Range Report Is my action worth building?

[pocowatchit_special]

May seem dumb I don't know but I have a howa 1500 in 243win and it does ok at 300 but that's as far as I feel comfortable hunting might get more with better optics Im sure but is the howa action worth the time and money or should I keep it how it is for 300yd gun for who ever wants to shoot with me and find a 700action(I don't feel I'm good enough to need a high dollar action) and I've seen plenty if remington actions do what I want to do on my best day


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[anthonylapoint]

Plenty of Howas out there that have been upgraded. Bet if you screwed on a good barrel it would out shoot you and most the folks on here. Its a good enough action for your demand.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

We'll with cheap scope and factory everything I'm comfortable at 300 if I could shoot it do you think it would be able to hit coyote at 1000 if I had the chance but want to shoot out that far for fun ya know


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[anthonylapoint]

If you can dial it in with hand loads a factory rifle is capable of reaching 1000 with good accuracy but you will need a good scope capable of holding its zero and accurate come ups and clarity.

Just curious, what is the stock on it and what scope are you using?

 

[pocowatchit_special]

It's the hogue overmold that came on it. And a redfield revolution 4-12x40 I think is the specs. It's sporter contour 20" so 300 is killin but I don't want to shoot past that for any reason even for paper isn't fun when it won't group like ide like.


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[anthonylapoint]

If you upgrade your stock and glass, even before a barrel, with good ammo you'll be surprised what you can hit. I have a buddy shooting a stock howa 1500 in .308 with the laminate stock bedded and it's a 1/2 moa gun with his hand loads. Sometimes he gets 1/4 moa groups.

The will shoot.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

It's got hold over points for out to 500 and if it would group at 500 ide shoot coyotes. And if I had better optics( I like the redfield but for longer ranges think I would need better


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[pocowatchit_special]

If you upgrade your stock and glass, even before a barrel, with good ammo you'll be surprised what you can hit. I have a buddy shooting a stock howa 1500 in .308 with the laminate stock bedded and it's a 1/2 moa gun with his hand loads. Sometimes he gets 1/4 moa groups.

The will shoot.

Is his a heavy barrel? Mines fully tapered so figured barrel would get me more for my buck vs stock and glass. I can see better than it groups


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[pocowatchit_special]

If I could flat trade for remington 700 action would it be a advantage? quality wise not part availability.

 

[Captain Kirk]

A accurate rifle is based off the sum of its parts. The Howa action is very capable of fine accuracy, but if it shoots don't mess with it. If your looking for something different, you need to ask yourself what the application is. If your hunting, what you have sounds like it suits your needs.

 

[VJJPunisher]

to answer the question, yes Howa actions are fantastic to build on if you so choose to in the future

 

[pocowatchit_special]

Yes I will be using for long rang hunting to me that's 600 deer and I'll shoot a coyote as long as I can get a range lol. But will shoot out to 1000 yds for fun on steel. Don't need a comp rifle. Knowing it'll shoot like ide like I'll start getting all of what I can with out needing a smith

 

[diriel]

600 on deer... what "round" are you planning on for that?

 

[pocowatchit_special]

We'll that's best case scenario what ide like to be able to do if possible I usually see em around 400-500 realistically but see people with 6mms using 107 smk's with good hunting. see awesome lr results wit 115dtacs but dunno how they would do hunting? Hadn't seen much.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

I never come across deer closer than 200 but when I have my bow off the ground at that! I get within 10yds never know I'm there but don't use stands I like to get out and wing it pretty much "which ever way the leaves are goin, that's the way the winds a blowin"

 

[pocowatchit_special]

Still not sure what I want to chamber to, 243 again or super LR. For hunting and fun stell shooting at 1000yds

 

[diriel]

At the moment, the first thing I would do is look for components to reload for. Then decide. Lots of good 1000 yard capable rounds out there.

 

[smax]

I love the Howa I just put together. The Howa 1500 IMHO has some features that make it more desirable to me over a Remington 700. I like the one piece bolt, the bolt assembly can be field stripped easily by hand(no tools or boot laces required), flat bottom action with intergral recoil lug(no flimsy crooked lugs from the factory), the new HACT two stage trigger is nice, 3 position safety and the bolt release is on the top side. The only downside I find with the Howa is the metric threads, and it has less aftermarket following than the 700.

The last time I looked PAC-NOR is the only company making prefit barrels for the Howa action.

 

[diriel]

I used a Savage prefit for my 111... Honestly, I won't be doing that again. The chamber was cut crooked enough that the smith I ended up sending it to actually could not fathom how it had been cut that crooked. The company that I bought it from told me "Oh you got it shooting 1.5 min! Great! You are GTG! Have a nice day!!" ....WTF? I did not pay for a super select match barrel for 1.5 moa! Oddly enough, after a rechamber, I was able to dial in a LOT of loads to MOA or less quite easily. Even half MOA was not really difficult, as it should have been the first time. The tube in question still copper fouled like a bitch, was a pain in the ASS to clean, and it was "slow"... I will give slow a pass, some barrels ARE Just Slow... but the rest of it burns me the F*ck up!

--...piss on it... Pac-Nor 3 groove, 6.5x55 Sweede Savage Prefit, CM Super Select match...

Next barrel will be from the likes of: Snyder, Kreiger, Bartlein, Hart, etc etc....

Have a good one...
P.S. I have been strongly considering a Howa for a build myself. Need to find a smith that is GTG for it though.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

Yes I have seen lots more for Remington's than howa but what I want is offered for howa so I got lucky hah. And can't imagine threading for metric isn't any harder just having the right equip. Haha off subject but when we get new guys I always mess with him with metric standard wrenches if they don't know the difference. I'm a standard fan but everything's metric more and more. Do smiths charge more to fit metric? Or if I get that should I just find another smith?

 

[pocowatchit_special]

I used a Savage prefit for my 111... Honestly, I won't be doing that again. The chamber was cut crooked enough that the smith I ended up sending it to actually could not fathom how it had been cut that crooked. The company that I bought it from told me "Oh you got it shooting 1.5 min! Great! You are GTG! Have a nice day!!" ....WTF? I did not pay for a super select match barrel for 1.5 moa! Oddly enough, after a rechamber, I was able to dial in a LOT of loads to MOA or less quite easily. Even half MOA was not really difficult, as it should have been the first time. The tube in question still copper fouled like a bitch, was a pain in the ASS to clean, and it was "slow"... I will give slow a pass, some barrels ARE Just Slow... but the rest of it burns me the F*ck up!

--...piss on it... Pac-Nor 3 groove, 6.5x55 Sweede Savage Prefit, CM Super Select match...

Next barrel will be from the likes of: Snyder, Kreiger, Bartlein, Hart, etc etc....

Have a good one...
P.S. I have been strongly considering a Howa for a build myself. Need to find a smith that is GTG for it though.

That would get my goat as we'll nobody would hear the end of it even when I'm an old man. 1.5! Yea 1.5 !

Only con is cocking is kinda stuff but up above I was informed of a solution though I haven't done it yet I'm waiting to go home to do so this Friday I'll post how she rolls after. But I had read that howa side by side with remington on average had better barrels. But if it's a build then wouldn't matter unless u save barrel for last and shoot the factory one out

 

[wilecoyote]

you could find more infos about souped-up Howas on long-distance English shooting forums_whatever the reason, seems that working on this brand it's more diffused in U.K._

 

[pocowatchit_special]

We'll awesome. I didn't see many people building them so worried they weren't worth. And I might be better with a remington.

 

[diriel]

The one brief conversation I had with a smith was essentially "I would rather not have to take time out to set my lathe up for metric, then re-set it up for standard again"... I did'nt persue it back then as I was actually building my savage 111. The Howa was just a curiousity.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

We'll that's kinda shitty if you ask me. But I have to ask them so I'll have to deal with that.

 

[diriel]

I know there are a couple of smiths here on the Hide who do Howa. I just can not remember who they were right at the moment.

 

[pocowatchit_special]

If you remember let me know I'll prob post asking. Where would I post that?

 

[diriel]

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