[wizard]

Noticed you've started selling the bdm I asked about! Great!!!
I found one elsewhere prior so sadly I won't order from you guys but my installation should be ready within the next few days so I'll provide some before/after pics!

It's a great upgrade of any Tikka!!!

[wizard]

The barrel is 100% totally free-floating from the action througout the stock and my groups would be impossible if not.

Some “older” rifles has a rubber doda that's ment to dampen the vibrations from the shot and that's just wrong!
Use the vibrations to tune the barrel with a correct handload and then the really tight groups will come!

I'm currently installing a CDI AICS BDM and there's a fair bit of work involved to be honest but it'll be great in the end! 😉

[wizard]

I seem to remember stating previously that I now was “finished” with the build…

Ehrm… no  😛

Yesterday I ordered a CDI BDM with one 5-round mag and one 10-round mag!

Now it's almost finished… hehe…  ;D

[wizard]

I don't know abot the 595 but if the old ones works with Sako Optiloc then that's a very good option!
Not cheap but great and that's more important to me anyway 😉

[wizard]

That's amazingly wonderful!  What size groups were you getting with the factory stock?  If I understand correctly, this is the factory barrel but a JARD trigger?

I never tried it with the factory stock since this was a planned build but the original “Tupperware” stock is probably not solid enough to deliver the same groups… That's my guess anyway.
I've spend a lot of effort in making a strong and rigid system with no or very little flex.

However, this is the original action and barrel with a different stock and trigger.
The barrel is dampened with an ASE Utra Jet-Z compact moderator and a hot load behind a 175gr Nosler Comp bullet.
I get similar groups with BST so it has the same potential for hunting!  🙂

[wizard]

p.s the group is 16 or 17 mm (0.6 in) which is probably not too bad when I think of it…
That's pretty much touching the self accuracy of the load and barrel.

Delivered from a Tikka!  ;D

[wizard]

That is a beautiful rifle!  You did a great job and should be proud of your work.  Post up some targets!!!

Thanks!  😀

Tried the rifle today at the range in order to adjust the buttstock and after some tweaking a tried a few three-shot groups to verify that I was on target and not jumping around like a bunny…

The stickers measure 10x10mm (~0.4 in) so this group is acceptable by my standards at the moment.
I shot the groups in prone position without sandbag and mag… (forgot it at home) Had to feed manually but that works as well I guess  😛

A Tikka T3 custom with the old “boring” .308 win can shoot sub inch groups @ 300 meters (328 yards) without problem!
Later this year whan I've actually learned to shoot this rifle properly we will be bad news for the foxes around here – that's for sure!

Building, or shall I say “put together”?, this rifle has been great fun and now it shoots like a dream and is everything I wanted in order to start shooting and hunting at longer distances with great precision.
Don't go down the boring route using Remington 700 actions because that's been done so many times… Try a Tikka instead! You can find the parts and in the end I think the over-all package is better and certainly holds its value better.

[wizard]

Finally got my Tubbs 4-way adjustable buttstock fitted and now the rifle is “complete”!  ;D

I might swap my 20MOA Recknagel rail for a SPUHR mount later but it's not really making it better so that'll have to wait.
AI BDM will be fitted at some stage in order to get a 10 round mag but that's not making it any better either…

It's not cheap building this type of rifle – especially with the taxes we've got over here – but I'm VERY pleased with the performance and accuracy and I think I'm pushing what's possible with .308 win to be honest in a “normal” rifle.

The final weight turned out to be a bit heavier than planned but it works. 7.1 kg / 15.65 lbs which makes hunting a training session!

Building custom precision rifles with Tikka is doable for sure and the whole journey was great fun!  🙂

I hope you like it because I sure do!

[wizard]

Robertson Tac stock is the basic style I'm looking for. How do you like the adjustable cheek piece? I would possibly do without the adjustable cheek, but not sure, never used one.

The adjustable cheek-piece is working really well but you can't have a rifle without one…
Otherwise you can't remove the bolt which is a legal requirement when travelling in a car with the rifle in many countries and it would make cleaning a major issue…

In order to perfectly fit optics to your head it must be adjustable.

It's not cheap but for me it's the best stock there is for what I'm using it for!

It's a 100% custom stock so you order it exactly to your specifications.

[wizard]

The Robertson TAC does take the standard T3 bottom plate and mag without inletting if that's how you order it. (they make it for a few actions)
They have a list of optional extras and they make it to your specification.

Highly recommended if you're into precision and long range, not recommended if you mainly hunt and want a lighter stock… 😉

[wizard]

This is more what I'm looking for…

A bottom plate that takes AI mags.
They are very popular and I really need something that takes my long cartridges with COL/COAL longer than 72mm

[wizard]

I'm using a Robertson TAC for one of my rifles (I'm showing it in a thread here) and if you're into tactical and long range it's one of the best ones available for money as far as I'm concerned.

It's not exactly cheap but worth every penny!

[wizard]

Could've written my tip here…  ;D

I sanded the inside of my shroud in order to make sure it wasn't rubbing against the metal on the bolt and then placed a small dab of grease on the surface of the piece that actually compresses the spring.

You really don't want dry metal grinding metal here since it can both wear down the metal and cause a heavy bolt lift.

This did it for me anyway!

[wizard]

I just changed my bolt shroud and I had the same effect as you're describing…
Mine was easily fixed by sanding the inside of the shroud in order not to rub against the metal on the bolt.

The bolts on Tikkas can be hard to open sometimes and the recipee is normally a good clean on the surface that tensions the spring and putting a bit of grease on this surface afterwards.
This makes it somewhat easier and stops the action from grinding metal.

Could you elaborate a little on exactly what you did to your shroud and bolt?

You have a PM

[wizard]

Go ahead and user your brushes, they won't damage your barrel.

Stainless barrels do require more cleaning since they mantle more i my opinion.
My Sako 85 Hunter Laminated Stainless in 9.3×62 still needs copper solvent every now and then and according to Sako this is because the barrel is harder than a non-stainless barrel.

Regardless, it's true on my rifle anyway.

Perhaps they mean that you should use a good oil on the outside of the barrel?
Stainless does rust and many people do miss that fact and I've seen examples where people though it was ok to leave a damp barrel without wiping it dry since it was stainless…