Can Tikka Tac A1 6.5CM be easily re-barreled to 308Win?

[ddjchemist]

I have a Tikka T3X Tac A1 chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. The rifle was re-barreled 5 months ago and now it has 6.5CM Krieger 24" 1:8 Twist varmint barrel. I already sent about 1,000 rounds through this barrel and need to plan to re-barrel it in few months. This time I would like to install 308 Win 20" barrel. Since I shoot a lot this rifle, I just need a caliber that barrel can last much longer than 6.5CM and the obvious choice for me is 308Win. I know that Tikka T3X models use the same bolt (number 12 if I recall) for 6.5CM and 308 Win, so I was wondering if my Tac A1 could be re-barreled to 308Win without any modification?

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[ORhutner]

Yes, your T3x can be rebarreled to 308 and not require any additional modification other than the new barrel. There are likely some prefit barrels already chambered for 308 for the T3x platform.

Your 6.5CM barrel if taken care of, should last significantly longer than 1,000 rounds. With proper care and a high quality barrel like a Krieger, you should see at least 2,000 rounds and likely closer to 3,000 rounds before accuracy starts to fall off.

 

[ddjchemist]

Yes, your T3x can be rebarreled to 308 and not require any additional modification other than the new barrel. There are likely some prefit barrels already chambered for 308 for the T3x platform.

Your 6.5CM barrel if taken care of, should last significantly longer than 1,000 rounds. With proper care and a high quality barrel like a Krieger, you should see at least 2,000 rounds and likely closer to 3,000 rounds before accuracy starts to fall off.

Thanks for your reply. I am glad that there is no need for any modification. Since I shoot about 50 rounds per range trip (once or twice a week), my 6.5CM will need to be replaced in 3-4 months. So far ir still shoots great and no issues with accuracy. 308Win barrel will last at least twice longer than 6.5CM. Since my other precision range rifle is 308Win, it will be easier for me to deal with reloading components. I already have a Krieger 308 4R blank barrel ready when the time comes. Since I never shoot over 500 yards, 308Win will be as accurate as 6.5CM and will save me money in the long run since I won't need to change barrels every 6-9 months.

 

[ORhutner]

Thanks for your reply. I am glad that there is no need for any modification. Since I shoot about 50 rounds per range trip (once or twice a week), my 6.5CM will need to be replaced in 3-4 months. So far ir still shoots great and no issues with accuracy. 308Win barrel will last at least twice longer than 6.5CM. Since my other precision range rifle is 308Win, it will be easier for me to deal with reloading components. I already have a Krieger 308 4R blank barrel ready when the time comes. Since I never shoot over 500 yards, 308Win will be as accurate as 6.5CM and will save me money in the long run since I won't need to change barrels every 6-9 months.

I would be making the exact same change if I was working with your set of criteria.

 

[P7M13]

IIRC, Tikka actions threads are consistently timed. I believe there are some barrel manufacturers that make shouldered prefits that do not require any after-work to complete headspacing. You want to check anyway.....
There are threads on other forums (LRH and Accurate Shooter come to mind) where you will find specifics on rebarreling Tikkas with a prefit.

 

[ddjchemist]

IIRC, Tikka actions threads are consistently timed. I believe there are some barrel manufacturers that make shouldered prefits that do not require any after-work to complete headspacing. You want to check anyway.....
There are threads on other forums (LRH and Accurate Shooter come to mind) where you will find specifics on rebarreling Tikkas with a prefit.

I prefer to have my gunsmith chamber and install a new barrel. To give you an idea how great job he did with the Krieger barrel I'll tell you that I reloaded 8 cycles of Lapua 6.5CM brass (LR primer pocket and purchased new for the new barrel) and the brass is still the same length that was when I got it new (1.910"). That tells me that he made an amazing job with the chamber. With the original Tikka factory barrel Lapua brass was growing about 0.003" after every shooting.

 

[bionic knees]

why would the Creedmoor be any harder on a barrel than the .308? ballistics look to be pretty close to the same.

 

[ORhutner]

why would the Creedmoor be any harder on a barrel than the .308? ballistics look to be pretty close to the same.

Faster throat erosion. Forcing same powder/burn through a smaller hole 6.5 vs. 308. For a more in depth explanation a google search will yield all the information on the subject you could ever want.

 

[Member 66129]

Hit up Oregon Mountain Rifles. They have some great options for the Tikka

 

[bionic knees]

Faster throat erosion. Forcing same powder/burn through a smaller hole 6.5 vs. 308. For a more in depth explanation a google search will yield all the information on the subject you could ever want.

a thought that comes to mind often as I read different posts on this forum is, "you guys are way overthinking the subject" just shoot em and have fun.

 

[titsonritz]

why would the Creedmoor be any harder on a barrel than the .308? ballistics look to be pretty close to the same.

While the two cartridges have a very similar case capacity, throat erosion occurs faster with the 6.5 Creedmoor because it uses a smaller diameter barrel. Simply put, burning the same amount of powder in a smaller space will result in shorter barrel life.

 

[ddjchemist]

While the two cartridges have a very similar case capacity, throat erosion occurs faster with the 6.5 Creedmoor because it uses a smaller diameter barrel. Simply put, burning the same amount of powder in a smaller space will result in shorter barrel life.

That is very correct. 6.5CM is a great cartridge, but it is not for a heavy shooting. Barrel overheats faster than 308Win and then groups open. To hold accuracy one has to cool barrel often (this of course will also depend on the outside temperature). I like to pop 40-50 rounds in an hour, so fo my shooting style 308Win is fast better choice. I just regret not doing it earlier. I do not shoot anything over 500 yards (90% of time I shoot 200 yards), and when it comes to top accuracy 308Win will group as good as 6.5CM. I shot my Tikka and a friend's custom 308Win (Defiance action and Hart 20" barrel) at 300 yards and I was getting the same accuracy. The only difference was that I had to cool down my Tikka every 2 4-shot groups (10-15 minutes) while I could take 5 x 4-shot groups with his 308Win without barrel cooling. The temperature outside was in low 70s.

 

[trevi]

Thanks for your reply. I am glad that there is no need for any modification. Since I shoot about 50 rounds per range trip (once or twice a week), my 6.5CM will need to be replaced in 3-4 months. So far ir still shoots great and no issues with accuracy. 308Win barrel will last at least twice longer than 6.5CM. Since my other precision range rifle is 308Win, it will be easier for me to deal with reloading components. I already have a Krieger 308 4R blank barrel ready when the time comes. Since I never shoot over 500 yards, 308Win will be as accurate as 6.5CM and will save me money in the long run since I won't need to change barrels every 6-9 months.

Before buying a new barrel, was a re-bore never an option. I am having a. 277 re-bored to a. 366, if possible.

 

[ddjchemist]

Before buying a new barrel, was a re-bore never an option. I am having a. 277 re-bored to a. 366, if possible.

I am not sure if a gunsmith could re-bore 6.5CM to 308Win, and if that would be possible, how much that would cost. Blank barrels are about $500, so it could be just easier to chamber a new blank barrel.

 

[trevi]

I am not sure if a gunsmith could re-bore 6.5CM to 308Win, and if that would be possible, how much that would cost. Blank barrels are about $500, so it could be just easier to chamber a new blank barrel.

Completely understood. I have been cautioned the same. Carry on, good sir.

 

[ddjchemist]

Since I will be in vacation in Croatia (my native country) the first 3 weeks of September, I arranged with my gunsmith to install a new 308Win Krieger barrel while I am in vacation. At the end of this months I will be selling a lot of 6.5 CM reloading supply and tools as well as Krieger 6.5CM 1:8 twist Rem varmint 24" barrel with high-quality muzzle brake on the barrel. By the time I turn the rifle to my gunsmith, the barrel will have about 1,000 rounds through it and will still be sub-1/2 MOA barrel. The barrel can directly fit any Tikka T3X. This barrel was chambered for 140 grain bullets and my gunsmith made amazing job. After 7 or 8 cycles of reloading Lapua brass, the brass is still the same length as when I purchased it new (1.910"). I have never had to trim these cases (for comparison, with the original Tikka factory barrel, the Lapua brass was growing 0.003-0.004" after every shooting cycle). That tells how well this Krieger barrel is chambered. If anyone would be interested in this Krieger 6.5CM barrel, I am even willing to invite a person as my guest at my range (free admission for my guest) to test-shoot this barrel with my optimized reloads at 200 yards (the longest distance at my range). In addition to this, I have a scope, so the potential buyer can see the barrel inside. I will clean it with JB paste and remove all carbon and copper deposits. The barrel has minimum signs of fire-cracking near chamber (Every target-shooting barrel with few hundred rounds will have fire-cracking near chamber since that is inevitable. In fast, the original Tikka factory barrel had more fire-cracking after 100 rounds than this Krieger barrel after 600 rounds). Right now the barrel has 708 rounds through and I will put another ~200 rounds before I pass the rifle to my gunsmith (I keep a record of my shooting and I am not someone who will BS that barrel has 50-100 rounds through as many sellers tend to do. If one would believe in all the selling adds, many people buy rifle for display and not to shoot them).