2 scoops please!!!
Howa 1500 HS Precision
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Can we get a pulled back photo that shows the whole gun? im curious as to the over all proportions. From the promotional images it LOOKS like this carries a heavier barrel than the Lightening I had, but i just cant tell.
Offhand McFlan
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Long had my eye on Howas because of the 10shot mags. I'd probably get the 20" version. It would be as a kind of all purpose survival/scout type rifle. I've kind of swung from Howa to Savage though...
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I’m out of town until Monday, but it’s a typical 22” sporter contour barrel. I’ve got a 44mm objective scope and I was able to use low rings.
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It’s a gray stock with black webbing. In some lights it looks like a blue-gray. I haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet, but hope to soon.
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Took the rifle out today to get it sighted in. I cleaned the barrel before going out. I used factory Hornady 120gr GMX ammo and factory Barnes 120gr ammo. Accuracy was not as good as I’d hoped, 1.5-2MOA was the best I could get at 100 yards. I’m thinking it might have been a heated barrel that affected the accuracy. After 5 rounds the barrel was scorching hot. It was 97 degrees then I was shooting today. I need to try some other ammo and need to wait for some cooler temps.
Nice looking rig.
I haven't shot anything but 139-143 gr ammo in my 6.5 and all of it has shot well. I've not tried anything lighter, nor any solid copper bullets.
I've recommended this several times. There is a local store that carries this ammo. I can actually get it a little cheaper locally than online. I've shot a couple of boxes of it and it is quite accurate in my rifles. Especially for the money. My brother does not handload and he has bought up a good supply of this stuff. It is all he uses for the range.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020605499?pid=865833
Howa's usually shoot well and I bet this one does once you find out what it likes.
I haven't shot anything but 139-143 gr ammo in my 6.5 and all of it has shot well. I've not tried anything lighter, nor any solid copper bullets.
I've recommended this several times. There is a local store that carries this ammo. I can actually get it a little cheaper locally than online. I've shot a couple of boxes of it and it is quite accurate in my rifles. Especially for the money. My brother does not handload and he has bought up a good supply of this stuff. It is all he uses for the range.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020605499?pid=865833
Howa's usually shoot well and I bet this one does once you find out what it likes.
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I'm thinking the heat must have had an affect on the accuracy. After the first 5 rounds, the barrel was so hot you couldn't touch it for more than 1 second. I tried shooting 5 rounds and letting it cool down, but it was just so hot outside that it would not cool down enough.
Sounds like further testing in indicated. Did you only shoot 5 rounds of 2 different loads? Were the later rounds when the barrel was hot shoot differently? I had a rifle that shot poorly (not a Howa) when the barrel heated up during prairie dog shoots. Also, your rifle is brand new so may take some breaking in.
My howa did the same thing for a while. I switched to 143s, and it dropped to .75-1" from 1.25-1.5, but when I went back to the 123s it shot them just as well, so I think it was just the barrel breaking in and settling the bedding.
Chuck R.
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I'd pretty much guess the same. For a standard factory barrel I don't get too wrapped around the axle about accuracy, till things settle down some. I've also seen the same reaction with a new HS Precision stock with the aluminum block. After a few rounds it settled in and the groups shrunk and POI changed slightly. I suppose its also a good point to doing some kind of barrel break-in procedure.
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I ended up shooting 30 rounds total that day. After the first few 5 shot groups, I switched to 3 shot groups but the barrel was still scorching hot between groups. It's definitely good enough to kill deer with, but further testing will certainly be needed.
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