Observations re: Tikka T3 / T3x dual long and short action mods

[Viking264]

Please excuse me if this information has been posted in the past; I was not able to find it, if it was...

While waiting for a T3x CTR action and stock to arrive from a member on the forum, I got to thinking about the "switch barrel" project at hand, which was using this action with a .284 Win barrel that I had ordered some time back. I have worked with this cartridge for many years, loading it as a long action round. The CTR is offered only as a short action variant, primarily a matter of the magazine and the bolt stop. I had briefly considered loading the .284 Win rounds for short action, using the CTR mag. The loss in MV and limitations on bullet choice were not agreeable, so I spent some time looking around for long action-compatible Tikka stocks. Most of what is out there a.) costs a mint, b.) requires non-Tikka mags much more expensive than the factory plastic 5-round mags, and or c.) is a chassis. There are a couple of exceptions, but the stock designs offered didn't excite me.

I recalled that I had a factory plastic DBM left over from my T3 Sporter (6.5x55mm), which is a long action cartridge. Could that DBM be used with the CTR stock, I wondered. I figured that the answer was 'yes', as the action holes would be identical between the CTR and factory plastic DBM. Turns out that I was correct. The T3 long action plastic DBM mounts perfectly, enabling me to use my existing 5-round factory mags. There is a small gap of space to either side of the factory plastic DBM, but no matter to me. The bolt stop is the only item requiring a swap out; I have a long action bolt stop on the way from Mountain Tactical. The only other mod required is going to be the removal of some material from the stock barrel channel near the breach. When I purchase my next barrel, which will be either 6XC or .243 Win, I will simply swap the CTR bottom metal and mag back in to the stock, and hopefully the LA bolt stop won't be a hinderance. Note that the CTR DBM is wider than the standard factory plastic DBM, so a stock inletted for the standard DBM will not accept the CTR stock without modification to the stock (I doubt that it would be worth doing it, anyway).

Bottom line here is that a stock inletted for the CTR DBM will accept the DBM for use with factory Tikka mags, or the metal ones that are compatible with the factory DBM. The attraction is that Tikka mags are still reasonably priced relative to many alternatives. I have owned Tikkas in the past that had a CDI DBM and used AICS mags; they worked great, but the cost associated was quite high. Presently, the price of an aluminum DBM made for use with a Tikka factory mag is just over $100 plus shipping, (I purchased one from Atlasworxs in Australia many years ago) so it's an attractive option, requiring very little work on the stock. Granted, there are not many examples of high praise out there for Tikka's plastic stocks, however this CTR stock will not pose limitations on my intended use of hunting and long range marksmanship. I concede that I will want to upgrade the stock at some point; when that happens, I'll go the route of a traditional stock (non-chassis) inletted to accept the CTR factory stock, and will roll on, so that I can continue to use Tikka mags.

FWIW, I have never had an issue with a Tikka factory plastic mag that couldn't be fixed with a nail file. They have never failed to feed, and I have used them with the .284 Win (only 4 rounds in the 5 round mag) extensively.

I hope that this information was useful to Tikka owners.

All the best...

 

[Alpha Echo]

@Viking264 I'm actually considering rebarreling to 284 Win in my T3 (not CTR) that is currently chambered in 243 Winchester. If I understand you correctly, I can reliably magazine feed 284 Winchester rounds in a Tikka long action (using long action mags)? And this would work with a chassis (let's say an XLR) that uses an AICS pattern mag?

 

[martyj]

I was checking mine out it is t3 in 6.5x284. I put a 284 round in the magazine that I had from my f class rifle and it appeared that it would feed without any problem.
284 match oal is alot longer than a standard 284

 

[Eric_F]

@Viking264 I'm actually considering rebarreling to 284 Win in my T3 (not CTR) that is currently chambered in 243 Winchester. If I understand you correctly, I can reliably magazine feed 284 Winchester rounds in a Tikka long action (using long action mags)? And this would work with a chassis (let's say an XLR) that uses an AICS pattern mag?

Yes, 284 Win feeds great on a Tikka with a long action bolt stop. My 284 (originally 6.5 CM) works great with factory mag/BM or MDT 3.56" mags with Waters, but I understand LA AICS with other bottom metals like MT or Red Snake also work well. To your second question on a chassis, the answer is I don't think any chassis exists with Tikka LA and AICS mags. XLR does sell LA Tikka chassis, but only for the 3.56" mags.

 

[Hydra6]

MDT HNT26 lightweight chassis has a Tikka Long Action option.

 

[Hydra6]

I have a Tikka T3 in 3006 that I am using for donor action. It of course it set up for Long Action bolt stop. I had a Tikka OEM CTR 260 barrel in hand - I screwed the 260 (short action) barrel into the T3, dropped into a Tikka CTR chassis with CTR mag I got cheap. Having no issues running the 260 (short action) in the T3 action still set up with the long action bolt stop.

Tikkas are fun.

 

[WV338]

Tikka has a wonderful platform in that you can change the bolt stop and magazine and use it for longer bullets. I have a 270 WSM that I wanted to use badlands bullets but with the standard WSM configuration I couldn't load the bullets out far enough to get the performance I needed. So I bought a magnum bolt stop and used the magazine from my 7mm RM and now it allows me to extend the OAL. Now my 270 WSM looks like a 6.8 Western.

 

[highdrum]

A standard T3x bottom plastic will fit inside a CTR inlet, but not the other way around. Find a 30-06 Tikka mag and install a long actin bolt stop and you have a perfect action for any x284 based cartridge.

 

[HRM Johnny]

O.P. Viking. Great thread so far. Thanks for starting this thread.

 

[Alpha Echo]

Yes, 284 Win feeds great on a Tikka with a long action bolt stop. My 284 (originally 6.5 CM) works great with factory mag/BM or MDT 3.56" mags with Waters, but I understand LA AICS with other bottom metals like MT or Red Snake also work well. To your second question on a chassis, the answer is I don't think any chassis exists with Tikka LA and AICS mags. XLR does sell LA Tikka chassis, but only for the 3.56" mags.

The XLR chassis options are actually the ones I'm considering, assuming they truly inlet to fit the Tikka action, which I understand has a 3 degree downward (towards the muzzle) offset in the inlet, according to Jeff at Mountain Tactical. He was very specific to ask the chassis manufacturers to specify whether they take this 3 degree "slope" / offset into account when inletting.

But back to the issue of mags at hand...and apologies for the newbie follow up question--aren't the 3.56 length mags the same thing as AICS pattern mags? (interchangeable terminology?) If not, what's the difference? The mags seem to be the most confusing part of all of this!

And, could I use the Mountain Tactical long action mags in my factory stock/BM (with a long action bolt stop) while I continue to use my 243 barrel, and then transition to the XLR chassis, still using the Mountain Tactical long action mag? Jeff could not confirm whether my 243 would feed through their LA mag.

To clarify, my goals are as follows (all with left handed rifles, mind you):
1. Use my 243 currently as my primary practice rifle to get trigger time
2. Buy any mags/bottom metal/chassis with an eye towards the future, which is to convert to long action to start the process towards rebarrelling to a long throated 284 win. This will become my primary long range mountain rifle (hence the XLR magnesium chassis) up to and including elk.

So short term I'm thinking I need to buy a long action bolt stop. I could buy the Mountain Tactical short action mag now as well, and gain some mag box length, but if I can get away with feeding from a long action mag that will work in my factory bottom metal/stock and eventually work with a chassis, that would be all the better.

Apologies for the long post guys, really appreciate all the insight so far.

 

[Eric_F]

-aren't the 3.56 length mags the same thing as AICS pattern mags? (interchangeable terminology?) If not, what's the difference? The mags seem to be the most confusing part of all of this!

No, they're different. Standard long action AICS mags are 3.715 or 3.85" for CIP. MDT is the only company that makes the medium-ish 3.56" mag specific for long action Tikkas, which would be too short to fit in a regular LA AICS bottom metal or chassis (there's no spacer so outer dimensions are shorter). The 284 Win case being rebated rim is wide enough that you'd want the 300 WM mags as opposed to the skinnier feed lips on the 30-06 version.

I'd skip the MT mags, I had bad luck with them nose diving, but I'd sell some to you if you want to try.

If you want to do a barrel swap on the same stock/chassis/bottom metal, the only practical solution would be using factory Tikka bottom metal. The outer dimensions of the SA and LA factory (or MT) mags are the same so that's your easiest solution. But honestly I think you'll get sick of swapping barrels and chassis, I sure did. And the factory mags are fine for 284 Win OALs, shown here with my elk load 168 ABLRs.

 

[Eric_F]

Front to back: factory LA, MT LA, MDT 3.56" with 284 Win, 168 ABLRs

 

[Alpha Echo]

@Eric_F extremely helpful, thanks again!

It sounds like I'm stuck buying a new mag when the time comes for my 284 build anyway, due to the larger case diameter. So will probably go with a medium plus factory mag for now while I shoot my 243--or a short action MT mag--unless you're saying even the short action MT mags have a tendency to nosedive?

I will upgrade my recoil lug to the MT version (unless there's a better one) now as well, but will leave my factory bolt stop as is for now. Who knows, maybe by the time I burn out my 243 barrel I'll have a 7 PRC already and rather than rebarrelling to 284 I may just rebarrel to 6 creedmoor...decisions, decisions!

 

[Eric_F]

@Eric_F extremely helpful, thanks again!
...
-unless you're saying even the short action MT mags have a tendency to nosedive?

No problem. Haven't used their short action mags.