i guess these rifles have been coming apart at the seams whats everyones opinion on reloading for them?if they fix the rifle i think i'll still have doughts,i know with the bad press the rifle won't be worth .02 cents so no use trying to sell it.

I have a T3 hunter 300winmag with over 200 rounds through.I have no problems reloading for the rifle,I would buy another without hesitation.I never have been that keen on stainless anyways.Not like I have been avoiding them,just never saw a need for the stainless.My $.02 RB

Actually the number of rifles that have failed was very,very small and the rifles affected have been recalled.The t-3's are still selling strongly so it appears that there are not a lot of people that were scared off.

I have an older tikka and love it. I'll stand in line for one of those "junk" ones that are almost worthless and help out a worried owner!!

I also have a blued Tikka T-3 Hunter and love the rifle. I've shot several hundred rounds through it with no problems. The issue was with a batch of SS barrels. What is appalling is the way Tikka is handling the recall.

Kory

What is the problem with Tikka?

I have been looking for a Tikka T-3 Stailess Varmint in 22-250. Should I look at another brand or is Tikka still a good rifle? I have been a Remington buyer in the past and have never had a problem with them.

hoover7,

Search the gunsmithing forum for a thread called "Sako Blowup". A batch of Sako/Tikka rifles with SS barrels were faulty and the barrel blows up after 20 to 40 round through it. There have been some serious injuries. The safest thing to do is to call Barretta and ask for the serial number range, then make sure the rifle you want in not in that range. These were all rifles build early last year (I think), but please don't take my word for it and double check. Its not worth the risk.

Good luck,
Kory

Kory

Thanks for the information....I'll check it out!

I have a Tikka T3 stainless with the laminate stock in 7mm. It does not fall within the serial numbers effected by the recall. I also own a slightly older Tikka in 223. I am very happy with both these rifles. They shoot extremely well and are an excellent value for the price.

Remember everyone, even if your rifle's serial number falls within the range other sites (not Beretta's) has mentioned, there is a good chance it is still not a recall. It was a bad batch of STAINLESS barrel steel only that affected very few rifles, and it was only for stainless steel barrels put on sako and tikka rifles after February 2004. Beretta has contacted all those who purchased the defect rifles, whether it be a consumer or a distributer. if you have a problem rifle and were not called, it is because you were not called by the distributer you purchased it from. It is too bad Beretta did not advertise this recall more, and if they had I think one or two of the rifles that went would not have. I bought a stainless T3 in 300 WSM a while ago and its S/N fell within the range listed on other sites and it was NOT a recall. You need to call the Beretta number and talk to customer service about the recall. Do not bother caling if you have a blued sako or tikka since it would not be a recall. Do not bother calling if you purchased your stainless rifle before February 2004. Sako and Tikka rifles are outstanding.

Another note: Sako and Tikka barrels are made by rotoforging as are many other manufacturers barrels. however, unlike button rifling, it is difficult to determine bad steel just during the manufacturing process (during button pulling however, the stress required to pull the button increases quite a bit if inclusions are present in the steel or if improper heat treatments were utilized so a problem is seen usually before going out the door). So, many companies could have made the mistake. Sako and Tikka rifles are well built rifles. Maybe U.S. manufacturers do more metallurgical testing such as EDS analysis, hardness testing, etc to determine if it is bad first. It was not Beretta that made the barrels but another company. If you are worried, again call. I think anyone after a stainless Sako or Tikka should go for it, but before buying, get the S/N number if possible and call Berretta. They are outstandingly accurate rifles for the price and have some great features. I am a metallurgical engineer and understand there are many things that could go wrong. It is just too bad the barrel manufacturer did not catch it, that Beretta did not have a metallurgical engineers test the barrels themselves (maybe they did and the number of samples was not sufficient), and that Beretta did not advertise the recall.

My Tikka LSA-55 was hardness tested you can still see the dimple where they checked the bolt on mine. As I remember they used to feature this in their adverts in the 70's.

Unfortunate news about the Tikka T-3 SS rifles coming apart. I can't speak to that, but did have an enlightening experience with one in .300 WSM that a friend brought to me for accurizing - it just wouldn't group factory ammo for him. After we sorted out a scope problem, I took the action out of the stock and was appalled to find that instead of a solid acton recoil lug it simply had a groove milled in the bottom of the receiver and a sloppy-fitting piece of aluminum bar stock that "floats" between the action and the stock. Further, the barrel, advertised as "free floating", had contact full length. No wonder, with no lug to support the action the screwws need to be cranked down like crazy to keep things from moving between each shot. Lastly, the clip magazine is so short and the throat so long that there is no way you can load bullets out anywhere near contact with the lands. Amazingly, we got the gun to shoot marginally well(2 MOA), but until we can find a way to bed the action lug and float the barrel, it will never live up to expectations. That said, you would be hard pressed to ever sell me a Tikka.

Oh dear!
I've had a Tikka Stainless Synthetic Varmint on order since September.
Am I likely to get one with the problems sorted out?

quote:

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Originally posted by rjimmer:
Oh dear!
I've had a Tikka Stainless Synthetic Varmint on order since September.
Am I likely to get one with the problems sorted out?

---

Almost certainly, yes. But please double check the serial number before you pay for it.

Good luck,
Kory

I doubt the cries of fire have had too much negative effect on the T3. Up here in Canada its hard to track down a stainless model in any of the popular calibres and the number of re-called rifles is so small that I doubt that is the issue.

I just ordered another one today. Most of the shops were telling me two months in the calibres I was looking at. I was told that when I ordered my T3 in 270WSM and it took 8 months. I had to call around to get this one in 270 Win for a re-barrel job.

I picked up a block of serial numbers off canadiangunnutz.com that had my 270WSM fall into. The claim was that this was the recall numbers. Who ever posted those numbers was mis-informed. That was a relief but my point is, there is more smoke than fire.

rjimmer and Kory,

There is little to no worry about the rifle that has been on order since September. The rifles that were made with the bad barrels were assembled in Feb, possibly part of March last year. They were later distributed and sold the months after. If you have one on order and have not received it yet, what is the chance the rifle you still have on order and have not received yet was manufactured in Feb or the first of March OF LAST YEAR?! Little chance of that. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Again, this affects both sako and tikka, not just the tikka T3. There were not many recalled either as stated earlier. Like I said before, there have been web sites which listed a range of the S/N the recall rifles fell between, AND FEW OF THESE RIFLES WITHIN THIS RANGE WERE RECALLED. Yes, it is a real shame Beretta didn't publicize the recall more, but there are not tons of recalls out there. Those that had recall rifles (or near all) were called by 2 ladies at berretta in 2 days. Some people were not contacted because they purchased rifles barely before and while the calling was going on. If a customer was not contacted, it was because the distributer did not contact the buyer (distributer would have been contacted by Berretta since they had no record someone had bought the rifle from the distributor).

Have been having a look round and am confused as to the twist rate of .223 Tikka rifles.
The berettausa website specifies 1 in 12 while the Tikka FAQ pages says they are 1 in 8.
Any Ideas?

I wish I could tell you. The US ste says 12", the FI site says 8". You may have to call the location you are ordering from to find out (whether the rifle is coming from the US or FI).

quote:

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Originally posted by rjimmer:
Have been having a look round and am confused as to the twist rate of .223 Tikka rifles.
The berettausa website specifies 1 in 12 while the Tikka FAQ pages says they are 1 in 8.
Any Ideas?

---

It is 1-8.

I was looking at one a fellow was shooting the other day and it even says 1-8 on the barrel beside the .223

Did you know they are chambering the 222 now?

Yes, I have one, superb rifle, and mine fell between the recall numbers, bought mine a month and a half ago, went through all the scaremongering involved, got in touch with berreta UK and got there written assurance that mine was not one of them, it would have been a shame to have had to send it back cos it is a real tack driver, so glad I got rid of my Ruger for it.

Got an Email from Sako/Tikka to say that the twist changed from 1 in 12 to 1 in 8 in the middle of 2004.

The UK importers say that only 21 guns sold in the UK were made of the defective batch of S/S.

You'll like the 1-8". Try some varget and 69 grain bullets.

Thanks for that advice!
I was thinking that 1 in 8" might be too fast for a heavier bullet.

I don't worry too much. I must admit that Tikka/Sako dealt with this problem poorly. I already own a Tikka 695 Master (whitetail) Deluxe and it is a great rifle; I believe that anyway my next rifle will be likely a Tikka T3. - Lorenzo

quote:

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Originally posted by rjimmer:
Thanks for that advice!
I was thinking that 1 in 8" might be too fast for a heavier bullet.

---

No, you need a fast twist for a heavy bullet.
My 223Rem. 1turn in 8 handles 80 gr Sierras to
at least 900 yards.
My 223Rem 1in 12 isn't fussed with anything over
60 gr.

How long is your 1 in 8" barrel, JAL?