Rebarrelling a Tikka

[Tommy Gun]

So now comes the time that I'm looking into a chassis for my Tikka T3 Ultralight. Because I want to add some weight to it I am looking at a 22 or 24 inch bull barrel for it and wanted to know if it's really necessary for a gunsmith to install. I like being able to do things myself and to me it doesn't seem to complicated. As long as I have the right tools and go/no go gauges is this something I could do myself???

Also is a bull barrel maybe the wrong choice? I don't hunt and this would be more for PRS type shooting.

[vintagearms]

22-24" Med palma or Remington Sendero/Varmint profile barrel would work for PRS style shooting.
With a good barrel vice, gauges you should be able to do yourself.

[Tommy Gun]

Ya I'd probably build the barrel vise. Looks to be notched wood, springs and a 3/4 to 1 inch dual sided threaded nut and bolt unit. Have a vise already on my bench.

I'll take a look at the profile. .308 ultralight was not the right decision when I bought the rifle years ago.

[bigbossman]

Ya I'd probably build the barrel vise. Looks to be notched wood, springs and a 3/4 to 1 inch dual sided threaded nut and bolt unit. Have a vise already on my bench.

I'll take a look at the profile. .308 ultralight was not the right decision when I bought the rifle years ago.

Just a suggestion, from a hunter's perspective.....

Those Tikka ultra lites are exceptional guns in the field, easy to carry and very accurate. As it sits, it would be a very desirable gun to many hunters. Instead of re-barreling it, why not just sell it to a hunter that will use it for the purpose it was intended for, and then use the money to buy another rifle that suits your needs?

It seems to me that would be easier and probably less expensive, and you woul dhave the exact gun you want rather than a "compromise" rifle in the end.

[MongooseV8]

If you can track down a factory barrel and you have a good action wrench and Barrel vise and gauges you might be able to do it yourself. There is an equally good chance your chamber will not correctly headspace. This will have to be corrected with a good lathe at a minimum. Tikkas don't use an adjustable barrel nut system like the Savages so normally A Smith would replace the barrel.

[Bicky]

Do you have a lathe? When you buy a barrel blank, it is not threaded. Also, Tikkas have a narrower action than Remingtons, so the barrel's cylinder diameter needs to be smaller than standard. Here's a link to a Tikka prefit. Think this is what you are looking for.

https://patriotvalleyarms.com/tikka-prefit-barrel/

[ar15barrels]

So now comes the time that I'm looking into a chassis for my Tikka T3 Ultralight. Because I want to add some weight to it I am looking at a 22 or 24 inch bull barrel for it and wanted to know if it's really necessary for a gunsmith to install. I like being able to do things myself and to me it doesn't seem to complicated. As long as I have the right tools and go/no go gauges is this something I could do myself???

Also is a bull barrel maybe the wrong choice? I don't hunt and this would be more for PRS type shooting.

Where are you going to get a barrel that fits your action without machining?
Is there someone selling take-off factory barrels?

If so, get the action wrench, barrel wrench and gauges and try it out.
if it does not headspace correctly, then it's off to a lathe because there is no adjusting of headspace without machine tools.

[ar15barrels]

Ya I'd probably build the barrel vise. Looks to be notched wood, springs and a 3/4 to 1 inch dual sided threaded nut and bolt unit.

LOL at the wood barrel vise.
Let me know how that works out for you.

I typically use close to 25 tons of clamping force to keep the factory barrel from slipping in steel barrel vise bushings a to get the barrel off.

[Tommy Gun]

Every video I've seen it literally looks like 2 2x4s with a v notch with a bolt and spring with 2 nuts in the end to clamp down.

They have pre made Tikka T3 replacement barrels on the market right now....

[ar15barrels]

Every video I've seen it literally looks like 2 2x4s with a v notch with a bolt and spring with 2 nuts in the end to clamp down.

They have pre made Tikka T3 replacement barrels on the market right now....

Like I said, let me know how that works out for you.
The worst case is that your stock barrel simply slips within the wood bushings and maybe scratches up the barrel.
The best case is that it works and your barrel comes off.

In my own experience taking off a couple dozen Tikka T3 barrels, 2x4's and nuts and bolts are not going to hold the barrel.
Perhaps your experience will be different though...

I'm not a fan of barrel-nut barrels but I guess they would work for someone who is not concerned with the rifle being put together as solid or as nicely looking as a factory rifle.

The purchase price of a steel barrel vise and action wrench and headspace gauges is going to make the job actually cost more than having a gunsmith machine a blank to fit your action.

[TMB 1]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/22...-wood-bushings Price has gone up a bit since I got mine, it uses wood blocks. Used it for a few M1 Garands and a couple Mausers. If I had only been doing one it would have been cheaper to take to gunsmith, but the second one paid for the tools and the only wait time I have now is on me.

[baih777]

Every video I've seen it literally looks like 2 2x4s with a v notch with a bolt and spring with 2 nuts in the end to clamp down.

They have pre made Tikka T3 replacement barrels on the market right now....

They are fooling you. I have the one from Brownells. 2x4 oak inserts.
Factory barrel removal. Split the blocks. I remade the blocks out of 2x4 aluminum.

But I use my eBay barrel vise more.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BARREL-VISE-W-5-INSERTS-GUNSMITH-FACTORY-SECOND/370228555216?hash=item5633576dd0:g:B3QAAOSwFShaz3P6

[ar15barrels]

But I use my eBay barrel vise more.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BARREL-VISE...QAAOSwFShaz3P6

There is no straight shank on a Tikka T3 barrel though.
Tikka T3 lightweight barrels actually use an FAL barrel bushing.
The Tikka barrels are really skinny so you need as much length as you can get to get enough grip to hold them.
The Brownells barrel vise I use have 3" long steel bushings.
At 10 tons on the press, the barrel will still slip.
At 25 tons, they usually don't slip anymore, but I did have to add rosin a couple times to stop the slipping.

[fawndog]

I broke a action wrench on a T3.

They don't come out easy, PVA will sell you a wrench and a prefit barrel.
The prefit sets up easy with guages, PVA on the other hand might be a long wait.

[Tommy Gun]

Ya I've heard Tikkas are a ***** to take off. I'll prob end up needing a gunsmith afterall.