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T1x ejector, magwell and mag mod

Kisssofdeath

House of Yates
Full Member
Minuteman
  • May 9, 2018
    2,058
    1,509
    Virginia
    The large majority of T1x owners will not have to do these modifications to make your T1x function any better. If it's working good don't mess with it. Mine wasn't working good after I installed the IBI barrel with Win 52D chamber. Everything functioned fine with the 1st IBI barrel and the factory barrel. The 52D chamber is so tight the bullet has to align near perfect to successfully enter the chamber. I worked with what I am about to show for a few days. I did quite a bit of experimenting to try and eliminate my jamming/feeding issues. Extraction and ejection has never been an issue.

    The pitfall to the T1x design is the way the ejector wire is designed to work. Its purpose is to eject but it also rides on the bullet making contact with it. This pushes the top round to the right as the round leaves the magazine and does not allow the rim of the case to slide up as far as it can between the bolt face and extractor. This also keeps the tip of the bullet low and it hits the bottom of the chamber when trying to enter it. Since the IBI barrel chamber is so tight, the bullet doesn't have as much wiggle room as with other chambers. **Keep in mind, the Win 52D chamber was designed for a single shot rifle, not a magazine fed one.** So let's just fast forward a bit to the outcome.

    I finally realized I needed to get the ejector wire away from the bullet BEFORE the bolt made contact with the rim. To do this I made a do or die bend in the ejector wire. This allowed the bolt to move the ejector wire to the left and out of the way as the round was being stripped from the magazine. It took a couple of tries before I got it just right. So, finally I was feeding a round into the chamber almost perfect. To my surprise it was ejecting the live rounds too. But from past history I knew that just because a live round can be ejected, doesn't mean a fired round will be ejected. So next step was to shoot some. I ended up shooting 40 rounds with CCI SV and Aguila, to of my worst feeding ammo. To my surprise everything worked perfect without one failure.

    While I was back inside I noticed that sometimes if the top rear of the mag tilted down very far the bolt could ride over top of the rim and push it out of the magazine making it stand up, bullet first. I have read where this has happened to others but this was the first time I experienced it. So I studied the design and concluded that I could put a shim on top of the mag ejector lever and possibly make the mag fit tighter and higher up to keep the bolt from overriding the rim. After that everything was fixed. I took it a step further by adding two layers of duct tape to the bottom of the mag and one layer to the top as shown in the photos. If you do it any other way the mag will not drop free. All this combined made the magazines fit much better, eliminating the stovepipe jam and making overall feeding appear to be better.

    Below are the photos of what I did with commentary as needed.

    Here is the final shape of the ejector wire. I removed the wire to make this bend.
    IMG_20200303_142046.jpg
    IMG_20200303_143151.jpg


    The following are a series of photos showing how the bolt pushes the ejector out of the way to allow the bullet to freely move up and out of the magazine. The bolt needs to make contact on the ejector right before or at least at the same time as the bolt hits the rim. Some of these photos may be the same or show the same thing but just with the flash on.
    IMG_20200303_145249.jpg
    IMG_20200303_145257.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142736.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142755.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142817.jpg
    IMG_20200303_143017.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142949.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142942.jpg


    To be continued.
     
    IMG_20200303_143032.jpg


    That is the end of the ejector wire mod. Now I will discuss the mag release lever.

    The shim I used is a piece of brass from a larger piece I have had for years. Just about anything with the right thickness would work. Mine is held on with superglue and it seems to be holding up fine as it has never moved from the time I set it. Material thicker or thinner may work, this is what I had on hand and it worked for me.
    IMG_20200303_143927.jpg
    IMG_20200303_142037.jpg


    I used duct tape (didn't measure it) in these two places. Mags still drop free. I fixed 5 like this and they all work perfect.

    IMG_20200303_150717.jpg


    While I'm at is here is the Timney trigger I installed a few days ago. I shot the 40 rounds with it and it works great. I worked the adjustments and eliminated all the first stage and got the second stage to break reliably and safely at 11 oz as shown.
    Timney Triggers T1x.jpg


    This is an average of 5 pulls.
    Timney Trigger  T1x.jpg


    Extra credit. Use these for snap caps. The feed from a magazine, protect the firing pin and even eject.
    :D
    IMG_20200303_150742.jpg


    Maybe someone can benefit from this. If so that's great, if not....well....it benefited me! :D
     
    Timney isn't bad for a $189 trigger right? I have no complaints using mine, and if you take the time you can get rid of a lot of creep and stuff. You adjusted yours to just be a single stage? Interesting... I like the 2-stage feel. Bought that 2-stage Huber to try out on the Vudoo next week.
     
    Timney isn't bad for a $189 trigger right? I have no complaints using mine, and if you take the time you can get rid of a lot of creep and stuff. You adjusted yours to just be a single stage? Interesting... I like the 2-stage feel. Bought that 2-stage Huber to try out on the Vudoo next week.
    Yeah, it turned out really nice. After I couldn't get it where I really wanted it weight wise I removed the paint from the sear adjustment and got it as good as I could. Next I adjusted the 2nd stage then the 1st stage. I actually had it down to 6 oz but it wasn't reliable.
     
    Yeah, it turned out really nice. After I couldn't get it where I really wanted it weight wise I removed the paint from the sear adjustment and got it as good as I could. Next I adjusted the 2nd stage then the 1st stage. I actually had it down to 6 oz but it wasn't reliable.
    So you didn't have any problems with the bolt handle dragging on the thumb pad of the safety with the lever pulled back in the safe position ?
     
    I really like these snap caps - https://amzn.to/2POxiTA Soft steel doesn't hurt the firing pin. Can feed an entire magazine and run real drills.
    No, not even close. Maybe 4 max, they start getting a little sideways because they stop stacking properly and they won't feed. For that matter they won't even come to the top. After I put 10 in "which I knew wouldn't work after 5" I had to dig them out with my dental pick.
     
    Shot another 50 rounds out of the T1x IBI with 52D chamber. Feeding and ejecting is 100% so far. That's a total of 90 rounds. No lead or wax buildup on the feed ramp now. No more bullet shaving. For awhile there it wasn't looking too good. Littlepod knows what I'm talking about. But, I call it like I see it, good or bad.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: littlepod
    The large majority of T1x owners will not have to do these modifications to make your T1x function any better. If it's working good don't mess with it. Mine wasn't working good after I installed the IBI barrel with Win 52D chamber. Everything functioned fine with the 1st IBI barrel and the factory barrel. The 52D chamber is so tight the bullet has to align near perfect to successfully enter the chamber. I worked with what I am about to show for a few days. I did quite a bit of experimenting to try and eliminate my jamming/feeding issues. Extraction and ejection has never been an issue.

    The pitfall to the T1x design is the way the ejector wire is designed to work. Its purpose is to eject but it also rides on the bullet making contact with it. This pushes the top round to the right as the round leaves the magazine and does not allow the rim of the case to slide up as far as it can between the bolt face and extractor. This also keeps the tip of the bullet low and it hits the bottom of the chamber when trying to enter it. Since the IBI barrel chamber is so tight, the bullet doesn't have as much wiggle room as with other chambers. **Keep in mind, the Win 52D chamber was designed for a single shot rifle, not a magazine fed one.** So let's just fast forward a bit to the outcome.

    I finally realized I needed to get the ejector wire away from the bullet BEFORE the bolt made contact with the rim. To do this I made a do or die bend in the ejector wire. This allowed the bolt to move the ejector wire to the left and out of the way as the round was being stripped from the magazine. It took a couple of tries before I got it just right. So, finally I was feeding a round into the chamber almost perfect. To my surprise it was ejecting the live rounds too. But from past history I knew that just because a live round can be ejected, doesn't mean a fired round will be ejected. So next step was to shoot some. I ended up shooting 40 rounds with CCI SV and Aguila, to of my worst feeding ammo. To my surprise everything worked perfect without one failure.

    While I was back inside I noticed that sometimes if the top rear of the mag tilted down very far the bolt could ride over top of the rim and push it out of the magazine making it stand up, bullet first. I have read where this has happened to others but this was the first time I experienced it. So I studied the design and concluded that I could put a shim on top of the mag ejector lever and possibly make the mag fit tighter and higher up to keep the bolt from overriding the rim. After that everything was fixed. I took it a step further by adding two layers of duct tape to the bottom of the mag and one layer to the top as shown in the photos. If you do it any other way the mag will not drop free. All this combined made the magazines fit much better, eliminating the stovepipe jam and making overall feeding appear to be better.

    Below are the photos of what I did with commentary as needed.

    Here is the final shape of the ejector wire. I removed the wire to make this bend.
    View attachment 7265223View attachment 7265225

    The following are a series of photos showing how the bolt pushes the ejector out of the way to allow the bullet to freely move up and out of the magazine. The bolt needs to make contact on the ejector right before or at least at the same time as the bolt hits the rim. Some of these photos may be the same or show the same thing but just with the flash on.
    View attachment 7265229View attachment 7265230View attachment 7265232View attachment 7265233View attachment 7265234View attachment 7265237View attachment 7265238View attachment 7265235

    To be continued.
    I had the same issue with the last round in a mag and was thinking of doing the same, this morning I adjusted the spring to the same shape and the problem is fixed! Good job!
     
    I was at a match the other weekend and had the following happen at least 5 times:
    20200726_124717.jpg
    Does bending the ejector wire correct this? I had this happen on multiple magazines
     
    Kissofdeath,

    I finally got around to doing your Tikka T1X mods - and what a difference they make. You thoroughly documenting the mod process here is very much appreciated.

    Just know that I’ve had this thread open in my browser since you posted it. Even the COVID-19 didn’t slow down my business, but as we near the holidays, I’m finally getting back to my rifle tasks.

    Anyway, since I’ve completed your mods, I haven’t had a sky-pointing round yet. That used to happen to me about 1 round in 2-3 mags. Now 4 mags full and I don’t get one pointing up.

    Took a bit of fiddling to get the bends right. I’ll likely polish the wire just to smooth out any nicks that I may have put in it during the bending/rebending process. The bolt action is now firmer as the bolt pushes the wire, which I like better too.

    I haven’t done the brass insert yet, but that’s next - though I’m unsure it’s necessary in my rifle as the duct tape has taken up all the slack that was there and my mags don’t drop as free as they used to.

    Now if I can figure out how to slicken up the bolt riding action in the Tikka a bit more I’ll be down to shooting a lot and cleaning a bit!

    Thanks again,

    John
     
    • Like
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    View attachment 7265239

    That is the end of the ejector wire mod. Now I will discuss the mag release lever.

    The shim I used is a piece of brass from a larger piece I have had for years. Just about anything with the right thickness would work. Mine is held on with superglue and it seems to be holding up fine as it has never moved from the time I set it. Material thicker or thinner may work, this is what I had on hand and it worked for me.
    View attachment 7265243View attachment 7265245

    I used duct tape (didn't measure it) in these two places. Mags still drop free. I fixed 5 like this and they all work perfect.

    View attachment 7265246

    While I'm at is here is the Timney trigger I installed a few days ago. I shot the 40 rounds with it and it works great. I worked the adjustments and eliminated all the first stage and got the second stage to break reliably and safely at 11 oz as shown.
    View attachment 7265248

    This is an average of 5 pulls.
    View attachment 7265249

    Extra credit. Use these for snap caps. The feed from a magazine, protect the firing pin and even eject.
    :D
    View attachment 7265250

    Maybe someone can benefit from this. If so that's great, if not....well....it benefited me! :D
    kissofdeath the magwell hole is slotted do you push it all the towards the barrel or back to the stock. Thanks again for the mod!
     
    kissofdeath the magwell hole is slotted do you push it all the towards the barrel or back to the stock. Thanks again for the mod!
    Forward toward the barrel. The mag mods may or may not be needed. BTW, the T1x with 52D chamber IBI barrel is still working great. Some ammo like CCI SV will always be hard to close the bolt on but that's just the way it is. The main thing is it feeds without scarring the bullet, even the CCI SV.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: K80/6.5
    Thank you!!

    before finding this post I was considering selling my Tikka for a bergara . I’m glad that I’d didn’t.

    Having the 9th or 10th round stick straight up was frustrating. I first tried deburring the underside of the feed lips and that helped a bit.

    but the wire fix was the shit! Not a single bullet standing up! Going to put the tape on the mags next.

    as for snap cap, i cut off the bottom and trimmed the remaining bottom and the sild them into the fired cases.....trimming takes a bit of trial and error. You end up with a wall anchor inside a fired case, close to the OAL of an actual round. So far feeds and ejects 100%

    thank you again!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Kisssofdeath
    Glad it helped out. I can still honestly say I have never had another feeding issue (which was my main issue) since doing the mod. Actually, any issue at all. Keep in mind you may or may not need the tape on the mags.
     
    View attachment 7265239

    That is the end of the ejector wire mod. Now I will discuss the mag release lever.

    The shim I used is a piece of brass from a larger piece I have had for years. Just about anything with the right thickness would work. Mine is held on with superglue and it seems to be holding up fine as it has never moved from the time I set it. Material thicker or thinner may work, this is what I had on hand and it worked for me.
    View attachment 7265243View attachment 7265245

    I used duct tape (didn't measure it) in these two places. Mags still drop free. I fixed 5 like this and they all work perfect.

    View attachment 7265246

    While I'm at is here is the Timney trigger I installed a few days ago. I shot the 40 rounds with it and it works great. I worked the adjustments and eliminated all the first stage and got the second stage to break reliably and safely at 11 oz as shown.
    View attachment 7265248

    This is an average of 5 pulls.
    View attachment 7265249

    Extra credit. Use these for snap caps. The feed from a magazine, protect the firing pin and even eject.
    :D
    View attachment 7265250

    Maybe someone can benefit from this. If so that's great, if not....well....it benefited me! :D

    I want to say thanks again for documenting this issue and the fixes.


    I was getting the "stand a round up" malfunction with increasing frequency:
    574942-532770f0d4c93e0ac5ea5670868ae233.jpg


    I didn't use the brass shim, but some blue painters tape at the top rear of the magazine seems to prevent the mag from rocking for me.

    FWIW my mags have never dropped free but isn't really an issue
     
    You would think Tikka would provide a re-designed spring since it has been such an issue. Its not like they were not aware of it since they have eliminated the spring.
     
    You would think Tikka would provide a re-designed spring since it has been such an issue. Its not like they were not aware of it since they have eliminated the spring.
    The Gen 2 now has a fixed ejector, no wire. But the bolt body is different so not an inexpensive retrofit.
     
    Update, match this past Sunday and not a single "stand up" malfunction with the tape on the mags. This thread really needs to be stickied.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: EWS