Tikka Super Varmint 6.5 x 55

[robkayak]

Plus points:- 1/3 " groups with 140 gr A Max.
Not fussy about seating depth,
Will group 160gr to 95 gr bullets
Beautiful balance with a moderator
Adjustible comb useful in getting perfect parallex
Built Piccatinny rail saves additional after market expense.
Good ejection
Set trigger v crisp
Good swivel system comes with rifle
Top feed & mag feed
Easy to strip (unlike the girlfriends of my youth)
Not too heavy

Bad points:-
1.If you purchase the set trigger option you do not get the non set one back

2.The 5 shot mag is very poor, the spring is weak and if the rounds migrate
forward under recoil, then the bolt will not pick them up. Which means you
take the mag out & reposition the bullets. (Not clever for follow up shots)

3. The mag is a 2 part affair ( the basic 3 round mag has had a extension clipped on it to make a 5 round & I have knocked it in the field and it has come apart. spewing rounds & a spring all over the place ! Pulling the spring out straighter and recompressing it, does help, but the mag is a poor design

4. Does not come screw cut. Additional expense for a market where 95 % of rifles are moderated.

5. You cannot chamber or unchamber a round without the safety being off. This makes me nervous as the gun is live until the safety is reapplied. If the trigger fails during chambering or unchambering at the end of a stalk, then the gun will discharge. Not useful if you are shooting from a vehicle.

[polski]

Bad points:-


2.The 5 shot mag is very poor, the spring is weak and if the rounds migrate
forward under recoil, then the bolt will not pick them up. Which means you
take the mag out & reposition the bullets. (Not clever for follow up shots)

3. The mag is a 2 part affair ( the basic 3 round mag has had a extension clipped on it to make a 5 round & I have knocked it in the field and it has come apart. spewing rounds & a spring all over the place ! Pulling the spring out straighter and recompressing it, does help, but the mag is a poor design

A common problem with the 5 shot mags, I had mine replaced by gmk, foc.

Rick.

[robkayak]

Spoke to GMK who deny any problem. The fact is that the rounds are only held in position by contact with each other & not by being in contact with the sides of the mag as you get with a staggered arrangement such as a Sako of Mk 4 Lee Enfield mag. This means that there is not a great deal of friction to hold them in place. It is a good thing that they do not recoil much otherwise I would have to put an insert in the front of the mag to stop the bullets moving forward

[polski]

I went through my rfd and was there when he phoned gmk, he explained the problem( failure to chamber rounds 2,3 and 4) and they agreed to a replacement with no arguments.

The replacement is a slightly different design to the original, I have yet to try the new one on the range, but fingers crossed.

Rick.

[Maverick61]

Must just be a problem with newer mags.
I've had two long mags (6.5x55) for over 10 years in my T3 varmint & it's the smoothest most consistent mag feed I've ever owned !
Friend of mine with a newer 223 though has exactly the same problem you describe.
GMK should replace any faulty mags though at the prices they charge!