howa .243

Hi all,

I have just been out to zero my new (s/h) howa 243 which is my first centrefire rifle. I tried with 75gr norma factory ammo and struggled to get anything consistent. I was wondering what factory loads people are running through their howas, or any suggestions. There is a strong chance it is just me being the issue but any suggestions would be appreciated. Very much a novice in this respect.

The rifle has a t8 can on the end with a edgar brothers scope which came with it, looking to upgrade to a s&b after harvest once have the funds.

Many thanks.

Rob.
 
Rob,
There is a long list of possibilities. Trigger pull to heavy, bad technique, slack scope/mounts, damaged optics, slack moderator, moderator heating up after a few rounds, dirty barrell, ammo not compatible. The list goes on and i'm sure others will add more. Ian
 
Hi Rob,
Tried using 75gr in my howa but didnt shoot great,
RWS and NORMA 100gregar both shot great, under an inch group.

Regards marshall
 
Hiya,
I have a 1500 sporter Howa in .243 which is my main stalking rifle. For factory loads I use Winchester Supreme 95 grain ballistic Silvertips. With these I can more or less put two rounds through the same hole at 100 metres (1/2" high) and be on the money at 200m.
If you have a "Hogue" stock be wary of the stock flexing! i have one and when using a bipod the stock would flex touch the barrel and problems!.
I noticed that there appeared to be an "Insert" in the stock which I presume allows varmint & sporter barrels to use the same stock. With a Dremel grinder I carefully removed the insert leaving the barrel free floating even if I am careless with the bipod.
I love the feel of the hogue stock which gives good grip even when wet but they do flex.
Cheers,
Dave
 
I use a Howa 1500 Stainless Steel Sporter in .243WIN with the standard Hoque stock.
When new it wasn't shooting great but after some coaching on a local range I found the problem was my shooting, not my rifle.
Yes, the stock is a little flexible, but even when using a bipod the barrel is still free-floating and doesn't touch the stock, so nothing to worry about.
I use standard 100Grain factory amo (Federal Power Shock) which is absolutely fine and groups well - this was what my retailer recommended for both deer and fox.
Switching to the V-Shock 70Grain ballistic tip, there is no noticeable difference in groups at 100 Meters, so both do the job.
Quite a few Members at my local range use the Howa 1500 and all are very pleased with it.
 
Hi all,

I have just been out to zero my new (s/h) howa 243 which is my first centrefire rifle. I tried with 75gr norma factory ammo and struggled to get anything consistent. I was wondering what factory loads people are running through their howas, or any suggestions. There is a strong chance it is just me being the issue but any suggestions would be appreciated. Very much a novice in this respect.

The rifle has a t8 can on the end with a edgar brothers scope which came with it, looking to upgrade to a s&b after harvest once have the funds.

Many thanks.

Rob.

First go right back to basics ........................................... clean the rifle properly. Use good cleaners that WILL get the fouling out of the bore.

Check all the fixings, stock, scope mounts and rings.

get some muffs and can the can for now and try it without the can fitted. Does it group better? ............................... the same? ........................................... or worse?

If better then you need to either carefully examine the threading/crown your self or get it done. Also check the moderator. Are the bullets clipping the exit?

If none of the above help then you have the choice to try some different weight/make ammunition or trying another scope of known performance.

Good luck with it and please let us know how it goes.
 
All good advice, why not get a friend to have a shot with it ??, it could be the man behind the trigger, my friend has the same rifle, and uses a home loaded sierra 100g bullet, with 36g of 4064 IMR powder, produces about 2,850 ft per sec velocity, and is getting sub inch at 100 yards, he has been having great success recently with it on Roebucks, I hope this helps

good luck
 
Hi all,

I have just been out to zero my new (s/h) howa 243 which is my first centrefire rifle. I tried with 75gr norma factory ammo and struggled to get anything consistent. I was wondering what factory loads people are running through their howas, or any suggestions. There is a strong chance it is just me being the issue but any suggestions would be appreciated. Very much a novice in this respect.

The rifle has a t8 can on the end with a edgar brothers scope which came with it, looking to upgrade to a s&b after harvest once have the funds.

Many thanks.

Rob.

Then keep shooting til you rule yourself out of the equation. Otherwise you're just chasing your tail.~Muir
 
Thank you for all the advice, I went out and tried again, and managed to get it grouping quite nicely. Have accounted for two cubs with in so far, next step once I have run through all my 75 grns is to try some 100gr and get it ready for deer. I found that one problem was i had the bipod extended to the max which left it unstable as opposed to when it is just at the standard setting. Looking forward to upgrading the glass, thinking s&b 8x56.
 
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