Thoughts on shortening and re-crowning a barrel

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Rokon1976

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Am I going to ruin the most accurate gun I’ve ever owned ? Lol .. Or is it a pretty basic procedure for a good gun smith ?
I have a Tikka T3x stainless varmint (heavy barrel) in .223 with the longer 24 inch barrel .
I bought it as a predator hunting rig before I had really done much predator hunting . Lol . I’m regretting not opting for the shorter 20 inch barrel of this gun, which I actually didn’t even know was an option when I bought this one ... or kinda wishing I had just gone for the same gun with a regular 22 inch sporter barrel. This one gets heavy when hiking through the snow.
I own a few Tikkas, and they are all tack drivers.. but this one is a one hole wonder. I have gotten one ragged hole group at 200 yards a few times with this gun and have done it several times at 100 yards. Maybe a little luck on the 200 yard groups. but I did it more then once, and I’ve never done that with another gun . Haha !
So I really don’t want mess up the accuracy by messing with what seams to be a truly perfect barrel .
Been looking around a bit considering just getting a lighter gun . But I’m really partial to Tikkas, and the .223 is working well for me , so rather then buying another tikka in the same caliber ... I’m thinking it could be a whole lot cheaper to just lighten this one up if I can.. without any adverse effects that is.
I’m thinking if I cut the barrel down to 20 inches and then get rid of the 4-16 power telescope I have mounted on it ..and go down to lower magnification scope that’s lighter . I think I can get this one down to a manageable weight and keep hunting with it. I know I’ll lose a little velocity, but I’m not too concerned with that.
Anyone had this done to a rifle and regretted it ? And what could I expect to pay for this ? If it’s going to be more 3-$400.. and there’s a risk of losing any accuracy .. I will just leave it alone and start shopping for another lighter gun .
Thanks for any input .
 
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Two things:
1. I shorten my own barrels, I’ve never lost or gained accuracy by doing so. I’ve only lost velocity, how much depends on the cartridge and amount of barrel removed. I’ve never done a 223 so can’t offer any insight as to how much you will lose. It should be noted that I’ve only shortened button rifled barrels, your Tikka should have a hammer forged barrel (I think?), it may or may not react differently to losing some of itself, I don’t know for sure. Hopefully some one who has shortened a hammer forged barrel can offer some advice in regards to that.
2. I don’t think you’ll really shave that much weight by shortening the barrel. My guess would be 6 or 7 ounces. To be fair that is nearly half a pound, but I would start with going to a lighter scope first, then see if you need to shave more weight. I don’t really think 6-7oz would be noticeable, especially when you consider the other gear you’re carrying (depending on your setup). What I’m trying to say is I would consider all other possible areas to save weight before messing with what sounds to be a very good shooter.

How much does the complete setup weigh now? What’s your end goal, as far as pounds?
 
Agreed. It still won’t be a “light” gun . But my thinking is taking weight off the tip of the barrel will make it feel a lot lighter, as well as making it just quicker handling and easier to carry through the bush. Remember it’s a heavy barrel, and only having a .22 bore .. the barrel has some mass to it . I checked the Tikka website and it’s showing the guns 3.9kg with the 24 inch barrel and 3.6 kg with the 20 inch barrel. 0.3 kg works out to 10.5 ounces.
I don’t really have an end goal weight . Just lighter and shorter would make it a lot more handy and easier to carry I think.
The current setup with my bipod is 12.5 pounds . Yup ... she’s heavy. Lol .
It’s funny because a few people told me that I may want something lighter for hunting . I thought, meh ! I’m a big guy .. is 2 or 3 Pounds difference really going to matter in the big picture ? But when you add all your other gear and a heavy pair of boots and go trudging off in 8 to 10 inches of snow .. it all adds up for sure.
Live and learn ... and buy more guns . Lol
 
I just cut & crown a 308, 24" barrel down to 18.5", still prints cloverleafs.
Noticeable weight reduction, but more so is the balance of carrying & shouldering the rifle, much prefer the shorter barrel.
 
Depending on how much you want to spend a Wildcat Composite stock weighs less than 18 oz and costs about $375. These stocks are light an stiff but require some time to finish them.
 
You are correct. Shorten it to 19-20”.

The wildcat stock would be sweet to, probably you’d knock 3-5 ounces off the barrel, it won’t feel so front heavy, and a wildcat may knock another 14-20 ounces off.

Go to Talley rings for a couple ounces and maybe one of the funky carbon fiber bolt handles for a couple ounces if your feeling like modding it further, or get the barrel fluted, not sure who here is doing that these day’s though.

You could make that rifle feel half as heavy if you spend the time or money.
 
I chopped 5 inches off my 24 inch savage 10 tr ,using a hack saw,(308).
I lost 93 fps and zero accuracy.

I bought the action and barrel to local Smith and had a 11degree crown done.
Cost me $50
 
cody c said:
You are correct. Shorten it to 19-20”.

The wildcat stock would be sweet to, probably you’d knock 3-5 ounces off the barrel, it won’t feel so front heavy, and a wildcat may knock another 14-20 ounces off.

Go to Talley rings for a couple ounces and maybe one of the funky carbon fiber bolt handles for a couple ounces if your feeling like modding it further, or get the barrel fluted, not sure who here is doing that these day’s though.

You could make that rifle feel half as heavy if you spend the time or money.
Click to expand...

Yeah I like the idea of possibly fluting the barrel too . Have no idea what that would cost, but I’m going to look into that along with shortening it .
According to the Tikka website, the same gun with a 20 inch barrel is 0.3 kg lighter then mine .. that converts to 10.5 ounces . That’s a fairly substantial weight loss ... especially being at the end of the barrel . Not sure how much more weight will come off with fluting, but a few more ounces for sure I’d think .
I have a 2-10 power Burris veracity scope I may throw on it which is 2 ounces lighter then the Nikon I have on it now .
I may look at lighter Stock options too . Thanks for the input.
 
45C said:
I chopped 5 inches off my 24 inch savage 10 tr ,using a hack saw,(308).
I lost 93 fps and zero accuracy.

I bought the action and barrel to local Smith and had a 11degree crown done.
Cost me $50
Click to expand...
With a hacksaw !. Wow I’m really overthinking this .haha ! Yeah I did some reading and was kinda thinking I’d lose around 100fps at the most . I can live with that for sure .
 
I have chopped dozens of barrels, never experienced poor accuracy after the chop, and always better handling. I had an extremely accurate Ruger M77 MKII .223 with 22" barrel, but wanted it for hunting coyotes in the bush, so I chopped it down to 18.5"....it was just as accurate at 18.5" as it was at 22".
 
You could hacksaw it, file it, try the “valve lapping compound and piece of brass to do a crown as per YouTube videos and see if it shoots half decent. Would cost almost nothing, and if that doesn’t work take it to a smith and get it done by a professional. As long as you don’t cut past the legal minimum and don’t pooch the bore you’ve got nothing to lose and experience to gain from it.
 
I'll second the Wildcat Composite stock. You'll make the biggest weight savings with this and its inletted for a Tikka. You'd just have to bed it and finish the exterior with paint, wrap, dip, or whatever you like. Heck, do both the barrel shortening and the stock. You'll have a light, well balanced, very accurate rifle!
 
I just chopped 4 inches off a new to me used 270wsm. Shot a few groups with it, cut two inches off, shot another group, then another two inches. Brought it down to 20".
Was shooting precision hunter 145 factory ammo. Speed only dropped 10fps after cutting off 2 inches! I was pretty surprised. After the next two inches speed dropped another 68 fps.
In total speed dropped only 78 fps by removing 4 inches of barrel. Gun feel way handier and balances alot better freehand. Still need to file and valve lap the crown and see how it groups
 
Just a heads-up about the Wildcat option others are suggesting. I was under the impression that the barrel channel will only fit a sporter and can't be opened-up for heavier profile barrels. I could be wrong but I seem to recall reading this over on the Rokslide forum.
 
Rokon1976 said:
If it’s going to be more 3-$400.. and there’s a risk of losing any accuracy .. I will just leave it alone and start shopping for another lighter gun .
Click to expand...

You won't lose accuracy with the cut, but it will still be a heavier rifle.

I'd just buy a fast twist 223 T3 lightweight sporter and go from there with the 4-16.
 
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