Howa bbled action issues

[jksiller]

I’m about 40 rounds of quality factory ammo down the tube, and still showing inconsistency at 100 yds ( 2+ moa). I’ve taken it all apart, retorqued action screws, checked and retorqued bases and optic rings. I’ve done nothing except swap out the trigger to a Timney and am a little frustrated. I’ve read some other users having issues- did anybody come to a resolution? FYI it’s in a Krg bravo stock, mark 3 scope. I started at 55 in lbs on action screws, then went to 65, then went back to 55, torquing front screw first. 16” bull barrel, .308, let rifle rest every ~5 shots to cool down.
Bought to go back to bowhunting!

 

[hereinaz]

Try tightening the front to just snug. Then tighten the rear down. Then torque the front to spec. Sometimes if you tighten the front first, it pulls the rear up and then the action gets bent. The screw in the lug can pull the action up and cause an issue.

Seen it happen and it changes a gun from sub moa to +2 moa in and instant.

Sometimes, the gun just won’t shoot. Have to work through Legacy then.

 

[Kyguy]

Is it 40 rounds of the same load? 2 loads? 10 loads? Try different ammo. Put a different scope on it and see what happens.

 

[jksiller]

Try tightening the front to just snug. Then tighten the rear down. Then torque the front to spec. Sometimes if you tighten the front first, it pulls the rear up and then the action gets bent. The screw in the lug can pull the action up and cause an issue.

Seen it happen and it changes a gun from sub moa to +2 moa in and instant.

Sometimes, the gun just won’t shoot. Have to work through Legacy then.

Thanks, will give this a try.

 

[hereinaz]

If you tighten the front only, as an experiment you can watch it lift off the rear.

Just make sure it seats against the lug and my method has “fixed” Howa more than once.

 

[Ranger 692]

That is the experience I had with my mini action, unbedded and bedded in a Stockys, all sorts of different ammo. 2 MOA. I wanted to like it but just wasn’t working.

 

[jksiller]

Is it 40 rounds of the same load? 2 loads? 10 loads? Try different ammo. Put a different scope on it and see what happens.

6 different kinds of ammo. Fed premium and Hornady Eldx, fed premium trophy copper, hsm bergers, etc. historically what works well in .308 with 1:8 twist.
It’s the same scope- I have not removed and or shot this scope on any other rifle. Yes it’s a variable but I’m thinking based on the research that I’ve done that this is the least likely culprit.

 

[Kyguy]

40 rounds over 6 different loads isn't enough data. It's only eight 5 shot groups. How many shots in your groups and what size are the groups? One load that might shoot a 1.5" group and then turn around and shoot a 3/4" group is a 1.1" average. You really need multiple 5 shot (or 3 shot) groups of one load to decide if it's a keeper or not.

Here's an example.... AAC 140GR BLADE 6.5 Creed...$20 a box. First three shots were just under an inch in my custom (an actual custom rifle). Bleh. Two more groups were the same. Ok. Then I dumped the other 11 rounds into a group that was just under an inch.

3 shot groups of 140gr ELD-M were cloverleaf's..... But a 10 shot group was just under an inch.

The AAC is much cheaper than the ELD-M and that particular lot shoots statistically the same, based on a 10 shot group. Most people would have automatically discarded the AAC ammo based on the three shot groups.

 

[jksiller]

40 rounds over 6 different loads isn't enough data. It's only eight 5 shot groups. How many shots in your groups and what size are the groups? One load that might shoot a 1.5" group and then turn around and shoot a 3/4" group is a 1.1" average. You really need multiple 5 shot (or 3 shot) groups of one load to decide if it's a keeper or not.

Here's an example.... AAC 140GR BLADE 6.5 Creed...$20 a box. First three shots were just under an inch in my custom (an actual custom rifle). Bleh. Two more groups were the same. Ok. Then I dumped the other 11 rounds into a group that was just under an inch.

3 shot groups of 140gr ELD-M were cloverleaf's..... But a 10 shot group was just under an inch.

The AAC is much cheaper than the ELD-M and that particular lot shoots statistically the same, based on a 10 shot group. Most people would have automatically discarded the AAC ammo based on the three shot groups.

Ur absolutely correct. And I apologize my math was terrible incorrect. I’m on my sixth box of ammo, so I’m about 100 rounds in. I’m uploading the picture of only three of the targets from this week, and I put them side by side just to show the inconsistency. I normally shoot 3 round groups for picking ammo- but to conserve ammo I was only shooting two since I recognize that something isn’t right. i didn’t want to add the Photos initially bc it doesn’t tell the full story and inconsistencies of each type of ammo, but here you go!

 

[sndmn11]

Ur absolutely correct. And I apologize my math was terrible incorrect. I’m on my sixth box of ammo, so I’m about 100 rounds in. I’m uploading the picture of only three of the targets from this week, and I put them side by side just to show the inconsistency. I normally shoot 3 round groups for picking ammo- but to conserve ammo I was only shooting two since I recognize that something isn’t right. i didn’t want to add the Photos initially bc it doesn’t tell the full story and inconsistencies of each type of ammo, but here you go!

That looks like a mount or optic problem. Torque value and sequence in that chassis should be irrelevant. Pull the scope off, check the rail, check the scope, etc.

Have you ever used loctite in the front action screw hole?

 

[jksiller]

That looks like a mount or optic problem. Torque value and sequence in that chassis should be irrelevant. Pull the scope off, check the rail, check the scope, etc.

Have you ever used loctite in the front action screw hole?

I just pulled the scope off and retorqued everything and I used loctite on optics only not on action screws