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Bolt Closure problem with certain ammo
Hello, I'm new to the forum and a new Tikka owner. I shot my new T3x lite in .308 for the first time this past weekend and I am very pleased with it. I intended to shoot Hornady Black 150gr. and PPU FMJ BT 145gr. The Hornady shot fine, however the bolt would not close on any of the PPU I tried. I did not force the bolt, when it would not close normally with a PPU round I tried another, 4 or 5 in all. They were all the same.
Is this typical for Tikka and PPU? If so are there other ammo brands to avoid? Is is possible I just did not give the rifle a thorough enough new rifle cleaning (I always clean before shooting) Any experienced advice would be appreciated.
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5 Replies
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I had this problem with PPU ammo in .243. Apparently Tikka chambers are cut pretty tight and I believe PPU uses once-fired cases for their budget ammunition.
There's really nothing you can do. I've had the same problem with once-fired .243 cases bought from a reputable dealer and .223 range pickup. I have to full length resize any cases I want to use in my Tikkas when I reload.
Do NOT try to force the bolt closed. See if the ammo vendor will take it back. SG Ammo did this for me.
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Hi welcome , imo it's the ppu there's a reason why it's cheap
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Howdy,
I've measured the head to shoulder length on lots of PPU compared to a go gauge…
Most of it is on the long side of the tolerance… It appears that Tikka's are chambered
towards the shorter side… I have a Ruger GSR that chambers all the PPU…
Anyway, same experience here with Tikka CTR .308…..Paul
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Thank you all for the responses. I am glad it is the inexpensive ammo and not a super, super particular rifle. No more PPU for me. I have a small stash of it. Fortunately my son, who is my primary shooting partner, has a Ruger American in .308 that will happily gobble just about anything, including PPU, with no issues.
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I am glad it is the inexpensive ammo and not a super, super particular rifle.
IMO if the ammo works in other rifles, then the rifle is the problem, not the ammo. PPU seems to use once-fired cases for its less expensive ammunition and I'm not sure it gets full length sized when it's reloaded. tikka's seem to be fussy about case length. Not an indictment, just a fact.
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