Fusion Ammo Problems in My Tikka

[JeffDilla]

I did a quick search for this issue and nothing came up, so here goes...

I bought a box of Fusion 180 gr. 300 WSM for my Tikka T3. I know the Fusion ammo doesn't have a great rep but this was for range shooting and getting my scope dialed in, so I wasn't too concerned about performance.

To my surprise, not one single round of the Fusion ammo will chamber properly in my rifle. The rounds feed into the chamber from the magazine and the bolt will slide forward, but then the bolt handle will not close...at all. I'm not sure what the issue is, perhaps the case is just a hare long?

Anyone have experience with this or have any suggestions of what the issue could be? I emailed Federal to see what they suggest. I paid $35 for this box of ammo which is now apparently useless in my rifle. Maybe they'll make good on it and trade me a box of something different

 

[Jackal]

They will do for you what they did for me. They sent me a pre paid label to ship the ammo back, then issued me a refund check. My particular problem was having primers fall out of fresh from the box Federal Premium 22-250 Gameking load. :banghead:

 

[Bio-Chem]

wow, never heard of something like that. have you measured the COAL?

 

[JeffDilla]

They sent me a pre paid label to ship the ammo back, then issued me a refund check.

Did they refund enough to cover the cost you paid? Last time I had ammo issues (Remington) I sent back the rounds and they refunded me about half what I paid for it. Not too impressed.

I haven't measured the overall length yet. I'm waiting to hear what Federal has to say after they read my email.

 

[Jackal]

Did they refund enough to cover the cost you paid?

Yup, I told them it was $26 and they refunded me $30.

 

[dvdcrr]

Its either the headspace is too long or the bullets are seated out too far but probly the cases. You can use a stoney point gauge to check the rounds.

 

[JeffDilla]

A representative from Federal emailed me back and it sounds like they're going to take back the box of Fusion to analyze it and send me a box of something different.

They asked me to look at their website and give them my 3 top choices. I'm not real familiar with their lineup but chose the Vital-Shok loads, 180 grain, in Trophy Bonded, Nosler Partition, or Trophy Copper.

We'll see what happens.

 

[2ndtimer]

Interesting, I just bought a box of Fusion ammo in 130 gr for my .270 Win. and one of the cases has a deformed rim. I didn't take a chance on trying to chamber it for fear it might not extract. Maybe I should contact Federal, too. What is going on with their quality control? Are they trying to hard to meet the demand?

 

[B!ngo]

Sounds like impressive customer service to me. Questionable product quality, but great service
B

 

[CB900F]

Jeff;

Have you compared the Federal Fusion rounds to something you know fits the chamber? Has the chamber of your Tikka either had a chamber cast taken of it, or a set of go no-go guages run through it? I'm just thinking that if Federal had a manufacturing problem then there's likely something like hundreds of thousands of rounds out there that are wrong. It may be that a recall will be issued. Something like that is not unheard of, but given modern manufacturing QC, is unlikely. Which makes it a higher probability that your gun might be the culprit.


900F

 

[JeffDilla]

CB900F,

Thanks for the feedback. I haven't done any measurements of my rifle or the chamber, but I've been shooting this rifle for 5 years and shot a multitude of Remington and Winchester factory loads without having any issues. For some reason, it's only the Fusion loads that won't chamber. I'm not sure what it is about them or my rifle, but they don't like each other. I'll do some cartridge comparisons when I get home tonight. Federal has already set up a UPS pick up to return the ammo and analyze it. I'll send it out and see what they say.

 

[JeffDilla]

I compared the Fusion cartridges to the Winchester Super X and Ballistic Tips I use that function perfectly in my rifle and for the life of me I can't tell a single difference. Granted, I'm not using any kind of gauge or measurement device, but the cartridges appear to be dimensionally exactly the same.

There are no noticeable differences. This one's left me scratching my head.

 

[dvdcrr]

You need the guage because we are only talking 0.010" that will make all the difference. Half a turn on a sizing die.

 

[dvdcrr]

Your tikka likely has a min spec chamber as well which is a good thing for bolt gun accuracy.

 

[Temp430]

I've used Fusion ammo with good results on deer in the 260 Rem. and .30-06 Lite loads both in a 700 Remington. Excellent accuracy and no problems whatsoever.