Thread: .223 Factory ammo Budget Project Rifle .

I haven't been back to our place in the Sounds for over two years now due to the Virus Shit .
I thought I might contribute some posts to show what I'm up to over here in Australia .
Shooting on our property here in Central QLD isn't like hunting in NZ and most shooting is vehicle based and often at night .
From the beginning I decided that I wanted to try getting a Budget .223 rifle shooting sub 25mm @ 100m consistently with Factory ammo .
I gave myself a Budget which I will explain as time goes on .
This will be an honest account of my journey and the actual money spent ( Not what we all tell our wives )
So here goes .
I purchased a Howa Compact Tactical
Fluted Barrel .223 rifle 1 in 8 twist from Cleavers in Brisbane $694.00 delivered .



I chose this model for a couple of reasons - HACT Trigger , Fluted Barrel ( I know all the reasons why Fluted is just a waste of time but Holy Shit I like the look of it )
Threaded barrel ( important for reasons that will be explained ) , Heavy barrel but only 20 inches long not the 24 inches of the Varmint model ( Short , Stiff , manageable from a vehicle )




The PTA cost me $ 41.95 ( PTA is a Permit to Aquire and you can't buy a firearm without one )


A Bloke I know locally is a Pro Shooter ( Roo's and Pigs ) and has for years used Howa .223 rifles but the first thing he did was ditch the Hogue piller bedded stock for another Hogue but a fully alloy bedded one .
After doing heaps of research it was clear thar this was the best budget way to go .
Is it the best option ?
No , but it costs $345.00 delivered and sorts out the flexible forend and bedding in one move .
Here is a pic of the original pillar Stock , see how the barrel channel gap isn't even , and just breathing on it makes it flex .



So diverting off the Stock for a minute , I wanted to improve the Bolt knob .
All of my other bolt rifles now have larger round Bolt knobs , they just are nicer to use and improve function in my opinion .
The Howa's bolt knob/handle is on the smaller side so a Tourbon rubber knob was ordered off EBay $14.85 delivered .




The installed knob wasn't that good a fit due I think to the shape of the Howa's knob .
It moved around a little which is not the best , so I had to use some contact glue which sorted out the problem .
This alteration to the Factory rifle like all the changes that I do is easily reversible , I will be doing zero gunsmithing / permant removal
of anything and the rifle will be able to be returned to Factory at any point if I want to .



Now the Stock , it is a Hogue full alloy bedded in Tan colour $345.00 delivered .



So at this point lets do a $$$ talley up . ( all in AU dollars )

Rifle $694.00
PTA $41.95
Stock$345.00
Bolt. $14.85

Total $1095.80

So much for this being a " Budget " gun because there is still lots to do .