I wasn't sure where to put this...because it's Tikka T3, Gunsmithing, Reloading... everything all in one. I almost put it in Vintage because I hang out there more than in Bolt Action. But as it's based on a Tikka... here is as good a spot as any.
This project started more than three years ago and I started to document it on the Scout Hide. It was the conversion of a Tikka T3 in .223 to a .14/221 Eichelberger. In the reloading/wildcat world, this is called a Subcaliber.
It fascinates me because I always loved the .17's. But somehow going even smaller... with rounds pushed up into the 4,000 - 4500 FPS range seemed even more interesting. So I started the project
Started with a Sako 85. And that rifle proved un-practical for the conversion. So looked at a Tikka T3, which looked like a much better candidate.
I waited a year for a barrel from PacNor in .14 Caliber. And sent to Extreme Accuracy LLC for the barreling. I had to buy my own chamber reamer(s) as well. From ordering the barrel until getting the barreled action was about 18 months. Worth the wait, by the way! Beautiful! Extreme Accuracy fitted the barrel for me and left it threaded so I could install a brake, custom made. The .14 needs a brake about as much as a kitten needs a Lear Jet. But I want one anyway.
I went to Massoud here on the 'Hide and got one of his Whisky 3 stocks. I had worked with Massoud on the early iterations of his Sako TRG stock and I don't think there is any chassis maker on the market that makes a better line of products than Kinetic Research Group. He helped me out with a gorgeous stock... and I had my chassis.
Scope is U.S. Optics. I'm a USO snob. I won't apologize. Doc Mullins, one of the guys we lost in the transition to Scout, was probably one of the greatest contributors to the original SH. Doc76251... if you are out there, you are remembered. He got me drinking the USO Kool-Aid and I have not stopped. Among Tier-one optics, there are a lot of good ones and I would be happy, I am sure, with many of them. But I love the guys at USO. Even the new Regime. And there is nothing else that would do for this rifle.
For a mount, I went with another great 'Hide contributor and got a Sphur mount. Overkill for this project, but I have never had anything but greatest reverance for the guys that created the Sphur mount and for their contributions here. Again, supporting the SH community.
Last, Atlas bipod. Another long-time 'Hide contributer who makes one of the best products out there.
Bolted all together, I finally had a pretty cool rifle.
With one problem. It had feeding problems and would not eject worth a damn. Because the .14 case is so short and tiny... it tended to not want to eject and getting it to feed was, well, impossible.
The KRG chassis works with AI magazines, however. Which were a problem and an opportunity. The problem is that the follower, while perfect for a .223... wanted nothing to do with a .14 Eichelberger. But with some aluminum and a milling machine today, I designed and fitted my own follower. And the rifle now feeds perfectly. The ejection problem also took care of itself with better bolt handling. A good sharp snap to the rear ejects every case perfectly.
Of course, that did not begin to solve the ammo problem! Because when I ordered this, you could not get .14 Eichelberger cases... made from .221 Fireball brass. Today, you can buy them. Two years ago... you had to make your own forming plate. So I did. Used letter-size step drills and my chamber reamer to create a forming plate. And made some rounds. Now I can buy them. I should have waited. But the rounds still will need final fire-forming as the shoulders/necks are a bit on the rough side. But that's standard wildcat practice. And I'll just shoot the first 250 rounds off knowing that I am forming cases, not chasing extreme accuracy.
Today, for the first time, I fired 5 test rounds. And it did not give any issues. So I am now reloading 250 rounds for it. With a 13grain spitzer .14 cal bullet. And 17 grains of 2520. I think it will take more, but until I get all my cases fire-formed, I am going with a light load. There is absolutely zero recoil. Nothing I can feel. 15 pound rifle firing a 13 grain bullet? Well, that soaks things up pretty well. The first 5 rounds all went where I expected them to go. But I was shooting 'minute of pebble' at a rock 80 yards across my farm. Not into a target.
Next steps are fireforming cases and then working up a real accuracy load.
Ok... since this is probably, technically, a pictures thread... here goes. Though I am going to post and then use edit to put up the pictures... I've typed too much here to have a computer freeze and loose all the input.
Pictures below.
Here is the almost-unrecognizable T3 in all her glory. I forgot to mention the tacticool bolt knob. It's snazzy. Ultimately, I will paint the whole thing to match my Sako duty rifle. Now retired... like me.
[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":"No automatic alt text available.","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/20376127_1212551948891450_1538840274305206582_n.jpg?oh=fc1e345a22059b6376dd5e69a0af8a39&oe=5A05FE03"}[/IMG2]
The aluminum mag follower that I machined today to feed the .14 rounds. They have to be forward-positioned in the mag to work. A shorter magazine with a spacer would be an ideal solution. But if the rounds are stacked and kept with the tips near the front of the mag, they feed perfectly. Note the sharp upward angle of the follower and the .375" radius trough in the top of it. Made the rounds feed like butter... and also works great in single-shot mode, rolling in rounds one-at-a-time.
So what is this Eichelberger, you may ask? Here is the 'spec. I used a load for a .14/221 Walker which has a 5 degree different shoulder angle. As I had a lot of 2520 powder on hand. Seems to have worked great. I should be pushing a .13 grain bullet at about 4100 FPS with the load I am using. One of the challenges, BTW, is getting the powder in that little case. So I made myself a brass funnel this afternoon. Bit of lathe work.
Used a chunk of .750" Brass hex stock to make a funnel. It's very cute. Making funnels on a lathe is a bitch. Too many angles. Kept the hex so it did not roll off the reloading bench on me. BTW, this is the first project in my new reloading room, for those who have followed the thread in Reloading.
60 cute little cases. Note the tiny hole in the top. These things are pixie-sized.
Pixie sized indeed. On the right is a .223. On the left is a .14/221 Eichelberger, before fire-forming. Overall case length 1.710.
And because comparisons are fun... here is a 13 grain .14 cal bullet next to a .30 Speer HPBT Match.
I'll get some more pictures posted, I am sure, once I get some testing done. And once I get the rifle painted.
Oh and what does one do with a .14 Eichelberger? It will positively vaporize a squirrel. Furbearers get very tiny holes in them. And egg shoots at 100 yards can be rather spectacular. Energy is mass times velocity squared. These little zippers move along at speeds that are adding energy in a massive fashion.
And besides, it was one of the most fun gunsmithing projects I have undertaken. And involved a lot of great SH people.
Cheers,
Sirhr
