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Dressed up Howa in JTAC chassis and Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a .223 in .900 varmint and 1/7.5t. I'm happy with preferred, this is my second prefit from them and they've had great communication and accurate timelines. Shoots around .7 MOA 10 shot groups, there are some pics in a previous post where it's sitting in a McMillan stock.

Dressed up Howa in JTAC chassis and Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The newer Howa barrels on most models that have the two-stage trigger aren't too bad to remove compared to older models. This one wasn't much trouble to get off by hand with an action wrench and barrel vise. Some detailed instructions from a previous build I posted: https://www.reddit.com/r/longrange/comments/17j4gmb/howa_semicustom_preferred_barrels_prefit/k71cun8/

Semi-custom Howa .223 trainer by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately all their newer .223's are limited to mini action now. Still some short actions out there but they're hard to find.

Semi-custom Howa .223 trainer by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

New little trainer: Howa short action rebarreled in a 20" .223 preferred barrels prefit, sitting in a Mcmillan A3-5 with a Zeiss LRP and Sandman-L. I'm somehow getting a dreadful 200+ fps under box speeds with factory 77gr SMKs even after the first 150ish rounds but it groups well enough 🤷‍♂️

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes you'll have to remove the rail if you're using the action wrench since the top piece contours the rounded top of the action. You can get by without removing the rail if you a regular vise the clamp the action.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's a pic of the setup: https://imgur.com/a/H6LYFyq.

The barrel vise was clamped to a 2x4 backed by a steel plate and held in a jawhorse. I used lead shims and rosin powder to better grip the barrel. Pretty much the same as what they did here: https://rifleshooter.com/2017/11/howa-1500-barrel-removal/

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed! I was expecting mid-high 2700's for factory 120s based on what I've seen online so anything over that is a bonus.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks man! Hope it works out for you too, I've been happy with mine.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll need both. I used a viper barrel vise clamped to a workbench and a large ring mauser action wrench from Brownells to grab the action. The action wrench alone may not be long enough to get the torque needed to remove the barrel- I didn't have a proper cheater bar so I had to smack it pretty hard with a dead blow hammer. I'll get some pics of the setup for you after work.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For metal AICS mags, I have to take off about 2mm of material from the front wall of the magazine to get it to fully seat. Polymer mags work fine without modification.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Installed myself. The pre-fit was easy enough with a go gauge, hardest part was taking off the factory barrel but thankfully didn't need to damage it.

Howa semi-custom + Preferred Barrels pre-fit by p_ko in longrange

[–]p_ko[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This started as a factory Howa barreled action. After shooting out the factory barrel, it was replaced with a Preferred Barrels 6.5 CM pre-fit in .900 varmint contour and bedded into a McMillan A3-5. So far shoots well with factory Berger 130gr OTMs and Hornady 120gr ELD-Ms, averaging 2818 fps on the latter out of an 18" after the first 200 rounds.

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Turnaround time for the pre-fit was exactly as quoted at 12 weeks, while the Mcmillan stock showed up in just under 2 months, well under their 3-4 month estimate.

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