TIKKA Stainless - Phasing it out?

[Maverick1]

I consider a fluted bolt to be a negative. I would pay someone to swap it for a standard bolt. So, for my that makes the value worse.

Why is that?

 

[Marbles]

Why is that?

It provides more ways for water, mud, dust, and ice to get ino the action.

 

[Maverick1]

It provides more ways for water, mud, dust, and ice to get ino the action.

Thanks for the information, had not considered that aspect of it.

 

[Unckebob]

Thanks for the information, had not considered that aspect of it.

Me either.

 

[TaperPin]

There have been demonstrations of a fluted vs non fluted bolt where a handful of dirt is placed on the ejection port and the bolt cycled - flutes give the grit someplace to go and the non fluted bolt binds up.

I don’t think it matters either way - in 45 years I’ve never had a noticeable amount of crud on the bolt.

 

[atmat]

There have been demonstrations of a fluted vs non fluted bolt where a handful of dirt is placed on the ejection port and the bolt cycled - flutes give the grit someplace to go and the non fluted bolt binds up.

I don’t think it matters either way - in 45 years I’ve never had a noticeable amount of crud on the bolt.

Would you mind linking them?

Every fluted bolt I’ve used has been more problematic than its non-fluted equivalent.

Either way, it’s probably fine. Just curious.

 

[hunterjmj]

I have ran a rifle with a fluted bolt for the last 10 years and never had an issue. Maybe in certain environments it could be an issue.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

One of the cheapest guys I know charges $125. I would bet the average is $150 or more.

I just called Karl Kampfeld who does damn good work; he said it's $100 for threading and $25 if you want a protector added.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I just called Karl Kampfeld who does damn good work; he said it's $100 for threading and $25 if you want a protector added.

Also, it is $145 for threading a sporter contour 5/8-24 and adding a shoulder, like on my 22 Creedmoor.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I have ran a rifle with a fluted bolt for the last 10 years and never had an issue. Maybe in certain environments it could be an issue.

In general the weight savings from fluting a bolt does not outweigh the potential issues it can cause. If I handed you a rifle/scope with a fluted bolt and told you to carry it around with a blind fold on across a parking lot. Then I handed you the same rifle/scope with a regular bolt and told you to do the same thing, and then guess which was which, you would have no way of knowing other than feeling the bolt with your fingers.

 

[atmat]

I just called Karl Kampfeld who does damn good work; he said it's $100 for threading and $25 if you want a protector added.

Does this include cutting/shortening as well?

If so, then it’s right in line with my guy and probably on the cheaper end.

 

[hunterjmj]

In general the weight savings from fluting a bolt does not outweigh the potential issues it can cause. If I handed you a rifle/scope with a fluted bolt and told you to carry it around with a blind fold on across a parking lot. Then I handed you the same rifle/scope with a regular bolt and told you to do the same thing, and then guess which was which, you would have no way of knowing other than feeling the bolt with your fingers.

Never fluted my bolt for weight savings. Never said that. I like the way it looks and ive never had an issue in the 10 years of running a fluted bolt. I'm sure it's happened and maybe it'll happen to me but who knows.

 

[TaperPin]

Would you mind linking them?

Every fluted bolt I’ve used has been more problematic than its non-fluted equivalent.

Either way, it’s probably fine. Just curious.

That was somewhere between 1000 and 2000 videos ago. It was a Bat action - they seem to pretty regularly mention how well nitrided flutes shed dirt. 99.99% of their customers will never have enough dirt on them to find out. Lol

 

[hibernation]

That's what I paid locally in E. Oregon. No shipping involved though.

Think I paid closer to $120 in Seattle a couple years ago for another Tikka.

Mind if I ask who/where? That's a way better price than I'm seeing on the west side and I'm out that way pretty regularly.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Mind if I ask who/where? That's a way better price than I'm seeing on the west side and I'm out that way pretty regularly.

Wayne in Pendleton. Everyone warns you that he's "slow", but does great work. I think it's just cause everyone uses him, high volume. He had 60 other thread jobs when I took mine in. Ended up only taking a couple weeks instead of 4. His shop was stuffed to the gills with rifles.

About Us - Services

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

They come in waves. I bookmarked this search and for a while there were only a few results. Then one day 30+ vendors had stainless .223's in stock. Seems to be dropping back down again. Not necessarily an indication that Tikka is going to stop production of the basic stainless models...

View attachment 770969

Follow up to my point about them being stocked in waves...from 10 listings a month ago to 43 today.

https://www.wikiarms.com/guns?q=JRTXB312

 

[Macintosh]

Re: waves. They order and ship them over in batches seasonally. Think about buying skis…99% of purchases happen right before winter…so all retailers get them once, right before they plan to sell them, and then they dont buy more until the next season. Guns may be less seasonal, but still def seasonal on a hunting rifle. Dealers order at shows in the winter, the big orders all get produced in batches over spring and summer and shipped to retailers who want to get them in august or sept, and everyone gets their delivery all at once, +/- the same time ahead of hunting season. As things sell out, the overall amount of available guns drops steadily until the next big seasonal spike. Has zero to do with phasing something out, its just the way things are in a product that is made to order and where sales spike seasonally.