Gunsmithing howa 1500 in 223 help please

[titleiiredneck]

Possibly looking to build a new toy using a howa 1500 action in 223. Local dealer has a kickass price and I cant pass it up. My questions are as follows. How hard and what tools are needed to spin the barrel off? Its basically a weatherby vanguard and I cant find any info on tools required.

Thinkng of a new 300 whisper platform for this and they say this is the best action for the job, with no extraction/ejection problems that the savage and remmy actions have unless chambered previously in 221 fireball which are hard to find at a decent price.
Thanks in advance,

Titleiiredneck

 

[DMann]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

The Howa is no more or less difficult to pull the barrel - you will need a barrel vise, and an action wrench.

BUT - the Howa front receiver ring is threaded with metric threads. So, when fitting a new barrel, your 'smith will either have to thread the barrel tenon to fit the metric thread pattern, or - there is just enough "meat" in the receiver to take a boring bar to the threads and open it up/re-cut to Remington specs - about 1.065 x 16 tpi or a tad larger.

Howas are good actions - nice blend of Remington and Sako features, plenty strong and reasonably priced.

 

[titleiiredneck]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

Hey thanks! What action wrench would you reccomend? I plan to send him the bbl and bolt so he can turn me a whisper barrel if this works out!

 

[DMann]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

Check Brownells' website for action wrenches, but I would send the whole barreled action and let the smith remove the factory tube. He should have enough experience to know what he's doing and will do it better than you can if you have never removed a barrel.

Who are you using? There aren't just a whole bunch of good rifle builders here in MS.

 

[titleiiredneck]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DMann</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Check Brownells' website for action wrenches, but I would send the whole barreled action and let the smith remove the factory tube. He should have enough experience to know what he's doing and will do it better than you can if you have never removed a barrel.

Who are you using? There aren't just a whole bunch of good rifle builders here in MS. </div></div>

I was planning on either using a smith in mobile area,or spook from here and 300 whisper. But it looks like spook and I may have worked out a deal so I may not have to remove the bbl afterall. Where in ms are you located by the way?

 

[DMann]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

I am in Jackson.

 

[titleiiredneck]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DMann</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am in Jackson. </div></div>

cool, near pascagoula here, didnt know if you shoot at the pascagoula dcm range or not.

 

[DMann]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

Not yet, but someday... .

 

[AKA-Spook]

Re: howa 1500 in 223 help please

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DMann</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The Howa is no more or less difficult to pull the barrel - you will need a barrel vise, and an action wrench. </div></div>

....provided you can cut a relief groove in the barrel in front of the receiver and trash it afterward.
Howa barrels are extremely difficult to remove otherwise.

It normally involves a press and a long cheater bar, as well as some nicely designed aluminum bits to keep from tweeking the action in the press.