Tikka CTR vs Bergara/AICS max OAL 6.5 CM

[patriot07]

Considering swapping my Tikka CTR for a Bergara. Just for grins...no real reason. But I brought my buddy's Bergara home to look it over and my Tikka CTR mag just barely holds my reloads (OAL 2.925"), but they aren't even close to fitting in the Bergara magazine. 140 ELD-M bullets in prime brass with H4350 about 20 thousandths off the lands.

I assume the Tikka just has a really long freebore, but does anyone find the mag length limiting on the Bergara? I haven't been in the equipment game in a while - are there other mags that will fit in the Bergara to allow longer OAL?

 

[Char'ed Cuterie]

[EDIT: Magazines such as binderless MDT and Accurate Mag AICS magazines that hold longer than SAAMI COAL rounds] will seat in the bottom metal, but the action is not cut for rounds with longer COAL than SAAMI magazine length. You CAN notch the action so that rounds will at least present correctly, but the whole system becomes luck at that point. Didn't work for me, ended up loading everything for that rifle to 2.800" and never had feeding issues again.

In short - unless you want to roll the dice and notch the receiver on a bergara, you'll be loading to SAAMI magazine length. If you do notch the receiver, results are not certain.

 

[lentuk]

Deleted.

 

[patriot07]

Longer mags FIT, but the action is not cut for rounds with longer COAL than SAAMI magazine length. You CAN notch the action so that rounds will at least present correctly, but the whole system becomes luck at that point. Didn't work for me, ended up loading everything for that rifle to 2.800" and never had feeding issues again.

In short - unless you want to roll the dice and notch the receiver on a bergara, you'll be loading to SAAMI magazine length. If you do notch the receiver, results are not certain.

Will 2.800" get you close to the lands with a normal rifle that doesn't have crazy-excessive freebore?

 

[Char'ed Cuterie]

Will 2.800" get you close to the lands with a normal rifle that doesn't have crazy-excessive freebore?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: I'm not convinced that the jump to the lands from SAAMI magazine COAL is at all a problem with proper projectile selection. I don't know enough about the 140 ELD-M to say definitively, but I wouldn't expect the limiting factor in that system to be seating depth.

Honest answer: If you're happy with your Tikka feeding rounds with COAL of 2.925", you might struggle to find a comparable system without going with one of the nicer actions that'll accept a prefit. I'd encourage you to either consider sticking with your system that works or going all the way to a custom action.

 

[patriot07]

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: I'm not convinced that the jump to the lands from SAAMI magazine COAL is at all a problem with proper projectile selection. I don't know enough about the 140 ELD-M to say definitively, but I wouldn't expect the limiting factor in that system to be seating depth.

Honest answer: If you're happy with your Tikka feeding rounds with COAL of 2.925", you might struggle to find a comparable system without going with one of the nicer actions that'll accept a prefit. I'd encourage you to either consider sticking with your system that works or going all the way to a custom action.

After some more research today, I think I'm on the same page as you. Either need to go custom or stick with Tikka.

 

[TheJeanyus]

I have a Tikka (originally a Tac A1, but all that remains is the action and trigger), and a good friend of mine has a Bergara (funny enough, all that remains of his is the action). Both originally 6.5 Creedmoors (and still are). I have gotten to spend a fair amount of time behind both of them, and there is no way I'd get rid of a Tikka for a Bergara. The Tikka action is WAY smoother, and I like the 60 deg bolt lift. From what I've seen with our rifles as well as others, Tikka barrels shoot better. I wanted to use AICS magazines in my Tikka (for the sake of consistency with other rifles, nothing to do with OAL), so I swapped to a KRG Bravo (and I hated the Tac A1 chassis anyway).

I don't think there is a need to push closer to the lands than 2.800-2.810" OAL unless you're using a really finicky bullet, and even then I'd probably just change bullets. With Hornady ELD Match/ELD-X and Berger Hybrids I've had no trouble getting mine to shoot with both the factory barrel and the Proof barrel that it wears now in the 2.800-2.810" range.

 

[patriot07]

I have a Tikka (originally a Tac A1, but all that remains is the action and trigger), and a good friend of mine has a Bergara (funny enough, all that remains of his is the action). Both originally 6.5 Creedmoors (and still are). I have gotten to spend a fair amount of time behind both of them, and there is no way I'd get rid of a Tikka for a Bergara. The Tikka action is WAY smoother, and I like the 60 deg bolt lift. From what I've seen with our rifles as well as others, Tikka barrels shoot better. I wanted to use AICS magazines in my Tikka (for the sake of consistency with other rifles, nothing to do with OAL), so I swapped to a KRG Bravo (and I hated the Tac A1 chassis anyway).

I don't think there is a need to push closer to the lands than 2.800-2.810" OAL unless you're using a really finicky bullet, and even then I'd probably just change bullets. With Hornady ELD Match/ELD-X and Berger Hybrids I've had no trouble getting mine to shoot with both the factory barrel and the Proof barrel that it wears now in the 2.800-2.810" range.

Copy

I had never tried backing the 140 ELD-M (pretty much all I shoot) further off the lands.

I played with a Bergara that a buddy of mine owned this week and decided to stick with my Tikka. Your opinion mirrors mine pretty well. The Bergara is a nice gun but side by side with a Tikka the factory stock is the only advantage it has.