How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

[Phil3]

From my experience, Howa has made it VERY difficult to buy anything from them. I want one of their barreled actions. I contacted www.legacysports.com. The impatient sales guy tells me that I have to go a distributor for these (uh...I thought that YOU were the distributor). He tells me I have to go go www.jerryssportcenter.com. This is a dealer only site. Further, their product line on the site makes no mention of Howa.

Back to the Legacy site and I search for retailers in my area. I called two dealers. Both acted like I was an alien from Mars, not even really knowing what a Howa was. I gave them the part number for the Howa action I wanted, but they could not find it or even make heads or tails out of the part number. It would be easier for a felon to buy a freakin' 50 caliber machine gun here in California than the Howa. I feel determined now, but the appeal of just buying a Remington or Savage and throwing in the towel on the Howa is in the back of my mind.

Anyone know of <span style="text-decoration: underline">ANY</span> trustworthy place that is willing to sell and ship Howa barreled actions to California at a fair price? I would be very grateful.

- Phil

 

[GUNNER75]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

http://www.jerryssportcenter.com/

Contact the above and ask them what dealers in your area purchase from them.

We have bought 12 or so over the last couple years.

 

[darrenk75b]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

They are all over gunbroker.

 

[Phil3]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

I contacted Jerry's. There are five distribution centers for Jerry's, and I called two. Unbelievably, there is just ONE dealer in my home town zip code area. It was a name of a person. I called and got a chiropractic office. ??? The last name of the office was the last name of the named person, but not feeling great about asking the chiro office if there is someone there who handles firearms! I could not make this stuff up.

But, even more unbelievably, there are ZERO dealers in and around the area where I work, which is in the heart of the San Francisco bay area, with a fair number of gun dealers. Jerry's confirmed with me they will not sell to a private customer such as myself.

There are no Turner's stores within several hundred miles of where I live.

Barreled actions are on Gunbroker. I found one I like. I will probably do this. I did not check them all, but it looks like all the Howa barreled actions are from one source only. It is unnerving that there might be only ONE place for me to get these actions.

While I have not exhausted every possibility (checking for dealers in every zip code), it appears to me there is no way to buy a Howa anything from a dealer in the San Francisco bay area. That is just astounding. I hoped to buy locally to support the local dealer and avoid the $75 - $100 FFL fees.

- Phil

 

[DMann]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Phil3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I contacted Jerry's. There are five distribution centers for Jerry's, and I called two. Unbelievably, there is just ONE dealer in my home town zip code area. It was a name of a person. I called and got a chiropractic office. ??? The last name of the office was the last name of the named person, but not feeling great about asking the chiro office if there is someone there who handles firearms! I could not make this stuff up.

* * *

While I have not exhausted every possibility (checking for dealers in every zip code), it appears to me there is no way to buy a Howa anything from a dealer in the San Francisco bay area. That is just astounding. I hoped to buy locally to support the local dealer and avoid the $75 - $100 FFL fees.
- Phil </div></div>

Ummm, Phil..., there IS a dealer in your zip code..., he is also a chiropractor. Granted, I am surprised there are any "kitchen table" FFL's left in CA, much less the SF area, it would appear that there is one joint cracker in your area who is an FFL and apparently uses the chiro office as his ATF "storefront."

Give him a call and tell him that you got his name from Jerry's and are wanting to get a Howa barreled action. You might try calling him at home (if his number is listed) if you are uncomfortable with calling the office.

 

[Yasherka]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

Gunbroker. Search "Howa Barreled Action"

 

[Phil3]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

No private number I can find for the chiropractor/FFL (whoever thought those two words would be in the same sentence?). I will probably just buy it off GunBroker. It is unnerving that for me, here in this area, GunBroker is the ONLY source to get the barreled action, unless the chiropractor could come through).

I tried another dealer who said that out of their four wholesalers they use, one distributes Howas, but not the barreled actions. Same for another dealer. He spent two days trying to run these down without success.

- Phil

 

[DMann]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

Well if you ever have lower back problems, a chiropractor/gun dealer could become an expensive friend to have.

Good luck on the search and let us know what you put together in the end.

 

[Yasherka]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

Phil,

As you have seen, Howa barreled actions aren't readily found. I went through much the same problem when I decided to do a build on the platform. Gunbroker is the most reliable source out there.

 

[caddis]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

Check your local pawn shops, I scored a complete rifle for cheap.

caddis

 

[BX1129]

Re: How Do You Buy a Howa Barreled Action!!!

buy a Howa from CDNN for like 300 bucks and just stripe it.