Tikka stock pressure point removal results

[wheedle]

Hi guys,

Question about a new Tikka here.

Has anyone done a before and after shoot with the pressure points removed from their stock?

Worth doing? Tikka's have a rep for shooting good obviously, just wondering how much removing a pressure point on the stock is going to do for it, if it's worth doing?

Cheers.

[Wobble]

A floated barrel is always a good thing.

Won't necessarily be a huge change for your shooting, but it's relatively simple to do yourself. No reason not too...

[Chronos]

"A floated barrel is always a good thing"

Don't know about that, I'm sure companies that pressure bed their barrels have thought about it a little.

However tikka isn't one of them. Every tikka I've owned is fully floated from the factory, in fact it's in their specs. And the all shot well under 1/2moa with handloads.

Would you fiddle with a stock on a rifle with a 1moa guarantee?

Chronos

[Warrigul]

It is my humble experience with Tikka's that if it is shooting okay leave it, unless there is a serious deficiency in accuracy then there is usually little to be gained.

Lets face it, for accuracy they are pretty good straight of the box.

[Chronos]

Yeah and if it's that bad out of the box take it back. If you try a couple if brands of ammo and it won't shoot sub moa they will replace it.

Chronos

[5Tom]

Speaking from experience with my Tikka T3 in a synthetic stock.

My rifle shot erratic groups for a while to which, I thought, was a bedding problem. I found my barrel was not 100% free-floating to the receiver and I did remove that pressure point approximately 3 inches from the receiver.

Again, this is with MY rifle, but after shaving off more than enough space in the barrel channel to visually see an air gap between the barrel and stock, my groups aren't as erratic as they were.

I think if there is any erratic shooting, it is now on my behalf or my reloads as my rifle with .243 70gr pills will shoot .5 inch groups.

Up to you if you wish to remove it, but I would most certainly check for a 100% floating barrel first.

[Oldbloke]

Perhaps you could pack something under the action or the start of the barrel as a test first. Say I piece of thin cardboard such as a business card.

[Wobble]

Don't know about that, I'm sure companies that pressure bed their barrels have thought about it a little.

Hmm, should clarify maybe that a floated barrel is always a good thing for a regular rifle.

If you're pressure bedding it and aiming for a different setup, well... That's different.

How many actually do that these days though? I can't think of any off the top of my head...

[maxi]

Soz, what's pressure bedding?

[Rakk]

It's bedding the entire length of the stock. Action, barrel and all...

[wheedle]

It is my humble experience with Tikka's that if it is shooting okay leave it, unless there is a serious deficiency in accuracy then there is usually little to be gained.

Lets face it, for accuracy they are pretty good straight of the box.

Would you fiddle with a stock on a rifle with a 1moa guarantee?

It's only a very light touch at the absolute tip of the stock, that's why I was hesitant.

Only one shoot so far but results are good. Some more testing before I would look at taking it back but I think that's not going to be needed.

[Apollo]

Some years back there were some complaints that "some" Tikka T3 Stocks had developed a section of the stock that touched the barrel. It was mentioned that this was possible and had happened but the cause was not exactly known as there were not enough examples to positively identify it.

The thought was it may be due to abnormal temperature and/or humidity changes. Anyway, those stocks as far as I know were rectified or replaced.

As far as I could see from the Tikka information is that all their stocks should have free floating barrels and if it is not then there may be a fault perhaps.

If it is within it's warranty period I would contact the selling dealer. If it's fairly old I would rectify the problem myself, it's pretty easy to do.

Anything that touches a "free floating" barrel will have some effect on the barrel tune / harmonics.

There is also the possibility it will get worse with time.

[Vati]

If it's fairly old I would rectify the problem myself, it's pretty easy to do.

Yeah, it's not hard.

Quoted from another post.

Measure the width of your barrel at the end of the stock and get a piece of dowel from Bunnings that is 2mm wider.

Take out the action so you have just the stock, wrap some sand paper around the dowel, and run in back and forth down the channel of the barrel.

It will be too wide to touch the bottom to start and you'll just be sanding off the sides of the stock in the channel, once you touch the bottom of it go deep enough to get it 2mm from where the barrel was and you're done.

Easy peasy.

[Chronos]

Soz, what's pressure bedding?

It means there is some structure near the forend if the stock applying upward pressure

One technique is to mount the rifle in a vice and hang a weight, say 2lb from the tip of the barrel. Then an epoxy is applied or injected between the forend and the barrel. And left to set.

The result is a "bed" of epoxy that applies 2 lb of pressure to the barrel, hopefully improving the harmonic vibration, usually in a light barrel profile.

Not very common these days

Chronos

[1290]

If_it_aint_broke_dont_fix_it

If you're installing a new/heavier barrel, definitely free float and maybe even bed the action...

Tikka dont have a rep for great out of the box shooting for nothing... leave it be, they've been doing the job for long enough to know why they bothered -

Pads damp the vibrations that commence before the proj leaves the muzzle, more so for thin whippy barrels...

[SendIt]

One technique is to mount the rifle in a vice and hang a weight, say 2lb from the tip of the barrel. Then an epoxy is applied or injected between the forend and the barrel. And left to set.

The result is a "bed" of epoxy that applies 2 lb of pressure to the barrel, hopefully improving the harmonic vibration, usually in a light barrel profile.

Way too complicated for an unpredictable result IMO.

Much easier and I would think nearly always better to just float it.

I'd love to see an example where someone has managed to get a better result out of pressure bedding than floating a barrel.

If anyone has a link...

[1290]

It means there is some structure near the forend if the stock applying upward pressure

One technique is to mount the rifle in a vice and hang a weight, say 2lb from the tip of the barrel. Then an epoxy is applied or injected between the forend and the barrel. And left to set.

The result is a "bed" of epoxy that applies 2 lb of pressure to the barrel, hopefully improving the harmonic vibration, usually in a light barrel profile.

Not very common these days

Chronos

I'm sure you mean hang rifle upside down and apply 2lb mass....else a negative force will be applied with the barrel tending to pull up from the bedding after the compound is set with the adhesion holding it down.

If however you invert and apply a bond breaker (oil) to the barrel, you will have your uplift from the bedding without turning your rifle into a 1-piece action-barrel-stock...

[Apollo]

You're not the only one that had a bit of a head scratch trying to figure out the method.

I'm sure Chronos was thinking something different to what was posted.

[Warrigul]

Way too complicated for an unpredictable result IMO.

Much easier and I would think nearly always better to just float it.

I'd love to see an example where someone has managed to get a better result out of pressure bedding than floating a barrel.

If anyone has a link...

SMLE

#4

[Chronos]

The technique I described involves mounting the rifle action upside down on a bench with the barrel off the edge of the bench, a weight suspended from the end of the barrel, "bending" the barrel downwards (upward in it's normal orientation) then the stock is placed onto the action with bedding material applied to the barrel channel and the stock fixed to the action.

When the bedding material has set the weight is removed and the rifle assembled as normal. the bedding material in the barrel channel applies a force equal to the weight that was acting on the barrel.

Of course a release agent is applied to the barrel prior to bedding

Chronos

A link here: http://www.shootingtimes.com/2011/01/04 ... hing_0206/

[Chronos]

SMLE

#4

Is it a common mod for full timber service rifles? I know I've read an article about it, possibly in one of the service rifle pages.

Chronos

[Apollo]

Thanks...

The words "upside down" were missing...

[Warrigul]

Is it a common mod for full timber service rifles? I know I've read an article about it, possibly in one of the service rifle pages.

It is not really a mod unless it is done differently to the armourers specs.

This is a whole subject by itself but just to touch on:

As standard all SMLES (should) have upward presure just back from the muzzle (supplied by a small spring), #4 rifles have pressure applied when the fore end is fitted properly(by an armourer).

Range .303's due to the heavy barrel being fitted and often neutrally bedded tightly(electrical tape seemed very popular going by quite a few that I have had apart- one was bedded with poured alloy and scraped, nothing was standard) with the copper or brass draw plates packed with brown paper. They are then free floated to the end with an overbored nose cap fitted with a grommet dampening vibrations. (these are the ones you have read about in service rifle rules- epoxy bedding, full floating etc is not allowed)

MH's also work better with upward pressure at the muzzle.

L39's and variants are also bedded differently to a #4, the Enforcer is a pure class act for bedding and apart from pulling it apart for for cleaning I have left it and will not distrurb it again as I don't think I would be able to duplicate the original workmanship.

Generally most cared for service rifles shoot acceptably and quite a few that look like dogs on the surface are very well assembled (and vice a versa). Before I fiddle I always test first, especially with range rifles.

When it comes to all other service rifles I only shoot them as I get them and don't fiddle much so although I have a swede, KAR98az, various K98's and a springfield I haven't fiddled much with them other than obvious repairs and screw tightenings. I know they rely less on hand fitting than Lee enfields and variants but are they drop ins? I will find out one day.

Actually this is so far off track that if the mods want to move it I would have no objections.

[1290]

You're welcomes...

Glad we sorted that out!

[Baldrick314]

It's only a very light touch at the absolute tip of the stock, that's why I was hesitant.

Only one shoot so far but results are good. Some more testing before I would look at taking it back but I think that's not going to be needed.

I had two very small points touching the barrel at the tip of the stock on my Remington which sounds similar to what you're describing.

I filed them down flat so it was fully free floating, it made no change to group size or POI.

[wheedle]

Thanks Baldrick.

I'm going to do one more shoot for testing as is just to make sure, but I don't think I'm going to bother in the end.

Initial shoot was good though so I think no need.

[5Tom]

Mosin nagant 91/30's also benefit from upward muzzle pressure. Mine is free floated up to the last few inches of barrel then some cork placed near the muzzle.

[dustin]

Is there a reason it's done in 3 places there and not just the whole thing?

[sha]

Just no need to do the entire barrel I expect.

[zook60]

It's only the hunter and varmint models that are fully floating. The synthetic models still touch up near the receiver.

I wouldn't bother if it shoot well just leave it. If it doesn't take it back if its still in the warranty period.

I have seen the synthetic models shoot unbelievably so I wouldn't go messing with it.

I would look at better load development or changing ammo before going down that path.