Howa Bravo Experience

[Frankly]

I'm new to PRS and this is my first long range rifle so please excuse any ignorance. I just received a new Howa Bravo but am waiting for a scope rail to finish assembly... I'll post my progress. I am experienced with 3Gun and USPSA so I'm not unfamiliar with shooting in general. I'm near Rochester, NY so long range opportunities are limited but there is a match series about 2.5 hours from me this Summer and some private long range options from farmers. Also Ohio and PA aren't that far away.

In the box it comes with the bottom metal for mounting the action in a traditional stock, very nice. Bolt feels very smooth and I don't see any flaws in the Howa portion. I've only played with Rugers and Remys and this feels at least as good or better, seems more solid and the PVD (?) coating is great. The bolt handle looks good to me out of the box, we'll see once I actually use it. The KRG Bravo stock is good too, keeping in mind the price point.

This is the RRS SOAR Arca plate for the Xray BW3-XR. It won't fit so we're stuck waiting on the KRG Arca Plate that seems to be forever backordered. You better not butt in line and take mine, lol.

This is the universal KRG spigot mount. It's OK but it obscures two of the six bolts that mount the plastic handguard to the metal chassis. I wish they drilled out the extra holes since it's blank metal there and I don't see a conflict with the design. Finish on the part is functional, not as nice as RRS but fine. It mounts to the metal chassis with four bolts and is solid.

I'm an XL guy with long arms, 35" sleeves, out of the box the LOP is pretty short so I ordered the extra spacers and longer bolts. Each set of spacers has specific bolts, the stock takes 1/4" of thread. It looks a little odd but even with the spacers maxed it still feels short to me but maybe PRS guys want shorter length of pulls? I have 15" on my trap shotgun, and maxed the OEM LOP on my Magpul stock AR and Beretta 1301 (nothing fancy added) so I'm sure this is usable... I already can see that if I go further with PRS I'll be eyeing a truly adjustable stock. Still for the price it's a good solution and foolproof.

Accurate Mag and Magpuls seem to work fine but that's just playing on the bench.

I read that you're supposed to spend as much on the scope as the gun but I broke that rule. I can afford it and why mess around? I figure can get my money out of it pretty easy if I want something different later on once I know what I'm doing.

And that's it, sans scope rail. I'm on crutches and the weather is nasty so no hurry to get it out yet (nor is it possible) but I'm still excited, have 1000 rounds of Hornady 140 ELDM and have a course booked with Long Range Shooting in late April once I can walk. I'll try to get it sighted in for 100 yards at the local range and try to get out to a 400 yard range about two hours away but probably won't get too far before the course. I already have a good RRS tripod from photography but haven't bought the rangefinder, spotting scope, Kestrel, etc. and plan to hold off until I get more experience with the basics.

The other thing I'd like to change on the stock is the cheek rest adjustment screw, it should be fine but you can see they cut cost there. You do have to remove the cheek rest to pull the bolt and I know of the rubber washer trick to remember your height.

Happy to listen to unsolicited advice ;-p Appreciate what I've learned so far.

 

[TheOE800]

From what I’ve seen, action shooting rifles are typically setup with a shorter LOP than you’d want for say prone shooting.

 

[Frankly]

From what I’ve seen, action shooting rifles are typically setup with a shorter LOP than you’d want for say prone shooting.

That's what I gather from looking at the specs of other chassis now. Well at least I have all the bits to set it up at any length. And yeah you can easily drop $200 on KRG add-ons.

 

[Bender]

Get better, get behind it and shoot it. You might find stuff to change, set up, scope position.... and such. But that is an excellent start in the right direction.

 

[Bgh1441]

If you dont mind me asking, where did you order the howa from and how much did it set you back. I have been trying to get my hands on one but every dealer around me claims they cant find it yet.

 

[natdscott]

You can always acceptably shoot a stock that is conventionally too short, but one that is too long will handicap you in almost no time.

 

[Frankly]

OK I finally shot it today. I'm recovering from a broken Tibia and in a walking boot, approximately like a zombie. Couldn't set targets in the snow without heroics so I just shot ten rounds into the berm to get an idea of what it's like. The Howa action felt smooth enough, picked up rounds from the Magpul magazine fine. I followed the Howa instructions to modify the trigger down to 2.5# and while I don't have a gauge, it feels like a decent trigger to me. (This is my first and only PRS experience so everything else has been pistol matches and 3Gun... so I don't know what a $2000 custom action feels like to tell you the difference.)

Rifle with the heavier Vortex 4.5-27 Razor Gen2 and Atlas bipod comes in at 16# which is too heavy for that little RRS BH40 head and 24L-equivalent Gitzo. Which is really funny because I am a photographer and I mount large telephoto lenses on it and I used to own a 34L and BH55 but downgraded to save weight and cost. It will be ironic if PRS makes me re-buy the heavier tripod kit again (not a priority though).

The KRG stock is nice but it's still an inexpensive stock compared to the high end. The plastic foreend does make a wavy line along the length of the barrel which looks slightly dumb from the shooter's position, and where the foreend meets the rest of the chassis it's not a perfect mating. This should have no effect on anything since the plastic is held along the bottom and it would be hard to maintain a perfect line along the action without building a heavier, more complex stock. In general appearance everything looks nice enough and every lay person I've shown it to has been impressed.

I have the KRG Arca Spigot and mounted a QD and an Atlas (no clamp) with the RRS Atlas-to-Arca clamp and HawkHill spike talon claw things.

KRG has their longer Arca plate on backorder so I bought another RRS Arca plate that uses M-Lok and mounted it ahead of the Action bolt. Seems sturdy enough but the KRG plate would probably be that much more secure and allow you to use the bipod in different locations (although the Spigot location seems like the best all-around place for the bipod outside of oddball situations).

Got a nice photo of the Little Bastard muzzle break (no silencers in New York). Recoil and loudness are on par with my 223 AR rifle.

It has all six plates installed and the LOP felt right to me, I am a big guy with ape arms, 15" LOP. Per comment above I will try it shorter.

I install the little KRG piece of plastic for the bag rider, $12 I think. It looks OK, on the bench it makes sense to me. IDK in the field yet.

Used low Vortex Pro/Seekins rings on a 20MOA Howa rail and Hoptic level, all seems to work as it should.

Considering that I started this when I first broke my leg, and first intention was to simply get a 308 Ruger American and throw it into a Magpul Hunter stock with a cheap Crossfire scope... I've only gone about $6k over budget (Kestrel, ammo, long range course, Pelican, etc). That's about 7x the original estimate so I guess now I'm a defense contractor!

Really all I have to do now is physical therapy and go shooting, the only thing left to buy is a rangefinder.

 

[Bgh1441]

Where were you able to find the gun. I have been looking and cant find it anyway. I have been anxiously waiting to buy one

 

[Brazo]

Nice looking rig and I wish you a speedy recovery sir!

 

[Followme438]

Where were you able to find the gun. I have been looking and cant find it anyway. I have been anxiously waiting to buy one

First off great rig and I hope you heal up quickly!

As to where to find them, seems that online, I've only found them at Brownells.

 

[D. Hargrove]

Great write up and fine looking rig. Thank you for the pics!!

 

[Srgt. Hulka]

Great write up and fine looking rig. Thank you for the pics!!

^^This right here.^^

Heal quickly Frankly. Oh, and very nice photos too.

 

[Frankly]

Thanks everyone!

Dry firing from different positions became a lot easier once I drop the length of pull down to 14” (using only the supplied stock spacers, no need to buy additionals).

In regards to where I got mine, It’s from the first batch that went to Brownells and LGS 3-4 weeks ago. I know they’re selling well but it shouldn’t be too much longer. I'm just luckier than you.

There is a KRG principal active on this forum to harangue haha. Not sure if Howa participates openly.

In any event I like the rifle and I’m glad I waited myself since I was comparing Savage and Berega for about the same price point. Not super experienced but this packs a lot of value. KRG must be pretty smart because you’ll still want to drop a couple (hundred) on accessories but you don’t absolutely need them.

This whole sport makes me feel about $100 bills like I used to feel about $20s. I might as well just light money on fire.

 

[Frankly]

OK, I bought everything. And I mean it, there is nothing else on my wishlist now.

And I know you could do very well for a fraction of what I've spent but I am fortunate enough to be able to afford it and support good companies (bought from a dozen mentioned here) and "do it right" in terms of learning. I like the gear and don't want to be held back or depend on anyone else to borrow from.

Sit down though because the total came to $9745. It's embarrassing how out of hand it got but in for a penny, in for a pound is how the saying goes. But please don't copy me if you can't afford it.

Includes a two-day long range course, first match fees, travel expenses, 1500 rounds of Horanday ELDM, a Vortex Razor II, Kestrel 5700, Leica CRF-2000, MagnetoSpeed Sporter, used RRS 34L with both heads, a Pelican case, tools, bags, straps, covers, cheap Hawke 80mm spotting scope, and a long list of doo-dads. Everything works properly and I have the basics down but it's still pretty nasty here (and I am still healing up from the broken leg) so I've only zeroed and plinked, some dry fire. But I have the Summer planned and I even have a trip NY to Colorado set up where I can shoot with friends.

My original budget was $2500, only 4x over, still not good enough to be a defense contractor. And remember the chassis and action are "value" orientated, nothing exotic here.

Worse case, I can probably recoup 66% on resale. Truth is that the tripod can do double duty for photography (I have a Gitzo but this one is better) and the rangefinder, spotting scope, etc. are pretty handy for other things as well.

Go ahead and mock at will, I'm thick skinned. But there are probably other guys like me, middle-aged with the interest and resources. Perhaps my story can be a bit of a reality check and help them budget realistically. You could easily drop another $5k+ on a custom rifle and if I still like this after a year or two I probably will.

 

[Frankly]

KRG Arca plate came back in stock so I moved the short RRS M-Lok plate over to my AR. The longer KRG mount uses longer bolts straight through the plastic foreend and into the chassis so it's rock solid. It's nice because I can slide the rifle along the entire foreend and clamp it wherever, giving me more angles and options. I can also take my bipod (also with an Arca clamp) from the Spigot to the long rail. KRG includes four sets of different length bolts, nuts, and flanged female nuts so you can be creative with mounting it to other rifles, but this one had holes that lined up perfectly for what I needed. I could have screwed more on but that just makes breakdown harder, four solid bolts with Lock Tite should hold.

It's also nicer to grip than the bare plastic stock and I can see it working well on a bag or rail, easy to slide into place.

KRG please send commission, thanks!

 

[jacer961]

Nicely done sir, don't forget to post range report please,

 

[Midas Mulligan]

[QUOTE="Frankly, post: 6982091, member

KRG please send commission, thanks![/QUOTE]

Glad you like it!

 

[RNWRKNP]

View attachment 6889258

OK, I bought everything. And I mean it, there is nothing else on my wishlist now.

And I know you could do very well for a fraction of what I've spent but I am fortunate enough to be able to afford it and support good companies (bought from a dozen mentioned here) and "do it right" in terms of learning. I like the gear and don't want to be held back or depend on anyone else to borrow from.

Sit down though because the total came to $9745. It's embarrassing how out of hand it got but in for a penny, in for a pound is how the saying goes. But please don't copy me if you can't afford it.

Includes a two-day long range course, first match fees, travel expenses, 1500 rounds of Horanday ELDM, a Vortex Razor II, Kestrel 5700, Leica CRF-2000, MagnetoSpeed Sporter, used RRS 34L with both heads, a Pelican case, tools, bags, straps, covers, cheap Hawke 80mm spotting scope, and a long list of doo-dads. Everything works properly and I have the basics down but it's still pretty nasty here (and I am still healing up from the broken leg) so I've only zeroed and plinked, some dry fire. But I have the Summer planned and I even have a trip NY to Colorado set up where I can shoot with friends.

My original budget was $2500, only 4x over, still not good enough to be a defense contractor. And remember the chassis and action are "value" orientated, nothing exotic here.

Worse case, I can probably recoup 66% on resale. Truth is that the tripod can do double duty for photography (I have a Gitzo but this one is better) and the rangefinder, spotting scope, etc. are pretty handy for other things as well.

Go ahead and mock at will, I'm thick skinned. But there are probably other guys like me, middle-aged with the interest and resources. Perhaps my story can be a bit of a reality check and help them budget realistically. You could easily drop another $5k+ on a custom rifle and if I still like this after a year or two I probably will.

More time spent shooting......good for yo amigo. Nothing left but to go do it?

 

[cumminsdsl]

Did your rifle come with that bolt handle, or did you have it threaded and install that knob?

I have been considering purchasing one of these and I have seen them pictured with both a similar looking one to yours, and with the standard Howa bolt handle.

 

[Frankly]

Did your rifle come with that bolt handle, or did you have it threaded and install that knob?

I have been considering purchasing one of these and I have seen them pictured with both a similar looking one to yours, and with the standard Howa bolt handle.

That’s what it came with. Haven’t bothered exploring alternatives as it seems to work fine.

 

[cumminsdsl]

Thanks!

 

[Frankly]

Dry firing works... added a stick-on palm swell.

 

[BJames]

The only thing missing I see is a suppressor ?

 

[Srgt. Hulka]

View attachment 6891079

Dry firing works... added a stick-on palm swell.

Good looking rig there Frankly.

Dang-it! I can't wait till my John Hancock arrives.

 

[Frankly]

The only thing missing I see is a suppressor ?

I live behind enemy lines in New Yorkistan under the thumb of NYC Liberals even though they’re 350 miles away while I look out my window to see horses and farm fields. Sucks

 

[m6z]

Thanks for the detailed pictures of the Bravo.

 

[Frankly]

As you may have gathered I'm recuperating from a broken leg and I finally got out to my local 100 yard range and was able to set targets and manage all the gear. First time shooting anything like this. I did get a Magneto Speed Sporter and used commercial Hornady 140 ELD-M ammo. Over twenty rounds my speeds averaged to 2692 with a SD of 22, I was shooting 30 seconds apart for short strings. Managed to get zeroed at 100 yards and grouped 2s and 3s, made a couple larger holes bullet on bullet but I also threw some 2" off. I think this was entirely on me for not getting into a really solid position. I shot off the bench by pressuring the bipod and tweaking the rear bag ~ that worked well. I have a nice RRS 34L (I do photography) and I was surprised that shooting from a solid tripod was not really as solid as I expected. Easier than offhand of course but just manipulating and pressing the tripod for micro adjustments was more difficult than I thought it would be. Finally prone on the ground was pretty easy to be stable but I found my LOP was too short to get a perfect position. On earlier post above, when I first assembled the rifle I used extra LOP blocks to get to my normal 15" (clays gun, long arms) and people told me it was too long so I dropped to 14", now I'm going to go back and practice positioning as I can always get a little more LOP.

Using a used Vortex Razor II 4.5x27 scope. Shot initially at 27x and it worked great and got zeroed in 5-6 shots. Very nice system. Later I shot at 15x and seemed to shoot just as well as 27x without everything jumping around. I almost wish I got a lower power scope since the most I'll shoot around here is just at 1000, most is going to be 600-800 if that.

The KRG chassis worked well. I had the RRS clamp on the Atlas Bipod shift so now I may add some Allen head bolts to the Arca plate to "lock" the RRS clamp in place so it can't walk.

Howa action was smooth although it fed from the Magpul AICS mag smoother than the Accurate Mag that came with the rifle. Obviously the barrel can shoot well and the basics are all in place, I like the trigger since adjusting it down.

Any faults here are mine not the rifle's. I'm a little concerned about the ammo not being as consistent as I hoped for but perhaps it will settle down after more breaking in? (40 rounds total so far, now I'll clean it per Frank (I also cleaned it new).)

I see where the skill comes in now. It's less about the calculations once you start shooting and more about the basics of breathing, trigger and most of all a good position.

For now I'm just shooting 100 yards but I'll do prone and try the box test, then figure out the tripod technique and play with the Kestrel. There is a 400 yard range with steel about 90 minutes away so once I know my 100 is solid I'll give that a go. I have a class next month.

Thanks to Matt Hornback for his long distance help!

This was snow five days ago.

 

[Frankly]

Things are working out pretty well now, shooting is getting smoother, seems like getting into position is the most important new skill to learn. Got the Kestrel working as it should, the scope is repeatable, it's not hard to hit when I take my time. I have the kit pretty well figured out for practicing at least, now to get out to some longer ranges.

 

[flyer]

Is it measuring meters or yards?

Since you bought everything, I hope that includes cleaning gear.

If not, make sure you get a decent bore guide and cleaning rod.

I really like my Tipton Max Force cleaning rod. It is carbon fiber which I think is the only way to go. Steel and coated steel can damage a barrel.

I added a cleaning rod stop also.

I got that cleaning stuff with my first really accurate rifle and researched a lot about cleaning chemicals, techniques and barrel break in. A few months ago I went from a standard Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod to the Max Force with rod stop. This is a big departure from my previous haphazard cleaning.

Peeling off one more $100 should get you set if you still need a cleaning rod, bore guide, chemicals, brushes and patches.

Proper break in and cleaning makes it easier to clean and might just increase the life of your barrel.

 

[Crews]

Well I, for one, feel like I just read a journal. And I have no idea why, but I kinda enjoyed it! Haha. Keep on practicing and learning Frankly, glad to see yet another get hopelessly addicted to the sport of precision rifle shooting.

 

[Frankly]

Thanks, I figure there are a lot of other people in similar situations.

I'm too early into this to have regrets but an important point is that I overspent and bought more stuff than I really needed. Like a rangefinder that I never needed up until now and even now I really don't because everywhere I go we're using known distances. (BTW, yes it's set correctly for units.) And after chrono-ing I'm only 8fps off what the manufacturer's numbers are, so I really didn't need that magnoseped. The Kestrel should be pretty handy and learning how to set that up and use it effectively ain't a bad thing but truth is I'm practicing on calm days without a deadline and I could have put the purchase off for quite a while. Same with the tripod, which I've been using for photography more than rifle shooting ;-p

Getting a good used Vortex Razor made sense because the resale is 100% of what I paid for it and I won't have to worry that I don't have enough scope. But, now that I've shot a little, I can see that the 4.5-27 is more than is needed and the 18x version or equivalent would readily get the job done. And so on, to the point where for a first rifle of this type I probably could have gone with a 308 rather than 65CM without missing a beat.

What I'm saying is that I'm in a very fortunate spot and financially secure. And sometimes shopping is therapy, especially when you're laid up. But I know there are a lot of people with a much smaller investment who are able to outshoot me. So don't fool yourself into thinking you "need" something more to get into it.

Heck all of the principals I'm learning in this process apply to my normal old AR and 22 rifles too. It all carries over.

@flyer I used to shoot a Anschutz benchrest and cleaned every 5-10 shots so I know the obsession. I'm trying to balance it and following the cleaning procedure Frank Galli uses, which is less than fastidious but effective. Bore guide for sure, not at the point of using a rod stop yet ;-p

 

[flyer]

A rod stop is about $3-4 and the reasoning seems to be that it keeps the cleaning rod from rubbing on the muzzle when the patch or brush exits.

$3-4 to save a muzzle isn't bad.

In my case I already had it from years ago when I bought a cleaning rod for a pistol and didn't understand what it was for.

Now I use it in a very weird way, I have it behind the handle of my Tipton Max Force rod. It limits the amount of rod I can push through my bore by limiting how far back the handle can go on my rod. It's never under any load like when you use it to stop a too long cleaning rod and it slams against the back of the bore guide.

If that's a step too far, sorry.

 

[RNWRKNP]

Thanks, I figure there are a lot of other people in similar situations.

I'm too early into this to have regrets but an important point is that I overspent and bought more stuff than I really needed. Like a rangefinder that I never needed up until now and even now I really don't because everywhere I go we're using known distances. (BTW, yes it's set correctly for units.) And after chrono-ing I'm only 8fps off what the manufacturer's numbers are, so I really didn't need that magnoseped. The Kestrel should be pretty handy and learning how to set that up and use it effectively ain't a bad thing but truth is I'm practicing on calm days without a deadline and I could have put the purchase off for quite a while. Same with the tripod, which I've been using for photography more than rifle shooting ;-p

Getting a good used Vortex Razor made sense because the resale is 100% of what I paid for it and I won't have to worry that I don't have enough scope. But, now that I've shot a little, I can see that the 4.5-27 is more than is needed and the 18x version or equivalent would readily get the job done. And so on, to the point where for a first rifle of this type I probably could have gone with a 308 rather than 65CM without missing a beat.

What I'm saying is that I'm in a very fortunate spot and financially secure. And sometimes shopping is therapy, especially when you're laid up. But I know there are a lot of people with a much smaller investment who are able to outshoot me. So don't fool yourself into thinking you "need" something more to get into it.

Heck all of the principals I'm learning in this process apply to my normal old AR and 22 rifles too. It all carries over.

@flyer I used to shoot a Anschutz benchrest and cleaned every 5-10 shots so I know the obsession. I'm trying to balance it and following the cleaning procedure Frank Galli uses, which is less than fastidious but effective. Bore guide for sure, not at the point of using a rod stop yet ;-p

Magneto Speed was a solid investment because as bullets, powders and atmospherics change you have the ability to change with them. My hand held Leica 2000 is a little finicky for distance but if I hold it on/against my rifle/scope in the prone position w/bipod I get solid readings. You did well amigo so enjoy?

 

[winniedonkey]

View attachment 6889258

OK, I bought everything. And I mean it, there is nothing else on my wishlist now.

And I know you could do very well for a fraction of what I've spent but I am fortunate enough to be able to afford it and support good companies (bought from a dozen mentioned here) and "do it right" in terms of learning. I like the gear and don't want to be held back or depend on anyone else to borrow from.

Sit down though because the total came to $9745. It's embarrassing how out of hand it got but in for a penny, in for a pound is how the saying goes. But please don't copy me if you can't afford it.

Includes a two-day long range course, first match fees, travel expenses, 1500 rounds of Horanday ELDM, a Vortex Razor II, Kestrel 5700, Leica CRF-2000, MagnetoSpeed Sporter, used RRS 34L with both heads, a Pelican case, tools, bags, straps, covers, cheap Hawke 80mm spotting scope, and a long list of doo-dads. Everything works properly and I have the basics down but it's still pretty nasty here (and I am still healing up from the broken leg) so I've only zeroed and plinked, some dry fire. But I have the Summer planned and I even have a trip NY to Colorado set up where I can shoot with friends.

My original budget was $2500, only 4x over, still not good enough to be a defense contractor. And remember the chassis and action are "value" orientated, nothing exotic here.

Worse case, I can probably recoup 66% on resale. Truth is that the tripod can do double duty for photography (I have a Gitzo but this one is better) and the rangefinder, spotting scope, etc. are pretty handy for other things as well.

Go ahead and mock at will, I'm thick skinned. But there are probably other guys like me, middle-aged with the interest and resources. Perhaps my story can be a bit of a reality check and help them budget realistically. You could easily drop another $5k+ on a custom rifle and if I still like this after a year or two I probably will.

Nothing wrong with enjoying our short lives. Nice set up and review. Enjoy.

 

[Frankly]

The Really Right Stuff screw clamp for the Atlas bipod is “walking” itself loose from the “Arca-compatible” KRG spigot mount. It’s not awful, I simply need to get in the habit of re-tightening it during lulls.

This is common in the photo world too, when you run third party rails in RRS clamps the angles of the dovetails will likely be slightly out of spec. RRS can’t force other manufacturers to do it their way and there’s usually some finger pointing going both ways.

I might try adding a layer of tape to the base to see if I can tighten up the clamping action.

 

[Bender]

Excellent set up and writing! This is the stuff I love to read! And, of course, excellent pictures!

 

[Frankly]

I've been absent for a while due to... but in the meantime I've been actually shooting once or twice a week at both close and medium far distances (up to 800 yards). I also took a class and figured out some technical and operational questions. Made a lot of progress. Still shooting factory Hornady 140 ELDM.

To sum it up I decided to simplify and streamline my kit because I saw that I did the typical newbie mistake of thinking gear could substitute for technique, throwing money at the issue until it goes away. I also realized that I probably am not serious enough to invest a lot more time and money into it and I'm happy to be able to shoot at local ranges to known distances and hit steel. I'm ~not~ going hunting out West or traveling 1000 miles to shoot a PRS match, I'm not going to become a rocket scientist developing perfect loads, and I really don't care how much the rotation of the Earth versus solar activity shifts my point of impact. I think reloading is an entirely different hobby that maybe I'll do when I'm older but not now.

I just want to go shoot and hit stuff from far away without having too much money tied up in a rig that's otherwise got no practical value to me. It's just for fun.

So I stripped a bunch of stuff off the gun, replacing the $2000 Razor with a $300 SWFA fixed 16x and selling most of the KRG accessories, $168 muzzle brake, etc. And you know what? It shoots exactly the same. Less blast. The scope is worry free and I don't baby it. (I did add the zero stops and had Defender caps). Now I'm going to the range with a good $1500 kit rather than a $4000 kit and I feel like more of a shooter and less of a yuppie poser. You know what else I learned? Real rifle dope is 10x better than my electronic gadgets, especially around here where the wind whips between trees.

Mounted the bipod on a $16 Magpul MLok rail rather than a $$$ Arca rail. Didn't need the spigot after all. Found a 5 round mag works even better when you single load. Magpul MLok QD works well too. Kept the KRG length of pull pads and bag rest doohickey, otherwise it’s stock.

I'll shoot the rest of the Summer like this, get 1000 considered rounds downrange, 40-60 at a time. If I get more into it then I know how to dive deeper, it’s easy to just spend money. In the meantime I can go to the local 400 yard steel range and kick ass trying to be consistent so it's fun. Small pleasures....

 

[SageRatSafaris]

Now I'm going to the range with a good $1500 kit rather than a $4000 kit and I feel like more of a shooter and less of a yuppie poser. You know what else I learned? Real rifle dope is 10x better than my electronic gadgets, especially around here where the wind whips between trees.

Some real truth there. While some of my buddies spend big bucks on gear, I spend my money on ammunition (in my case, components). I take pride in shooting well with budget gear. That said, nice triggers and quality ammunition are the two things where I will spend top dollar. Mid-range barrel and glass usually suffice. Everything else is just nice to have. Gear cannot substitute for trigger time and dope.

 

[Frankly]

Figure I should close the circle here. I just sold my Howa Bravo kit to another excited shooter and I'm sure he'll make better use of it than me. After my long range class I've only gotten to shoot at 100 yards and the closest decent longer range is 400 yards 3 hours away. I've exhausted all my local farmers and old family friends, everybody says they have places to shoot and then you go look and they're just 100 yard deer hunting lanes.

I also took my AR out with me and shot it side by side and found that what I learned in my class applied equally well to my AR shooting... and even my 22lr. So here we are, I can shoot the gas gun at any distance around Upstate NY with the same effect. So you figure, "Heck there isn't a great local place to shoot and I'm not at a point where I have the time or desire to drive 4-6 hours to Ohio or PA to shoot matches so what's next?" And for me it's shooting 100 yards several times a week versus shooting 800 yards once a month.

The Howa impressed the Hell out of me because I thought you'd have to spend a lot more money to get a gun that shot so well. The KRG Bravo chassis worked great and I think I bolted just about everything on to it, everything was stable and solid feeling. There is no bling with any of this, the joint between the chassis's plastic sections stands proud and the Howa action and barrel are basic black on black. It's not "fancy" at all but it works.

The Hornady EDLM ammo worked great. I kinda regret going overboard on the Kestrel and fancy gadgets but I got a good understanding of them that I never would have without owning and playing with them. I liked the expensive Razor scope a lot but I'm also surprised to see how good the $299 SWFA was too.

I nearly broke even selling my stuff back, although it's a slow market and it took a long time and patience to get it done. I lost a couple hundred on the Razor which surprises me, and the electronics took a hit but everything else sold for just a reasonable amount under what I paid for it and I bought stuff on sale or with an equally sharp deal. So I blew $500 on ammo, $500 on a class, and about $500 lost on resale ~ or a $1500 tuition to learn how to shoot better. I kept the bipod and torque wrenches, shooting bags and what not as they all cross over.

Once we move out of NY State (depending on elderly relatives and retirement) being able to shoot longer ranges is going to be a big factor in our (my?) decision making ("Honey wouldn't you rather live in South Dakota than at the beach?") and I maybe circling back.

Now don't cuck out in the meantime.

 

[b6graham]

Not sure how far you are from Sheepdog Warrior or Jericho Vermont but I'd look into it. Even if you sold your kit

 

[D. Hargrove]

Sounds like you thought it all out and certainly got your money's worth. I wish all our life lessons were only $1500.00 .... lol