Tikka T3 Hunter misfire

M

mreddenrn

Inactive
Just purchased a Tikka T3 Hunter and immediately able to shoot 1/2" groups.

Problem is when I loaded 4 rounds in the clip, the first 3 went bang, the fourth just clicked (no bang). I ejected the round, which showed a strike. This happened to me three more times, always on the last round in the clip.

I believe it could be the ammo, or maybe my firing pin is malfunction?

Any input is welcomed...
 
Perhaps the rounds had bit too much headspace. The fourth round could have fed differently, bending the case or bullet slightly enough to not chamber easily. The firing pin would then have to push the case slightly forward, reducing the energy of the strike.

Did the strike on the primer show a deep indent, or did it look like a fired primer. If it looked like a fired primer indent, that would not always be adequate to fire a primer.

Try loading all rounds singly, without running through the magazine. If there are no misfires, my theory may prove correct. If you still have misfires, have the headspace checked, or try different ammo that may fit your chamber better.
 
For firing pin problems -remove pin and spring ,clean them and the hole ,inspect hole and pin for burrs. Lightly lube parts and replace.
 
Did the primer strike look "soild"- or was it light?
Could easily be a bad batch of ammo...

I re-chamber a round if it FTF's, to try one more time. Sometimes you get a bad primer. Unless the primer strikes appear to be light, I would get a fresh box of ammo. Was this match-grade ammo?
 
Welcome to the TFL!

Its definitely strange that it always happened on the last round. Did you re-chamber the rounds that went "click" and try to fire them again?

I'm going to guess the problem was the rounds, and it was just a coincidence that it happened to be the last round in the magazine. I'm interested to see what information you give to some of these questions though.
 
Tikka misfire

Thanks for all of the input - I did try and reload the misfired rounds, and they went bang.

I only have one mag with the rifle, and did not try to fire a single round without the mag.

The misfired rounds looked like they had a lighter "hit" or indent from the firing pin.

The ammo, I suspect, is the problem as I was firing American Eagle Tactical XM193 5.56 x 45 mm 55 grain.

I'll have to try some match grade and see what happens.
 
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If you're getting a lot of misfires, you need to check your firing pin and clean/lube with a dry moly.

Just because a round goes off, inconsistent ignition can cause inaccuracy of rounds that actually fire. It may not be as obvious in centerfires as with rimfires, but noticeable as vertical group stringing on a target and velocity variations may be evident.
 
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