I'm curious if it just mine or the norm with howa. I have a howa 1500 LR 6.5 but the bolt feel like is very rough and ratchet. I was thinking of polishing it or have it treated. looked at it and it the fine machine tool marks doing this. all my other bolt guns fell like butter but more than a few are high end and customs.
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howa 1500 actions
- Thread starter addictive hobby
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Can you be more specific about when during it’s cycle the action feels like a ratchet, and where the tool marks are?
When cycling both directions. I can run my fingernail down the bolt and feel micro machine marks that transfer to the bolt handle.
I have 2 Howa 1500’s and they are very smooth. Very close to Tikka.
You have 2 options.
1. Sit on your couch and cycle the action 1000 times and see if helps and or run a polishing compound 100 times or so.
2. Take it back and try another
You have 2 options.
1. Sit on your couch and cycle the action 1000 times and see if helps and or run a polishing compound 100 times or so.
2. Take it back and try another
Huh... I have one full size and two mini Howa actions, and none of them have the bolt finish that you're describing. Personally, I'd polish it and use some thick-ish oil to keep it lubed. That's what I've done with the Ruger American that I have (which does have the surface finish that you're describing on the bolt), and while I'll never mistake it for a Tikka (let alone a nice custom action), it's absolutely serviceable.
The only part of the bolt that makes contact with the inside of the receiver while cycling are the lugs. Specifically the outside diameter of the lugs. The bolt body cannot touch the receiver raceways because it's much smaller in diameter.
The point of all that is that tool marks (which are present in everything even if you don't see them) on the bolt body and handle are irrelevant to your problem.
The answer to your problem is in post #4 of this thread
The point of all that is that tool marks (which are present in everything even if you don't see them) on the bolt body and handle are irrelevant to your problem.
The answer to your problem is in post #4 of this thread
Before you try correcting it yourself, I’d call legacy sports and get them to fix it. It shouldn’t be that way.
Edit: I’m not basing this on your pics, but the actions behavior. Howa’s shouldn’t be sticky at all.
Edit: I’m not basing this on your pics, but the actions behavior. Howa’s shouldn’t be sticky at all.
Yeah I forgot about that.
I have two, a 308 about 10 years old and a 223 that's a year old. The lathe tool marks on mine have been burnished/polished down and the bolts are as smooth as butter.
If you bought this rifle new, you should let Legacy Sports know about it for two reasons
- They will take care of this, most likely completely free of charge
- If it's a quality escape, how is Howa going to know about it and take internal corrective action if it's not reported?
The finish in the pictures is fairly normal for Howa 1500s. I've built 6 of them and while they feel rough at first, cycling them several hundred times will lap the contact surfaces and it will be very smooth. Mine had 4000+ rounds through it and a 308 had 5000+. I'll post photos of what it looks like after extensive use.
I put a Howa 1500 .308 together this past summer and I thought there was a problem with the bolt, but it turned out to be an issue with the stock. When I cycles the action alone (not installed in the stock) the action was like butter, but in the stock the action would hang/drag a bit halfway through the action.
For me the problem was there was not enough of a travel groove in the stock to allow for proper bolt travel. I took a dremel tool and CAREFULLY took away enough material and now it's great:
For me the problem was there was not enough of a travel groove in the stock to allow for proper bolt travel. I took a dremel tool and CAREFULLY took away enough material and now it's great:
@addictive hobby I noticed your rifle is in what seems to be a Bell & Carlson stock. You might want to check for clearance like 1500varmint did.
Here is my bolt (4000+ rounds). You can feel the tiny tiny machine marks if you run a finger nail over them but it's impossible to feel when cycling bolt even slowly.
The shiny spots are the wear points (obviously) that needed to be broken in to smooth bolt throw.
The shiny spots are the wear points (obviously) that needed to be broken in to smooth bolt throw.
I think the OPs photos make finish look worse than it is in person; my bolt is black (where not worn) and it looks virtually identical to the OPs. It smooths in very quickly with some cycling but that is the cost of a factory action vs custom action.
However, if he has a cerakote gray action (that's what it looks like from photos), it may take a long time to wear in compared to a standard blued action.
Okay I'm not gonna lie, my Howa does feel like it binds just a tad bit but just when I pull the bolt back and only at the very very end of the cycle. It doesn't always happen, only at certain angle or if the bolt moves freely in there to the absolute right spot. Other than that, it does run very damn smooth. I always imagined mine to be a defective problem from factory but I don't let it bother me. I figured things will get better with use so I kept it as is.
Good luck!
Good luck!
This.
My barrelled action screws were bottoming out on the MDT ESS before securing the action to the chassis.
A washer fixed that problem.
I haven't had this with my howa but if you're a do it yourselfer you can make it nicer I'm sure.
On new Remington the bolts aren't engine turned like they used to be and have a rough surface.
The bolt pictured hasn't even been shot but the bolt was cycled a ton with lapping compound.
The other thing that smooths it out is taking a small file and knocking off the sharp edges of the receiver that contact the bolt. (pointing to one area with file)
Any of those leading and trailing edges on the action.
It doesn't take much either.
Make a factory action much more enjoyable with a little time and no expense really.
If you did this don't get compound in the lug areas if not changing barrels you could potentially open up headspace a little.
On new Remington the bolts aren't engine turned like they used to be and have a rough surface.
The bolt pictured hasn't even been shot but the bolt was cycled a ton with lapping compound.
The other thing that smooths it out is taking a small file and knocking off the sharp edges of the receiver that contact the bolt. (pointing to one area with file)
Any of those leading and trailing edges on the action.
It doesn't take much either.
Make a factory action much more enjoyable with a little time and no expense really.
If you did this don't get compound in the lug areas if not changing barrels you could potentially open up headspace a little.
Absolutely the norm. It's just standard issue spiral (think threads) machining marks from them turning out the bolt. Totally normal and there's nothing wrong with them. It's on my Howa as well. Even though it sounds like an ULTRA fine ratchet when cycling (yes, every bit of this bolt touches the action; it's a very close tolerance gun) it's still smooth as heck, and one of the nicer cycling bolt guns I've felt in a while. As far as polishing super hard steel? Good luck with that. You'll be there for years.
It may need to be cleaned who knows. Mine's dam smooth. Just keep it centered while cycling and it will wear in after time.
How would a little lapping compound on the contact surfaces work while repeatedly cycling the action?
Your bolt is fine.
Take out firing pin/striker assembly and check the cocking surface between the striker and the cocking ramp.
