Re-Barrel a Tikka?

[bob_dobalina]

I sold my REM 25-06 because I HAD to try the out of the box accuracy of the plastic Tikka. And it shoots lights out, but it kills me to be losing velocity with a 22.5-" barrel especially in the 25-06. But love the gun otherwise.

Am I crazy to be thinking about re-barreling a Tikka to a 24" barrel? I know everyone will say go 26" but it sure is nice to have the same barrel length as all load data, and I have a 300 WBY with a 26" barrel that I hate packing around, of course that is a heavier gun altogether. And this gun will be eventually be a great gun for my kids' first gun.

Mountain Tactical has some very well priced barrels, but I don't know yet what it would cost to install. And there are some "prefit" barrels available as well. But I don't want to mess with that store bought accuracy! I think some of my velocity loss might also be attributed to the Tikka's long throat?

I should probably just keep it as is and get a 257 WBY, I just have a thing about the 25-06s.

Related question - are the slow burning powders a bad choice in this short barrel, should I target faster powders strictly because of my barrel length?

I appreciate any comments!

 

[mjcmichigan]

I like your 257wby idea better that rebarrelling to 24”.


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[gerry]

I like your 257wby idea better that rebarrelling to 24”.


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I agree especially since your Tikka shoots so well like they almost always seem to do. There is something to be said about having several rifles using the same diameter bullets, I have thought the same only in this case a adding a 270 Wby to an existing 270 Win I really like.

It has been proven many times that powders that work well in longer barrels will still give you the best velocities in a shorter tube at least the majority of the time.

 

[Blkram]

While a longer barrel should net you an avg of 25-50 fps per inch of increased barrel length, it is no guarantee. Some barrels are just faster or slower than others, for no apparent reasons.
1 1/2" is only going to make a difference of 25-75 fps, and that is not enough difference to justify a $600-$800 rebarrel project cost. No animal is going to notice the difference, and your trajectory even out to 400 yards is n ot going to be enough to justify the cost. jmho
If handloading, a different powder may net you the velocity increase you are looking for. If using factory ammo, try a 110-115 gr bullet instead of the 117-120gr bullet to gain the extra velocity, or try a different brand.

If it is shooting very well, then I wouldn't mess with it. As the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

 

[Blkram]

delete double post

 

[5shot]

For such a small gain in velocity, I'd skip it. Will it really make a difference for what you are using it for anyway?

 

[rjm158]

I own a Tikka 25-06 also and have to concur with the gentlemen who recommend leaving the rifle as is. My rifle killed the biggest deer of my life at a measured 150 yds and while this isn't any remarkable distance, it dropped him in his tracks. The load chronoed mid 3100's but the accuracy was stellar and the 100 gr BT worked as designed.

I also have a Sauer 202 25-06 with a 24 in barrel. The deer I killed with it didn't behave any differently than those with the Tikka. They dropped straight down and that was that.

While the added velocity gained by rebarreling might give you some peace of mind, I think for all practical purposes you wouldn't see any meaningful advantage.

Ron

 

[bob_dobalina]

Thanks for everyone's comments. I just hate to be blowing energy out of the front of the barrel. And re- barrelling a Tikka is still cheaper than buying most midpoint rifles. But I agree, I'd probably be better off just buying another gun, Sako A7 long range has the 25-06 in a 26" barrel!

 

[hunt127588]

What do you think an extra 2” is going to achieve in the field? Run some drop charts and look at what little difference there are at hunting ranges?

Not worth it.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Not a Tikka but had a Browning BBR 25-06 with 22in bbl back in the 80's. It was wicked on deer and the bbl length didn't bother me as the weight did. Sold it account of the weight. Dan.

 

[Darkhorse]

A few years ago I was ready to rebarrel my old 7mm mag. The old one just seemed "tired" to me. But before I did it I decided to give the old one another chance, so I bedded the stock, did some work on the old walker trigger, and really dug down and worked up some loads that really fit the chamber and were true to the centerline from base to tip.
Imagine my surprise when that old rifle started turning in 1/2" groups. And to think I was going to replace that barrel!
People pay a lot of money for accuracy like that. If that Tikka was shooting anywhere close to less than moa I wouldn't touch it.
I use to be bit by the velocity bug but I finally learned it's not the most important part of the equation. A deer don't know that you hit him 2" lower because you think your losing velocity.

 

[pharmseller]

What do you think an extra 2” is going to achieve in the field? Run some drop charts and look at what little difference there are at hunting ranges?

Not worth it.

Do this. 30 FPS per inch. Compare velocities (I pay zero attention to energy) at 25 yard increments out to how far you tell people you shoot. Stop calculating when the slower load hits 1800 FPS, and see how much farther the faster load travels before it too hits 1800 FPS.

It won’t be much.

 

[cloverleaf]

As has been noted a 25-06 and a 100 Gr BT will kill stuff with authority and boring regularity, way out there. If it shoots well w/ a 22inch tube, it aint broke. IMHO. Different powders are cheaper to experiment w/ and you know you still have a shooter of a barrel. My .02 CL

 

[Anonymous]

. Different powders are cheaper to experiment w/ and you know you still have a shooter of a barrel. My .02 CL

^^^^This^^^^

Modern powders are coming out so fast that you can likely try a newer powder and make up whatever nominal speed you're losing with a 22" barrel. RL26 and some of the newer Enduron powders like 7977 and 8133 clock speeds that are simply next level fast.