G'Day all,
Beretta Australia posted me a letter some 3 weeks ago stating that under no circumstances am I to shoot my Tikka rifle.
Quotes:
"firing the rifle could cause injury-and possible serious injury to the shooter"
.....also..... "It is imperative that you do not shoot this rifle"
My rifle was a Tikka T-3 Stainless/synthetic/lite in .243win.
Luckilly in the 2 months I've owned this rifle I haven't had the chance to do the barrel break-in I promised myself I'd do on my next new rifle.....and this was it.
The person I spoke to at Beretta was able to tell me that the problem was to do with the barrel steel(only synthetic) and was also associated with that SakoFinlite that is blown-up and plastered all over the internet.
I appears that 2 barrels have blown here in Australia and one in N.Z.
Beretta is either being very tight-lipped about whats happened/happening or they genuinely just don't know?.
They did tell me that they did know what rifles had the bad steel used on them by the serial number and this must be so as a mate of mine bought exactly the same rifle as mine and Beretta instructed him that his wasn't one of the affected. He'd developed a rather nervous flinch every time he squeezes of the trigger.
Beretta say that when they have all the offending rifles from Aust and N.Z. that they will be flown as a batch to the Sako factory for testing and this could mean the return of the tested rifle, a new barrel or perhaps an entirely new rifle.
Unfortunatly for me there is no more T-3/.243's in Australia so I suppose I 'll just sit tight for the 6 weeks they tell me this could take. Well at least I didn't shoot the rifle and ,knowing my luck, blown myself to 'smithereenes'

I also wonder if this bad lot of steel also found it's way to the MAB barrels ?? are the two related in any way or just coincidence I wonder.

I read on 24hr Campfire that apparently a new Sulphur based lubricant was used during the hammerforging of a batch of barrels this year and this product has apparently reacted with the stainless steel causing it to break down, or so they suspect.

I was also concerned but my Tikkas are not affected.

By the way it sounds like Beretta are replacing affected rifles in the U.S. immediately.

Sulphur is added to stainless which adds to the free machining abilities and does nothing for the strength as I understand it.
My guess is that someone at the mill did a homer(DOH!) and let it through.

Hi MLG
they probably are replacing them immediately in the US, over there they don't have to obtain permit's to purchase or any of the other bullshit we have to go through so it's possible to do that over there. unfortunately we are not so lucky

I've just recieved an email from Beretta Australia stating that my Tikka T-3 is in Finland and the latest is that the Sako factory will be fitting NEW barrels to the faulty rifles.
Beretta still not saying much more , such as WHEN my rifle will be back in my hands. < !--color-->

Why would you have to apply for a permit to acquire when you already own the rifle and it is on your licence??

A new serial number if he gets a new rifle??

I suppose Firearms Registry would treat it like trading a rifle on another rifle.

Mike