Well I finally got round to ordering a replacement steel bolt shroud for my Tikka M595 .223 rifle. And am I pleased I did!!
A few people asked me for a bit of feedback on my purchase as they were thinking of buying one from a new seller here on SD, so here is my review of my purchase…
I have a Tikka M595 in .223 which I love to pieces, nicest rifle I have ever owned and now looking for another one chambered in .308 (hint if anyone has one they are selling).
I don't like to fault the Tikka, as I really do think they are about the best bang for buck you can get, the quality of the finish is fantastic in my opinion. With ONE exception, the 'plastic fantastic' bolt shroud. It feels tacky and wrong on this rifle. Within a few weeks of owning my rifle I had cracked mine. I was cleaning my rifle, removed the bolt as normal and put it to one side to clean later. After cleaning the rifle I disassembled the bolt to give it a once time check over, mostly out of curiosity and getting to know the working parts of my prized new rifle. Taking the bolt apart was far from easy and needed a lot of brute force, there were a few "thou" of extra metal somewhere which made it difficult. After gripping it tight and twisting hard, i heard a feint crack sound and that was when my plastic shroud met its demise. It was only a very thin crack and it did still work fine, but I like things in perfect working order so I set about looking for a replacement.
I struggled to find anything I could afford easily, and locally. I then found a thread on SD by joebloggs (http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....16-Stainless-4140-Black-nitrided-Bolt-Shrouds) saying he was now selling these. I then realised he is based around half an hour from me, so I bought one and collected it in person. JB was very helpful and did me a good deal on some other bits (reloading gear) I needed which he had spare. A few cups of coffee and a good hour of expert advice later, I came away satisfied with my new shroud. It fit my Tikka bolt PERFECTLY, unlike some i have heard about from other people saying sometimes replacement shrouds can be very slightly loose causing an annoying rattle on reloading the bolt or even just when carrying the rifle, which would really annoy me. Happy to say this one fits like a glove, it feels solid and it is extremely well machined. There are no rough edges which was my main worry before buying, and above all it looks like it is factory standard as the colour match is 100%. A very very well made bit of kit which I think Tikka should fit as standard and I intend to write to them telling them so.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase, which cost the grand total of £64 plus a fiver to the swines at the treasury. With the advice and coffee I feel like I got it for free if I am honest. Decent seller, shooting mad and extremely knowledgeable especially when it comes to ballistics info. He also threw in a nice load for me to try for my .223 so I am pleased as punch that I decided to replaced my bolt shroud using his kit. Would I recommend these shrouds? Yes without hesitation, and a friend of mine has already ordered after seeing mine. A great buy all round, and further proof that all I need is the SD forums to fulfil my shooting needs!
took a few snaps with phone so not great pics but hopefully they show how well it matches the rest of the rifle.
A few people asked me for a bit of feedback on my purchase as they were thinking of buying one from a new seller here on SD, so here is my review of my purchase…
I have a Tikka M595 in .223 which I love to pieces, nicest rifle I have ever owned and now looking for another one chambered in .308 (hint if anyone has one they are selling).
I don't like to fault the Tikka, as I really do think they are about the best bang for buck you can get, the quality of the finish is fantastic in my opinion. With ONE exception, the 'plastic fantastic' bolt shroud. It feels tacky and wrong on this rifle. Within a few weeks of owning my rifle I had cracked mine. I was cleaning my rifle, removed the bolt as normal and put it to one side to clean later. After cleaning the rifle I disassembled the bolt to give it a once time check over, mostly out of curiosity and getting to know the working parts of my prized new rifle. Taking the bolt apart was far from easy and needed a lot of brute force, there were a few "thou" of extra metal somewhere which made it difficult. After gripping it tight and twisting hard, i heard a feint crack sound and that was when my plastic shroud met its demise. It was only a very thin crack and it did still work fine, but I like things in perfect working order so I set about looking for a replacement.
I struggled to find anything I could afford easily, and locally. I then found a thread on SD by joebloggs (http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....16-Stainless-4140-Black-nitrided-Bolt-Shrouds) saying he was now selling these. I then realised he is based around half an hour from me, so I bought one and collected it in person. JB was very helpful and did me a good deal on some other bits (reloading gear) I needed which he had spare. A few cups of coffee and a good hour of expert advice later, I came away satisfied with my new shroud. It fit my Tikka bolt PERFECTLY, unlike some i have heard about from other people saying sometimes replacement shrouds can be very slightly loose causing an annoying rattle on reloading the bolt or even just when carrying the rifle, which would really annoy me. Happy to say this one fits like a glove, it feels solid and it is extremely well machined. There are no rough edges which was my main worry before buying, and above all it looks like it is factory standard as the colour match is 100%. A very very well made bit of kit which I think Tikka should fit as standard and I intend to write to them telling them so.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase, which cost the grand total of £64 plus a fiver to the swines at the treasury. With the advice and coffee I feel like I got it for free if I am honest. Decent seller, shooting mad and extremely knowledgeable especially when it comes to ballistics info. He also threw in a nice load for me to try for my .223 so I am pleased as punch that I decided to replaced my bolt shroud using his kit. Would I recommend these shrouds? Yes without hesitation, and a friend of mine has already ordered after seeing mine. A great buy all round, and further proof that all I need is the SD forums to fulfil my shooting needs!
took a few snaps with phone so not great pics but hopefully they show how well it matches the rest of the rifle.