UM Bolt Handle - Your Opinion/Experience

[gjw]

Hey all, I've been looking at some of posts here on the forum about this aftermarket Tikka bolt handle and they've been very helpful.

My question for you owners of this handle is

What are the pros and cons for a strictly hunting rifle using the short standard handle with the 1" ball?

Thanks for your patience with me!

Greg

 

[ElPollo]

It’s the best bolt handle design for the Tikka, hands down. Most are just decorative trash, but the UM short handle actually improves the gun. I always found the factory, swept-back, slick, pear-shaped knob to be a bit hard to operate quickly. The larger knob on the UM is definitely easier to grasp and hold on to, but unlike the others it doesn’t get in the way. With the Tikka, a little upward pressure on the bolt handle can result in light primer strikes or even going out of battery. Longer replacement bolt handles and big, weirdly-shaped knobs catch on everything and push the handle outward. My take is that the UM is the only replacement bolt handle for a tikka that doesn’t make that situation worse. That said, it’s definitely not a critical modification for a hunting gun and it’s not the first thing I would suggest spending your money on. It is a really nice, but subtle improvement, though. I have them on all my Tikkas.

 

[Wprinkle]

Hey all, I've been looking at some of posts here on the forum about this aftermarket Tikka bolt handle and they've been very helpful.

My question for you owners of this handle is

What are the pros and cons for a strictly hunting rifle using the short standard handle with the 1" ball?

Thanks for your patience with me!

Greg

The smooth ball makes running the bolt faster and smoother. (Key to this is how you crab claw the bolt and use wrist only action not arm action) Big bulky, grippy knobs almost make you use fingertips to run the bolt and that is not fast and will cause you to raise up out of the scope and are break position because you have to move more of your arm to rack the bolt. The short handle eliminates the knob being slightly raised and this will cause the tikka to not fire. It is a must have IMO for all tikka rifles.

 

[SloppyJ]

Pros: It's way better than the stock handle.

Cons: It hits the side of my stock just barely.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

That said, it’s definitely not a critical modification for a hunting gun and it’s not the first thing I would suggest spending your money on. It is a really nice, but subtle improvement, though.

This.

It feels good in hand flat out and going back to a stock handle is a let down, hence you'll end up changing out others too most likely. I'm sure if someone did some shooting drill comparisons it would probably prove out in some small manner but circling back to the first point: its a comfortable ergonomic improvement that isn't necessary but is nice.

 

[Formidilosus]

This.

It feels good in hand flat out and going back to a stock handle is a let down, hence you'll end up changing out others too most likely. I'm sure if someone did some shooting drill comparisons it would probably prove out in some small manner but circling back to the first point: its a comfortable ergonomic improvement that isn't necessary but is nice.

The biggest thing that it does (that it was specifically designed to do), is to greatly reduce the incidences of the bolt being inadvertently knocked up and causing a light strike. Something that almost all other bolt handles and knobs make drastically worse.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

The biggest thing that it does (that it was specifically designed to do), is to greatly reduce the incidences of the bolt being inadvertently knocked up and causing a light strike. Something that almost all other bolt handles and knobs make drastically worse.

Reduce is the key word there lest folks get the wrong idea (you used the right word, no shade, we just know folks will read something and maybe run too far with it even though you didn't say prevent).

I had a misfire this season shooting off my pack form a rifle with the UM handle but I also know it would have happened with the stock one too so no shade there. In the instance I thought I must have not chambered one and racked in a new round and made the shot vs just re-cocking the bolt. I subsequently fired the light strike round later no problem.

 

[Formidilosus]

Reduce is the key word there lest folks get the wrong idea (you used the right word, no shade, we just know folks will read something and maybe run too far with it even though you didn't say prevent).

I had a misfire this season shooting off my pack form a rifle with the UM handle but I also know it would have happened with the stock one too so no shade there. In the instance I thought I must have not chambered one and racked in a new round and made the shot vs just re-cocking the bolt. I subsequently fired the light strike round later no problem.

The same thing happened to @ztc92 this year on his bull- gloves and popped it up. You can’t eliminate it completely from Tikka’s, but the UM short/round helps greatly.