Tikka Tactical 223 8” Twist

[cian223rem]

Hi All,

I have gained possession of a tikka Tactical, it seems to be in pretty poor condition, Crown Errosion, etc.
Just wondering does anyone have a barrel lying around for one? Someone here might of got a custom barrel and have the other lying around,

let me know what ye think,

thanks very Much

 

[DVS1]

Can it be re crowned? Cheaper option to start off with

 

[8x57]

Someone left the moderator attached I wonder?

 

[cian223rem]

Can it be re crowned? Cheaper option to start off with

Hello,
Thanks for the reply,
it will be getting recrowned by a gunsmith, he will also inspect the rifling, about half way down the barrel you could see damage to the rifling, also just inside the throat,
I’m actually expecting my gunsmith to condemn it, so I’m working on a Plan B

 

[cian223rem]

Someone left the moderator attached I wonder?

Yes you are 100% correct,
The Deep Wrench marks on the cylindrical face of the Silencer show that Looks like they had fun getting it off haha

 

[8x57]

I would think if there was that much effort involved to remove the moderator then its highly likely that the damage extends some way down the barrel if the rifle has been stored butt down. So unfortunately you're probably right and a cut back or simple re-crown job may not be enough and a replacement barrel will be necessary.

 

[MarinePMI]

Have you shot it yet? You may be obsessing over a non-issue...

 

[Muir]

Have you shot it yet? You may be obsessing over a non-issue...

THIS!! ~Muir

 

[bluesako]

as above what muir said, try before you buy, a guy i know discarded his barrel for a new one, i got it of him had it put on my rifle because i knew my barrel was shot out, and it shot awsome, i save myself some££££,s bs.

 

[cian223rem]

Thanks for the Replies,

I got the rifle to shoot high BC bullets, so was aiming for the 75gr 223 (BC 0.395) it was inconsistent with these groups, two bullets may be in a tight group, then the third might be a flyer and so on,

then I moved onto 69gr SMK’s, shot a 1inch group at 220 yards, was very happy with the way the rifle fired these bullets, but the BC is only 0.301, Poor compared to the 75gr bullets that are 0.395 (BC),

The shop I bought it off said they would pay for a recrown when I explained that the rifle is not as they described, I’m just secretly hoping that the recrown will bring the 75gr more consistent so I can use them for long range shooting,

hope this makes sense, plus I’m expecting that the gunsmith will say the barrel is shot,

what would ye recommend to shoot 223 75gr Hornady Match bullets? Was thinking of a custom 8” twist barrel, maybe 22” long?

thanks again for your help

 

[Fox Red]

If you're going to rebarrel for high BC 224 bullets, I'd get looking at the 77gr TMK's and I'd be going for 24" or 25" barrel to extract the most from the available BC.

 

[MarinePMI]

As said above, the Sierra 77gr TMK really shines above and beyond Hornady's offerings. And they perform well on critters as well.

 

[long_range_rob]

Don’t ignore the Berger 73gn it works very well in a 1-8 twist

 

[Muir]

Thanks for the Replies,

I got the rifle to shoot high BC bullets, so was aiming for the 75gr 223 (BC 0.395) it was inconsistent with these groups, two bullets may be in a tight group, then the third might be a flyer and so on,

then I moved onto 69gr SMK’s, shot a 1inch group at 220 yards, was very happy with the way the rifle fired these bullets, but the BC is only 0.301, Poor compared to the 75gr bullets that are 0.395 (BC),

The shop I bought it off said they would pay for a recrown when I explained that the rifle is not as they described, I’m just secretly hoping that the recrown will bring the 75gr more consistent so I can use them for long range shooting,

hope this makes sense, plus I’m expecting that the gunsmith will say the barrel is shot,

what would ye recommend to shoot 223 75gr Hornady Match bullets? Was thinking of a custom 8” twist barrel, maybe 22” long?

thanks again for your help

This rifle shoots 69 grain SMK's into a half MOA= Your crown is fine. A freshen up for free would be nice but it won't make that generic 75 grain shoot better. The rifle or some combination of seating/powder/ primer doesn't like that particular bullet. If you're not loading so already, I would FL resize, uniform the brass as precisely as possible, pick a charge and load to manufacturer's OAL. This is going back to basics and I highly recommend this. ~Muir

 

[cian223rem]

Thanks yes that makes sense, At least it will look better with a new crown,

problem is that I’m in Southern Ireland, so no reloading, and a choice of two bullets, the 75gr and 69gr, So I’m stuck with a bullet of 0.301 BC,

there is a Fiocchi 77gr BTHP that a supplier might be able to get in, we will have to wait and see,

awful pity we can’t reload,

 

[MountainStalker2]

It sounds like an ammo problem and not a barrel problem regardless of the pitting as per Muir's post. There is no guarantee that a new barrel will shoot that particular 75 gn factory offering. You might want to try some other high BC ammo offerings before a rebarrel or even recrown ...