02-20-2023, 12:24 PM
I have had and have howa, and have had a couple rugers. I don't like the ruger mag (AR) b/c it was not a reliable feeder, plus rounds that are shorter would pop up and jam against the barrel face without going in. The howa mag feeds great but it's release mechanism can be too hard or too easy to work. A five round detachable mag is fine, or maybe 4-round detach. Not a fan of internal mags b/c the top feed issue is tough with a small cartridge.
And the stock - the stock!!! Plastic is ok if you have to but make sure it is at least serviceable, like the accustock, or has some ability for an add-on cheek riser. And not so flimsy as to flex and touch the barrel in the forend. Ruger, howa and savage all failed in the stock part.
I like the Savage style barrel nuts, so you can swap barrels without need of a gun smith.
Should take or use picatinny rails, not proprietary rings or such.
Common SAE thread, 5/8-24 for muzzle devices.
I like the 20" howa HB style, the ruger has a 22" which is fine too b/c it is thick enough to be threaded, which is what I look for in a barrel.
Howa has a 5-r style internal twist/lands which is better imo than the 4- or 6, the off-set of the lands in the cross section is a plus for a small cartridge to push the bullet through. If it's not radiused (to save some cost) that's fine but 5 lands not 6. Savage and some ARs are this way also so it's not uncommon.
Use a 1:8 twist rate, not 1:9. 7.5 would be ok but 8 is probably more standard, so would be better cost-wise.
Definitely a mini action not just a 308-style with a bolt-shortener (like Axis does).
The bottom metal should be metal not plastic, the howa bottom plastic is basically DOA..
Savage style floating bolt head is fine or a ruger style one-piece bolt is ok too, but disassembly for cleaning should be regular-tech friendly not needing, again, a gun smith or lots of proprietary tools. Savage is better than ruger's in this regard.
Trigger - now their lawyers could prevent this I guess - adjustable for ~3-5 lb, personally I like about 2.5 but 3 is ok.
Finally, to me selling a gun is about good engineering but also about parts availability, so a guy can swap out parts or improve it or change out a faulty/failed part. Make sure after-mkt or oem parts will be available. Like stocks, triggers, rings, muzzle devices, but also mags, action screws etc. If a gun won't shoot moa with a decent load it is not worth much to me.
And the stock - the stock!!! Plastic is ok if you have to but make sure it is at least serviceable, like the accustock, or has some ability for an add-on cheek riser. And not so flimsy as to flex and touch the barrel in the forend. Ruger, howa and savage all failed in the stock part.
I like the Savage style barrel nuts, so you can swap barrels without need of a gun smith.
Should take or use picatinny rails, not proprietary rings or such.
Common SAE thread, 5/8-24 for muzzle devices.
I like the 20" howa HB style, the ruger has a 22" which is fine too b/c it is thick enough to be threaded, which is what I look for in a barrel.
Howa has a 5-r style internal twist/lands which is better imo than the 4- or 6, the off-set of the lands in the cross section is a plus for a small cartridge to push the bullet through. If it's not radiused (to save some cost) that's fine but 5 lands not 6. Savage and some ARs are this way also so it's not uncommon.
Use a 1:8 twist rate, not 1:9. 7.5 would be ok but 8 is probably more standard, so would be better cost-wise.
Definitely a mini action not just a 308-style with a bolt-shortener (like Axis does).
The bottom metal should be metal not plastic, the howa bottom plastic is basically DOA..
Savage style floating bolt head is fine or a ruger style one-piece bolt is ok too, but disassembly for cleaning should be regular-tech friendly not needing, again, a gun smith or lots of proprietary tools. Savage is better than ruger's in this regard.
Trigger - now their lawyers could prevent this I guess - adjustable for ~3-5 lb, personally I like about 2.5 but 3 is ok.
Finally, to me selling a gun is about good engineering but also about parts availability, so a guy can swap out parts or improve it or change out a faulty/failed part. Make sure after-mkt or oem parts will be available. Like stocks, triggers, rings, muzzle devices, but also mags, action screws etc. If a gun won't shoot moa with a decent load it is not worth much to me.
"Down the floor, out the door, Go Brandon Go!!!!!"