Howa 1500 magnum action / full stock / chassis

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Howa 1500 magnum action / full stock / chassis

Post by TassieTiger » 23 Sep 2019, 11:22 pm

Just wondering what’s out there to dress up and improve the rigidity of the Forend on my howa 1500 300 win mag with varmint (medium) barrel? I’d really like adjustable cheek weld and length of pull in stock if possible. Has anyone done a howa 1500 with mag action?

I’ve never done a replacement so not sure e exactly what to look for or pitfalls - so I have some obligatory stupid questions like - does the existing floor plate mag stay in most chassis kits or do they completely rehash that somehow?
Are certain chassis outlawed by appearance laws?
How do the GRS, MDT and similar kits stack up as far as Forend flexgo? Will they be a definitive improvement? How will they handle 300wm recoil?
Do some “stocks” not come complete ? Ie I have seen some stocks / kits state that the grip or “stock” or comb sold separately - this can get confusing?
How hard is it to bed new stocks - is it something a numpty can achieve with appropriate research?
For those that have done a serious upgrade - is it really worth it ? Or should I find awAy to stiffen what I have - glass reinforcement or similar?

Sorry for all the dumb Q’s.
I was always going to do something like this sooner or later and an opportunity has arisen that has allowed me to do something sooner :-)
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
Steyr Pro Varmint .223 - VX 3
CZ455 .22 & Norinco .22 (vtex 4-12, bush 3-9)
ATA 686 U/O 12g & Baikal S/S 12g.
Adler a110 reddot
Sauer 30-06 - VX 3
Howa 300 win mag. SHV 5-20/56
Marlin SBL 45/70
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Re: Howa 1500 magnum action / full stock / chassis

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 24 Sep 2019, 8:17 am

Mate lots ofv options in howa

Do you want traditional looking stocks or pistol group style ones
Most stocks will take detachable mags, usually using a common standard.
Some stocks are laminated others are alloy, some a mix of polymer and alloy
Some stocks will need to be bedded some don't, some would do better if bedded. Usually look for alloy bedding blocks in the polymer ones.
Options are mdt, boyds, grs, magpul, and a couple of Aussie ones (atleast for the short action). Being long action your choice will be limited. I don't think krg do their bravo in long action

did that make it easier? Lol. You could just make your plastic one better by hardening it, there was a thread or two about it on here.
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Re: Howa 1500 magnum action / full stock / chassis

Post by bladeracer » 24 Sep 2019, 8:28 am

I haven't done a Howa, but I have built seven MDT LSS chassis on Ruger Americans.
One of my M4 collapsible stocks has an adjustable cheek piece, although once set up you never need to mess with it, unless you're shooting very long ranges with lots of elevation on the scope.

The MDT does away with the Ruger rotary mags (in the centrefires, not the rimfires), it uses standard (and cheap) AICS mags, but I haven't done a magnum action yet so I can't say which mags they use. If you go to MDT's website it should tell you all the details.

Appearance laws are a state thing, so will depend on the state you're in and the states you might want to visit. I can't recall any chassis that are banned on appearance laws, but some chassis rifles are - I believe the Ruger Precision Rimfire is banned in WA due to appearance.

The MDT is an aluminium forend so flex is non-existent. Bedding is not required as the action bolts directly to the solid aluminium chassis.

The chassis replaces the wood stock completely. Price should indicate whether the chassis is complete or not. if it's well under a grand it's probably just the bare chassis, so you'll need the pistol grip, butt stock, buffer tube (if it uses AR15 parts) and mags.

As to "is it worth it", only you can decide that. The chassis effectively doubled the cost of all my rifles, though still about $500 cheaper than the Ruger Precision Rifle. I can't claim that the chassis improved accuracy, but the ergonomics certainly make it easier to get all the accuracy the rifle is capable of.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
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Re: Howa 1500 magnum action / full stock / chassis

Post by nightforcenxs » 24 Sep 2019, 9:07 pm

mdt is a good choice i have the hs3 on my tikka. also have the krg bravo on my howa in 223 which is nice but for 300 win mag i wouldnt go with the krg bravo to much plastic. only thing i would do is get a folding stock so when you clean the rifle its easier i the hs3 cant have folding stocks so i have to remove the buttstock every time i want to clean it and its a slight pain.
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