New barrel on Howa

[patrickjames]

I have a .243 Howa that I can't get to shoot consistent groups.I've played with this rifle for 4-5 years and have about had enough.New scopes,many diff. reloads and factory ammo.3 to 4 shots in a inch then the next shot 3 inches away.I have noticed it shoots a lot better when the barrel clean and cold.I'm not going to clean the barrel every 10 rounds or so at the range.I would like to have this gun re barreled to 7x57.Is this possible with out changing the bolt face?

[mjbgalt]

bolt face would be fine.

IT&D gunsmithing in Medina, Oh does a wonderful job on rebarrels. i had my swede rebarreled with a Douglas XX-Air gauged stainless barrel. including the cost of the barrel, total was $320.

can't beat that! plus it shoots way under MOA.

give him a call, i highly recommend him.

http://itdcustomgun.com/index.html

-Matt

[anweis]

I would like to have this gun re barreled to 7x57.Is this possible with out changing the bolt face?

Bolt face is the same, but magazine length may be too short if you have a short action .243. However, going to 7mm08 would be a perfect and easy to do choice. The heavier bullets may not fit in the magazine.

[mjbgalt]

the howa chambered the 6.5x55 swede in the short action. it may fit just fine.

[chutesnreloads]

Want to mention I had a .243 was doing about the same thing.After rebarrel to 7-08 guess what?Still doing the exact same thing.So it wasn't the barrel that was the problem.Every time I think I got it right,here comes them fliers again.Hate to sell it off to someone knowing they'd get a lemon.

[Chris D.]

chutesnreloads...was it a Howa brand too?

[Graybeard]

Unless you know the barrel has had many thousands of rounds down the tube it's most likely NOT the problem and a new barrel probably won't cure the ills. Putting two shots together and a third wide of them is a common sign of a bedding issue. Before you potentially waste money on a barrel you likely don't need get the bedding issue resolved.

[chutesnreloads]

No it was not a Howa .Like GB said...check your bedding first.

[patrickjames]

Thanks to all for the advise.I never really looked closely at the bedding,maybe I should.I can usually get the first 4 shots right where I want them and then everything goes to hell.I been wanting a 7x57 bolt gun to go with my ruger #1 in 7x57 for a while. I was pretty agravated  with the 243 Howa at the time of my first post,but feel better now and am ready to stay the course.Does anybody make a 7x57 bolt rifle any more in the $500 to $600 range?

[mjbgalt]

if it puts 4 in a row right where you want them, you don't need a new barrel. i mean, that's actually pretty good.

how fast are you shooting? if it gets hot almost any barrel will move the last shot or two.

[Graybeard]

Shooting five shot groups especially fairly quickly with a big game rifle really proves little more than a three shot group does other than whether the barrel was properly stress relieved. Few seem to be these days.

Ruger and CZ both make 7x57 rifles and should be around that general price range. Everyone makes them in 7-08 which is a ballistic twin.

[2ndtimer]

the howa chambered the 6.5x55 swede in the short action. it may fit just fine.

Beg to differ, I have a Howa in 6.5x55 and it is definitely a long action.  I doubt that the 7x57 would fit in the magazine of the .243 short action Howa.  I load my 6.5x55 to 3.15 oal and still have extra room in the magazine.  I also have experienced some erratic accuracy in my Howa in 6.5x55, and have even gone to a glass bedded laminated stock in an effort to make it a tack driver.  Alas, it still has just hunting accuracy.

[mjbgalt]

well i was just going by what my manual says. the one that came with my howa a year or so ago said "6.5x55- short action"

who knows. maybe they changed that at some point?

-Matt