Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Using a Howa for custom build?

Thanks mathman.

I'm thinking about building a 338win on a stainless Howa, Mickey stock, and Timney trigger. My thought is, if it doesn't shoot with the stock barrel I will put a new one on.

I wish I could find a Howa or Rem action cheap and just put a barrel on, but I can't find one. I can buy the Howa for about $400.

I haven't shot a single Howa barreled action I've bought, but I am running 2 Vanguards with factory barrels and they shoot just fine.

Back in 85 when I had my S&W customized I wanted to swap out the barrel for a 26" one. A few days after dropping it off the gunsmith calls and tells me that the barrel is to good not to use. The man could have sold me a new barrel and I would have been none the wiser. Remember,back then the new Japanese factories were(and probably still are)state of the art and held close tolerances. I've got a pickup truck and chainsaw from the 80's and both are still at it. Back then people did not want to admit that Japanese products were any count!

til later

EZ,
which McMillan stock is that on the one in your picture?
Thx

Kimber7man,
It's an 80's model Brown Precision. Of course they were'nt being made for S&Ws(HOWA)so the gunsmith used one for a Sako.

til later

Here's a 1993 manufactured 30-06 Weatherby Vanguard "work in progress" :



I was originally looking for a Tikka but actually a former Sako gunsmith convinced me to get one of these instead. I like the solid feel of the action and the bolt. The extractor claw, bolt fluting and gas vents are good design, and while having a really skinny barrel and not being a sub-MOA model, ( I wonder if such a thing existed in '93 ) I don't feel undergunned accuracy-wise. Of course it would benefit from a varmint barrel and that is exactly the kind of work I was planning on progressing



Hensoldt 3-12x56 FF. All the quality of Zeiss added with a mil-spec sticker on the underbelly of the ocular.



EGW provided me with a 25MOA one-piece picatinny rail. The rail arrived across the big pond in exactly one week from ordering, which was nice.



Due to a 2 1/3" LOS-bore, a 56 mm objective lens and the fact that 34 mm Optilocks are made in only one height, I have to cope with a DIY cheekpiece until I make up my mind what to do with the stock. It's not too bad but I'm thinking McMillan/Manners/Bell & Carlson. That'll probably have to wait until I rebarrel, though, to avoid the need for re-bedding.



Last weekend I shot two test groups at 150 m (165 yd) , the 1 ring is MOA and I managed to ruin both groups with fliers I called right at the moment they left the barrel.



(or, if you can't see the video, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5006297477456385127 )

She's not too easy to shoot prone due to a slightly short LOP and stiff(ish) recoil that is directed to 10 o'clock. The bipod feet actually leave the floor but that's hard to see due to video compression.

Overall I couldn't be happier, especially considering the price. I *was* originally going to just use it for hunting moose and deer ( for which 2 MOA is more than sufficient ) but I can already see myself going down the slippery slope...

Lookout dude, there is a giant tricky-scope trying to eat your rifle.

How does this puppy look?

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=96169906

Drop it into a McMillan, and I think that would hunt TX whitetails just fine as a 243...

Your thoughts? Looks like a good deal..

What is the advantage of the Howa over a $250-$300 Rem ADL that are easy to find? After selling the stock and barrel, you have a $200 action.

Can do the same with stainless for about $350.

You guys like the Howa better?

If you can find Rem ADL in 243 for $300 or less, I would gladly take a look. Nothing under $350 at gunbroker. I've been waiting for one to pop up on the classifieds here, but dont' think that will happen. Everyone wants the action.

Plus, I don't want the 20in barrel on the youth adl. I have yet to find a non-youth ADL in 243 for around $300. They all go $400+

I don't care about the caliber since the barrel would be pulled.

You can buy nice new pulled factory Rem barrels from Goforth, he could probably sell you a 243 barrel cheap.

I wouldn't build anything now anyway. I have everything I need for now.

In Finland it doesn't really matter which US made action you choose. For example, Rem700 parts are equally hard to come by and there's zero market for second-hand factory parts. So I accept the fact I'll be stuck with the stock and barrel even if I fit a Lothar Walther and a McMillan onto the action. No big deal, the factory parts are just fine for hunting ( if less for target shooting ) should one choose to screw them back on.

I personally just happened to pick one up and I got the overall impression the workmanship is top notch for a mass-produced standard rifle. My personal opinion is, I buy 90's made factory rifles whenever possible -- most cold forged factory barrels started to reach more-than-adequate accuracy levels, yet the rifles weren't ruined by the "cost-effectiveness" of 2000's business thinking that's brought us the cheapest plastic bits and some flimsy synthetic stocks into rifles that up until now were supposed to go from father to son.

Does the Vanguard come in a short action? Or do the use one action length and a mag spacer for everything?

I know there are Howa 1500 in short action (mine has a Mossberg nameplate) I can't see weatherby not using the 1500 SA for their vanguards in 308, 243, 22-250, etc.

Good for a custom build or not, this "semi-custom Vanguard" is the route I chose to take. I sold my TRG-42 so this better be good for my long range shooting needs as well... Time will tell as I'm a decent stock short of finishing her up.

A mountain rifle by no means, rather a general hunting / target hybrid. Heavy enough to be stable, light enough to carry, especially in my Eberlestock Just One. 10.3 lbs at the moment ( without the bipod ) , but the stock is 2.4 lbs with the adjustable buttplate. I'm opting for the High Tech Specialties classic to save some weight.

The scope sitting on Talleys is now a Zeiss 3-12x56 Victory Diavari with a target elevation turret ( the new type that needs to be lifted to rotate, so it doesn't turn on its own ) , and a lit mildot reticle. This is pretty much the scope I wanted, I don't need 24x to shoot 1K+ but I do prefer 10x+, I want the 3x for close-up shots, and I need the 50 or 56 objective lense because I regularly hunt at night.

The barrel is a 26" 1:9 twist #5 Shilen select match stainless in 7mm Rem Mag, I gained 1.5 lbs over the featherweight 30-06 but I'm willing to live with it as I have high hopes for its accuracy. Hasn't been fired as of yet.

I might've just as well gone with a #3 or #4 but for a complete stab in the dark I'm pretty happy as the contour turned out pretty darn close to what I imagined. Besides, I want to have the option to maybe return to sniper competitions, and that might mean I'll have to be able to take 10 shots in 10 minutes, or even faster -- I'm not sure any featherweight regardless of manufacturer can keep the POI with that kind of heat, especially in a magnum caliber.


This'll probably turn out not best for anything, good for everything kind of deal.

I like it. When I rebarrel my Vanguard it will be lighter, but I have other uses for mine.

I have this theory floating around in my head that the Nosler M48 starts off life as a Howa action. The result is a rifle that shoots well, so a custom using one of the various Howa actions would be good. I think they are all forged actions as well.

The Nosler folks I have tried this theory on get all funny around the lips and won't talk.

jim

Here in Texas, Academy outlets sell Howa 1500 youth models
in 243 and 7mm-08 for 389 with a scope.

howa 243ai factory barrel,recrowned,lugs lapped,reworked factory trigger crisp 2lb letoff. barrel floated,action pillardevcon bedded into a much reworked boyds jrs classic laminate stock.leupy vxiii 3.5-10x40,leupy dd ringsbases.now wears a leupy fxiii 6x42 with lr dotz,very accurate rig,with only minimal load development so far.plus it feeds those ackley improved cases as slick as snot on glass.

Nice rig.