SmallCaliberCentral

Picked up my Howa barreled action yesterday and put it together. Today I got out and broke it in. This rifle is fantastic!
Here are the specs:
Howa 1500 24" (#6) BBL .204 Ruger
Bell & Carlson Medalist A2 stock
Legacy Sports drop-in magazine system (5 rd. magazine, 10 rounders are available).
Harris "S" Bi-Pod 6-9" with "pod-lock" to keep it steady.
Mueller Scope 8.5-25x44AO (mildot reticle)
DNZ one-piece scope mount (Medium)

This rifle has the new trigger which is now a 2-stage style (HACT) and it is adjustable. I haven't lightened it yet. It pulls about 3-3.5 lbs from the factory. Its really nice. The magazine and stock was all "plug & play" dropped right in with no issues. This will be my "tactical" squirrel destroyer rig. I bought 500 rounds of Fiocchi factory ammo from CheaperThanDirt for a great price. 400 rds of 32 grain and 100 of the 40 grain Vmax. I was worried that the 40 grainers might not work so well after reading all the horror stories. No problems with either. I was really happy with the results. It shoots like a dream. My best two groups are in the photo. A sub-MOA rifle right out of the box, not bad!

lucky b*****d thats awesome out of the box.

Very nice. Gotta be happy with that.
I'd be interested to see some 5-shot groups.
Will you be reloading?

Yes i'll shoot some reloads tomorrow. Have to burn the factory in order to get some brass! I bought 100 Remington shells to start reloading quicker. Will do some chrono tomorrow too. Will be reloading with H335 & 8208xbr. Only shot 3 round groups today but none were over 1". Usually 2 together w/a flier. Will get some 5 rounders going now that my confidence is high! Love this rifle/round.

that is some great shooting, grats on your purchase

Thanks for your excellent, informative post, Bodei. I've been considering selling my last .22-250 and replacing it with: (another ) .204 , but one with a detachable magazine, 24" barrel and decent stock trigger. Compared to, for example the excellent C-Z Kevlar Varmint, this Howa setup looks at least equal. Am thinking the Howa uses the same scope bases as the Rem. 700; a person could save a few bucks by not having to buy the expensive rings and do the requisite bolt-handle mod just to scope the C-Z at a decent height. Even by adding the cost of the Medalist stock - often on sale @ Stocky's - the Howa should still come in at a cost equal to or less than the C-Z. Just thinking out loud here...
What does that baby weigh, and what's Howa's service like?

Rifle looks great and accurate too! Gotta be happy with that.

Bodei.. I would assume you like the mag set up Howa has. I am thinking of adding one to both my Howa's. One in 204 and one in 22-250. Think I will go with the five round mag, but may purchase a couple of ten rounders for special occasions. Bill K

That's some mighty fine shootin'....Keep us posted.

Bill K wrote:Bodei.. I would assume you like the mag set up Howa has. I am thinking of adding one to both my Howa's. One in 204 and one in 22-250. Think I will go with the five round mag, but may purchase a couple of ten rounders for special occasions. Bill K

California ZOMBIES??

@btlbrn - Yes we have zombies in California, have you seen our politicians? Pretty sure Nancy Pelosi is one. I've got 2,000 Z-Max bullets in .204 and .223 to reload in case they start a rampage!
@RowdyYates - I believe the Remington bases work as long as they are 2-piece. As for the weight, all I can say is you don't want to walk very far with it! The barreled action with an aftermarket stock should be very competitive price-wise with a factory CZ. Believe me, I spent a long time researching what to get. With the money I saved on the barreled action, I kept the magazine and stock within budget.
@Bill K - The magazine kit MSRP is $90 I think. It feels like your average polymer plastic (both the mag and floor plate). I think some of the metal mag systems are well over $200. So far, I'm happy with it. I live close to Reno so I can drive to Legacy for any service or extra mags if need be. I'll probably pick up a 10-rounder prior to visiting Cedarville! Maybe a water-cooled barrel shroud too...
Anyone in the market would be very satisfied with a Howa, I can safely say.

btlbrn wrote:

Bill K wrote:Bodei.. I would assume you like the mag set up Howa has. I am thinking of adding one to both my Howa's. One in 204 and one in 22-250. Think I will go with the five round mag, but may purchase a couple of ten rounders for special occasions. Bill K

California ZOMBIES??

Oh yes.. I agree with the post re. Pelosi, could well be, looks the part. Down your way, how about Reid ? He surely is a zombie to and around NV... Got to be prepared, you know.. Plus they just look kind of cool. Bill K