Howa 1500 Barreled Action Build

#201
Hawk in WY said:
The .300 WM magazines from MDT won't lock into place in the MDT cassis with the Howa 1500 barreled action.

Does anyone have a photo of the modification necessary?
Click to expand...

Called MDT. They sent replacement magazine catch releases, one .010 undersized, the other .020. Both work. The .010 is a better fit.

Problem solved.

Bit of a struggle to chase the pin through the frame, catch release and spring, but got it eventually.

Great customer service.
 
#203
I love my Howa SA. The MDT ESS took a bit to get it into, but fit and finish is top notch. Brownells had the Barrelled Actions on sale last week. Picked up a Heavy Barrel 24'' 6.5 Creed for $377 shipped. Here's my current Howa Build. Howa is in the front.....
Howa.png
 
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#205
I threw a Cadex grip on it. I got one without the beavertail, but still had to modify it a bit to fit it just right. Biggest problem with the chassis was putting the stock on.... getting to that hex bolt is awful
 
#206
AA7364 said:
I threw a Cadex grip on it. I got one without the beavertail, but still had to modify it a bit to fit it just right. Biggest problem with the chassis was putting the stock on.... getting to that hex bolt is awful
Click to expand...
MDT's website say their S/A Howa chassis only work with their own plastic magazine. Have you found that to be the case?
 
#207
308pirate said:
MDT's website say their S/A Howa chassis only work with their own plastic magazine. Have you found that to be the case?
Click to expand...
I use the polymers, not because I want to, but because they said to only use them. Before I had the MDT, I swapped out the bottom "metal" on the standard rifle with a Howa Mag well, and that too only took polymer. Not sure if it's an MDT issue, or a Howa Issue. I wish that wasn't the case.
 
#208
You must use the MDT mags with the Howas in MDT chassis. I’ve confirmed that with @MDT_Josh. It’s a bummer, because you’re limited to a COAL of around 2.8”. I don’t understand this, since the Accurate Mag chassis used by the HCR I had took AI mags. I used it with the Accurate AI-patterned mag it came with, as well as Magpul and AI mags.

It’s the only downside of the MDT/Howa combination that I’ve found.
 
#209
christopher.dow said:
You must use the MDT mags with the Howas in MDT chassis. I’ve confirmed that with @MDT_Josh. It’s a bummer, because you’re limited to a COAL of around 2.8”. I don’t understand this, since the Accurate Mag chassis used by the HCR I had took AI mags. I used it with the Accurate AI-patterned mag it came with, as well as Magpul and AI mags.

It’s the only downside of the MDT/Howa combination that I’ve found.
Click to expand...
You're right @christopher.dow, all of our chassis for the Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500, currently only work with our polymer magazines. The issue is that the 1500's/Vanguards are a flat bottom action as opposed to a round bottom action like you find on the 700's/Savage's/Tikka's etc. and it can be very hard to seat a magazine reliably. Not to mention that there is a huger variation in magazines when you start comparing the AI's, PMag's, Accuarte's, etc.

We are working on a solution to this and have a few ideas, just haven't rolled them out across all of our chassis yet. Additionally, I feel your pain with the restrictive 2.870" OAL length of our current polymer magazines, and they caused me some headache when I was initially trying to run my Creedmoor through them, but we have a solution to those problems in the pipe too!

As always, keep an eye on our social media and website as we have a TON of cool stuff coming the next few months :D

- Josh
 
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#210
I'm glad to see someone from MDT on here. I hope they get it worked out, as I think the Howa market will continue to grow.

One of the reasons I went with the KRG Bravo was it used AICS pattern mags. When I shot it for the first time on Monday, the Magpul AICS worked like a charm - very smooth.

Bob S.
 
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#211
MDT_Josh said:
You're right @christopher.dow, all of our chassis for the Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500, currently only work with our polymer magazines. The issue is that the 1500's/Vanguards are a flat bottom action as opposed to a round bottom action like you find on the 700's/Savage's/Tikka's etc. and it can be very hard to seat a magazine reliably. Not to mention that there is a huger variation in magazines when you start comparing the AI's, PMag's, Accuarte's, etc.

We are working on a solution to this and have a few ideas, just haven't rolled them out across all of our chassis yet. Additionally, I feel your pain with the restrictive 2.870" OAL length of our current polymer magazines, and they caused me some headache when I was initially trying to run my Creedmoor through them, but we have a solution to those problems in the pipe too!

As always, keep an eye on our social media and website as we have a TON of cool stuff coming the next few months :D

- Josh
Click to expand...
Would that be a mod to current ESS chassis’, or would it only be on newer models?
 
#216
MDT_Josh said:
You're right @christopher.dow, all of our chassis for the Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500, currently only work with our polymer magazines. The issue is that the 1500's/Vanguards are a flat bottom action as opposed to a round bottom action like you find on the 700's/Savage's/Tikka's etc. and it can be very hard to seat a magazine reliably. Not to mention that there is a huger variation in magazines when you start comparing the AI's, PMag's, Accuarte's, etc.
Click to expand...
Josh, I'm here to tell you that I bought two KRG 180-Xrays for my Howa rifles instead of MDT products precisely because of the above.

The 308 has worked from day 1 with Magpul, MDT (steel), and Alpha Industries AICS magazines without modifications, adjustments, or issues. Shove the magazine in and start slaying targets. The 223 works perfectly with MDT plastic magazines (haven't tried any other) same as the 308.

So add me to the list of people who are asking for this issue to be fixed.
 
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#217
Last update on this thread for me.

Gun still functions great, so I just have to lean how to shoot it.

Went out this morning for a while and did a bit better than the first time:

Group 5 was a hair under an inch and group 3 was a hair over. Group 4 was .68 so in the 2 weeks I've been shooting with a bolt gun that's the best one.

I tried to write down a lot of things I was doing so I can remember for next time. Goal is to regular improvement.
 
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#218
MDT_Josh said:
You're right @christopher.dow, all of our chassis for the Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500, currently only work with our polymer magazines. The issue is that the 1500's/Vanguards are a flat bottom action as opposed to a round bottom action like you find on the 700's/Savage's/Tikka's etc. and it can be very hard to seat a magazine reliably. Not to mention that there is a huger variation in magazines when you start comparing the AI's, PMag's, Accuarte's, etc.

We are working on a solution to this and have a few ideas, just haven't rolled them out across all of our chassis yet. Additionally, I feel your pain with the restrictive 2.870" OAL length of our current polymer magazines, and they caused me some headache when I was initially trying to run my Creedmoor through them, but we have a solution to those problems in the pipe too!

As always, keep an eye on our social media and website as we have a TON of cool stuff coming the next few months :D

- Josh
Click to expand...

The metal MDT short action magazines both with and without the buffer plate work fine in the ESS and the Howa Action with the leading edge filled d0wn.

My only complaint is the round will not push pass the feed lips but needs to be slid in underneath from the front. This makes loading magazines a bit of a struggle.
 
#219
Hawk in WY said:
My only complaint is the round will not push pass the feed lips but needs to be slid in underneath from the front. This makes loading magazines a bit of a struggle.
Click to expand...
All AICS-pattern magazines are single feed, meaning that the top round is in the center of the magazine and not offset to one side like it happens on double feed magazines (in which the top round alternates from oen side to the other). The lips, by definition, cannot let a cartridge be pushed down into the magazine, otherwise the same cartridge would fly right out as soon as you let it go.

There is nothing wrong with your magazines, that's how they work. They are loaded exactly like a any semi auto handgun magazine: from front to back
 
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#221
Here's one on the cheap
6.5 grendel mini action from Brownells $365
Boyds At-one with target grips $204
Weaver two piece rail $10
UTG rings $20
Mueller AO 4.5-14x40 (already had this, will upgrade) $125
reshaping the crappy grip part of the stock, several hours

20180901_110717.jpg
20180901_110549.jpg
 
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#223
flatland1 said:
The guy who designs stocks at B&C is a good friend & customer of mine; since DDC is just over an hour's drive from me, if I need a stock from them, I drive down to get it. I asked about doing the inlet for the Howa Mini a couple of years ago when I started re-barreling them, but he wasn't sure at that point that it was worth the time & trouble to do a mold & have aluminum bedding blocks made for them. I'll have to hit him up about this the next time we talk. Their #2093 stock for the 1500 Howa SA is a really good stock, I've used several of them for 6.5CM bbl'd actions - it takes no more than 5 min with a Dremel to do the inlet for PTG Stealth DBM on these stocks.

So I hit up both Manners & McMillan about doing the inlet. Tom Manners spoke with me and asked that I sell him one of my Mini bbl'd actions in 6.5 Grendel so he could make the decision, while McMillan initially wanted $500 to model the custom inlet for the Mini. I sold Tom the bbl'd action, and put the McMillan thing on my "like hell" backlist. Meanwhile, bought a Boyds ProVarmint w/adjustable cheekpiece (they used to call it the tacticool model) for another Mini 6.5 Grendel hvy bbl, which fit well & looked good. Sold it before I ever tried any of the Hornady Black ammo I'd bought for it. Meanwhile, I called McMillan again, and they backed off from the $500 inlet charge, saying they'd received a sizable number of requests for the Mini, then asked that I send them a bbl'd action to model the inlet off of. About 6mo later, I received a Sako Varmint pattern stock in molded-in desert ambush for the Mini. It was a good fit & shot well with a Mini that I'd re-barreled for 6RAT, so I called & ordered a Game Scout for another Mini build. This one evidently fell through the cracks, as it took several phone calls & over a year to get it & the bbl'd action back. However, I think it was worth the wait, as I like the shape & fit of the Game Scout stock better than the Sako Varmint for prone shooting.

The one big drawback of the Mini is the plastic detachable mag bottom 'metal' they come with. The rear action screw hole split on mine when I torqued it to 45 in/lbs. Since then, DIP has come out with replacement aluminum DBM that fits & works great; price is $100. I've got one of these units on the Mini in the Game Scout, and would never go back to the OEM plastic POS. Hopefully, Howa & LSI see the error of their ways & start using either DIP or their own design metal DBM. I'm just finishing up a 20 cal Bartlein 1-9tw bbl for another Mini in 20 Tactical - the finished bbl'd action will be CeraKoted in Sniper Grey & bedded in a Boyds ProVarmint in their blue/grey laminate, with laser stippling & adjustable cheekpiece.
Click to expand...

Any pics of that?
 
#226
Messer said:
I finally got some time after work today break-in the Howa. I followed the Howa directions - cleaning after every shot for the first 10 rounds, with 5 minutes between shots. Then cleaning between every 2 shots for the next 10 shots (I kept the 5 minute between shots).

Here are the first 20 shots - you can see the first 6 are low right, then I started to adjust the scope. Somewhere in this, I noticed the scope was moving with recoil, so I had to adjust a little - but the gun did better than I expected.

Howa-breakin1.jpg


After each shot, it took about 5 patches to get it clean - used Shooters Choice...

Howa-breakin2.jpg



I then put 5 rounds into a new target right before sunset - too bad I pulled one low.

Howa-breakin4.jpg


Shots were from a bench at 100 yards - sandbag under the forearm, just me behind it. ;)

This is with Sellier & Bellot 140 Gr. - cheapest ammo I could find. I think it shows promise

Take care,
Bob S.
Click to expand...
That's how my patches look aswell, was I wrong to expect blueish green? I was using Hoppes 9 copper remover. They say to soak the barrel over night. I don't have the time for that now, needed to get the gun up and shooting for a match.
 
#227
jLorenzo said:
That's how my patches look aswell, was I wrong to expect blueish green? I was using Hoppes 9 copper remover. They say to soak the barrel over night. I don't have the time for that now, needed to get the gun up and shooting for a match.
Click to expand...

My guess is that Howa took 2-3 shots to test the action before it was shipped. Then I cleaned it, and followed the one shot, one cleaning format as Howa suggests. Maybe (just maybe, as I'm not sure), with all of this cleaning that there was not a bunch of copper in the barrel to get out?

As to leaving ammonia based cleaners in the barrel - my rule has always been no more than 10 minutes. Maybe it's old data, but I've heard longer can damage the bore.

I just ordered dies, 200 small rifle primer cases, and some 140 gr. match bullets - time to get to the loading bench! :cool:

Bob S.
 
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#228
308pirate said:
All AICS-pattern magazines are single feed, meaning that the top round is in the center of the magazine and not offset to one side like it happens on double feed magazines (in which the top round alternates from oen side to the other). The lips, by definition, cannot let a cartridge be pushed down into the magazine, otherwise the same cartridge would fly right out as soon as you let it go.

There is nothing wrong with your magazines, that's how they work. They are loaded exactly like a any semi auto handgun magazine: from front to back
Click to expand...

They work fine but double stack magazines are far easier to load and also work just fine. Why are AICS pattern magazines considered state of the art?

I do get to run longer COAL with the AICS than the MDT polymer which is the reason I went this route.

For me, perfection would be double stack which would allow the COAL of the MDT AICS pattern magazines.

Thank you for the education.
 
#234
Messer said:
OK - it's almost done...

Howa 24" 6.5 Creedmoor Barreled Action from Brownells
KRG Bravo Chassis FDE
Burris XTR II 5-25X50 SCR Reticle in FDE
Burris Signature Tactical 34mm Rings
Burris Xtreme 25MOA rail
BCM MLOK Quick Detach Sling Mount
PMAG

Still need a BiPod...

Howa-Bravo-1.jpg


Howa-Bravo-2.jpg
Click to expand...
I really like the look of this build, very nicely done. I've got an M700 that was recently rebarreled to 22" 6.5CM sitting in a Grayboe Terrain and now I'm trying to decide on a Cerakote color scheme. So many choices...
 
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#241
christopher.dow said:
I looked and didn’t see that as an option, either. Then I zoomed up the photo and it really looks like a Howa action to me.

It’s a mystery.
Click to expand...

Where did you zoom to identify the action? On the KRG website? If so, where specifically. I went to KRG website and selected their Xray, W3, and 180 alpha chassis options. They all looked to be on R700 actions to me. That's just me tho!

I'm still wanting to know where they offer that chassis system that Matt@LSI posted! It looks sick. And it does look like a W3 with some different forend attached to it!
 
#242
Which of the two guns pictured are you asking about? The carbon fiber handguard chassis is a MDT I believe, and I think I did see Matt interviewed at a match once with the other one and he said it was a KRG.
 
#243
stello1001 said:
Where did you zoom to identify the action?
Click to expand...

I zoomed up the lower photo in Matt’s post—the one with the Spuhr scope mount. The bolt looks like a Howa and the serial number is right where Howa puts them. Also, not that by brain is fully engaged, I realize that @Matt @ LSI woks for Legacy Sports, Inc, so a.) he’s unlikely to post anything that’s not a Howa, and b.) he probably has access to some goodies that you can’t get by simply clicking on a web page. ?

BTW, the interview with Matt on the Precision Rifle Podcast is well worth a listen.
 
#246
christopher.dow said:
I zoomed up the lower photo in Matt’s post—the one with the Spuhr scope mount. The bolt looks like a Howa and the serial number is right where Howa puts them. Also, not that by brain is fully engaged, I realize that @Matt @ LSI woks for Legacy Sports, Inc, so a.) he’s unlikely to post anything that’s not a Howa, and b.) he probably has access to some goodies that you can’t get by simply clicking on a web page. ?

BTW, the interview with Matt on the Precision Rifle Podcast is well worth a listen.
Click to expand...

It's a Howa 1500 in Bravo chassis with a Whiskey 3 back end and the optional enclosed forend
 
#249
christopher.dow said:
I zoomed up the lower photo in Matt’s post—the one with the Spuhr scope mount. The bolt looks like a Howa and the serial number is right where Howa puts them. Also, not that by brain is fully engaged, I realize that @Matt @ LSI woks for Legacy Sports, Inc, so a.) he’s unlikely to post anything that’s not a Howa, and b.) he probably has access to some goodies that you can’t get by simply clicking on a web page. ?

BTW, the interview with Matt on the Precision Rifle Podcast is well worth a listen.
Click to expand...
Oh!!! Yeah that I was sure of. Matt wouldn't post anything other than a Howa lol!
 
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