Howa 1500 .243 re barreling questions???

patboos44

Member
I have a howa 1500 in .243 with a sporter barrel. It needs a new barrel and I'm wanting to put a blued heavy barrel on it. I already have a factory thumbhole stock for a heavy barrel. I wanting to shoot around 95g bullets.

What length barrel would be the best along with twist? Also what dimensions would the barrel need to be to fit in the factory heavy barrel stock?

What company should I look in to and what people should I stay away from?
 
95 gr bullets will do just fine in a 10 twist. I like 24" on my rifles. Plenty of length to get the speed.

Any reputable barrel maker will make you a good tube. I prefer staying with cut rifles barrels. Look at Grizzley.com or Bugholes.com and see what they may have.

Black Hole Weaponry is cataloging Bolt Action barrels now, I'd be interested in trying one.

A lot of folks speak well of PacNor and their barrel fitting services. They can be had just a bit less money than some others.

There are tons of good options out there. I've even heard of good shooters coming from GreenMountain. They are attractively priced.
 
Broughton and Bartlein are pretty much the unofficial leaders of the pack on 6mm barrels these days. But I'm not sure the wait and the extra cash will show up in your targets. I'm sure all of 'em shoot better than we do. I've been researching for a while now and one thing I can recommend is going with the 1:8" twist. That configuration will handle 105 grain projectiles, and your light bullets with ease...certainly the 95s. The tighter twist is required for the heavier bullets and will shoot the lighter ones. The slower twist will not shoot the heavier bullets so does not offer the same flexibility. Go with the tighter 8" twist just in case you decide to get into some longer range shooting that calls for heavier bullet. Your stock is likely set up for a Remington Heavy Varmint profile. If you search the barrelsmiths websites, you'll see that they all make one that copies that same profile. Some even indicate which barrel is "their" Rem Hvy Varmint. They have drawings with the dimensions of the barrel contours on the websites too. You can use their line drawing to compare to the inletting on your stock and figure out what will fit, or if you need to have your stock modified. I can tell you that Greg Tanel in Colorado is a good gunsmith. Another is American Precision Arms in GA, but I'm not certain they're taking any rebarreling work.

Do some diggin', that's half the fun. I'm getting ready to send a pile of components to a 'smith for my .243 build. It will include a Broughton 5C 6mm 26" barrel w/1:8" twist, in their 5.75 ocntour (Rem Hvy Vrmnt), Rem 700 SS action, Manners T5A composite stock, and an assortment of other items I've spent nearly a year putting together. I'll be glad when it's finally a gun.
Good Luck,
JB in NC
 
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I too would suggest the 1:8 twist, my sako 85 finnlite has the 10 twist and doesn't seem to like the 95's. That isn't to say that with the right load development things won't change.. Just the few 95 and 100 grain loads I tried didn't look promising. But the finnlite does have a small contour barrel that is short in length, which probably plays an important role..
 
Originally Posted By: ICU22-250I too would suggest the 1:8 twist, my sako 85 finnlite has the 10 twist and doesn't seem to like the 95's. That isn't to say that with the right load development things won't change.. Just the few 95 and 100 grain loads I tried didn't look promising. But the finnlite does have a small contour barrel that is short in length, which probably plays an important role..

An 8 twist..or even a 9 twist, should handle any 95 available. Including the Berger VLD's (hunting and target). Those are the only 95's I do not see working in a 10 tw.
 
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Originally Posted By: mississippiyoterGet you a tikka t3 lite and be done with it. Awesome little rifle

Not if he want to shoot 95 gr VLD's. The Tikka is a 10 twist and will not stabilize them. I get that people like Tikkas, but what does that have to do with rebarreling a Howa?
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: mississippiyoterGet you a tikka t3 lite and be done with it. Awesome little rifle

Not if he want to shoot 95 gr VLD's. The Tikka is a 10 twist and will not stabilize them. I get that people like Tikkas, but what does that have to do with rebarreling a Howa?

I guess the other reply could have been "get a Savage, Nuff said".
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I'd go with a 1-8 twist on the 243 if wanting to shoot heavy bullets.
 
http://www.x-caliber.net/main/xcal-page.asp?p=1

These people make great barrels, SS is the way to go, machines smoother, takes heat better. $170 plus postage

This new barrel company will not keep their barrels at this price for very long, they are smooth, stress relieved(properly with the bore plugged during that process so the surface does not oxidize, and hand lapped!
 


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