Buy a Masterpiece Arms BA Competition or stick with my Howa?

N

natchomamma

Sergeant of the Hide
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Jul 4, 2019
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#1
I'm in Texas and recently found out there are monthly precision rifle matches near me. I have a Howa 1500 24" Varmint barreled action 6.5 Creedmoor in a MDT LSS XL chassis that I built with a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP scope. I can shoot it 1 MOA at 100 Yards and I have been successful at 1,000 yard on 3x4 steel plate.

Planning on going to my first match in a few weeks with my Howa. Am I at a disadvantage with the Howa?

Ok so my question is. Should I consider purchasing the Masterpiece Arms BA competition 6.5 Creedmoor rifle? I love the look and and it seems like it is ready to go out of the box. Or..... just stick with what I got and spend my money sending lead down range (practice).
 
#3
^^^ this up there.

Rule out it’s the rifle limiting you first before switching. My lightweight Howa 308 shoots at 1” with a generic handload I use for hunting. I know they shoot better because the 7RM I had would shoot 1/2” and my 30-06 will do under 1” with the one and only load I’ve tried in it.
 
#7
Shoot a couple thousand round through the howa at a handful of your local matches and then rebarrel it. The new barrel should match the MPAs accuracy while saving you some change. I bet your howa would shoot even better than the current 1 moa with a different ammo/reloads though the current 1moa should do everything you need it to do at a steel match.

Maybe add on an arca rail for 100 bucks and the necessary bipod adaptor for another 100. That would get you all the tangible benefits of the mpa chassis for less out of pocket.

Even cheaper for pure utility would be to get a gamechanger/fortunecookie/tac-udder bag which is really all one could want. Or borrow one for your first matches and if youre lucky you could pick one up off the prize table ;)


I certainly wouldnt buy a new rifle before you even try your howa at a match first.
 
#8
spife7980 said:
Shoot a couple thousand round through the howa at a handful of your local matches and then rebarrel it. The new barrel should match the MPAs accuracy while saving you some change. I bet your howa would shoot even better than the current 1 moa with a different ammo/reloads though the current 1moa should do everything you need it to do at a steel match.

Maybe add on an arca rail for 100 bucks and the necessary bipod adaptor for another 100. That would get you all the tangible benefits of the mpa chassis for less out of pocket.

Even cheaper for pure utility would be to get a gamechanger/fortunecookie/tac-udder bag which is really all one could want. Or borrow one for your first matches and if youre lucky you could pick one up off the prize table ;)


I certainly wouldnt buy a new rifle before you even try your howa at a match first.
Click to expand...

I thought about just doing the MPA chassis route for my Howa too.

I think everyone is right. I'll just stick with what I got for now. If I really like it later on I can purchase the MPA (or I may find something I like better as I gain experience). I need to get my feet wet and learn from the more experienced shooters.
 
#9
IMO even with mid-level factory loads the Howa should shoot better than 1 MOA @ 100 yards especially in the MDT. I don't think moving your barreled action over to an MPA is going to give you much more. How is the crown on that barrel? If everything checks out work on your fundamentals to where you can wring every last bit out of what you have before you move on.
 
#10
Go shoot what you have. If you get serious into it, you will shoot enough to identify what you NEED not just what you want or is nice to have. GL
 
#11
I broke down guys. Could not resist the MPA. I got a sweet deal on a MPA BA 6.5 creedmoor with the competition chassis. I'll be the guy with a cool gun that can't shoot. Come by and say "HI" when you see me. ;)
 
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#15
The MPA may be a love-hate thing. It is not for everyone. Have 2 Comps.
  • One accepts mags with no issues, another requires just the right entry angle or it wont go in.
  • The non-folding models requires the removal the cheek riser in order to get a bore guide in. Removing the cheek riser means you need to keep tabs on the detent spring an ball since the are free floating.
  • The butt plate is adjustable (height and cant) but it requires removing and reinstalling screws and the shifts are rather drastic.
  • LOP may be a little long for sitting/kneeling.
  • The integrated level is in the perfect spot but it is useless if leveling the X axis does not sit well in your shoulder pocket.
Despite the above, mine aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
  • The extended rail is solid.
  • Riser adjustments can be made while keeping your cheek weld.
  • The palm swell can be ground down/sanded to a perfect fit.
  • Great flexibility from the attachment points.
  • They look cool.
I suggest you spend a little time with it on your living room floor before taking it out to the range. If it does not seem like a good fit you can sell it before scratching it up.
 
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#18
Well I went out and got the Howa 6.5 humming today and ready to shoot my first PRS match tomorrow. I have low expectations for the match other than to learn as much as I can and have fun!
These are 3 shot groups @ 100 yards. The orange dots are 1" dots. Will be interesting to see if my new Masterpiece arms BA competition 6.5 will be much better.


7114617
 
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#23
I've got a Manners PRS1 sitting in the box right now and a private range day out to 500yds scheduled for Sunday. Guess I'll be learning a lot about my new setup on Sunday. Luckily my next match is not for a month so I have time to work things out. Also changed to lower scope rings, so I'll be re-establishing my 100yd zero for sure this weekend.
 
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#29
spife7980 said:
He means that the actual shooting is more important than the shopping.
Click to expand...

Theres crappy guns out there. You want to shop carefully. Careless shopping wastes money . And time. Not every gun shoots every ammo well.

Yes shooting is essential to developing the skillset. But your equipment can hold you back.

Thats why we're spending 3k+ on rifles and 2k+ on scopes.

The most skilled and practiced indian cant shoot a crooked arrow well.
 
Last edited:
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#30
Nobody is saying to buy cheap equipment. However, we have all seen that guy who has a 7K rig and can't hit shit. Every stage the same guy talks equipment when he should just shut up and watch the best shooter (s) in the squad. Give a top level PRS shooter and RPR and factory ammo and they will still finish with the top dogs, maybe win. And when not at a match, just shoot or dry fire until your finger hurts.

Bang
 
#31
BANG...ping said:
Nobody is saying to buy cheap equipment. However, we have all seen that guy who has a 7K rig and can't hit shit. Every stage the same guy talks equipment when he should just shut up and watch the best shooter (s) in the squad. Give a top level PRS shooter and RPR and factory ammo and they will still finish with the top dogs, maybe win. And when not at a match, just shoot or dry fire until your finger hurts.

Bang
Click to expand...


I agree with that ..... but that's entirely different from what you said earlier.

I would always recommend any shooter new or experienced by the gun 1st ... decide on what caliber and what barrel length and what configuration is going to work best for the discipline you are shooting.

Far as a chassis goes I would always recommend a chassis over a factory stock for any precision rifle work.

Then go find the ammo that shoots well in your gun. Reload your own ammo is even a better idea.

With all that accomplished, then both live fire and dry fire like mad.
 
Last edited:
#32
Always a helpful thing for dry fire
dstprecision.net

D.F.A.T.

Dryfire, Focus, Adapter, Training This device allows you to use the rifle and optic to dryfire practice in a very small area. With this adapter most scopes focus in the 11-15 feet range, depth of field is about 6”. By increasing your parallax distance you can sometimes increase that focal...
dstprecision.net dstprecision.net
 
#33
BANG...ping said:
Nobody is saying to buy cheap equipment. However, we have all seen that guy who has a 7K rig and can't hit shit. Every stage the same guy talks equipment when he should just shut up and watch the best shooter (s) in the squad. Give a top level PRS shooter and RPR and factory ammo and they will still finish with the top dogs, maybe win. And when not at a match, just shoot or dry fire until your finger hurts.

Bang
Click to expand...

I love shopping and haven't even shot a real match yet, but I believe it, it's probably just like any other sport. Maybe even more so with equipment like the RPR, that thing has a cheap feel but it's ergonomic and lights up targets with the best of them. Top competitors in any sport always have the newest and slickest equipment but it's usually just a combination of marketing and trying to eke out just a few extra ounces of performance, which at their level can make a difference between 1st and 10th place. Olympic swimming comes to mind.
 
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