Tikka Experts Needed

[DoveBlaster]

I am having trouble with an action currently. The action has around 5,000 rounds of 6.5CM and has been pretty uneventful until now. I shot a match a few weeks back in the west Texas sand and I started having issues with a super heavy bolt lift. I figured it was pressure signs from all the dust even though I’m running a mild load. I cleaned as much dust out of the action with compressed air and brake parts cleaner after the match and took it to the range yesterday. It was still doing the same while doing dry fire drills so it’s not the pressure I thought it to be. I thought it could be a dirty trigger so I cleaned out the trigger in a cup of alcohol/ brake parts cleaner/ compressed air and that didn’t solve my issue. I have lightly polished the cocking ramp and still having the same heavy bolt lift. I am at a loss, please advise!9


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[TaperPin]

If you haven’t yet, the cocking notch has to be lubricated, especially on stainless bolts.

 

[DoveBlaster]

Tried it greased/ oiled/ dry with same results


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[HuntHarder]

Bent firing pin?

 

[DoveBlaster]

Have tried multiple firing pins with same result…. Think pictures would help?


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[IrkedCitizen]

@mxgsfmdpx

 

[DB29]

Very far from an expert so I apologize for the description with incorrect terms that follows.

I had a heavy bolt lift and it was the tab that you rest the firing pin on when you are removing the bolt handle and firing pin. During disassembly while I was holding the firing pin back against the spring tension it slipped and hit that tab hard bending the corner down. The bent edge of the tab was catching on the inside of the bolt shroud.

I filed the bent part of the tab flat and it was fixed.

 

[Ibex]

Had same problem with a 223 last week. Tried solutions same as doveblaster. Took bolt apart and clean inside and firing pin with brake cleaner, problem solved.

 

[longrangelead]

check the lugs and see if they galled from the sand.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

This needs a breakdown and further assessment.

Make sure your firing pin assembly and spring are actually dry. If you didn’t remove the factory oil by spraying cleaner and plunging the assembly until clear there is likely build up in there that can cause issues. I’ve seen them rusted out and cause this issue.

Leave the assembly dry (no grease or oil there at all) and reassemble. Clean the cocking ramp very well and LIGTLY oil. Clean the bolt body and lugs very well and Lightly oil. Spray out the action with cleaner and wipe clean. Reinstall the oiled bolt and cycle the gun hard around a dozen times.

If this doesn’t resolve the issue we can go further.

 

[Lawnboi]

The only thing moving is the firing pin. And lugs could cause it.

Clean the firing pin.

Clean the firing pin channel

Make sure it’s completely dry.

Clean the lugs and race way, they make tools for cleaning an action to get the area where the lugs lock clean.

Light grease on the back of the bolt lugs, and the cocking ramp.


There’s a chance you galled your cocking ramp. I did this before I learned to use a little grease, it needed to be hit with a little sandpaper and I’m another couple barrels since having that issue.

 

[Castle Rock]

Leaving the internals of the bolt dry may work in some climates, but rust is a bigger issue than dust where I live.
A light oil is necessary and does not cause any issues

 

[DoveBlaster]

A little more context, I have been running dry for the life of the action other than lightly greasing the back of the lugs and lightly greasing the cocking ramp. Once this problem started (day one of the match) I broke the bolt apart/ sprayed everything with brake parts cleaner and wiped dry. Lightly greased the back of the lugs and lightly greased the cocking ramp. Fast forward to today. I broke the bolt apart and sprayed with brake parts cleaner/ blew dry with air compressor more times than I’d like to admit. I polished the cocking ramp and every rough looking edge I could find on the bolt and put it all back together more than I’d like to admit as well. I also used a Dewey action cleaning kit to clean the raceways and inside of the action. At some point one of the things I did loosened it up quite a bit… unfortunately I didn’t isolate exactly what fixed my issue but I’m guessing there was a rough edge/ gall somewhere on the cocking ramp or the part of the bolt that slides up and down the ramp. It could also have been a number of issues stacking and causing a god awful heavy lift. Before I posted initially I tried polishing but I finally got frustrated enough I really went to town on the bolt as a whole and got it back to a baseline. I’m pretty religious about tearing the bolt apart after day 1 of a 2 day match if it’s super dusty/ every 150 or so rounds.


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