him to consider it a tip to support a small business and he should buy himself a good mid-strength beer. Instead, he threw in one of his 3d printed loading blocks. That gun was never a drop in feeder with the factory mags, but it loads slick as snot with that loading block. If his magazines work that well I’ll be tickled pink.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

My factory 4 round mag is approaching 800 rounds and had about a 50% failure to feed rate over the weekend. The 6 round with ~100 rounds on it wasn't much better. Appreciate the tips guys have shared here, going to fiddle s but before plunking down the $ for the waters mags

 

[ElPollo]

My factory 4 round mag is approaching 800 rounds and had about a 50% failure to feed rate over the weekend. The 6 round with ~100 rounds on it wasn't much better. Appreciate the tips guys have shared here, going to fiddle s but before plunking down the $ for the waters mags

I had better luck with the 4-round mags, but had three 6-rounders start failing at 200ish rounds.

The waters are pricey, but they feed nice. I just put mine together and tested them out. One thing I noticed, I’ve never been able to single-feed this gun without fishing the cartridge int to the chamber, but I can single load off the waters mags. Plan to run some rounds through them this weekend. Funny though. My only complaint is the metal mags make more noise in your pocket than the polymer ones.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

My fiddling has had mixed results. Fixed the 4 round, broke the 6. Going to get a couple waters mags this weekend. for 77 tmks and maybe 75 elds should I go 2.4 or 2.6" @Lawnboi which are you using?

 

[Lawnboi]

My fiddling has had mixed results. Fixed the 4 round, broke the 6. Going to get a couple waters mags this weekend. for 77 tmks and maybe 75 elds should I go 2.4 or 2.6" @Lawnboi which are you using?

I’m using 2.6. With the bullet as deep as it will go with a 75 your looking at a hair under 2.4”.

The only issue I have had with the 2.6” mags was with factory lapua 55 grain, which had a near rounded nose. Everything else, including AR length ammo has fed fine. I’m a few cases of ADI factory ammo through them with no issues.

If 75eldm or 62eldvt are on the menu I would get the 2.6” mag. If you never will run those longer bullets I don’t see how the 2.4 could be any worse.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Sounds like I better go 2.6. I've got 2k 77 tmks, but the 75 eld seem easier to find typically

 

[Lawnboi]

Sounds like I better go 2.6. I've got 2k 77 tmks, but the 75 eld seem easier to find typically

If your rifle will shoot then well, the 75 eldm is a hell of a sleek bullet.

 

[ElPollo]

These Waters Rifleman 223 mags work slick as snot.

 

[Chris_in_Idaho]

...To me it seemed like the cartridges were just hanging up on the feed lips. Basically that when they were pushed in far enough into the magazine they could slide under the lip on that side and wouldn't come free without a little help. I could reproduce it out of the gun by pushing the round underneath the feed lip and it wouldn't pop up.

...I have noticed it gets worse with used brass vs shiny new smooth brass.

I'm only about 150 rounds in on my 223 t3x and my 4rd factory mag seems to be having these same issues. It ran through the 150ish factory rounds without issue but I've just put together some handloads with old brass that I didn't tumble and it doesn't seem to like it. The brass isn't super dirty, it's just not factory fresh. It's the second round (3 still in the mag) that just doesn't quite move up into place so the bolt glides right over the top of it without touching. My AR never had any hiccups on dirtier brass than this so I didn't expect any problems.

I'll be tumbling my brass in the future so hopefully that extra slickness makes the difference, and I'll probably stretch the spring as Form mentioned, but is there anything else I can do to slicken up the inside of the mag body? The round just doesn't move to the center, it stays underneath the left side feed lip.

 

[Formidilosus]

I'm only about 150 rounds in on my 223 t3x and my 4rd factory mag seems to be having these same issues. It ran through the 150ish factory rounds without issue but I've just put together some handloads with old brass that I didn't tumble and it doesn't seem to like it. The brass isn't super dirty, it's just not factory fresh. It's the second round (3 still in the mag) that just doesn't quite move up into place so the bolt glides right over the top of it without touching. My AR never had any hiccups on dirtier brass than this so I didn't expect any problems.

I'll be tumbling my brass in the future so hopefully that extra slickness makes the difference, and I'll probably stretch the spring as Form mentioned, but is there anything else I can do to slicken up the inside of the mag body? The round just doesn't move to the center, it stays underneath the left side feed lip.

View attachment 822835View attachment 822836

Wipe the brass off with alcohol. Or whatever, but sticky brass from sizing lube was an issue for some.

 

[Stocky]

To this day my biggest issue is now cases hanging up on the case mouth when entering the chamber. Happens with all factory ammo a small chamfer on the chamber would entirely solve this. For now a small case mouth chamfer is the solution. Does anyone have a photo of a factory tikka chamber?

 

[kopmantrey]

I'm only about 150 rounds in on my 223 t3x and my 4rd factory mag seems to be having these same issues. It ran through the 150ish factory rounds without issue but I've just put together some handloads with old brass that I didn't tumble and it doesn't seem to like it. The brass isn't super dirty, it's just not factory fresh. It's the second round (3 still in the mag) that just doesn't quite move up into place so the bolt glides right over the top of it without touching. My AR never had any hiccups on dirtier brass than this so I didn't expect any problems.

I'll be tumbling my brass in the future so hopefully that extra slickness makes the difference, and I'll probably stretch the spring as Form mentioned, but is there anything else I can do to slicken up the inside of the mag body? The round just doesn't move to the center, it stays underneath the left side feed lip.

View attachment 822835View attachment 822836

Wipe the brass off with alcohol. Or whatever, but sticky brass from sizing lube was an issue for some.

I always wipe my brass with alcohol after loading and it has not improved feeding with multiple factory mags (new brass feeds flawless). The mamba mag is cheap and has been feeding flawlessly for a few hundred rounds. We will have to see how it does long term. I have not found a flush fit option that is reliable yet.