Tikka T1x RIMFIRE

[okie john]

https://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=BEJRT1X300

Supposed to be up on the Tikka site in 18 more days. Now you know what I know.


Okie John

[SecondsCount]

Tikka makes a quality rifle, hopefully this will be another.

[GJM]

So I got a new Tikka T1X a few days ago, on sale for $429, after listening to Talionis rave about his. Added a Vortex Diamondback HP 4-12 scope yesterday, and got it to the range today. Took a few clicks to get it zeroed, then my wife and I shot it at 50 yards, five shots each, with CCI standard velocity ammo. This is what we got.

39880

Trigger seemed a bit heavy, so when we got home, I pulled it out of the stock, and with a 2.5 Allen turned the adjustment counterclockwise to bring the trigger weight down to just over 2 pounds. Threaded barrel, but I didn’t get a chance to attach the suppressor. Seems a great general purpose .22 rifle!

[OlongJohnson]

I would probably grab a 10/22 and look no further, but for the sake of interesting discussion, you may want to add the Tikka T1x to you list of things to look at.


Excellent idea. I'm holding out for them to make it in stainless with a 16.5-inch threaded barrel.

So, I was thinking about maybe reducing the number of CZ rimfire rifles I have. Checked T1X pricing, and found that the 16.5-inch threaded barrel versions have been available in the US for a couple months now. It's longer than that since I last looked, apparently. Not stainless, but I may compromise. They all seem to be at MAP pricing, at least for now. Will probably get rid of three or so rarely-shot but fun and interesting CZs, then lurk for a favorable price on the Tikka on some holiday sales.

[GJM]

Very opportune timing. I have one of these, and thought it would be the be all and end all of practical .22 bolt rifles. Unfortunately, when I work the bolt vigorously, it has stoppages. My CZ .22 bolts do not. I spoke to Talionis and he is experiencing the same, so it makes me wonder if it is a model problem. Anyone else have one?

[SecondsCount]

You guys need a Vudoo (https://vudoogunworks.com/)

My friend just bought one for his wife. With Center X she shoot some .2" groups at 50 yards.

Bergera has introduced something similar but I have not had a chance to shoot one yet. The cool part is that they are a Remington 700 pattern action so you can put all kinds of different triggers, stocks, etc on them.

[ldunnmobile]

I was making first round hits on steel at 320 yards yesterday evening with my T1x. 16.3 mils of elevation.

[OlongJohnson]

You guys need a Vudoo (https://vudoogunworks.com/)

My friend just bought one for his wife. With Center X she shoot some .2" groups at 50 yards.

Bergera has introduced something similar but I have not had a chance to shoot one yet. The cool part is that they are a Remington 700 pattern action so you can put all kinds of different triggers, stocks, etc on them.

At $2400 for a rimfire, George may need one of those, but I'm quite sure I don't.

[GJM]

I was making first round hits on steel at 320 yards yesterday evening with my T1x. 16.3 mils of elevation.

Have you tried working the bolt vigorously with it?

[SecondsCount]

At $2400 for a rimfire, George may need one of those, but I'm quite sure I don't.

$650 for the Bergara 22LR barreled action (https://www.brownells.com/firearms/rifles/bolt-action/b14r-22lr-barreled-action-18-steel-threaded-prod133964.aspx)

It's not going to be a Vudoo but it's a step up from the other stuff on the market.

[ldunnmobile]

Have you tried working the bolt vigorously with it?

I only have about 300 rds through it but yes. Just last Saturday was doing timed barricade drills so I was running it as fast as I could.

[awp_101]

$650 for the Bergara 22LR barreled action (https://www.brownells.com/firearms/rifles/bolt-action/b14r-22lr-barreled-action-18-steel-threaded-prod133964.aspx)

It's not going to be a Vudoo but it's a step up from the other stuff on the market.

A nicer .22 is on my list of wants but a Vudoo isn’t in the cards. Will the Bergara use the KRG Bravo or MDT Oryx chassis?

[SecondsCount]

A nicer .22 is on my list of wants but a Vudoo isn’t in the cards. Will the Bergara use the KRG Bravo or MDT Oryx chassis?

Anything that will take a Remgton 700 short action should take the Vudoo or Bergara barreled actions.

[joshs]

A nicer .22 is on my list of wants but a Vudoo isn’t in the cards. Will the Bergara use the KRG Bravo or MDT Oryx chassis?

It works with any 700 chassis. KRG also makes a Bravo for the T1X and the CZ457, so there are quite a few rimfire options if you like that chassis.

[OlongJohnson]

There is a lot of discussion at rimfirecentral.com and an 80+ page thread over on the Hide. So I'll probably be digesting those to see what I can learn about feeding issues and fixes before dropping half a G on this thing.

[Bratch]

Keep us updated. I’ve been leaving towards a T1x in a KRG Bravo but an open to other ideas.

[GJM]

There is a lot of discussion at rimfirecentral.com and an 80+ page thread over on the Hide. So I'll probably be digesting those to see what I can learn about feeding issues and fixes before dropping half a G on this thing.

Look forward to your synopsis!

[Jimichanga]

My last rimfire bolt gun was a T1x in 22lr. I put it in a Bravo with a Sterk swept bolt handle. The gun shoots remarkably well for a factory gun. No problems running it hard. I shoot it a bunch at "long range" rimfire steel. I do shoot better quality rimfire ammo through it though.

[OlongJohnson]

Look forward to your synopsis!

Well, I spent about an hour reading with virtually zero actionable intelligence acquired.

From what I did gather, there's a loose consensus that feeding issues seem to be related to the ejector wire and how it is shaped. Like it interferes with the rise of the top round as the round moves forward. So people bend it, and if you look at ten different rifles where people have done something to it and are OK with the results, you are likely to see 8-12 different versions of "how to bend it."

It reminded me how much the great dempanic selloff is making me happy that along with the hardware go to-do lists consisting mostly of fiddle-frackery that I'm not really interested in doing. Solidified my thinking that I ought to sell the excess .22s and put a case or two through each of the remaining ones before buying another.

[joshs]

I've now had two range sessions with my new T1x. Mine is setup for precision rimfire competition in a KRG Bravo chassis and Vortex PST2 5-25. The barrel looks really skinny in the KRG's massive barrel channel, but it still seems to shoot great. I've only taken it out to 200 yards so far, but it seems to shoot Lapua Midas+, CenterX, SK Match, and Federal UM well with a slight edge to Midas+ (all 50 yard groups with Midas+ were around or under .5" with the best under .25"). Haven't had the feeding issues mentioned here yet, but I'll certainly keep an eye on it.

[joshs]

I've now had two range sessions with my new T1x. Mine is setup for precision rimfire competition in a KRG Bravo chassis and Vortex PST2 5-25. The barrel looks really skinny in the KRG's massive barrel channel, but it still seems to shoot great. I've only taken it out to 200 yards so far, but it seems to shoot Lapua Midas+, CenterX, SK Match, and Federal UM well with a slight edge to Midas+ (all 50 yard groups with Midas+ were around or under .5" with the best under .25"). Haven't had the feeding issues mentioned here yet, but I'll certainly keep an eye on it.

I forgot to add that Tikka uses a weird thread spec on the T1x. Normally, 1/2x28 threads are about .4 to the shoulder for .22lr. The T1x threads are about .5. That extra tenth does not play nicely with cans like the SiCo Spectre II that use an o-ring inside to seal on end of the muzzle.

[GJM]

I forgot to add that Tikka uses a weird thread spec on the T1x. Normally, 1/2x28 threads are about .4 to the shoulder for .22lr. The T1x threads are about .5. That extra tenth does not play nicely with cans like the SiCo Spectre II that use an o-ring inside to seal on end of the muzzle.

I screwed on a Dead Air Mask and didn’t notice anything? My wife shot a gopher with the Tikka today.

[OlongJohnson]

I forgot to add that Tikka uses a weird thread spec on the T1x. Normally, 1/2x28 threads are about .4 to the shoulder for .22lr. The T1x threads are about .5. That extra tenth does not play nicely with cans like the SiCo Spectre II that use an o-ring inside to seal on end of the muzzle.

Facing off and recrowning the barrel is pretty straightforward if needed. T1x barrels are user-removable, so gunsmith charges should be limited to lathe work.


Function fixes I've found so far:

Set action screw torque ~20-30 in-lb.
Remove bottom metal, adjust magwell positioning backward toward trigger group.
Polish/break edges of chamber at breech face.
Ensure no obvious goofiness with mag itself.
Try different ammo.
Bend ejector wire.

Kissofdeath’s thread on bending ejector wire and shimming mag:
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/t1x-ejector-magwell-and-mag-mod.6990515/

Would love to find out if any of this helps GJM's fast-cycling feed issues.

[joshs]

I screwed on a Dead Air Mask and didn’t notice anything? My wife shot a gopher with the Tikka today.

I don't think the Mask uses an o-ring to seal the muzzle. My Energetic Nyx threads on with no issues either. The Spectre II just barely shoulders up as the muzzle gets squeezed by the o-ring.

[joshs]

Facing off and recrowning the barrel is pretty straightforward if needed. T1x barrels are user-removable, so gunsmith charges should be limited to lathe work.

A number of people have reported that getting the barrel Torx screws out can be a nightmare. An EZ out and new screws seem to be needed in most cases.




Function fixes I've found so far:

Set action screw torque ~20-30 in-lb.
Remove bottom metal, adjust magwell positioning backward toward trigger group.
Polish/break edges of chamber at breech face.
Ensure no obvious goofiness with mag itself.
Bend ejector wire.

Kissofdeath’s thread on bending ejector wire and shimming mag:
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/t1x-ejector-magwell-and-mag-mod.6990515/

Would love to find out if any of this helps GJM's fast-cycling feed issues.

Why not send a gun that doesn't cycle back to BUSA as a first resort?

[OlongJohnson]

George's comments a little while back are that his rifle cycles fine at casual rates of bolt movement, but when he runs it as fast as he can, then it jams. I would expect that sending it to Beretta would be futile, as they would operate it at "normal" speeds and tell him it's GTG without changing anything. Many reports are of Beretta returning rifles to people unfixed, even when their problems weren't associated with high-speed, low-drag .22LR operation.

[Crow Hunter]

I am stupid in that I like to keep common safety/operation wherever possible and the least amount of guns to meet my needs. I have a couple of Browning T-bolts (.22LR and .22Mag). They are lightweight, reliable and accurate enough for my needs with small game hunting, vermin eradication and plinking. I was looking to get a couple of Browning X-bolts since they have similar safety operation to the T-bolts, although they are not straight pull actions. However, I read very little about the X-bolts on forums. Almost everything is about Tikka T3X. :D The T1X shares the same bolt operation and safety location as the T1X so it seems like a good fit.

However, there seems to be a large number of complaints similar to those voiced here about feed issues, mostly ejection, some feed as well as some have stated that with their 16.5 twist, HV ammo usually throws fairly large groups/flyers. I really only shoot HV ammo (usually the cheap stuff :rolleyes:), I seldom use SV target ammo. I also only really read about people putting them into KRG Bravo (or other) chassis and using them for precision shooting. That really isn't something that I would be doing. I would be using mine as a hunting tool/understudy to larger caliber hunting rifles.

So I am in a conundrum (created entirely by me;)

Option 1: Keep the T-bolts which are lighter with a scope attached than the T1X is bare, accurate enough for me, excellent feeding/magazine, but different bolt operation from X-bolts. I would then purchase X-bolt rifles, that aren't really talked about online that much other than occasional complaints/help threads.

Option 2: Buy T1X and T3X rifles that have common operation and safety and sell the T-bolts. This gets me the well respected accurate and durable T3X rifle but adds a potential complication with the T1X feeding issues as well as a lack of 22 Mag option (although .17HMR is available).

Is there a 3rd Option that someone would recommend?

GJM did you get your feeding issues resolved?

[GJM]

Nope still has issues when I run the bolt vigorously.

[RONK]

Crow Hunter sir,we've sold about 10 Tikkas with no complaints,you might consider Bergara as an alternative.