View Full Version : Tikka T3x Tac A1 vs Seekins Havak Bravo vs DD Delta 5 vs ???
Coal Dragger
07-08-20, 15:37
People of the interwebz and M4Carbine.net,
I live approximately 10 minutes from a good range with steel hung at 300, 500, and 800 yards. I can get over 800 from non designated firing points if there is no one else around. I've played around with a 6.5X284 a friend owns at about 840 yards on the steel. It was fun, I want to do more of that. With any luck and more funding the plan is to expand the range to at least 1K, there's plenty of room. I want to be able to play out there too.
With that in mind I'm going to solicit advice from people that already play this game to point me in the right direction, I promise to actually listen and consider the given advice.
About my current experience level: Former Marine infantry, KD course was never an issue multiple award expert rifleman (not that hard). Some experience shooting NRA Service Rifle but not enough to get a rating. Fair amount of small bore precision position match style shooting. Competitive bullseye pistol (college) made collegiate nationals in 2003. Last good training class was Pat McNamara in fall of 2016 (I need to get back into a class).
Extensive reloading experience, plenty of quality equipment and experience landing for pistols, and rifles both gas guns and bolt guns. I'm not afraid of making my own ammo, but do prefer to stick with calibers I can get quality factory brass, I'm no fond of all the labor in fire forming or other case forming and trimming.
To begin with I need to determine a projectile and caliber, and then a rifle to launch it out of. Operating on internet reviews, and marketing propaganda I'm kind of under the impression that a rifle in the $1500-$2000 range is about where you get into guns that are actually ready to go that will give a guy room to grow and maybe enter a match here and there and not get crushed solely due to equipment deficiencies.
For starters wishing the realm of readily available cartridges what is my best bet? The short list is 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, and 6.5mm PRC. Electing to go with the 6mm or the PRC limits my choice of factory rifles, but that is OK as long as the factory rifles don't suck. Any advice here is appreciated, I've not shot the 6mm Creed, or the 6.5 PRC, I have some time on the 6.5 Creed and liked it quite a bit. Not sure if the trajectory and wind drift improvements of the faster options are worth the shorter barrel life, but that would require me to shoot so much I actually burn one out and if I get to shoot that much either way I'm gonna be stoked to do it.
Factory rifle options I've considered are listed in the thread title, and are rifles I've laid my filthy hands on in person and didn't find to be objectionable and they seemed like they would fit the bill. The Seekins offers a lot more options in calibers than the other two, and the KRG stock is easily accessorized and I prefer it over the other two. The DD has a removable bolt head and pre-head spaced barrels with extensions, this could make a multi caliber rig possible if they ever release a different bolt face size and barrels. I prefer the two stage trigger offered in the Tikka, and they are known to be good shooters. The Seekins will easily feed AICS or AW mags due to the lugs being 90 degrees off from a Rem 700, and the DD will also run AI mags, the Tikka of course uses proprietary mags that cost over $100 each. Of those three what would you guys choose? I understand they are pretty different in some ways, but any first hand experience that can be related is appreciated.
Last question, since I don't know what I don't know, are there options out there that I am missing or over looking? So many options out there it's tough to sort through them all on the rifle front.
I already have a Nightforce NXS 3.5-15X50 that I've had for over a decade now that will initially be mounted on whatever I pick, I realize this is no longer state of the art glass or even ideal, but it's paid for and in my safe. Glass upgrades will come later.
As always thoughts, advice, tips, hints or any other help are appreciated.
I have the Tikka T3x Tac A1 in 308 and it was a .5 MOA after about 20rds down the pipe, I stopped the "break in" there, since I was getting what I wanted, that was with FGMM 168gr, I upgraded to the Sterk bolt handle and shroud which kinda gave it an AI feel/look. Action is buttery smooth and so far so good. It is a bit hvy? if that's an issue for ya
Out of the three, only have experience on the Tikka. If wanting the chassis with the features, price and performance, good choice. I would run the 6.5CM if I was starting, ammo cost is a wash, 6.5CM is everywhere and at those longer ranges, it's a better cartridge(ref .308 if it comes up). Some will pipe in about barrel life, don't let that be a factor. If you look around, you will find Tikka mags for cheaper, you get two I believe with the gun. Some guys are always taking a CTR out and placing into a chassis and sell off stocks/mags. If not wanting the Chassis, run the DD
There's info out there on 6vs 6.5, apples to apples as I understand, you loose barrel life and some recoil. PRC, loose barrel life and gain recoil.
Scope is fine, you can always pick up another later if you stay in the game.
Disclosure - I have no experience with any of these guns. But I have been looking around at them as well, and my first question would be echoing above - are you hung up on a factory gun/stock combo? Why not a T3x CTR and drop it into a KRG stock and you get the CTR in the stock you prefer, a trigger you like, with ACIS mag compatibility, and you can readily sell off the CTR mags and possibly the factory CTR stock to offset the cost.
Coal Dragger
07-08-20, 22:07
A possibility for sure.
Another factor is the ability to service the rifle myself should I be so lucky to shoot the barrel out.
The DD is simple enough to do and barrels are evidently available, and the Seekins has pre-fit barrels available. Not sure about the Tikka, but my guess is it’s possible.
Failure2Stop
07-09-20, 07:48
If you intend on moving to PRS/NRL competition with the rifle, I'd recommend something in 6mm Creedmoor, and from your list, the only compliant rifle is the Seekins.
If you just want to hit steel at 1,000, .308 from a 20+" barrel is adequate. Whole lot of people do it regularly with 16" .308 gas guns. If you're going to get into a precision bolt gun, I'd figure that you'd want to get quantifiably better long-range performance. 6.5 stuff has been pretty significantly overshadowed by 6mm in this application.
I shoot a lot of 6.5 Creedmoor, and there are good reasons to go with that cartridge for some applications, but if I am going to go shoot competitively with an expectation to place well, I'm taking a rifle that throws 6mm projectiles and stays within the speed limit (usually 3200 ft/s).
If you don't care about doing well in a competitive atmosphere, go with whatever tickles your fancy.
Coal Dragger
07-09-20, 13:24
Jack can you expand a bit on the Seekins? I’ve read a few issues of light primer strikes, but if you’ve observed other problems I would be interested to hear about them.
I am not sure if I will be dipping my toes into a competitive environment or not, but picking a competitive caliber in case I do is not a bad idea at all. In which case the Tikka and DD offerings are ruled out for no availability in a 6mm cartridge, and the Seekins is a problem child for some people.
What good alternatives are there?
Failure2Stop
07-09-20, 14:33
Jack can you expand a bit on the Seekins? I’ve read a few issues of light primer strikes, but if you’ve observed other problems I would be interested to hear about them.
I am not sure if I will be dipping my toes into a competitive environment or not, but picking a competitive caliber in case I do is not a bad idea at all. In which case the Tikka and DD offerings are ruled out for no availability in a 6mm cartridge, and the Seekins is a problem child for some people.
What good alternatives are there?
MPA produces some very nice rifles, the one linked below seems to be right at the top end of your price range, and specifically made to fit inside the PRS Production Division.
https://masterpiecearms.com/shop/mpa-ba-pmr-competition-rifle/
Available in both 6mm Creedmoor and 6mm GT (GT pretty much being the optimal 6mm competition round).
This is where I would go if was going to start PRS today from the ground up.
Coal Dragger
07-09-20, 15:47
Thanks, I just found them through a google search for 6mm Creedmoor rifles. If you have seen good results with them that means a lot.
Next question, is it worth my money to pick up a slightly higher end MPA and give up the ability to shoot production division if I elect to compete, or is their “Pro” model in the middle ground of no longer in production class but going to hold you back in open? (assuming my development as a shooter is good enough to be competitive)
I’m not dead set on a price ceiling of $2K it was an observation of pricing on rifles I had at least handled seeming up to par. Not wanting operate on gun shop finger banging alone I am here trying to soak up knowledge. So if there is a good reason to exceed my originally stated price range, within reason, to gain a more capable rig I am also open to listening on that too. I realize a $2K rifle still needs a muzzle device, bipod, ARCA rail, and other “stuff” if PRS is going to be the game, so a package that includes more of that “stuff” I’m going to have to do anyway makes sense.
Kind of how one of your SR-15’s costs more than a competitor’s offerings. Once you factor in all the things you need to buy to make that alternate carbine ready to go, that the Knights gun comes with in the case that price gap narrows. If you want to upgrade components to compete with the features on the SR-15 there isn’t much of a gap and you should have just bought the Knights and been done with it.
Jack has given some stellar advice, as always!. If I were starting from scratch in the precision rifle game I'd go with that MPA production class gun in a heartbeat.
That MPA production rifle is really hard to beat in terms of the value it brings to the table. Piecing that same rifle together could easily run you $2600-2800. That's a big savings that can go towards the purchase of an optic.
All MPA chassis come with an Arca dovetail cut into the chassis, and the Hybrid will accept all of the MPA aftermarket doodads (including a weight kit if you were to really get into PRS). All you would need to get shooting would be an Optic, rings/mount, bipod, and perhaps a muzzle brake.
Plus, you can buy prefit replacement barrels for that action directly from MPA (and a few other places), so when you burn out the first 6mm Creed barrel you'll be able to get another without having to send the rifle off to a gunsmith to be rebarreled.
Coal Dragger
07-09-20, 22:56
Yeah I’m thinking Jack L. is spot on with his advice, and I know he has quite a bit of experience competing in matches and setting them up through Quantified Performance.
I went through and read up on class rules for PRS production division and also looked at NRL. More NRL events within reasonable distances from me in the Black Hills than there are PRS events. At any rate I notice that PRS production class now allows $2500 for the rifle as advertised MSRP, and that opens up something like the MPA PMR Pro, which is pretty much where I would have ended up anyway.
I have the DD gun and it is a laser beam, but for the price you could buy a Bergar LRP and be into a very nice gun as well for a bit cheaper. I own and shoot both quite a bit. Can be had in 6 and 6.5CM. I shoot a 6.5 in gas guns and bolt gun. I'm impressed with this cartridge after fighting not liking it over 308. The factory options are amazing for cheap to very good from .65 to $1.25 that shoot .25 to 1 inch MOA.
Ive considered buying a 6.5 barrel for the DD gun. Not as easy to swop out as my MWS, but doable for a regular guy.
Read up on the Bergara line and see if you like them. I would add them to the consideration.
PB
I shoot a 6.5 in gas guns and bolt gun. I'm impressed with this cartridge after fighting not liking it over 308. The factory options are amazing for cheap to very good from .65 to $1.25 that shoot .25 to 1 inch MOA.
OP handloads as do I, but as the guy who built a 260 just before the 6.5 came out I'm a bit envious of it's wide availability of quality factory ammo.
Don't underestimate the value of practice, being able to buy a box of ammo and go shoot rather than stay home and load will get you further than the "best" caliber.
Coal Dragger
07-12-20, 16:55
I usually start with some factory ammo to get a baseline and ensure function, and it’s always nice to be able to grab a few boxes of factory ammo if I am behind on reloading chores.
Been staring down the rabbit hole of custom actions, chassis, and triggers. Holy hell it’s a $$$ abyss if you fall all the way in.
It's not that much to get into fun LR. Competition and/or chasing the latest/best is entirely different.
I took an old R700, got a used police stock, and a nice pac-nor blank. I was able to contour and chamber it myself but with the savage jam nut barrels available anyone with a few tools can re barrel an action.
I don't do any competition so a little adjustment to the factory trigger was good enough and I haven't needed to spend money to convert to DBM. I'm pretty confident every time I miss it's me and not my gear.
So I guess I'll recommend anything with a good reputation for factory accuracy in 6.5CM to get started, and then see how far down the hole shooting it takes you.
i think you've got some solid advice here. I started shooting matches in outlaw days before the PRS started and I'm amazed today at the breadth of reasonably priced rifles and cartridges available. it's just phenomenal. i know, blah blah walk to school uphill in the snow both ways blah blah haha. but back then everyone shot 260rem or 243win and you couldn't even buy a factory rifle with the right twist in either cartridge, so everything was custom. actions and chassis have come a LONG way too. It's almost hard to go wrong these days. Of the 3 though, I'd go seekins.
some random opinions for you:
if you want some light reading, here's an interesting thread on another forum where a friend who was a benchrest shooter gets into practical precision competition starting in 2018. it's over 1100 posts long now, but has a lot of great info. he evaluated several, eventually bought the seekins and wasn't super happy with it (but i still recommend them) and he eventually got an Impact/foundation like mine. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/long-range-rifle-scope-prs-question-s.845206/
Impact/foundation is spendy, but the quality cannot be beat. pics and info on mine here https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-rifle-i%E2%80%99ve-owned.836725/
MPA chassis are great. I'm not a huge fan of their actions though.
Definitely go with something that takes pre-fit barrels.
If you want to get a little bleeding edge you can split the difference between 6mm and 6.5mm now as there are some quality 25cal match bullets being made. but even though the 6mm dominate competitions like PRS and own most of the benchrest records, I still love the 6.5. If i had it to do over again, I'd still be shooting the 260AI and would have just moved from berger vld to hybrids to jlk to hornady A-tips over the years. as it stands, i spend most of my time behind dashers and 6.5x47L
factory ammo is REALLY good these days. at least some of it. hornady creedmoor ammo is awesome and won't keep you from winning matches. wish i could afford it lol
weight is something to consider. just like trends oscillate from super light to heavy AR15s, same happens in PRS. I sort of started a trend years ago by taking the plastic spacers out of the butt and making a mold and creating sold lead spacers to add weight to my competition rifle. it's impressive how much an extra 5 LB in the stock will help you hold steady, see trace, and make positions like sitting easier. it's not much fun to hump a 22 lb rifle around though. Trend these days seems to be going back to lighter weight rifles. I don't know how the 3 in the op compare in terms of mass, but it's something to consider. an advantage to chassis like MPA is that you can easily add and remove weights to them.
Coal Dragger
07-13-20, 14:22
Thanks for the input, I noticed that MPA uses Curtis Custom actions, what specifically do you dislike about them?
Of the custom actions I have considered picking up and putting the rifle together over time (an option I might entertain), I might pick your brain a bit if you’re willing.
We know you like the Impact Precision 737.
Do you have any experience with the Bighorn TL-3? Looks interesting for the ability to easily swap breech face/bolt heads to run a variety of calibers if desired. Takes pre-fits no problem, evidently to include shouldered pre-chambered barrels.
How are the various Defiance actions, I ask because the Badrock Precision production class rifle runs a Defiance made action in an MDT chassis.
Lone Peak Fusion any good?
Aside from saving 30 degrees of travel is a three lug 60 degree worth my time over a 90 degree two lug? I assume cocking effort is shorter travel and therefore higher effort on the 3 lug, but you have more clearance between bolt handle and ocular housing on the scope. Is that juice worth the squeeze?
Does Altus Shooting offer a well done barreled action? I could order any of those actions with a Bartlein tube installed for about $2400 or so, and then order a chassis and trigger later. I notice Trigger Tech is bringing a 2 stage to market, and I do love a fine 2 stage trigger.
I'll be as honest as I can, but a little vague because I don't want to rehash a lot of drama.
I like Curtis actions and they're good dudes and one of my best friends was sponsored by them so i'm not going to dog them too much, but as of last year, I think they still had some bugs to work out reliability-wise. My knowledge may be dated but I thought MPA used two different actions, one higher end (curtis) and one lower end.
I tried to post an attachment here that will give you a list of gear I used by year, so you can see which ones I have experience with, but I had one of the first Bighorns. It was amazingly accurate and the smoothest action I've ever run. Shot out about 11 barrels with it, iirc. Wouldn't eject worth a crap. I spent a lot of time clearing malfs on the clock. So I got one of the 2nd gen Bighorns, which was supposed to solve that issue. It did not. Same story. Then AJ sold the company and I suspect the new guys weren't' taking any chances. gen 3 went to a fixed ejector. But I wasn't taking any chances either and switched to surgeon.
Defiance is an awesome company. You can expect anything they put out to be very well machined. However, they're the real "custom" shop in the market. You can get them to do anything you want (from a long list of different options). The challenge with that is, you'd better know what you want because you can easily spec something that doesn't work. The Deviant and Rebel are totally trouble free. I've owned a few and know lots and lots of people who never had any problems. No experience with their newer rukus which takes prefits, but I wouldn't hesitate to get one. It and the impact are the two I would use. My point is just because defiance makes actions for someone else's private label doesn't mean that action will be as reliable as a defiance. I would pay attention to how much clearance the bolt has though. some folks spec benchrest type clearance and defiance does it well, but that may not be what you need if you're rolling around in the dirt out west with it.
no experience with lone peak.
i don't have strong opinion on 60 vs 90* throws. it's personal preference i think. as a lefty, i can't tell you how many times i've smashed a finger on the S&B PMII illumination housing. 60* would have helped for sure, but i didn't have one. also pay attention to whether the bolt handle is swept back or not, as that can give you the space you need or put you in a bind, depending.
I'm not sure who does Altus' work. I thought it was Robert Gradous, who just passed away this month :( He did fantastic work and was a hoot to hang out with. I stayed at his cabin in the swamp many times while he was putting barrels on bighorns for me. He will be missed. If you ask them and they say it was Gradous, i wouldn't hesitate to buy.
as an old HP shooter, I love 2 stage too even though dang near all my PRS friends shot with single stages. I shot with the x-treme mod22 which was an amazing 2 stage that was made by Tom Myers (same guy who made all Remington's titanium actions) and was a copy of the old cg-jackson trigger. Never had one go down, even when everyone else was squirting lighter fluid in theirs. However, they're big. and they won't fit in impacts. So when i switched from surgeons to impacts, i decided to make the switch to single stage and the triggertech diamond. It is a fantastic single stage. but dang if AI didn't switch to the cg-jacksons and then all my friends discovered how good that trigger is and changed. shooters are a funny bunch.
Coal Dragger
07-13-20, 16:44
Thanks.
Coal Dragger
07-23-20, 18:05
Narrowing this down and revising my budget upwards, incidentally PRS has moved their production price cap up as well. So if I buy a complete rifle the new PRS production class price cap is $2500 and under.
Considering the MPA, Badrock Precision, and the new American Rifle Co offerings in their production class offerings.
https://masterpiecearms.com/shop/mpa-ba-pmr-pro-competition-rifle/
https://badrockrifles.com/#!/Intro
https://www.americanrifle.com/shop/product/nucleus-gen-2-0-rifle-1200?category=26
Have to say the ARC chassis looks the most promising because it will give more of a grip interface I like on a bolt gun, and the material is 7075 T6 so it’s going to be considerably stronger than the 6065 of the other two.
My other option is to go full retard, and have Long Rifles Inc build me a rifle. They’re effectively local to me, and are known to do good work. I have heard that the head man in charge there STRONGLY prefers the American Rifle Co Mausingfield action, so that will be a considerably more expensive proposition but will also give me local pro support. If it’s jacked up I can drive up to the shop and drop it off to be made right.
Failure2Stop
07-24-20, 08:10
the material is 7075 T6 so it’s going to be considerably stronger than the 6065 of the other two.
This is a little bit of a fallacy.
There are applications where 6061 or 6065 are better than 7075, and I don't think that you're going to see a real material advantage when it comes to a chassis.
6000 series AL will tend to bend and deform when reaching failure rather than crack.
7075 is used in application where breakage at failure is preferable over dimensional variance, such as with uppers and lowers.
The practical differences between 6061/65 and 7075 are less than what the vast majority of users will experience.
I would not consider the use of 6061 in the MPA chassis to be negative in any way.
Coal Dragger
07-24-20, 10:49
Again thank you for the clarification, material sciences isn’t my field of expertise so the explanation of performance difference ls between the two most commonly encountered AL alloys in the firearms world is useful.
I will take the difference in chassis alloy material out of the equation as there are no advantages to be had. I’m over thinking this anyway, its a target rifle stock, not something getting issued to grunts for field use.
If you intend on moving to PRS/NRL competition with the rifle, I'd recommend something in 6mm Creedmoor, and from your list, the only compliant rifle is the Seekins.
If you just want to hit steel at 1,000, .308 from a 20+" barrel is adequate. Whole lot of people do it regularly with 16" .308 gas guns. If you're going to get into a precision bolt gun, I'd figure that you'd want to get quantifiably better long-range performance. 6.5 stuff has been pretty significantly overshadowed by 6mm in this application.
I shoot a lot of 6.5 Creedmoor, and there are good reasons to go with that cartridge for some applications, but if I am going to go shoot competitively with an expectation to place well, I'm taking a rifle that throws 6mm projectiles and stays within the speed limit (usually 3200 ft/s).
If you don't care about doing well in a competitive atmosphere, go with whatever tickles your fancy.
On the caliber discussion, to underscore Jack's post about the use cases for 6.5 CM, and the advantage of 6mm for comps. Here's an article that's data-driven and based on the cartridge choice of top PRS competitors in 2018 season. It shows that 6mm prevailed over 6.5 even 2 years ago among top PRS shooters:
https://precisionrifleblog.com/2018/12/14/rifle-caliber/
Personally I'm not a PRS shooter, and there aren't a ton of great factory hunting loads for the 6mm (although I'm sure the 6mm could be a great whitetail caliber), so those reasons alone rule it out as being of much practical use for me. Still see it as a great, promising caliber, but entirely a niche one for PRS. If it ever takes off as a popular lighter hunting caliber for medium game, with more factory loads available, I'll get more interested. Otherwise I don't have a need to stock ANY other small centerfire rifle calibers besides 223/5.56. For a mid-range general purpose caliber, I like 6.5 and .308 about equally for a lot of the same reasons: they are affordable, available in many quality factory loads, have moderate recoil, and are effective for just about any use case out to at least 1,000y (more for 6.5). For those who want to pare back their total stock of rifles and calibers--as I am--it might make sense to choose one of these two calibers versus keeping both, and focus on training and getting effective with one of them. I dithered for a couple years and had a hard time letting go of my old faithful .308's, but finally did and now am a 6.5-only bolt gun shooter. The 6.5 from both comparatively shooting it against my .308's in hunting and range use, and the ballistic advantages that led the Army to choose it over .308, had more than enough advantages to convince me to make it my general purpose long gun caliber. Next thing will be a DD or KAC in 6.5. :cool:
Army sniper teams rationale for switching to 6.5:
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/05/08/socom-snipers-will-ditch-their-bullets-for-this-new-round-next-year/
Top Special Operations forces snipers will replace their 7.62 sniper rifles with the 6.5 Creedmoor, which doubles their hit probability at 1,000m, increases their effective range by nearly half, reduces wind drift by a third, and has less recoil.
Coal Dragger
07-29-20, 13:23
Thanks I had already read the article posted, and for gaming the 6mm class of cartridges hold a clear advantage; at least in the most common organizations for precision rifle outside of the various NRA disciplines.
As a reloaded I could make .243 or 6mm Creedmoor work quite adequately for hunting, there aren’t any deer sized animals I would hesitate to hunt using 100gr Nosler Accubonds, Partitions, or Barnes TTSX bullets at around 3,000 fps. The smaller capacity 6mm cartridges though are really only good for gaming, and shooting prairie dogs; just not enough case capacity to sling appropriate medium game bullets fast enough to work properly.
I’m also trying to pair down or limit the number of rifles I have, so an action that allows for easy caliber conversion to include different case diameters is preferred. I’m coming to the conclusion that to do what I want it’s coming to involve a custom action that runs a swapable bolt head, and is capable of taking shouldered pre-fit barrels or running a barrel nut.
so an action that allows for easy caliber conversion to include different case diameters is preferred. I’m coming to the conclusion that to do what I want it’s coming to involve a custom action that runs a swapable bolt head, and is capable of taking shouldered pre-fit barrels or running a barrel nut.
That is definitely worth considering for your setup. As part of a caliber-switching solution, I'd recommend researching the West Texas Ordnance switchlug setup. I have it fitted to a factory Tikka T3x running a Proof CF barrel in 6.5CM. With a plain inch-pound torque wrench, it lets you swap barrels at the range and will stay within a half Moa. And Clayton will give you your action specs, which you can then send to ANY barrel maker who can turn a new barrel and ship it to you in the future, without needing the rifle. It's a slick, low-friction setup for both future barrel replacements, and swapping barrels/calibers at the range. Clayton has a solid rep with his system and I've been happy with mine, though I've not yet had him spin me barrels in other calibers.
Coal Dragger
07-29-20, 15:01
Does Tikka sell bolts individually?
Eventually I’d like to have a short action that can run bolt faces for .223/5.56, .308 family, and a short magnum bolt face.
Something like. Bighorn TL-3 or Origin can do this no problem, and the Bighorn/Zermatt actions are belt to consistent enough tolerances that there are multiple barrel makers who spin up pre-fits sight unseen. A bolt head and extractor from Bighorn is about $175 if memory serves.
Does Tikka sell bolts individually?
Eventually I’d like to have a short action that can run bolt faces for .223/5.56, .308 family, and a short magnum bolt face.
Something like. Bighorn TL-3 or Origin can do this no problem, and the Bighorn/Zermatt actions are belt to consistent enough tolerances that there are multiple barrel makers who spin up pre-fits sight unseen. A bolt head and extractor from Bighorn is about $175 if memory serves.
I don't know if Tikka does, but to be clear, the Switchlug system can be fitted to various rifle actions as a way to swap out a barrel: R700, Bighorn, etc. If I do get additional barrels I plan to stay within the .308 family on my Tikka so I can reuse mags and bolt.
PracticalRifleman
08-09-20, 08:35
I think were I in your shoes, I’d buy a Zermatt Arms/Big Horn TL3 SA with standard bolt face ($1100), a KRG Bravo chassis ($450), buy a barrel vice ($75) and an action wrench ($100). Then you can buy pre-fit barrels from Patriot Valley, Hunt’s Long Range, or a number of others for around $700 ea. Pick your caliber and trigger and you’ll be good to go. I have a 6mm Creedmoor barrel and a 6.5 PRC barrel for mine (though I went with a Manners mini-chassis). I plan to eventually pick up either a 6.5 or .308 barrel to live on it for training, throw the 6 on for competing and the PRC for hunting. This way I’ve got my one preferred stock, trigger, and high-end optic for every application. The only thing that changes is the dope I dial and with an area 419 brake, recoil isn’t very noticeable.
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