Thread: Howa good is your Howa? (picture heavy)

The SA 223 is a tack driver. Awesome tool.
Also trying to work out a load for a 16.5inch 308. Since I've shortened it, it hates factory ammo.

Taken plenty of animals with the 308. Been a great rifle for me.

Nice. I’ve got done off cuts just nervous about drilling into the wood

I think I got one of the last barreled actions in 6 creedmoor. The barrel is astonishingly slow (~2880 FPS with 41.6gr 2209) but is very accurate.

@chalkeye it will get faster as it breaks in. I’ve got them in various chamberings including 6mm Creedmoor and every one has taken a good couple of hundred shots to get fully up to speed.

For reference, my 6mm has a 22”, the load is 108gr ELD-M, 42gr 2209 for 2,965 ft./sec. It’s shooting noticeably high now so it’s gotten faster as expected and I need to do another drop test.

Same kind of accuracy as yours. Touching holes.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

@chalkeye it will get faster as it breaks in. I’ve got them in various chamberings including 6mm Creedmoor and every one has taken a good couple of hundred shots to get fully up to speed.

For reference, my 6mm has a 22”, the load is 108gr ELD-M, 42gr 2209 for 2,965 ft./sec. It’s shooting noticeably high now so it’s gotten faster as expected and I need to do another drop test.

Same kind of accuracy as yours. Touching holes.

I am probably 500 rounds in. It started slower but seems to be stabilizing mv now.

Originally Posted by Ross Nolan

They don't make a left hander, or I'd have been using them ages ago.

As previously mentioned, an improved Sako/M70 hybrid

You can shoot them OK in a chassis left handed but yeah a left handed Howa would be an awesome thing!

My pov pack howa 223 this at 502 yards .



apologise for the s*** quality as is my old phone through a not so great spotting scope.

https://youtu.be/ke1l-z2O0SU

Originally Posted by Ground Control

Thought I'd bring this thread back up to the top , because Howa's deserve Top Billing .

Got my new .223 Sporter barrelled action recently to replace my old CMC/Howa and as soon as I got it my Daughter declared it hers

Brand new out of the box .




First job is glue on a Rubber bolt knob , have them now on all my rifles and I really like the feel and usability compared with the small Factory knob .



Next was to raid the Timney trigger off the old CMC



Bare rifle with bolt in wearing the HI-Tec Stock .



Complete rifle with Talley rings and Meopta 3-9 Scope ( no ammo )



It shoots Factory Fiocchi 60gn ammo easily under an inch ( 20mm-22mm three shot groups )

But then I realised that I had a better scope on a rifle that I'm not using much at the moment so bought some 30mm Talleys and mounted it up , but I haven't weighed it yet .
I'm very happy with it so far , and will start load development with it soon .

Ah I miss my Duralyt! I had that exact scope. Brilliant. Probably my biggest regret selling that one!

I already have two 1500's in the cupboard, so when I started looking around for a heavy hitter, I was in danger of becoming a fan boy. September last year I found the perfect solution when I picked up a used and wee bit rough Weatherby Vangaurd action and floorplate in 300wsm. It looked like someone had hit a nail in with the end of the barrel at some point and the crown was stuffed from the supressor being left on. I planned on chopping and ceracoting anyway so none of that was a huge concern. But, its unkown former life combined with the fact that I made a stock for it myself, left me a little anxious about whether it would shoot. Took it out today and I needn't have worried!

Nothing wrong with that. Nice one.

I have never had any trouble with Remington or Federal through mine. I hand load a few different pills 150-170gn for the bush all are accurate.

Eg Hornady interlock 150 SP, 43 g 2206H has worked real well in Weatherby, howa, ruger and winchester 308 bushpigs. 15 to 18 inch barrels running suppressors.

Originally Posted by Grantn

The SA 223 is a tack driver. Awesome tool.
Also trying to work out a load for a 16.5inch 308. Since I've shortened it, it hates factory ammo.
Attachment 211187
Taken plenty of animals with the 308. Been a great rifle for me.

Expect 2600 to 2700 FPS.

Just thought I'd bring this back up to the top .

Here are my two ' Keepers "
.223 Fluted 20' heavy barrel , Stocky's Carbon Fibre Stock
308 Fluted 22' Sporter barrel , Hi-Tec Carbon Fibre Stock .
These two have taken over as my favourites lately and I'm going to have a sell off of my other rifles .

Many years ago I bought what was marketed as a CMC Howa Mountaineer in .223. Had a blued barrel and what I thought might be a mahogany stock. It was muzzle-heavy. kicked like a fresian in a herringbone shed but, once I got it, would put 5 into about 1.25" at about 100 long paces up a mate's paddock. The long paces were cos I have a foot absent, so they had to be long to compensate. Used that rifle to cull 'roos, donkeys, camels, and about a zillion rabbits, dogs and foxes. I plan to buy another Howa soonish. I think they're basically a copy of the Sako 461 of years ago. A fine rifle.

I did a bit of .223 load testing using 2206H / 53gn Vmax today .
Right from the beginning something just didn't feel right with my shooting position , I fiddled around with my rear bag etc and in the end just started shooting .
I thought it must just be me but every shot just felt off .
I finished shooting and was packing up when I noticed that my Harris Bi-Pod was on backwards
No wonder I was struggling , every time I loaded into the Bi-Pod the legs moved .
Anyway here is a pic of the target , now I'm dubious about the results .
Interestingly the group at the bottom has 5 shots , 1 round of each powder charge , this is something I've started doing , to see how much difference in group size you get with a variance in charge weight 0.8gn in this case .
Butt...... I just don't know how valid this test was so I think I'm going to repeat this test with the Bi-Pod correctly mounted