Should I Be Concerned?

[Kotupod]

I recently heard about tikka's exploding.  I thought before that it was just fluted barrels? IS it just fluted barrels? I have just ordered my tikka and I dont know if i can cancel my order. Im scared and I dont want my rifle to blow in my face. I know the cerial numbers that were recalled? Are there any guns outside those numbers that have been effected? Should i still be worried since this was last year?!
I dont know what to do!

[mjbgalt]

it's been a year. they have made thousands of rifles since then. they had problems with very few and the problem was traced to a certain lot of rifles produced at the same time. they were only stainless barrels in certain configurations.

don't worry about it. your rifle is as safe now as it was when you DIDN'T know about the incident.

-Matt

[Kotupod]

ah.. i hope so...

[Thebear_78]

I didn't mean to spook you about your new rifle.  I was just making sure that people made the call on thier stainless guns.  The tikka is a good value and probably the most accurate rifle dollar for dollar we have out there.  THe problems I have had with mine were specifically due to large calibers, heavy recoil, and the recoil lug setup.  They are nice rifles, light, accurate, and great triggers.  

My main problems are with beretta USA because of how they handled the recall and the repair work on my stock, or lack thereof.

[Kotupod]

*sigh*   :shock:  i dunno...

[Zachary]

As I have said (and perhaps as other have said) the barrel problems were only associated with a batch of Sako rifles, not Tikkas.  Yes, Tikka barrels come off of the same line as Sako barrels, but the particular batch that had the problems were limited to just Sako rifles.  When I called Beretta about one or two years ago (when this problem arose), they told me that none of the Tikkas were affected.  When I asked about my particular Sako, it was not one of the ones in the batch.

Calm down - you are getting an excellent rifle.  Tikkas are very highly regarded, even by their competitors.

Which cartridge did you end up choosing?  The .30-06?

Again, congrats on the rifle.  You made an excellent choice.

Zachary

[Thebear_78]

THey are very clear that the recall included both tikka and sako rifles.  I have heard of at least one tikka that was recalled.  

Here is a quote from the a finnish news paper

The faulty rifles were manufactured at the company's factory in Riihimäki last year. They include Sako and Tikka models.
      When the problems arose, Sako immediately discontinued production and deliveries of the models, and began to recall them from retailers, and contacted individual buyers.
      However, the company did not make any public statements at the time. "We did not consider that necessary, because we were able to reach all owners of the weapons in other ways", he said.
      "We have got all of the guns back, except in the United States, and 90 percent of the weapons we sold there have been located. All consumers have been contacted a long time ago."
      Paasikivi says that the weapons will be repaired, if necessary, and sent back to the owners.

[Zachary]

The Bear,

I didn't know that.  Beretta specifically told me that none of the Tikka rifles were affected.  Perhaps Beretta meant in the US?  I didn't ask if Tikka rifles were affected elsewhere.

Either way, the bad batch has been recalled and thankfully there is nothing for new Tikka purchasers to worry about.

Zachary

[Redhawk1]

Kotupod, I would not worry. I have a Tikka in 300 Win Mag and it has performed flawlessly in over 2 years. Don't read to much into what you hear. If in doubt, give Beretta a call.  

[Kotupod]

yeah, ill look and see if my number is in the range of the effected ones.. and I think i remember reading about one tikka that exploded in the u.s. not sure though. I think ill be alright since its been over a year. I hope

[Zachary]

Again, you shouldn't worry about it.  Yes, check the numbers with Beretta as a measure of due dilligence, but seriously, don't worry about it.

Zachary

[Slamfire]

I remember seein' some photo's and I doubt exploded is the proper term.  :roll:

[Kotupod]

Haha, exploded is right.  Exploded-  adj 1: blown apart with great violence; "fragments of the exploded tank were scattered in all directions" 2: showing the parts of something separated but in positions that show their correct relation to one another; "the manufacturer provided an exploded view of the apparatus" .  :roll:

[Coyote Hunter]

THey are very clear that the recall included both tikka and sako rifles.  I have heard of at least one tikka that was recalled.  

Here is a quote from the a finnish news paper

...They include Sako and Tikka models.
      ...
      However, the company did not make any public statements at the time. ...
      "We have got all of the guns back, except in the United States, and 90 percent of the weapons we sold there have been located. All consumers have been contacted a long time ago."
...

Personally, I don’t care for the way Sako/Tikka handled the problem.  Not even a little bit.  10% of the affected rifles were not located as of the time the article was written.  And while “All consumers” were reported to have been contacted, I doubt it.  Original purchasers, perhaps, but what of those who purchased one secondhand?  In spite of the fact that various rifles were blowing up, Sako/Tikka made a conscious decision not to try and reach potential secondhand buyers and warn them of the dangers.  Sako/Tikka put the company first and the safety of people second.  I’ll make a conscious decision not to reward them with my money.

[Graybeard]

Any time that a manufacturer has such poor quality control and lacksadasical product testing to allow the end user to be the test dummy for such shoddy products I tend to worry. OK so maybe that batch has all been caught and returned. I see it as a systemic issue with lack of product testing and quality control at the manufacturer. Have they now improved the system? Dunno. They've sure not made it clear to the world that they did.

If you go to their own Forum site you'll find that the people who own and use the various branded products that fall under the Beretta label think that their Customer service stinks to the point of being almost nonexistent. I dunno, I only own one gun made under the Beretta umbrella and haven't even fired it so have had no need for their customer service. But I must admit that after reading over there on that site I'm quite hesitant to buy another.

[Grubbs]

Graybeard, does Remington have poor quality control, since many people have shut the bolt and the gun fired accidently?

[Coyote Hunter]

Graybeard, does Remington have poor quality control, since many people have shut the bolt and the gun fired accidently?

Having just purchased my first Remington (a used 1975 .308 BDL) I did a fair amount of investigation into the Remington safety issue.  It seems the original patent papers discussed the possibility of an accidental discharge under certain conditions.  

There is a HUGE difference between the safety issue posed by the Remington safety and the Sako/Tikka rifles.  With the Remington rifles it would be impossible to injure someone if the handler observed basic safety rules – like always pointing the rifle in a safe direction.  With the Sako/Tikka rifles, however, every safety rule in the world could be followed and injury to people could still result.

There is also a huge difference in the manner in which the two companies have addressed the safety issues.  In the case of Remington they advertised to raise the public’s awareness of the problem and they offered to make repairs (albeit for a nominal charge of $20).  Sako/Tikka, on the other hand, attempted to hide the issue, thus putting people at risk.  

Thank you, Remington.

Shame on you, Sako/Tikka.

[Graybeard]

Grubbs, is an apple an orange? Or a cucumber? Same comparison as you're making. Dunno why you felt the need to ask but it is of no consequence in the current discussion.

[Grubbs]

I guess, that due to the fact Sako published the serial #'s affected, and repaired or replaced all affected guns, they were hiding the problem.  The Remington problem did affect some people too, by accidently discharging at the most inappropriate time.  That's the way any manufacturer finds out about these types of problems......they happen, they fix them.  I don't see the difference.

[Thebear_78]

Sako didn't advertise the possible problems here in the US,  most people didn't eve know about it.  I found out on a shooting forum.  When I went to my local dealer they hadn't heard anything about it.  After showing them the pictures and getting them the recall numbers they made an effert to go thru thier stock and call in all the serial numbers.  In my oppinion the very least they could have done was to contact all thier dealers.

[longwinters]

I am obviously a real Sako, and Tikka fan, but I gotta admit I think they could have done a lot better on this whole thing.  I wonder if companies in the states are more careful because everyone is so sue happy here as compared to what people in European countries can sue for?  Don't get me wrong, I think Sako/Beretta failed in this instance to do all that they morally/ethically should have done, but if you read up on almost any American made products typically manufacturers seem not to do more than they absolutely have to if it could cost them $$$$$$. Getting chance of getting sued in this country is a big motivator.   An example would be our auto industry.

Long

[Coyote Hunter]

I guess, that due to the fact Sako published the serial #'s affected, and repaired or replaced all affected guns, they were hiding the problem.  

First, as I understand it, Sako did not admit there was a problem until they were forced into doing so.  Second, it appears they have not been able to account for all the rifles in the USA.  They can’t fix what they can’t find and the owners – who may be completely unaware there is a potential problem with their firearm - are playing Russian Roulette every time they squeeze the trigger.  Third, they may have published the serial numbers on their web site, but I have not been able to find it on either the Sako site or the Beretta site.  Nor have I seen a single warning in any of the gun rags I subscribe to.  Yes, they were - and still are - hiding the problem.  Remington at least made a reasonable effort to inform the shooting public of the problem.

The Remington problem did affect some people too, by accidently discharging at the most inappropriate time.  

I’ve had a couple of rifles discharge at inappropriate times.  One was a Savage and all I did was close the bolt.  Another time my thumb slipped as I was dropping the hammer on a lever gun to the half-cock safe position.  Yet another time I dropped the hammer on an ‘empty’ chamber.   But in each case I followed the basic safety rules and the weapon was pointed in a safe direction at the time of the discharge.   Yes, people got killed when Remington rifles fired.  How many firearm safety rules were violated in each case is unknown, but in every case it was one or more.  At least some - and I suspect most - of the shooters who were injured by Sako rifles had their rifles pointed downrange at a target when it blew up on them.

That's the way any manufacturer finds out about these types of problems......they happen, they fix them.

Sako could have – and should have - been far more forthright about the problem.

 I don't see the difference.

1. A fool points a rifle at someone and slips the safety into the ‘Fire’ position.  The gun goes off and an innocent person is killed.

2. A shooter follows all the safety rules and is shooting factory ammunition.  His gun blows up and someone is injured.

And you can’t see a difference?

[Grubbs]

I'm not talking about stupid people handling guns.  I think the Sako/Tikka problem was terrible.  The fact is they both (rifles) didn't do what they were supposed to do, and a recall was made.  It's amazing that what you "heard" or "read" or "assume" how Sako handled the problem and you had no personal experience, and I did....2 rifles.  Could Sako have handled it better? Sure.  It was a very, very small batch of rifles worldwide.  Has there been any problems since?  By the way, I like my Remington rifles too (theyr're just not nearly the gun the Sako/Tikkas are)

[Grubbs]

Graybeard, you were talking about quality control.....Remington produced flawed rifles just like Sako did.

[Graybeard]

Graybeard, you were talking about quality control.....Remington produced flawed rifles just like Sako did.

Personally I disagree. I seriously doubt anyone on this site has owned more Remington bolt action centerfire rifles than I have. Don't really have an accurate count but for sure over 100 of them and perhaps over 150 by now to include the one I picked up this week.

In all of those plus those of folks I know and shoot/hunt with I've yet to see one with the safety problems reported. I've never been able to make one go off as stated they will. I am convinced that the guns IF they even exist are guns folks have home gunsmithed and had no clue what they were doing. In other words the owners NOT Remington made them unsafe.

If you point a loaded gun at something you do not want to kill and take the safety off YOU not the manufacturer are the problem. Simple as that. Guns shouldn't even require manual safeties. The only safety I really trust is the person holding the gun. Either they are safe and the barrel is always pointed in a safe direction or they are not and I don't hang around them any longer than it takes me to recognize that fact. All things mechanical fail from time to time.

Buy what you want but when I'm in the market for a new rifle Remington is the brand I get.

[Grubbs]

Graybeard, I agree totally with You.  Everyone who had one of these problems with their Remington just "made it up".

[Graybeard]

Grubbs you and I are never gonna see eye to eye or agree on this subject. Continuing to argue it is pointless. Let's move on to other matters. You're entitled to your opinion and views as I am mine. No reason we have to agree on this or any other issue.

[Coyote Hunter]

  It's amazing that what you "heard" or "read" or "assume" how Sako handled the problem and you had no personal experience, and I did....2 rifles.  

Amazing?  Not really.  I read about the problem and did some research on the web.  There was quite a bit of information available, including photos of blown up Sako/Tikka stainless rifles, the problems people had getting information from Sako/Tikka/Beretta, etc.

Look, Remington could have handled it better, too.  It took them quite a while to admit there was a problem.  


Most of my bolt guns are Rugers.  I think I’ll keep it that way.

[Slamfire]

You don't acquire a handle like mine without some experience with guns goin' off at inappropriate times. If my Pap didn't like the way I was pointin' a gun he took it away from me. There ain't no more terrible punishment fro a kid. I learned where to point mine, and have never had an inadvertant discharge that ever came close to people, property(other than real estate), or domestic stock. A couple of times it wasn't even my fault.  :roll: