Tikka 300 WSM Question?

[BCD]

Please forgive my ignorance but what does in mean when someone says a Tikka short magnum is built off of a long action??

Thanks!

 

[wind gypsy]

Please forgive my ignorance but what does in mean when someone says a Tikka short magnum is built off of a long action??

Thanks!

Traditionally short and long bolt actions have been built with different receiver and bolt lengths to accommodate cartridges of 2.8" ish and 3.4" ish cartridge overall lengths respectively. Tikkas are not built with different receiver lengths but rather are all built off the same receiver and bolts that are long enough to accommodate 3.4" ish cartridges. The shorter cartridges just have different bolt stops so the bolt throw is only as long as it needs to be for the length of the cartridge. The bolt stop is easily changed to modify how far back the bolt can go.

So it's not so much that they "build them on a long action" as if it was an intentional choice that other manufacturers dont make but more that the one size fits all tikka action is longer than dedicated short actions. In factory form you are limited in COAL on a tikka 300 wsm just like any other factory 300 wsm that is built on a short action. But with a simple bolt stop and magazine swap you can feed 300 wsm with long/heavy bullets seated out a lot longer than would fit in a standard short action magazine.

 

[BCD]

Traditionally short and long bolt actions have been built with different receiver and bolt lengths to accommodate cartridges of 2.8" ish and 3.4" ish cartridge overall lengths respectively. Tikkas are not built with different receiver lengths but rather are all built off the same receiver and bolts that are long enough to accommodate 3.4" ish cartridges. The shorter cartridges just have different bolt stops so the bolt throw is only as long as it needs to be for the length of the cartridge. The bolt stop is easily changed to modify how far back the bolt can go.

So it's not so much that they "build them on a long action" as if it was an intentional choice that other manufacturers dont make but more that the one size fits all tikka action is longer than dedicated short actions. In factory form you are limited in COAL on a tikka 300 wsm just like any other factory 300 wsm that is built on a short action. But with a simple bolt stop and magazine swap you can feed 300 wsm with long/heavy bullets seated out a lot longer than would fit in a standard short action magazine.

Interesting. So are there any disadvantages to the Tikka design as compared to other short actions and are there advantages to other brands short actions? I really appreciate the explanation above. Thank You!!

 

[echampion8]

All of Tikkas actions are long action. They have different bolt stops to control the length of the “action.” The huge benefit is you can change barrels to long or short action cartridges by swapping the barrels out.


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[wind gypsy]

Interesting. So are there any disadvantages to the Tikka design as compared to other short actions and are there advantages to other brands short actions? I really appreciate the explanation above. Thank You!!

Tikka receiver and bolts are something like 0.6" longer than a standard short action which makes the rifle slightly longer and a little heavier than it would be if it were 0.6" shorter. Lots of people get wrapped up on that extra 0.6" because it's not neccessary to operate at short action cartridge lengths. I'll take the excess length/weight as a tradeoff for the slickness and reliability of the action/trigger happily. I also believe we'd see less aftermarket stock/chassis options available for tikkas if they made different action lengths as it would reduce the sales of a given inlet for manufacturers.

If only shooting factory ammo, there is zero benefit to tikkas being easily modified to allow longer ammo because you don't want or need the longer magazines for factory ammo.

Edit to add: they are actually closer to XM or "medium" length custom actions than standard long actions. The longer magnums are too long to be optimized in a tikka receiver.

 

[307]

Tikka receiver and bolts are something like 0.6" longer than a standard short action which makes the rifle slightly longer and a little heavier than it would be if it were 0.6" shorter. Lots of people get wrapped up on that extra 0.6" because it's not neccessary to operate at short action cartridge lengths. I'll take the excess length/weight as a tradeoff for the slickness and reliability of the action/trigger happily. I also believe we'd see less aftermarket stock/chassis options available for tikkas if they made different action lengths as it would reduce the sales of a given inlet for manufacturers.

If only shooting factory ammo, there is zero benefit to tikkas being easily modified to allow longer ammo because you don't want or need the longer magazines for factory ammo.

Edit to add: they are actually closer to XM or "medium" length custom actions than standard long actions. The longer magnums are too long to be optimized in a tikka receiver.

Outstanding response(s) Amigo!

 

[B23]

I think wind gypsy pretty well nailed it with both replies.

 

[kpk]

Worthy of being a sticky @wind gypsy .

 

[Buckshot85]

Edit to add: they are actually closer to XM or "medium" length custom actions than standard long actions. The longer magnums are too long to be optimized in a tikka receiver.

Please explain longer magnums are too long to be optimized in a Tikka action.
I’ve been really thinking of getting a .300wm.
I do not reload.

 

[wind gypsy]

Please explain longer magnums are too long to be optimized in a Tikka action.
I’ve been really thinking of getting a .300wm.
I do not reload.

My 300 WM 215 Berger loads made for chamber optimized for them are 3.715” long. The factory 215 ammo berger used to load was pushing 3.6” IIRC. Those lengths are too long for a tikka with factory style magazines (trying to avoid rabbit hole about how long could work if receiver is machined and used AI mags). Loading them this long in a throat designed for it allows for more performance than being stuck with 3.34” (what my memory says SAAMI max is but not sure).

Most factory 300wm ammo is going to be loaded to roughly SAAMI max length so if that is what you’d shoot, a tikka would work well and you’d get zero benefit besides maybe resale value from something set up to mag feed longer ammo.