Tikka T3 Magazine Swap?

[toomanyhobbies]

The stock magazine for my new TikTac 223 is cut to exactly 2.26" which is the standard length for a .223 cartridge according to the Sierra manual.

This means you can't load the magazine with over-sized cartridges which have the bullet set out to reach the lands.

Has anybody tried using a medium length magazine instead of the short one? Is the width between the lips different? .308 brass fits into the short mag, so maybe they are a standard width?

I'm off to WSS at lunch to see if they've got one to compare with.

Eric

 

[toomanyhobbies]

Well, to answer my own question, it doesn't quite work. I took the medium magazine from a 22-250 on the gun store shelf and tried fitting 223 rounds into it. Length was adequate, but the lips are slightly wider, and while a single round kind of fits, I think the spring would pop out the rounds if there were any more pressure, i.e. from more than one round.

I guess I'll either find a load that works in factory length or find a way to trim out some of the plastic in the existing magazine without wrecking it. $110 each is too expensive to ruin one. Until then, it's load one, fire one.

 

[CyaN1de]

You could always dremel out a channel for the bullets to sit out a little further. I don't know how far out you need them though. I know when I had my Tikka if I wanted the bullet seated to the lands I had to do the old Load on shoot one as well.

 

[Snow Dog]

Won't hurt to try a long action magazine. Tikka T3 mags are all the same body with different spacer blocks glued to the back end. You also might try to trim down the block at the back of the mag but that would be a last resort. I don't know what kind of affect that would have on the feeding, it might cause problems.