As you know I've had this action in my safe for awhile, wasn't sure when I'd finish it but seeing the access to the cz bottom end coming around and getting that process on the way spurred me into action on the rest.
The stocky's carbon is on the way, and everything else except the cz bottom is here. May as well start with some action pics while awaiting the final pieces. Details, machinest took 1.5 oz out of action by slabbing it, the 1.5 oz came out of bolt and bolt handle as well. Tungsten cerekote on action/bolt shroud, color goes good with carbon, it's what I matched up to the proof carbon barrel I first had on this action for the howa chassis project I did previously.
The unfired 22" barrel has been cut back to 18.5" and has it's first 5 break-in rounds down the pipe now. Rings are talley 1" low and the scope is a Leupold fx2 6x36 with custom cds-zl turret added.
Currently the barrelled action/action screws/scope/rings are 4 lb 1 oz, the CZ magazine is 3.5 oz. If stock is 17 oz as advertised and bottom metal is 3.5 oz will land 5 lb 9 oz scoped and 37.5" long. Could perhaps get closer to 5 1/4 lb scoped with hinged floor plate but I prefer detach mags and happy to eat a few ounces to have a quality set up underneath. The factory bottom plastic is 1/2 oz and magazine 2.5 oz fyi...but I will not field that playtel nonsense. Factory trigger at 2 lbs will do for now.
HokeyPokeyKid Wrote:The CZ magazine conversion bottom metal is a little chunky in places, you could shave some of the extra weight off pretty easily.
the thought is in my mind, I will gauge it and the stock, either may end up with a visit to my smith, if the stock doesn't fit/lock up how I like it will go and a Swiss cheesing of the bottom metal may occur also, a theme only works if it's all the way through
SC,
my setup with full 22" tube and the hinged Oberndorf bottom metal from Jefferson Outdoors with the talley rings, leupold AR-patrol 3x9 and a sling was, if I recall 6 lbs 1 oz. So with the extensive machining and barrel chopping your estimated weight could easily be what you expect. well done!!! Yep, getting the little howa to just how I wanted it is a pretty big money pit, but I sure like the results when it's all said and done. I expect you will too.
-tdbru
tdbru Wrote:SC,
I didn't remember correctly. mine is was 6lbs 5oz. so you'll be even 1 lb lighter, almost. very well done!!
-tdbru
right on and the lightest slings I have are 2oz but most normal slings are 4-ish...so you're scoped rifle without sling likely 6 lb 1 oz, and yes, it will almost be like a Kimber lol, those you can get in stainless already skeletonize etc. but accuracy lottery and no grendels, also no detach mag, will see how much the stock actually weighs and then I imagine I can at any point get an ounce or two of fat out of the cz bottom metal if I wanna make 5 lb 8 oz on the nose or a slightly under, math says it will be 5 lbs 9 oz with those two parts on the way as is
01-23-2023, 11:23 PM (This post was last modified: 01-24-2023, 04:29 PM by Stinky Coyote.)
update, the stock, showed up, 18.0 oz, some surface imperfections in coating (like pitting here and there...maybe the clear just absorbed a little further after spray and maybe just needed another spray or two after some curing? but they turn them out pretty quick) seems to be a carbon thing, my barrel, scope, rings etc. is already matching with imperfections so all good, don't like the super sticky limb saver recoil pad though, thin hard rubber would be better, the barrel channel was clearing a 3" square post it note all the way so that was a bonus, don't need to send to my smith, and just barely clearing that paper...super thin gap, almost looks like it's touching all the way down
I'm at 5 lb 6 oz with the factory bottom plastic/magazine (scope, rings installed already). Should be 5 lb 10 oz with the cz bottom metal/magazine and maybe 5 lb 7-8 oz with flat bottom metal kit. Just under 37.5" oal, just under 13.5" lop, and balance point just a smidge ahead of the front action screw, 22" barrel cut down to 18.5" and 3.0 oz removed from action/bolt.
Bare rifle is 4 lb 15 oz (79 oz) - which is a 22" cut to 18.5", and -3.0 oz missing from slabbed fluted action, stocky's carbon gen2 stock (18 oz actual) and hokey's cz bottom 4.0 oz, and cz 5 round mag at 3.5 oz.
Add 2.0 for talley 1" low rings, and 9.5 oz (actual) for my leupold 6x36 with cds-zl turret and grand total is 90.5 oz or 5 lb 10.5 oz. Oal is just under 37.5" and lop just under 13.5". Here's some pics...I couldn't bear to take pics while it still had the abortion plastic bottom end.
Drop chart is a nice touch on the side of the Leupold.
That will be very handy in the field.
Thanks guys. The drop is actually in the speed dial turret which I have data set to middle my elevation/temp ranges for hunting so I'm only out maximum 1-2 clicks at the furthest I'd consider a shot at hung up coyote or what not, give or take 600 yards. The decal shows my 10 km/h wind holds for 300, 400, 500 and 600 yards. The bonus about adding that cds-zl turret to that scope through leupold custom shop near me (Korth) is that it turned my elevation clicks into .3 moa, so I get more distance in a single rotation of turret, even with the short barrelled ruger that I first had this scope on took me to over 600 yards. this 18.5" barrel should be a bit faster so might get me to 650 yards in a single rotation from 200 yard zero. It's just a very fast 'hunt' set up. Example, rangefinder says 450, dial quickly to the 4.5 on the turret, then consult your wind quick and make your wind call, lay down and shoot. I tend to apply maximum sheep hunter minimalist mentality to things and boil it down simple as possible as hunting seems to want k.i.s.s. principle set up and gear. No fat, no target stuff needed, no computer needed or ballistic solvers, that can be done ahead of season with proper set up, it's all on the rifle, just a basic rangefinder will do and ones ability to pay attention to the wind.
Nice bit of kit you make Sir, thanks for getting it out as quick as you could. I have two brand new magazines, one is cycling all 5, the other isn't grabbing the last round, sits a touch low, feel like just need to suck that bottom metal up into the stock a little more, worst case will have to have machinest skim something, either your kit or the inlet. Will play with it soon enough, some break in rounds happen this weekend then after ice season (after march) will have a range day to zero and collect drop data.
02-02-2023, 10:53 PM (This post was last modified: 02-02-2023, 10:58 PM by Stinky Coyote.)
And Howa (Legacy Sports), take note. This is almost what you should be offering for sale, IN STAINLESS! Get rid of the plastic (stock and bottom abortion), all aluminum please, and bring in the stainless the other markets get. And while you're at it, fix the stamped safety abortion to a proper knurled hump or something (look at timney for example, can't believe that has to be said) and single stage would be preferred also and since I'm nitpicking that trigger, take a look at the cz 527 trigger blade itself, make your's feel like that one instead of the cheap gas station cap gun feel your blade has.
Stinky Coyote Wrote:Thanks guys. The drop is actually in the speed dial turret which I have data set to middle my elevation/temp ranges for hunting so I'm only out maximum 1-2 clicks at the furthest I'd consider a shot at hung up coyote or what not, give or take 600 yards. The decal shows my 10 km/h wind holds for 300, 400, 500 and 600 yards. The bonus about adding that cds-zl turret to that scope through leupold custom shop near me (Korth) is that it turned my elevation clicks into .3 moa, so I get more distance in a single rotation of turret, even with the short barrelled ruger that I first had this scope on took me to over 600 yards. this 18.5" barrel should be a bit faster so might get me to 650 yards in a single rotation from 200 yard zero. It's just a very fast 'hunt' set up. Example, rangefinder says 450, dial quickly to the 4.5 on the turret, then consult your wind quick and make your wind call, lay down and shoot. I tend to apply maximum sheep hunter minimalist mentality to things and boil it down simple as possible as hunting seems to want k.i.s.s. principle set up and gear. No fat, no target stuff needed, no computer needed or ballistic solvers, that can be done ahead of season with proper set up, it's all on the rifle, just a basic rangefinder will do and ones ability to pay attention to the wind.
When I started working with the Finnish Sniping community, one of the guys developed a decal for scope turrets that does a similar thing, using the Mil formula for shoulder width of a man.
You just dial to your "read Mils" and youre on target, no need for breaking out a homework assignment in the field.
Because I deal with pretty drastic changes in elevation, temperature, and barometric pressure at most of the shooting locations I frequent, I have to do the homework, but it can be simplified into Density Altitude cards and scope cap disks.
600yds is pretty close range for me as well, even with the 12 Grendel shooting steel targets.
400yds is kinda boring, except for the reward of the audible impacts sounding like a .308 hitting steel.
I also like the GRSC reticle system, which is very intuitive because it has graduated size 10 circles corresponding to the range stadia.
NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
Very nice! My wife saw one with that stock (out of stock) and said I should wait to get it. It was "too damn sexy" in her words. Then she realized that it would be a bang around rifle and the plastic stock version made more sense. Still need the bottom metal on mine, and may end up going to a shorter tube as well, but I want to shoot it as is to do a comparison.
Redleg11B Wrote:Very nice! My wife saw one with that stock (out of stock) and said I should wait to get it. It was "too damn sexy" in her words. Then she realized that it would be a bang around rifle and the plastic stock version made more sense. Still need the bottom metal on mine, and may end up going to a shorter tube as well, but I want to shoot it as is to do a comparison.
oh this thing is gonna get banged around, the stock imperfections basically match already used gear anyway, it's still not some sort of well finished jewel that one may envision or hope for in mind, so set your expectations several notches below something you may see from sako please lol, the stock is 'ok', a little too much money really, and likely for an ounce more and similar coin that Pendleton stock would be more the minds version of what should have come for the dollars and really high level finished product...mind you I haven't handled the Pendleton stock so can't be certain but they do look well finished, I bought this stock for the weight and size appropriate for the rifle...not to have some perfect carbon stock or something, many who buy this stock, with really high expectations may end up disappointed, take that for what it's worth, like the recoil pad doesn't fit super great, I already had to trim the top of it off as it rose way higher than the stock comb, then try and match the rubber texture to the rest of it lol, Dremel masterpiece lol, don't care, gonna use this thing, truck or mountains, hate the recoil pad, too tacky and squishy, point is, you'll never get a really sweet howa, if I wanted an ultralight grendel of high quality and materials and fit to match I'd start looking at other platforms altogether, a Kimber Montana stainless start, sako 85 stainless XS action start etc. even a ruger boat paddle 77 in 7.62x39 stainless would be a good start, do nice wood stock with red recoil pad etc. but you'll never get there with one of these cheap howa's...you've been warned, protect your wallets
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