finally success with Howa 308

[allthegearandnoidea]

100m

IMG_20191218_180816.jpg (1.98 MiB) Viewed 3746 times

I have had a 1500 sporter Howa in 308 for a while now but was pretty unimpressed withe hogue stock which never allowed me MOA with factory or reload ammo. At one stage I filled the forend with epoxy filler which firmed it up 100% and I was getting tighter groups around 1 MOA.
Now Ive bitten the bullet and put a Bell and Carlson M40 on it and I'm very pleased with the results. I tried 150 grain soft points but as you can see in the pic below, the 165 Speer SP boat tails with 42 grains of AR2208 produced good results 3 shots at .37 " @100m
I,'m also getting about 1/2 MOA at 200 m but no doubt be able to get better if I was a better shot

[bigfellascott]

Yep Howas respond well to a decent stock, the Hogues don't seem to work well when it comes to accuracy, work fine as a walk about outfit however which is what they were designed for.

I only ever buy the barrelled actions, I have no interest in Hogue stocks.

[Bill]

Bloody terrible results mate Id be takin that gun back it didnt shoot MOA nice shootin thats a keeper

[Bill]

yeap bigfellascott my next Howa will be a 6.5PRC HB 24inch barrel action, apparently coming in the NY, not sure what stock to use thou ....

[Potatoes]

Out of curiousity, Did you bed rifle into the hogue stock or just try to stiffen the forend?

I bedded my hogue with jb weld, only in the vicinity of both bolts, not the whole action. I haven’t stiffened the forend because that may transfer flex from the forend to further down the stock where you dont’t want it. I’ve been getting sub .5 Moa 5 shot groups for my choice loads at 100yards with my howa sporter 223. I think the weight of a heavier barrel would load the flex it stock, thats just my prediction though.

I find three shot groups are for where you think, gee if i take a fouth shot, i’ll only just be adding more moa to my group!

[marksman]

Out of curiousity, Did you bed rifle into the hogue stock or just try to stiffen the forend?

I bedded my hogue with jb weld, only in the vicinity of both bolts, not the whole action. I haven’t stiffened the forend because that may transfer flex from the forend to further down the stock where you dont’t want it. I’ve been getting sub .5 Moa 5 shot groups for my choice loads at 100yards with my howa sporter 223. I think the weight of a heavier barrel would load the flex it stock, thats just my prediction though.

I find three shot groups are for where you think, gee if i take a fouth shot, i’ll only just be adding more moa to my group!

if you dont stiffen the forend the flex will come from using a bipod ect... they can work shooting off a bag, putting pillars in can work with a stiffened forend and bedding around the front king screw but really is a waste of time with a rifle that kicks because you will get flex at the wrist
l would go as far to say your rifle is shooting ok because it is a smaller cal, anyone would get benefit from using a timber stock or the bell and carlson instead of the hogue rubber stock
l have to bed a 1500 howa 308 in a HS precision stock after xmas, it comes with an ali bedding block but the action bends in the stock when you tighten it up, these also come with silly centering screws either side of the recoil lug in the stock that l will do away with, apart from that l like the stock
l probably will get one if l ever by a 300wm in howa like l have been promising myself for quite some time

[Stix]

How csn you tell the action is bending marksman...?

You able to measure it, or read it in targets...?... (or both...?...)

[SCJ429]

Undo the front action screw and see if the gap between the barrel and the end of the stock opens up as you do this.

[sungazer]

I think what marksman is saying that there will always be a week point and perhaps also the stock will actually twist a little. From the stock I got on my 223 I could certainly see a 308 giving it a lot of trouble.

People underestimate just how much force is placed upon a stock. I have broken a wooden one through the grip area. That was from just continuous recoil. Shooting prone and holding the stock tight into my shoulder that force backwards has to go somewhere. Ideally it just goes straight backwards. Depending on stock design and rifle setup it will jump vertically and horizontally. In my case it was coming straight back but it was being met with my shoulder so the stock tends to bend in the middle. Just like if you have a cleaning rod and push on it it will bow outwards. The same sort of forces are placed on a stock.

[allthegearandnoidea]

I bedded the whole action and floated the barrel in the hogue stock.I also filled the hollow stock butt with silicon. Recoil was like a 22!
And yes - 3 shot groups are not ideal but good enough for proof of hunting accuracy for me

[marksman]

How csn you tell the action is bending marksman...?

You able to measure it, or read it in targets...?... (or both...?...)

hold the rifle upright butt on a table with your left hand holding the forend and barrel
loosen the screws one at a time (tighten the other up after untightening) and feel for movement in the barrel
any movement is bad, you can also be more precise by attaching a dial with magnet to the barrel dialing the forend for movement
this is how you tell if your bedding is ok or not, any movement means a bad fit, return to battery will be inconsistent
when you shoot the action will snap straight sending the bullet out without consistency, flyers ect...
this is why Stix o'l mate bedding should be done without stress, stress free bedding means a perfect fit

[sungazer]

At the end of the day it is shooting well within what most people should be happy with. I mean I have a 6.5 and a 223 in Howa I didnt buy them to be target rifles. You know what you are getting and I think it is a really good value proposition. I am more than happy with mine. I took the 6.5 to the rifle range for a club shoot and shot the second highest score of the day. No one could tell I was not shooting a top of the line custom. I am sure there were some upset people being done by a $450 barreled action. I fitted it to a MDT chassis which cost twice as much when completed. but I can drop the 223 into it as well if I want to. So not such a silly arrangement. The 223 I have in the plastic stock no mods no bedding and it still is ok for what I want from it and it is nice and light despite being a varmint barrel.

[marksman]

I bedded the whole action and floated the barrel in the hogue stock.I also filled the hollow stock butt with silicon. Recoil was like a 22!
And yes - 3 shot groups are not ideal but good enough for proof of hunting accuracy for me

3 shot groups are plenty to verify precision lMHO

[SCJ429]

Out of curiousity,

I find three shot groups are for where you think, gee if i take a fouth shot, i’ll only just be adding more moa to my group!

this is a true statement, you can only make a group bigger never smaller. A three shot group is a small sample, ten is a bigger sample. everyone can agree that it is easier to shoot a small three shot group than a ten shot group. The more shots the bigger the chance of introducing errors and variables. dont be fooled by a single awesome three shot group.

[marksman]

why would l need another shot to verify its a shooter



the shots out of group on the first two targets below are the first cold clean bore shots, these sighter groups are done at 200yds
l dont like burning my barrels out plinking

[allthegearandnoidea]

Nice shootin! Obviously your moniker is not an idle boast Marksman.

[duncan61]

I have a question.The stock on my .243 HOWA is just plastic is it not.Hogue stocks are a separate thing