Tikka CTR mags and 204 Ruger

[carbon]

Hi everyone. I was thinking of converting my two Tikkas over to CTR mags. One is .223 and the other is .204. Both guns use the standard plastic .223 Tikka single-stack mags and work just fine.

I bought a CTR mag (10rd) first to see how it would handle 204. But before I had the stock milled I figured I’d try to see how it loaded.

Basically, by round 7 the 204 cartridge will start angling up. At the tenth round the feed lips are barely hanging onto the rear of the cartridge, and it’s sticking up like a SAM missile lol. I’m kinda thinking even if I got this thing to work, none rounds would be the max.

Obviously I could bend the feed lips. Wouldn’t probably then work with 223 but that’s ok. The problem is that inside the CTR 223 mag there is an inner plastic sleeve with its own lips. I think the metal mag body is their 308 version and they just sleeved it to make it work for .223.

I am unsure if bending the lips will sufficiently affect the stiff inner plastic lips, and was hoping that one of you fellows has already attempted this and could warn me off or give me tips. I would think that heating up the inner plastic lips would be a necessary step.

I seem to be the only person in the world that has asked this question as google is failing me (I’ve asked at sniperhide, Saubier, and Rokslide too).

It’s too bad because I like the Tikka action and mags more than my CZ 527 .204, which has always been a bit of a pain to load and isn’t the smoothing thing out there to cycle (when there’s rounds in the mag, that is). Without ammo, it cycles smoothly of course.

And I assume it’s ok to load by pushing straight down like loading an AR, AW/AX, or MP5 mag. Tikka/Beretta customer service in the states was quite clueless and made me feel they were slowly catching on to what I was asking and then agreeing with me.

 

[carbon]

Here are some pics


Round 6


Round 8


Round 10

 

[Andy RV]

I can’t help with the mag choice however you should slide the rounds in from the front of the mag, rather than straight down as you’ll eventually wear the plastic lips away.

The CTR are single (centre) feed double stack mags, rather than double feed (left and right with a corresponding feed ramp) MP5, AR, AW etc mags.

 

[ejg]

Why not convert to aics instead of CTR
edi

 

[palo]

I was reading about this before. Think it was on snipers hide. Someone said the ctr mags worked fine with the 204 if you didn't put anymore than 7 rounds in.
Aics is also an option but the only aics mags i know of that will work with the 204 without any modifications are the mdt polymer 10 shot ones .

 

[nun_hunter]

I thought the Tikka CTR actions had a small part milled out so the mags would seat properly compared to standard Tikka T3s?

Is this no longer the case or are there ways to circumvent it?

 

[MarinePMI]

I thought the Tikka CTR actions had a small part milled out so the mags would seat properly compared to standard Tikka T3s?

Is this no longer the case or are there ways to circumvent it?

Pretty sure that was a tab that was held in place by the front trigger attachment screw.

 

[nun_hunter]

Pretty sure that was a tab that was held in place by the front trigger attachment screw.

The original T3 actions didn't have the cut out that is now present on the T3X/CTR and I believe the cut out is to allow the CTR magazine to seat correctly.

Shouldn't be a problem for the OP if they have a newer T3X but may be if they have an original T3.

 

[MarinePMI]

The original T3 actions didn't have the cut out that is now present on the T3X/CTR and I believe the cut out is to allow the CTR magazine to seat correctly.

Shouldn't be a problem for the OP if they have a newer T3X but may be if they have an original T3.

Ah, I see. I misunderstood and thought you were talking about the difference between CTR mag and non-CTR mag T3X's, not the deltas between the T-3 and the T3X.

 

[carbon]

The original T3 actions didn't have the cut out that is now present on the T3X/CTR and I believe the cut out is to allow the CTR magazine to seat correctly.

Shouldn't be a problem for the OP if they have a newer T3X but may be if they have an original T3.

Interesting. I have both a T3 and a T3x. The latter has been sent back to Tikka as it has a very rough firing pin hole that was causing light strikes. Just my luck!

 

[carbon]

I was reading about this before. Think it was on snipers hide. Someone said the ctr mags worked fine with the 204 if you didn't put anymore than 7 rounds in.
Aics is also an option but the only aics mags i know of that will work with the 204 without any modifications are the mdt polymer 10 shot ones .

That might have been me haha! I’m not getting any info from anyone except here. Around round 7 is when things get a little funny.

I do have a Rem 700 and use metal 10rd AICS mags with 204 that are made by Accurate Mag. Very nice. They are, of course, pure single stack and also have plastic inner lips.

 

[carbon]

I can’t help with the mag choice however you should slide the rounds in from the front of the mag, rather than straight down as you’ll eventually wear the plastic lips away.

The CTR are single (centre) feed double stack mags, rather than double feed (left and right with a corresponding feed ramp) MP5, AR, AW etc mags.

Yes, that occurred to me, but the semi-flakey Beretta customer service told me it was fine, even recommended. I suppose the all-plastic AR mags last a good while, but

Perhaps they were thinking of the all-metal CTR mags?

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

Run CTR mag in my 308
Easy conversion
Mag spring is too short and too strong for a full 10 round in any cartridge IMO

 

[palo]

That might have been me haha! I’m not getting any info from anyone except here. Around round 7 is when things get a little funny.

I do have a Rem 700 and use metal 10rd AICS mags with 204 that are made by Accurate Mag. Very nice. They are, of course, pure single stack and also have plastic inner lips.

Id like a 5 round aics mag for my 204 and accurate mag make one. Did you have to alter your accurate mag in any way to get it to work for the 204 ?

 

[carbon]

Id like a 5 round aics mag for my 204 and accurate mag make one. Did you have to alter your accurate mag in any way to get it to work for the 204 ?

The 10rd AICS Accurate Mag part number I have is 00100-0037, which is the model with regular feed lips. I have three of those for my Rem 700 in a KRG W3 chassis. Flawless feeding, no mods.

AICS .223 Rem / 5.56 NATO Magazine

Note: This product is a complete magazine, not a kit. Existing rifles with M-24 type 308 bottom metals can be retrofitted to smaller calibers by simply changing the barrel/action to the selected caliber on the same stock. For savage rifles, this magazine will only work with rifles originally...

accurate-mag.com

I use a MDT loader tool which is nice when loading hundreds of rounds a day. It is different than some loaders as it has a breakaway spring loaded “finger” that the round pushes out of the way.

Magazine Loader

mdttac.com

The two five rounders I have don’t feed correctly with 204 and I should sell them as I never want to load just five rounds for the pdog fields. If I wanted to keep them I probably would have to modify the spring. It’s not important to me so I haven’t looked into a fix. They can be found at the same link as above, just use the drop-down.

I think the rounds dived with the fivers.

 

[carbon]

Run CTR mag in my 308
Easy conversion
Mag spring is too short and too strong for a full 10 round in any cartridge IMO

Do you load by pressing straight down?

 

[carbon]

The original T3 actions didn't have the cut out that is now present on the T3X/CTR and I believe the cut out is to allow the CTR magazine to seat correctly.

Shouldn't be a problem for the OP if they have a newer T3X but may be if they have an original T3.

I looked into this and that cut might be for TRG mags? Regardless, everything I’ve read said CTR mags run in all T3/T3x actions.

 

[MarinePMI]

The 10rd AICS Accurate Mag part number I have is 00100-0037, which is the model with regular feed lips. I have three of those for my Rem 700 in a KRG W3 chassis. Flawless feeding, no mods.

AICS .223 Rem / 5.56 NATO Magazine

Note: This product is a complete magazine, not a kit. Existing rifles with M-24 type 308 bottom metals can be retrofitted to smaller calibers by simply changing the barrel/action to the selected caliber on the same stock. For savage rifles, this magazine will only work with rifles originally...

accurate-mag.com

I use a MDT loader tool which is nice when loading hundreds of rounds a day. It is different than some loaders as it has a breakaway spring loaded “finger” that the round pushes out of the way.

Magazine Loader

mdttac.com

The two five rounders I have don’t feed correctly with 204 and I should sell them as I never want to load just five rounds for the pdog fields. If I wanted to keep them I probably would have to modify the spring. It’s not important to me so I haven’t looked into a fix. They can be found at the same link as above, just use the drop-down.

I think the rounds dived with the fivers.

They won't load 20 Tactical either. Body taper is too straight, and the feed lips are "padded" by the plastic insert. For .223 they work really well, but straighter tapered cases...not so much.

I don't know why Tikka or MDT haven't come up with a different plastic insert to support .204 or other straighter taper cartridges. Granted, the molds are expensive. But if they offered the modularity and adaptability to their mags/rifles, I'd wager there would be a market there. Certainly a differentiator from their competition,

 

[MarinePMI]

I looked into this and that cut might be for TRG mags? Regardless, everything I’ve read said CTR mags run in all T3/T3x actions.

TRG and CTR mags are the same on the top half. It's only the bottom body that is different (unless you have an early model CTR that came with TRG mags).

 

[carbon]

They won't load 20 Tactical either. Body taper is too straight, and the feed lips are "padded" by the plastic insert. For .223 they work really well, but straighter tapered cases...not so much.

Are you referring to just the 223 Accurate Mag 5 rounders? Because the 10rd rounders I have are pretty flawless.