Ultimatum Precision's upcoming Tikka footprint action

[adamjma]

Didn't see this mentioned anywhere here yet, so I thought I would point out that Ultimatum Precision (makers of the Deadline and action for the JP bolt guns) is close to dropping a new action with a Tikka T3 footprint.

Only details so far are from their Instagram, which I'm including below. Since this is in the public domain I assume this is above board, if not I will pull the photos. The text of the post word for word:

Hmmm wait a minute, that's not a Deadline...!? Indeed! That is the first working prototype of our new DeFacto barreled action!

The DeFacto is a 3 lug, solid bolt design, based off of the Tikka T3 foot print.

Just thought I'd give you guys a little sneak peak!

Pricing and release date TBA!

Looks to use the same Tikka bolt handle dovetail (maybe?) which is nice since the aftermarket offerings from Sterk are nice but not cheap something you want to toss with the action.

Also confirmed to use Rem 700 triggers.

Looks like some chassis inletting may be required for some triggers.

I can't decide whether this is a brilliant play to offer an upgrade path for all the Tikka owners out there like me who have sunk a fair bit into their Tikkas and don't want to lose all that investment by switching to a new action. (At present I am weighing a switch to Rem 700 footprint action and chassis, or a chassis upgrade for my Tikka.)

 

[cannoncrossfire]

Will be interesting to hear more about it and what is shared or what is different. I'm not sure how much cheaper a bolt handle is meant to be though, and if people are happy to pay a decent amount for a custom action I would hope they aren't going to be too worried about a relatively inexpensive handle. Maybe the handle it comes with will be just fine too.

Glades Swept Ball: $67.50US Shipped
Sterk swept ball: $83.69US shipped
Anarchy swept ball: $88.07US shipped

 

[adamjma]

Will be interesting to hear more about it and what is shared or what is different. I'm not sure how much cheaper a bolt handle is meant to be though, and if people are happy to pay a decent amount for a custom action I would hope they aren't going to be too worried about a relatively inexpensive handle. Maybe the handle it comes with will be just fine too.

Glades Swept Ball: $67.50US Shipped
Sterk swept ball: $83.69US shipped
Anarchy swept ball: $88.07US shipped

Sorry, didn't mean offence - your handles are a work of art! I just meant they are worth enough that I don't want to casually toss one when I upgrade.

 

[cannoncrossfire]

Sorry, didn't mean offence - your handles are a work of art! I just meant they are worth enough that I don't want to casually toss one when I upgrade.

None taken, and thanks
it's great that this action is sortof how Remington clones exist and carry improvements over the original.

 

[Northernjets]

A custom Tikka action is nice and all, but I'm definitely more interested in the rimfire action that they've apparently been working on. Would be cool to see some Vudoo alternatives, especially if they can come in at a lower price point in our Canadian peso market.

Edit: For those that didn't see the teaser from June.

 

[C_R_Slacker]

I'm interested in this because i have a tikka in a krg w-3 and I've been thinking of upgrading. Would be nice to be able to upgrade actions when it is time to rebarrel and just drop it in my existing chassis.

 

[lennyo3034]

I guess I don’t really see the point of this. 700 clones exist because so much work to be done on Remington 700 actions to make them nice. Bolt and receiver trued, raceways smoothened, extractor, side bolt release. The Tikka needs none of this.

Admittedly I’m not super knowledgeable about Tikkas but is there a deficiency that this is addressing?

That being said, more options are nicer, I’m just curious what the demand is for something like this.

 

[Lowholer]

I think you got a real winner there cant wait Ill be watching!

 

[Cuda-dude]

Interesting and I will be following the dev on this. I’d still like to see Tikka sell non barreled actions.

 

[Eostech]

A trg is a pretty natural upgrade from a tikka.

 

[johaneriksson]

To bad they didn’t go with an integrated picatinny that would make the action way more solid than the tikka.

 

[M338]

I’d much rather see an integral recoil lug,probably my most hated feature of the tikka.

 

[BurnOut]

I guess I don’t really see the point of this. 700 clones exist because so much work to be done on Remington 700 actions to make them nice. Bolt and receiver trued, raceways smoothened, extractor, side bolt release. The Tikka needs none of this.

Admittedly I’m not super knowledgeable about Tikkas but is there a deficiency that this is addressing?

That being said, more options are nicer, I’m just curious what the demand is for something like this.

This is kinda where I'm at... that said, if the price on these is such that it's cheaper to go this route than it is to buy a complete Tikka rifle and scrap everything but the bolt, action, and trigger, then hey... why not?

The other improvement that these may offer over the T3 would be compatibility with true long action chamberings.

 

[JGR1953]

You can horse trade a Tikka action with trigger for $400 most weeks of the month. I recently bought a rifle for $400 just to salvage the bolt and sold the rest of the rifle for $200. Of course I had to buy $200 in aftermarket shrouds and bolt handles. All told you're going to to spend $700 for a stock action, upgraded bolt handle, aftermarket shroud, and pic rail. So I guess if they priced this action at $800 you might as well buy it over a stock T3.

The other 2 actions they have listed in short and long actions are $1200 and $1400 so I doubt this one will be any cheaper.....

 

[b6graham]

If that's the case then introducing a second SA, short bolt throw action for the same price would seem redundant.

medium length action for the ever popular PRC/SAUM/WSM that will work with existing footprints/chassis unlike Lone Peak and Defience which don't as easily. or loading 180-215 class projectiles in 7mm/308 cases

question is mags i guess right?

 

[Pvt.Donut]

Seems a little backwards but I'll withhold judgement. I'd think the footprint is the least desirable aspect of the Tikka. Now take everything that makes a Tikka action great and pack that into a Remington 700 footprint and I think you have something. All the smoothness of a Tikka in a standard footprint and make it for $800 and I think you'd kill.

 

[b6graham]

Seems a little backwards but I'll withhold judgement. I'd think the footprint is the least desirable aspect of the Tikka. Now take everything that makes a Tikka action great and pack that into a Remington 700 footprint and I think you have something. All the smoothness of a Tikka in a standard footprint and make it for $800 and I think you'd kill.

we now have several actions that do that in that price range

half the benefit of the tikka is custom performance at less than production prices.

the other half is it's a medium length for the SA magnum guys if they stay with stock metal and stocks

 

[Forrest84]

This forum is poison for my finances

 

[adamjma]

1. Prefits? Tikka tenon and pitch? Savage?

2. Bolt body/ face? 308 only? Valkyrie? Magnum?

3. Two lug vs. three lug?

4. Short action? AICS.... Medium length? PRC limits?

From the Instagram thread:

1. Not revealed, but I would guess probably not Tikka.

2. Also not revealed, but Valkyrie would be a no-brainer as there is no Tikka bolt available AFAIK

3. Three lug

4. They mentioned medium length in a comment, so I would assume Tikka length.

 

[adamjma]

A custom Tikka action is nice and all, but I'm definitely more interested in the rimfire action that they've apparently been working on. Would be cool to see some Vudoo alternatives, especially if they can come in at a lower price point in our Canadian peso market.

Edit: For those that didn't see the teaser from June.
View attachment 7156401

I'm also waiting on this one too. At TACCOM they mentioned hopefully by the end of the year, but then in a reply on the Instagram post on the DeFacto they say the DeFacto is first then the rimfire.

Just as long as they make them lefty I am happy.

 

[Kadams1563]

Best thing coming from this is maybe somehow we will get better stock options and aftermarket support for factory Tikka actions.

I don’t see the point of this action though. Seems weird to build a foot print off of an action that is behind on aftermarket support.

 

[kthomas]

Preece precision is also making Tikka footprint custom actions.

Not for me, but cool for those that want more Tikka options.

 

[adamjma]

I gotta be honest, I would be thrilled if someone would just drop a full on replacement bolt for Tikkas, especially given the lack of a Valkyrie bolt face in the lineup.

 

[SeekingNorth]

The Picatinny rail and recoil lug should be integral on the action.
The Bolt & handle should be one piece.. with "Stark swept ball" shape.
Should use original Tikka T3 trigger... handles so much more dirt then Rem 700 triggers.. and so simple.

Just upgrade the "T3" action... dont copy it with worse parts and ideas......

 

[delinquent pleb]

The only bad thing about a Tikka, from the factory out of the box, is the stock. If they did a run of Barrelled actions and signalled to industry to be easy with stocks etc, they would sell like crazy.

I would pay $900 (AUD) for Tikka barrelled action and spend accordingly on an awesome after-market stock.

How have they not thought of this??

 

[FrankinND]

Seems a little backwards but I'll withhold judgement. I'd think the footprint is the least desirable aspect of the Tikka. Now take everything that makes a Tikka action great and pack that into a Remington 700 footprint and I think you have something. All the smoothness of a Tikka in a standard footprint and make it for $800 and I think you'd kill.

I was thinking the same exact thing as I was reading it. A Tikka/TRG feel in a 700 footprint would almost be the best of both worlds!

 

[nrspence]

An interchangeable bolt face like a big horn action would be awesome. Looking forward to hearing the exact specs of this action from shot show.

 

[Stooxie]

FYI, it's trivial to open up a Tikka 223 bolt face to 0.425 for Valkyrie or 6.8 SPC, I've posted a couple threads on it. Took my local gunsmith (who knows Tikkas well) 25 minutes on the CNC. Perfect.

I, too, am struggling to see the point of a custom Tikka action, although anything that increases Tikka's popularity as a builder's platform would be welcome. Maybe I'm nuts but I like the Tikka OEM picatinny rail, the way it blends in with the receiver, and the CTR knob is my favorite. I've also yet to find any problems with the Tikka lug setup-- it actually has some benefits if you think about it.

Folks should keep in mind that Tikka is doing something right-- whatever they are doing allows them to mass produce great rifles that out-shoot way more expensive competitors out of the box. I'm not saying it's all ideal, but the push feed action, great trigger, plastic mags, recoil lug setup, and "universal" receiver length contribute to the smoothness, reliability, accuracy and cost control. I can confirm Tikka's receiver face tolerances, having moved shouldered barrels from one receiver to another.

-Stooxie

 

[Afkirby]

Looking at the pictures on instagram, this seems to be a heck of a deal. Barreled action with triggertech trigger for $1000 MSRP.

 

[Northernjets]

Looking at the pictures on instagram, this seems to be a heck of a deal. Barreled action with triggertech trigger for $1000 MSRP.

I'll admit after finding out the price point, I went from 'meh' to musing about getting one to compare to my like new Tikka Varmint in 223. Could sell whichever one I decide to let go and still come close to breaking even.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

BA for $1,000? Sign me up.

 

[kthomas]

While I'm neither an Ultimatum or IBI fan, I bet they are going to sell a shit ton of these at those prices.

 

[BLKWLFK9]

The only real "upgrade" from a tikka is it's a 3 lug that MAY be able to run AW mags.

 

[b6graham]

The only real "upgrade" from a tikka is it's a 3 lug that MAY be able to run AW mags.

R700 trigger

true long action (not CIP i dont think though)

 

[b6graham]

It won't require $250 worth of Sterk parts. Hopefully the bolt release pin is executed a little more thoroughly. And you may actually be able to buy replacement bolts without having to buy a complete rifle to salvage a bolt.

I wonder if their specs will allow shouldered prefits....

very curious on the tenon, since it's not a tikka. i'd have thought they'd make it a savage and ideally same as the deadline but apparently not

 

[Northernjets]

very curious on the tenon, since it's not a tikka. i'd have thought they'd make it a savage and ideally same as the deadline but apparently not

I could've swore I read somewhere that it's a proprietary fit. There was also mention by them somewhere that some chassis mods will be required around the trigger hanger. Just wish I could remember where I'd read that.

 

[b6graham]

I could've swore I read somewhere that it's a proprietary fit. There was also mention by them somewhere that some chassis mods will be required around the trigger hanger. Just wish I could remember where I'd read that.

yeah stupid hanger issues again, awesome. automatic no.

yeah proprietary fit, but so are most tenon prints until they're made public then anyone an do it.

 

[kthomas]

I don't know why you would make a proprietary tennon thread spec, when you can capitalize on the plethora of pre-fit actions that are currently available with current tennon thread specs out there. Again, this brings me back to "why the fuck did they design it that way". Ultimatum always makes some questionable design decisions in my mind.

I'm also assuming they are able to hold tight enough tolerances for the above to be the case, but I'm not sure if they have that capability or not.

 

[Northernjets]

yeah stupid hanger issues again, awesome. automatic no.

yeah proprietary fit, but so are most tenon prints until they're made public then anyone an do it.

Like I said, I'm having trouble finding where I had read about having to fit the trigger hangar, so don't quote me on that. Definitely wouldn't be surprised given the three lug design though. It definitely looks like a beefed up Tikka action, just like how their Deadline is a beefed up 700.

I was kind of hoping they were going to go with something like a Savage or Tikka prefit to allow for off the shelf changes right away but they're only selling as ready to go barreled actions anyway.

Edit: Just noticed the amount of material ground away from the KRG backbone in OP's pictures in order for the safety to work. It's definitely going to require grinding in the trigger well as well.

 

[b6graham]

Like I said, I'm having trouble finding where I had read about having to fit the trigger hangar, so don't quote me on that. Definitely wouldn't be surprised given the three lug design though. It definitely looks like a beefed up Tikka action, just like how their Deadline is a beefed up 700.

I was kind of hoping they were going to go with something like a Savage or Tikka prefit to allow for off the shelf changes right away but they're only selling as ready to go barreled actions anyway.

their IG i believe. same issue with the deadline and the hanger and weird shape.

it's like they learned nothing

pick the Impact/Lonepeak, or Bighorn, or ARC tenon and boom done. hold tight tolerance and easy

 

[Northernjets]

their IG i believe. same issue with the deadline and the hanger and weird shape.

it's like they learned nothing

pick the Impact/Lonepeak, or Bighorn, or ARC tenon and boom done. hold tight tolerance and easy

Exactly. Always so close yet just off the mark with their design details. It's not exactly difficult to modify, but if you change your mind, any resale value in the chassis takes a hit. The only thing making me consider it right now is the price. If it was the same as the Deadline, it'd be a definite 'miss' for me.

 

[kthomas]

their IG i believe. same issue with the deadline and the hanger and weird shape.

it's like they learned nothing

pick the Impact/Lonepeak, or Bighorn, or ARC tenon and boom done. hold tight tolerance and easy

I don't know why they want to go down their own path, when the road to success has ready been paved and well marked.

Like you say, follow those actions and use their recipe for success. The trend is pre-fit shouldered barrels, ease of use for the end consumer. Ultimatum doesn't have the following for companies to make and stock prefits for them, so why not capitalize on someone else's thread specs so you can use the plethora of prefits already available?

This would also require Ultimatum to hold exacting tolerances, which I'm not sure if they are capable of or not. I've never seen that specific feature of theirs advertised if it does exist.

Beyond that, they've made questionable design decisions that compromises other functions. Like the oversized bolt body, small ejection port, and (initially) super heavy duty bolt lift - I think the original was a 26# bolt lift. It's like they went into it, thinking that current action designs weren't strong and robust enough, and had to come up with a stronger, beefier action. I just don't understand the design ethos.

 

[kthomas]

Exactly. Always so close yet just off the mark with their design details. It's not exactly difficult to modify, but if you change your mind, any resale value in the chassis takes a hit. The only thing making me consider it right now is the price. If it was the same as the Deadline, it'd be a definite 'miss' for me.

I think the price is going to make it compelling for a lot of folks that want to save some money.

For those that are willing to spend a bit more $ to get the quality and features that they want, they are going to overlook this option.

 

[Northernjets]

I think the price is going to make it compelling for a lot of folks that want to save some money.

For those that are willing to spend a bit more $ to get the quality and features that they want, they are going to overlook this option.

For sure. It's very much a budget friendly custom option, which is honestly awesome, especially for us Canadians. I'm sure they'll sell like hot cakes and giving the masses access to custom quality at a very reasonable price is great. I really hope more companies follow suit. Having said that, I'd still take another Nuke over this if budget wasn't a consideration. Damn those usd to cad conversion rates ha.

 

[flyer]

I've also yet to find any problems with the Tikka lug setup-- it actually has some benefits if you think about it.

I have been thinking, I don't see it. Could you help with a description?

I know a lot of people cut Tikka receivers for a Savage style recoil lug. I don't know the details of that operation but I have done similar on a Savage Axis.

This might make a really nice semi-custom rifle on a decent budget.

If it has an AW cut, a bunch of people will jump on it just for that.

I think a KRG Tikka Bravo chassis is $450 or $500, if the barrelled action is $1,000 and you add a Triggertech Diamond for $200-something, that is pretty cheap if the barrel is good.

I know I will be keeping my eye on this.

 

[b6graham]

I have been thinking, I don't see it. Could you help with a description?

I know a lot of people cut Tikka receivers for a Savage style recoil lug. I don't know the details of that operation but I have done similar on a Savage Axis.

This might make a really nice semi-custom rifle on a decent budget.

If it has an AW cut, a bunch of people will jump on it just for that.

I think a KRG Tikka Bravo chassis is $450 or $500, if the barrelled action is $1,000 and you add a Triggertech Diamond for $200-something, that is pretty cheap if the barrel is good.

I know I will be keeping my eye on this.

well it already comes with a trigger so covered there

if they didnt have the trigger hanger and did a more normal tenon, this would be a fucking smash. but as it is...idk

 

[lawofsavage]

I gotta be honest, I would be thrilled if someone would just drop a full on replacement bolt for Tikkas, especially given the lack of a Valkyrie bolt face in the lineup.

Yes, 100% agree. If someone that can bring reasonably priced tikka bolts to the market I think would sell pretty well for the guys that want to have tikka switch barrels but I don't know how big that number actually is.

 

[6brshooter]

I don't know why they want to go down their own path, when the road to success has ready been paved and well marked.

Like you say, follow those actions and use their recipe for success. The trend is pre-fit shouldered barrels, ease of use for the end consumer. Ultimatum doesn't have the following for companies to make and stock prefits for them, so why not capitalize on someone else's thread specs so you can use the plethora of prefits already available?

This would also require Ultimatum to hold exacting tolerances, which I'm not sure if they are capable of or not. I've never seen that specific feature of theirs advertised if it does exist.

Beyond that, they've made questionable design decisions that compromises other functions. Like the oversized bolt body, small ejection port, and (initially) super heavy duty bolt lift - I think the original was a 26# bolt lift. It's like they went into it, thinking that current action designs weren't strong and robust enough, and had to come up with a stronger, beefier action. I just don't understand the design ethos.

Idk about bolt comment, their bolt design is very close to ai and badger. Are those 2 shitty designs also?

 

[kthomas]

Idk about bolt comment, their bolt design is very close to ai and badger. Are those 2 shitty designs also?

AI has obviously got it figured out, but they build whole systems which have been designed from the factory to work together. Ultimatum makes actions that are designed to mate with other R700 parts, which pretty much all were designed to interface with an action with a 0.695-0.700" bolt diameter. This can be the cause of a lot of feeding frustrations for folk.

AI's don't have feeding issues. Lots of Ultimatums do.

Can't speak for the badger, you don't hear much about them either way. Certainly not near as many complaints about Badgers misfeeding then Ultimatums.

 

[6brshooter]

Link to misfeeding ultimatum? I have one, had an origin, both in 6.5prc. The origin had trouble feeding and ejecting. It's gone. Bolt lift on my deadline is heavier than my ae and 2013, but quite a bit lighter than my at. I do have a bix with proper sear height.