The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

ovenpaa wrote:The one I know is Accuracy International which are torqued up to 100 ft/lbs - you need an action spanner which is something that effectively replaces the bolt and takes a torque wrench at the end plus a barrel clamp/vice which is a couple of lumps of wood or similar cut to half circles which are clamped between a couple of steel plates and to something robust. I know a few people who uses a scribed line to bring the barrel back to original position. you will also need a go and no-go gauge.

All very easy but not ideal for quick changes in the field.

No plans here to change things in the field.

At home I'll get the wife to hold the muzzle whilst I swing on the torque wrench. Nah - just kiddin! I'll trap in in the door jamb. :lol:

tikkathreebarrels wrote:No plans here to change things in the field.

At home I'll get the wife to hold the muzzle whilst I swing on the torque wrench. Nah - just kiddin! I'll trap in in the door jamb. :lol:

The barrel clamp part is very easy to make or source but you do need an action spanner to suit.

[/quote]

Tell me, do you need to apply a lot of torque when putting a barrel on? Even if it doesn't do you pull the barrelled action from the stock so as not to apply strange forces to the bedding and stock bolts? I'm imagining clamping the barrel in a soft faced clamp and applying a lateral force to the action?[/quote]

If you don't have a 'sandwiched' recoil-lug, leave the barrelled-action and scope in the stock. Clamp the barrel in a barrel-vice (Dolphin Gun Company make a portable one) just forward of the fore-end and insert an action wrench - in place of the bolt. Crack the barrel loose then remove from the barrel-vice and unscrew by hand. Screw on the new barrel hand-tight then back in the barrel vice to tighten. If you have any resistance when hand-tightening, stop and unscrew and clean the threads.

When the barrel is off, take the opportunity to clean up the action-lugs etc with a cotton-bud and make sure the threads are scrupulously clean. Lightly grease the threads and action-face. Simple - we have guys who do it on the firing-point.

We did a feature on switching barrels in an early edition of Target Shooter in 2009 if I remember correctly.

Vince

Gun Pimp wrote:
If you don't have a 'sandwiched' recoil-lug, leave the barrelled-action and scope in the stock. Clamp the barrel in a barrel-vice (Dolphin Gun Company make a portable one) just forward of the fore-end and insert an action wrench - in place of the bolt. Crack the barrel loose then remove from the barrel-vice and unscrew by hand. Screw on the new barrel hand-tight then back in the barrel vice to tighten. If you have any resistance when hand-tightening, stop and unscrew and clean the threads.

When the barrel is off, take the opportunity to clean up the action-lugs etc with a cotton-bud and make sure the threads are scrupulously clean. Lightly grease the threads and action-face. Simple - we have guys who do it on the firing-point.

We did a feature on switching barrels in an early edition of Target Shooter in 2009 if I remember correctly.

Vince

Thanks Vince, I'm reading that article now. No harder than changing a spark plug then?

I understand the issue with the recoil lug on the remmy action. From memory the recoil lug on the M55 tikka is fixed to the action (link to pdf here: http://www.tikka.fi/oldmodels.php)

Now, I also have a Tikka M65A which I'm pretty sure has a completely flat action bottom. So my raw materials are either
this TMR1,


this Tikka M55 with new 6BR, or a similar one in .308,


or this Tikka M65A currently .308 but getting towards ready for a change.


or I sell up and start again?

Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to that M65A!!!!!!!

I had one about 15 years ago. Sold it. From the second it left my possession I've regretted it!

Nice M55 and that M65A is very special, they are rarer than a rare thing - lovely rifles

Sim G wrote:Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to that M65A!!!!!!!

I had one about 15 years ago. Sold it. From the second it left my possession I've regretted it!

Aye, but the 308 barrel won't last forever and...

ovenpaa wrote:Nice M55 and that M65A is very special, they are rarer than a rare thing - lovely rifles

Thank you. There's another M55 in 308

So the verdict seems to be:

keep the Tikkas as they are and use the TMR1 remmy as the basis for a switchbarrel? That doesn't reduce the number of rifles in my care boys!!

But let's run with this then: I need to keep .22/250 for foxing, what calibre would you add to it - you can't use 6br or 308 - to get me out to 1200 yards on a 308 bolt head?

tikkathreebarrels wrote:But let's run with this then: I need to keep .22/250 for foxing, what calibre would you add to it - you can't use 6br or 308 - to get me out to 1200 yards on a 308 bolt head?

What is the action and is it single or mag feed and if mag what is the longest length it will take? I am inclined to say 6,5-284 or even the humble 6,5x55 in AI format however OAL may be an issue . One of the lads at the range was doing well with a .260 Rem the other day.

Sim G wrote:Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to that M65A!!!!!!!

I had one about 15 years ago. Sold it. From the second it left my possession I've regretted it!

I'm impressed too - stick with the Tikkas. :goodjob: