I recently got a 6.5 Grendel Howa mini 20" heavy barrel rifle. If I would have waited a few weeks, I might have gotten a Ruger American ranch rifle instead. Not being clairvoyant, I had no idea they would be available again. Oh well...
The Howa... eh... lots of post purchase stuff needed.
Yeah, the trigger guard/magazine bottom is horse crap. My instruction book said 55 inch# for the action screws. Being part dumb-ass (I shoulda known better) I torqued the screws at that setting. SNAP! The rear hole split(invective uttered)! Called Legacy & talked to a very nice lady & explained my screw-up. She said she would get me a new guard in the mail ASAP... FREE! She put me on hold to ask a gunsmith what the torque value should be. When she returned, she said it should be no higher than 35 inch#. One thing I noticed that is an improvement on the trigger guard is the magazine release lever. It's shorter than the original & has serrations on its face for finger traction. It should keep accidental mag releases at a minimum.
Not really wanting to put on that plastic turd again, I called Wayne at Oregon gunsmithing to see If I could get one of his trigger guards. He told me he didn't have any ready to ship 'cause he didn't have any magazine springs. That's the only out-sourced part of his trigger guard & he was still waiting for them from his supplier. Besides that, it's deer hunting season & they would be shut down for a couple of weeks. He asked for a phone number & said he would call when he had assembled guards.
Meanwhile, I ordered a DIP bottom. Way better part than the OEM! I also got DIP's mag release lever. What a PITA to install. I made a slave pin to hold the lever & spring together which made the job easier to do.
One of the first things I noticed after unboxing my rifle, the barrel was just touching the left side of the stock barrel channel. I loosened the stock screws & stuck a 1/16th" thick piece cardboard between the barrel & stock & re-tightened the screws. I had barrel clearance but it was still on the left side. Doubled up the piece of cardboard & tried it again. The barrel was still a little left but closer to center. Eh! Gotta bed this thing!
So... with the new DIP bottom & the stock bedded, everything looks GTG. Almost! When installing the magazine, it would hang up slightly. If I put a little forward pressure on it, it would go right in. What I noticed; on the inside of the action was a slight protrusion the magazine would hit if I didn't use the forward pressure. The protrusion looks to be only about 1/32nd of a inch but it's enough to cause a hang-up. I cut a shallow slot in the back of the magazine. Now installing it is silky smooth. I don't have to think about pushing the mag forward when installing it. It drops free easily as well.
I don't mind projects like this. It's kinda fun... sorta.
The Howa... eh... lots of post purchase stuff needed.
Yeah, the trigger guard/magazine bottom is horse crap. My instruction book said 55 inch# for the action screws. Being part dumb-ass (I shoulda known better) I torqued the screws at that setting. SNAP! The rear hole split(invective uttered)! Called Legacy & talked to a very nice lady & explained my screw-up. She said she would get me a new guard in the mail ASAP... FREE! She put me on hold to ask a gunsmith what the torque value should be. When she returned, she said it should be no higher than 35 inch#. One thing I noticed that is an improvement on the trigger guard is the magazine release lever. It's shorter than the original & has serrations on its face for finger traction. It should keep accidental mag releases at a minimum.Not really wanting to put on that plastic turd again, I called Wayne at Oregon gunsmithing to see If I could get one of his trigger guards. He told me he didn't have any ready to ship 'cause he didn't have any magazine springs. That's the only out-sourced part of his trigger guard & he was still waiting for them from his supplier. Besides that, it's deer hunting season & they would be shut down for a couple of weeks. He asked for a phone number & said he would call when he had assembled guards.
Meanwhile, I ordered a DIP bottom. Way better part than the OEM! I also got DIP's mag release lever. What a PITA to install. I made a slave pin to hold the lever & spring together which made the job easier to do.
One of the first things I noticed after unboxing my rifle, the barrel was just touching the left side of the stock barrel channel. I loosened the stock screws & stuck a 1/16th" thick piece cardboard between the barrel & stock & re-tightened the screws. I had barrel clearance but it was still on the left side. Doubled up the piece of cardboard & tried it again. The barrel was still a little left but closer to center. Eh! Gotta bed this thing!
So... with the new DIP bottom & the stock bedded, everything looks GTG. Almost! When installing the magazine, it would hang up slightly. If I put a little forward pressure on it, it would go right in. What I noticed; on the inside of the action was a slight protrusion the magazine would hit if I didn't use the forward pressure. The protrusion looks to be only about 1/32nd of a inch but it's enough to cause a hang-up. I cut a shallow slot in the back of the magazine. Now installing it is silky smooth. I don't have to think about pushing the mag forward when installing it. It drops free easily as well.
I don't mind projects like this. It's kinda fun... sorta.
I refuse to be victimized by notions of virtuous behavior.