Tikka Magazines for M55/LSA-55

[icebear]

I just scored a spare mag on Gunbroker for my Tikka/Ithaca LSA-55 in .222. The new mag is quite different in appearance and construction from the original, but it fits and functions perfectly. Quality appears to be equal to the original. The sides of the new mag are fluted rather than straight and it has a deeper, double-sided grab rail on the bottom. I am wondering if this might be an aftermarket mag, or if maybe Tikka changed the design at some point. Photos below. Original mag on the left, new one on the right.




And the rifle they fit, an Ithaca/Tikka LSA-55 Deluxe in .222

 

[P04R]

My guess is they changed the magazine design at some point. I haven't seen 222 magazine maybe ever in real life, but all 308 mags I have seen had the bottom metal turned downwards like your new one.

 

[icebear]

My guess is they changed the magazine design at some point. I haven't seen 222 magazine maybe ever in real life, but all 308 mags I have seen had the bottom metal turned downwards like your new one.

Thanks, that helps. I've previously owned several M55/M65 rifles, but it was so long ago I don't remember what the mags looked like. And I regret every Tikka I ever sold.

 

[no-regard]

Thanks, that helps. I've previously owned several M55/M65 rifles, but it was so long ago I don't remember what the mags looked like. And I regret every Tikka I ever sold.

I realize this is an old thread, but I may have a little insight to offer.

From what I've seen with the short action M55 rifles, the deluxe rifles seem to come with a flat bottom magazine, replacement magazines that I've bought all seem to have the bent bottom. With that said all of mine are Deluxe, the regular versions may come from the factory with the flat bottom mag as well, I'm not sure.

All of my long action rifles are Deluxe as well and have flat bottom magazines, as well, any spares I've bought are flat bottom. I've never seen a bent bottom magazine for a long action M65.

 

[icebear]

Thanks, that's interesting about original vs. replacement mags or deluxe vs. standard grade. I've owned a couple of standard grade M65's and at least one standard grade M55 and I don't recall ever seeing the flanged mags before. In any case, the replacement mag works and does appear to be an original Tikka item, which is what is important to me.

 

[kirkbridgershooters]

I had an Ithica LSA 55 deluxe in 22-250 about 40 years ago. I bought it in a sporting goods store brand new and it had the magazine with the flange on the bottom. It was a great shooter, but I wanted something nicer, so I bought a Colt Sauer in 22-250, which I shot for awhile before I traded it to a sporting goods store for a Sako deluxe.

I have been shooting Sakos ever since. I did however, get another Colt Sauer, as they seem to shoot as good as any rifle I have owned...

 

[icebear]

I did however, get another Colt Sauer, as they seem to shoot as good as any rifle I have owned...

Sauer makes extremely accurate rifles. I've never had a Sauer 90 (the one marketed by Colt as the Colt-Sauer), but I had a Sauer 200 in 6.5x57mm that wouldn't shoot a group bigger than 3/4". I sold it to a friend, but I still have my eyes open for another Sauer.

 

[cat9]

Please excuse me if this message is in the wrong place.
I am looking via the internet at a Tikka M55 (of which I am fully ignorant) 222 from a reputable dealer. The description mentions that the follower is marked 223. This sounds like a replacement to me, and I am concerned about it. I trust the dealer to be upfront when I talk to him next week, but can anyone advise me about a 223 follower (magazine?) in a 222 rifle.
Thank you.

 

[icebear]

Please excuse me if this message is in the wrong place.
I am looking via the internet at a Tikka M55 (of which I am fully ignorant) 222 from a reputable dealer. The description mentions that the follower is marked 223. This sounds like a replacement to me, and I am concerned about it. I trust the dealer to be upfront when I talk to him next week, but can anyone advise me about a 223 follower (magazine?) in a 222 rifle.
Thank you.

As noted in the first post in this thread, I own a similar rifle with one original and one replacement magazine, both factory originals. Neither mag is marked for caliber, either on the mag body or the follower. The only difference between the .222 and .223 rounds is a small difference in length (case and overall). Both my .222 Tikka mags will accommodate .223 and 5.56 military ball without binding. I don't know why Tikka would use a different follower for .223 when no change to the .222 mag would have been necessary. It is possible that the mag is a replacement; I believe somebody did make aftermarket mags for the LSA rifles. From a functional perspective, I wouldn't worry about it as long as the dealer has checked that it will feed .222 ammo.

The difference between an original and an aftermarket magazine would have some effect on the value, however, since original mags for these guns are hard to find. I would suggest contacting the dealer to clarify what the magazine is. The guns were shipped with 3-round magazines like the ones in my photos; there were also 5-round mags that stuck out below the stock. I don't recall whether the five-rounders were made by Tikka or not. If you can get a photo of the mag, you can compare it to my photos above, and also post it here for the community to identify.

 

[cat9]

Thank you icebear. That is very helpful information.

 

[Petri Turunen]

Thanks, that helps. I've previously owned several M55/M65 rifles, but it was so long ago I don't remember what the mags looked like. And I regret every Tikka I ever sold.

Here is original ones.

 

[icebear]

Petri - If there was an attachment, it did not post.

As long as this thread has come up again, I have figured out why Tikka made the design change. The flush magazine looks great, but can be difficult to extract from the rifle. The flange makes it easy to remove the mag.

 

[Petri Turunen]

Petri - If there was an attachment, it did not post.

As long as this thread has come up again, I have figured out why Tikka made the design change. The flush magazine looks great, but can be difficult to extract from the rifle. The flange makes it easy to remove the mag.