Tikka Build Series! New Barrel and Stock

A discussion about the new parts I got for the tikka build.I will be converting the rifle from a short action into a long action while switching calibers for a better suited long range gun to 2,000 yards. Both choices made in the video were budget minded and I feel I got a great deal on both products! this new long range rifle may end up being very affordable if you felt inclined to make one as well!
/ westdesertshooter
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[@willaimwinchell1813]

Thanks for your good input, I just bought a tikka t3x in 243.

[@TheKentuckyPatriot]

Awesome! Merry Christmas bro :-)

[@GianniG55]

Hey buddy, looking forward to the new build be nice to see how it comes together 👍😁

[@OzarkSpirit]

This is wild! I just ordered the Boyd’s At-One for my Winchester mod-70 In 7mm Rem Mag. You said I’d like todays video. I do highly recommend the 7mag. With a muzzle break the recoil is not bad at all. At this point in your build you are practically at a new gun, an action is not a huge investment in the big scheme of things with where you are. And, you get to keep your 243 and all its components that you have invested into it. Win-win!

[@WestDesertShooter]

Glad you did like it! the At one stock will be a great piece for your build! I am a big fan of the A-5 look which is kind of what I was going for and Im real happy with the fit and finish of their stocks! Im sure yours will be great as well. Unfortunately the bolt face on my gun is too small for the rem mag or it would be a real contender for a cartridge of choice, Its true that I will have replaced a bunch by the end of the build but with the bulk of the costly items out of the way Im less than 375$ into the barrel and stock, really all i need are dies, magazine, bolt stop and she is ready to go. I dont think Im losing anything special, a mass produced 243 that has been shot plenty, not too long and it would be in need of a barrel anyway.

[@LoadsofBacon]

That's going to be awesome!

[@WestDesertShooter]

I sure hope so! If you want to build a custom revolver my buddy andy can help you along, might be better for that 1000 yard revolver shot!

[@EagleEyeShooting]

That is going to be awsome! Can't wait to see what that barrel does.Digging the boyds stock. Congratulations on the 1k subscribers!

[@WestDesertShooter]

many thanks dude! These barrels are what they use in Cooper custom rifles so as long as I get the chamber cut correctly it will be a hammer. Hand lapped button pulled rifling match barrel. The boyds is surprisingly good fit and a great look

[@ddyoder]

1k+ subs! Congrats man

[@WestDesertShooter]

Many thanks dude, youve been here very early on and I appreciate that!

[@tomkimbrel4192]

I have had great success with Hornady dies and the Microjust seating Micrometer, something to consider.

[@dcm6073]

Congratulations on reaching 1k. Looking forward to seeing the Tikka build.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Thanks Don Im excited to share the process with everyone, keep watching it will get there in another month or so!

[@dcm6073]

I just placed an order for a Tikka T3X CTR in 6.5 Credmoor with 24" barrel. This is a budget piece so the scope will be a Vortex Viper 5 - 25. I will be shooting it in stock configuration initially but will be looking at a chassis in the next 6 months. This the reason for my keen interest in your build. Was thinking about .243 but the ballistics and barrel life for the 6.5 are just that little bit more compelling.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Tikka does offer chassis rifles I'm curious why you didnt buy one of those? which chassis are you interested in? 6.5 Creed vs 243 is a great debate and it sounds like you made an educated decision, 6.5 creedmoor is a great all around cartridge and is great fun to shoot, very little recoil. Hope my build helps you in any way possible! A vortex Viper should be a nice scope I would hesitate to call it Budget but compared to multi thousand dollar scopes I guess it would seem budget minded

[@willaimwinchell1813]

Great presentation. Great video. I'm going to buy a good leupould scope , but going to keep my rifle for the time in hunting configuration . I do like the Boyd's stock you bought, but too many projects to spread that thin. Thank Bill

[@mrclean8329]

Nice and good luck keep us posted...

[@WestDesertShooter]

Thanks Jose Pablo, will do!

[@pcbulletempire9872]

1K + awesome,,, that new-build oughta be a awesome Shooter too

[@WestDesertShooter]

Thanks Tim! Keep doing what your doing man it will gain more and more attention your videos are great and you are a likeable personality for a gun page which will really help! I sure hope it will be a good shooter!

[@shutthegate8232]

Thanks for sharing mate. Cheers

[@WestDesertShooter]

I’ve got major updates for later this week man so be sure to check them out when I release them

[@jeffreyd513]

Make it a 1001 yds. I just subscribed. Lol. Enjoy ur videos. Just picked up a ctr 24" barrel in 6.5 creed. Thinkin it may get a 6.5 prc barrel in the future for a little more snort.

[@mikeladouceur5286]

Hey there, would you mind making a video on your twist rates, and why you chose them so i can get a better grasp on the differences of the 243 and your new build as well?. Thank you for your time if you have hehe.

[@nielsonnc]

Also look at the 284 winchester...I've just started reloading for it and I love the round!

[@nielsonnc]

Also 6mm06 is a great round

[@joeyingle8286]

280ai is best round. Hope it turned out great. Researching turning a 7mag tikka into a 300wsm

[@TheReloaderDude]

Awesome. Can’t wait for you to ask me to come shoot it. 😁👍

[@WestDesertShooter]

If you find yourself in utah you will be welcome to go with!

[@ZombieHeadHunters]

Congratulations on 1000 subs. When you get that 280AI up and running there is a place up here in Wyoming that I know of where you can stretch its legs. 👍🏻

[@WestDesertShooter]

Sounds like we will have to make it happen! hopefully by spring I will have it up and running with a tuned up load ready to rock at 2K yards

[@alnewell31]

Great video , I want to mod a Tikka T3x but there are so many versions, can you recommend one , or explain how to pick one please. Thanks AL

[@243Outdoors]

I have been considering a replacement barrel for my Savage 243. I'm near a 1000 rounds through it and got it used. A fast twist 243 is what I want it I do it. Looking forward to your build here. Congratulations on the 1k!!!

[@WestDesertShooter]

A 1:8 243 can keep up with a 300 win mag trajectory with the 108 bullets and really reach out definitely worth doing especially after using up the current barrel you have! would you go with a larger profile barrel? thanks man Im pretty happy seems like the first thousand takes the longest, coming from nothing can be challenging but a great learning experience

[@243Outdoors]

Probably keep the same profile and length. I'm not going to change stocks. I have seen several factory replacement barrels for savages. They say anyone can change them, so I'm not afraid to give it a try.

[@Dantestoussaint]

Also, the MDT LSSXL Gen 2 could be a nice option if you wanted to go for a well priced chassis.

[@WestDesertShooter]

MDT is likely what I would go with but very few manufacturers offer long action chassis for the Tikkas unfortunately but their chassis are some of my favorites

[@charlesbarger8872]

284 Winchester, check it out. Very overlooked cartridge.

[@johnburks7040]

Hey bud, what about the 7×57 Mauser or the standard .280 Rem. ?

[@wydogtalker]

Look into the forster ultra micro meter seat die. I use one for my 6xc. $79.99 at midway. I don't know if they offer the .280 AI though. Looking forward to the build.

[@WestDesertShooter]

I definitely will look at those! thanks for the advice!

[@nickschaps4022]

I would've gone 260 rem, but 280AI is very cool

[@jeffreyd513]

Tikka performance has the new bolt stops that will allow u to convert that 243 so your bolt will come back further to pick up the 280 ai rounds. Tikka actions are all the same length

[@WestDesertShooter]

Youre exactly right, I have seen there site and likely i will be going that route for parts!

[@capt.america6296]

I’ve been thinking about taking a 6.8 westerner and necking up to a 7 mm with a 8.5 “ twist. There’s plenty of 6.8 Westerner brass around is why . 7saum brass is not easy to find. What do you think?

[@kluper1157]

what did paint did you use on that Tikka stock and is it holding up???

[@jeremyscarlett3975]

Hi, I have a Tikka CTR 6.5 CM in an MDT ESS that I’m looking to rebarrel. I have a 30” Krieger 1.25” dia straight contour that I was going to use but keep reading conflicting information about the barrel being too heavy for the Tikka action? You mentioned you were looking at a bull barrel initially before but the Wilson barrel. Is there a weight limit? I was going to shorten to 26” and flute the barrel to help drop weight if required. This is purely a match/competition rifle. Any input appreciated.

[@tannerstarr7938]

How do you like your Boyd’s stock? I’m considering one of the black textured ones

[@charlesgutzwiller5988]

280 ai is a great choice for long racing keep shooting

[@Thorsaxe777]

Cool.. Congrats. I'm going to enjoy watching you with your .280 project. 280 Rem is one of the Most overlooked cartridges. I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Thanks dude, not sure what you mean by keeping your mouth shut... send me a message about whatever you want to say! your advice is always welcome

[@lukeonderko8696]

If you havent bought 280ai stuff yet, the 284 win is almost identical capacity

[@benj8mmin]

280 rem is the first rifle i hand loaded for , I'm stoked for this build and to see your bullet choices! Aside from the 100fps what are the advantages to AI ? where i live the farthest i can shoot (well easily anyway) is 200yds so Im going to play with some cast his summer , not dissimilar to your subsonic 243 , any chance you'll try some cast down the road? It was all I could do not to go buy a T/C compass in 6.5 Creedmoor while there such a good deal but I decided to play with what Ive got, put the compass budget into removable rings and an additional piece of glass . Looking forward to this series !!!

[@WestDesertShooter]

If you have a 280 Rem already I would stick with it the reason I wanted to do the AI is because the cartridge would have been new to me. Casting is something Id like to do but it is not at the top of my list of things to do at the moment but I have a real interest in it. Those compass rifles are a real deal and I think its a great way for many people to get into a new cartridge they have been wanting but a lot of people forget the scope base rings and glass will set you back beyond that great deal on a rifle, Thanks dude I will finish this series up then do another on the tikka build process! Then its time to try some real long range!

[@clapton924]

Glad to see you get a a new platform. You were really chasing your tail with that 1:10 .243....you really need a 1:8 barrel to take advantage of the high BC .243 bullets. I was in a very similar situation as you with a Ruger .243 1:9....over blackfriday I picked up a Savage 12 in 6.5 Creedmoor.

[@ddyoder]

I also made a black friday move on a 6.5 Creedmoor Savage rifle -- I'm excited to enter the world of high BC ranges of .610+

[@WestDesertShooter]

Most definitely! Like I said considering the rebarrel cost for this one I upped the cartridge but I am still a 243 fan especially for cheap long range and great deer cartridge. But long range elk the 7mm is the way to go

[@WestDesertShooter]

ddyoder You should start making videos as well dude!

[@JimPepperTactical]

2,000 yards? Are you kidding me? What glass are you gonna use? I feel like 20x won't be near enough on that SWFA, no? Also, the instagram app updated on my iPhone and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to search people to follow. Gonna be a fun project for you man I'm excited to follow along

[@WestDesertShooter]

Jim Pepper haha 2,000 is definitely getting serious! With more horsepower and better Bullets I think I can make it happen! Zoom won’t be the issue but clarity might be, I can see dust trace at 1500 I should be able to at 2,000 really it’s not an insane amount farther away but the bullet starts dropping like a rock around there. I’m stoked man, I mean it, I will try for 2k as soon as I find a good load. instagram.com/westdesertshooter leave a comment so I know who you are and I will follow you back so we can talk guns

[@piro2890]

I was in the same boat a couple months ago with my Tikka CTR but I wanted a heavier profile but Tikka's receiver diameter is 1.1+" so even a 1.25" barrel would have to be turned down. I was looking for a 1.25-1.35 and a .900 muzzle diameter. I just said screw it and started a new build with a Bighorn TL3 and a Krieger barrel with a .940 muzzle diameter for a 300 win mag build. Good luck with your build.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Yeah my biggest complaint was a limiting twist rate, but no rifle in my price point had anything better than 1:10 so I went with the Tikka. Sounds like I may have to turn my new barrel down a bit to get her to work, but I will be machining it soon definitely within the next month. My gunsmith is just waiting on his reamer right now. Sounds like your 300 WM Build will be sweet though! Two years ago that was my goal was to build a 300 WM target rifle

[@piro2890]

Where are you in Arizona? I have a 7mm that I like a lot (Sako Long Range) but 300 win mag has always been my favorite. Hits hard and with these new 210-220gr bullets, 2000 yds is not difficult. I love the recoil of the 7mm. Out of my rifles, the 7mm is by far the one I love how it feels. It's like a good shoulder massage and I don't have to pay the massage therapist to torture me. Only one thing about 7mm I don't like, barrel burners but man I'd love to see what 180gr bullets could do. I pepper 1000yds with 162gr ELD X and it's incredible how flat and how fast it gets there. I had a friend that has never shot past 300yds shoot 1000yds with the Sako and it was easy for him. At 1000 yds, no bullshit, 7mm does most of the work. Looking forward to your build man.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Well I’m definitely glad to hear you’re a fan of the 7mm, right now my 243 is definitely my favorite but I’ve been wanting more for about a year from the Tikka. I actually live in Utah in the salt lake valley. Occasionally I’ll just barely make it to Arizona when I visit St. George Utah and we go shoot in the desert there but I don’t go much further south than that. I assume you’re from AZ then?

[@piro2890]

No bud, I'm in Las Vegas. I might head to Utah for my rifle build, much better smiths there. The ones here are shady as hell.

[@turbonium96]

How about .284 winchester, reform lapua 6.5x284 brass, or if you still want more go .284 kmr or .284 shehane, quite popular for 1k f open.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Havent heard of anyone changing the 6.5 lapua up to a 7mm that could be really interesting! I am unfamiliar with kmr I will have to check that out! great suggestions!

[@squirrelmaster760710]

Who did you say made that Barrel

[@neilharris4462]

Forster ultra micrometer seat dies are under $100. Usually in the 75 to 80 dollar range.

[@WestDesertShooter]

I will definitely check there, the ackley is what makes finding dies tricky, the sharp shoulder wont fit in standard 280 dies

[@neilharris4462]

West Desert Shooter ahh, that makes sense. I bet they would be able to make a custom seater for you, but you would probably be looking at a higher price.

[@justaregularguy3827]

13:09 PUPPY

[@dgunnut6550]

Isn't your Tikka a short action, since it's chambered in .243? The .280 is a long action cartridge. I'm sure you have it figured out, I'm just trying to understand it. Thanks for the info on the Boyd's stock. I'm looking at that one or the thumb hole one and I was wondering whether I should upgrade the butt pad.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Yessir! I will be converting the action into a long action. Tikkas are all based on the same receiver so they can be swapped from short to long. The thumb hole stocks are nice as well I have held a few before

[@dgunnut6550]

West Desert Shooter I didn't know that about the Tikka. Thanks for educating me. Looking forward to watching the build and especially the results.

[@vaughnprecision]

Are you glass bedding that action to the stock..?

[@WestDesertShooter]

Really not sure yet, I think its a good idea but I've never done it before and I dont want to mess it up

[@vaughnprecision]

It's not hard to do. But I would HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you go 280 AI

[@teambennett3060]

MountainTactical makes a bottom metal for Tikka to accept AI mags, aswell as make a long action mod for tikka too.

[@WestDesertShooter]

I have heard bad things about using AI mags with long Action Tikkas so I’ll stick with the factory bottom. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@teambennett3060]

West Desert Shooter that's the first I've heard of it. Thanks for the info, I was about to order the long action bottom metal and AICS mags.

[@lukelj72]

Are you going to show how you fire form the brass? Unless you're planning on that $$nosler$$ stuff.

[@WestDesertShooter]

The good news is that Hornady is also joining the factory 280 AI brass this year along with dies. However I have heard good things about the nosler so I may start out with that, I would think the sorting would be just a bit better for the price. I could still do a fireforming brass video! Even with the AI brass I will still be fire forming that and neck only sizing it

[@mdolchok]

Being a Tikka shooter myself, you might be upset with the limiting mag length - even with the factory mags. You might be hand feeding the 280 improved if sending the heavy secant ogive booolits. I feel compelled to suggest the 284win or better yet 284 Shehane.

[@mdolchok]

Also the improved round suffers from the same issues as all aught 6 rounds do. Lose a lot of case capacity when loading the heavy weights. The 284 win was ahead of its time. Too bad it’s only a reloader’s caliber. Some others worth looking into are 7 Saum Or 7wsm. Bolt face modification makes these chambers possible. Short fat cases are more efficient. You might even find lower standard deviations.

[@WestDesertShooter]

For my style of shooting (laying in one spot comfortably) single feeding doesnt bother me. I am curious why you suggest 284 sin over 280 Rem or shehane over the ackley. I know Fclass guys use it but what advantages does it have? Great suggestion Im just curious why

[@mdolchok]

Great job with 1000 subs. I guess I’m one of them :). I was suggesting a short action case only because of the length limitations with the Tikka action. Shorter case will also allow you to seat secant style Bullets way out by the lands, plus you get to cycle the bolt. Short fat cases are far more efficient too. Also when you light em, they are more consistent with velocity spreads.

[@buckaroobonsi555]

I am doing a 280 Remington hunting rifle. That said when looking at the 280AI you have to do a lot of work to gain 100-150fps. The fire forming is added wear and tear on the brass and the barrel. I understand the 280AI replicates the performance of the 7mm Rem Mag. I do not think the 100-150fps is worth it. Seriously 150fps for all that work. As slower and slower specialty powders come on the market performance goes up and up with out more powder.

[@WestDesertShooter]

I ended up going with the 7WSM

[@treshiatt6077]

What is the benefit of using a Tikka for a build like this as you are changing so much on the gun anyways? Seems like it would just make sense to use a cheaper rifle?

[@WestDesertShooter]

Better action and trigger than something cheaper. I’m not trying to build a cheap rifle

[@ErnieJ1971]

What's the name of that work bench? Where did you get it?

[@WestDesertShooter]

This is a lab grade work bench, long story but I got it free and it’s an absolute tank it weighs around 400 lbs and has a 1” epoxy top which is extremely chemical resistant. It’s awesome but no longer available

[@peterkolovos3079]

.284 Winchester?

[@billharvey9959]

Why not just go 7mm rem mag? Belted case i am guessing or just the bolt head

[@WestDesertShooter]

Bolt face wont work with my current bolt, just makes things easier to go with the 280 case head which is the same dia. as the 243

[@turbonium96]

Belted cases seem to have shorter case life.

[@WestDesertShooter]

Belted wouldnt really stop me from choosing a cartridge, I had a 300 WM before and I would do one again and not worry at all about the belt

[@bradykasper7771]

You should get a 6.5 creedmoor

[@WestDesertShooter]

Check my videos, I just got one

[@deepthinker1918]

Anyone ever told you, you look like Peyton Manning?

[@lukel8045]

Peyton's forehead is as big as that wall behind him.

[@turbonium96]

But it sounds like you have really made up your mind.