Do they do one in .308?
The standard plastic magazine for the Tikka T3 is very restricting in term of the bullet length it will accommodate which is a problem for those of us who load our own. I encountered this drawback early in load development for my Tikka Tactical in .223 and there was no way the most accurate load was going to be loaded from the magazine. A bob sled attachment worked fine for range work but I knew this would be an impractical solution for dark nights wearing gloves trying to load a single round through the ejection port. A search of the Internet led me to riflemags.uk who had a 10 shot round aluminium magazine advertised as being suitable for 223 Rem, 222 Rem Mag, 6x47 (222RM case), 17 Rem costed at £94.96 with £3.36 delivery to Northern Ireland but I think free to mainland UK. The description claimed that magazine was designed to fit directly into the Tikka rifle without any modifications, change in floor plate, bolt release or stock alterations. This ticked all the boxes for me so I ordered online on Monday afternoon and took delivery of my new magazine on Wednesday morning. In between I was regularly updated via email of my order progress, something which I personally like.
The magazine came with a set of instructions for care and maintenance and a five year warranty from defects in materials or craftsmanship. The magazine itself is made from a grey coloured aluminium held together with six screw which can be removed to allow a complete strip down and access the internals. Measurements show that a bullet of OAL 2.610 inches can be loaded into the magazine compared to the standard plastic Tikka mag which I measured as 2.293; a significant difference and I do not expect to have any problems loading 75 and 80 grain bullets from this magazine when the time comes. The overall impression from handling the magazine is that it is well constructed and very well assembled. Certainly feels to be much more sturdy than the standard plastic one. The instructions state that the Delrin follower needs a run in period and advises depressing the follower repeatedly, I did it a few time and it seemed very smooth to me so I was happy with the way it was. It will get plenty of depressing over the next few weeks and months.
http://i.imgur.com/ElRgqdr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ziAPWKT.jpg
I tested the fit in my Tikka, and it fitted perfectly with the reassuring click. The magazine release worked perfectly when depressed. Loading the magazine presented no difficulties or problems, the rounds disappeared inside, spring tension felt good and the top round was sitting nicely presented for the bolt. Ten rounds loaded with no problem. I stripped the rounds out to get an idea of how the follower would operate and again I was pleased with the faultless way the next round rose to the top and was presented in the exact position it should have been.
http://i.imgur.com/5UAGKME.jpg
Out on one of my permissions I set up a target, put five rounds in the magazine inserted it and slid the bolt forward slowly watching to see if the round would feed properly. It slid off as the bolt moved forward, chambered properly and the bolt locked down showing me that the cartridge was properly seated. I used five rounds to see if the feed would word properly when the spring was not under maximum compression. First shot fired, bolt back all the way, forward again at normal speed and locked, pulled the trigger and the round fired. So a successful feed. Repeated this, all five rounds fed perfectly into the chamber. The bolt slid forward in the manner a Tikka bolt does, smooth as silk. A further test with 1, 3, 7, 10 rounds loaded resulted in flawless feeding from the magazine and perfect lock down of the bolt.
I am very satisfied with this magazine and it has solved the limited COAL problem for me without any modifications to my rifle being required. I think the price was very reasonable given the fact that a plastic five round mag costs in excess of £50 and this severely limits the OAL of the round that can be loaded and shot. For someone who develops their own load this is an unacceptable limitation. There are other ten shot extended COAL magazines out there but another one I looked at was costed at £135, considerably more expensive than the one which I purchased. Delivery was prompt with constant updates.
I would be happy to answer any questions you might have or supply further specific information.
Do they do one in .308?
Please let me know if you intend to use My Hermes as your courier.
Hi,
I have sent you a pm.
thanks
I have 3 tikkas and the one that give me trouble feeding id 22-250 which i guess is because the round/case is smaller but uses the same mag as 308/243.
Do they do a replacement mag in 22-250???
bryn