Ever build off a howa? & does a mag action work for rum'

[Gallahad]

Has anybody ever used a howa action for a project? I'm wondering if they hold up well, and/or how strong of an action they are. Also if they are good, smooth, and reliable.  particularly the 3 position saftey action. By the way, So far Ive only seen pics of this action, How does this saftey operate?   Whats yer opinion?

Next question is, Can I use a standard long action Magnum action (like a 300 win mag.) and put a 7mm ultra mag barrel on it? And I hope thats not a stupid question!

[Terrill]

I've just picked up a Howa action for a little project.  They look great!  Remember, when you say Weatherby Vanguard you say Howa.

[cvrover1]

my little Broughton Barrel and Nesika Bay action question is in part there because of this very issue....

I am having a highly regarded gunsmith here in central pa. building a custom .30-06 for me right now.....his builds are 95% Howa action....including those he builds for 1000 yard bench competitions....he has shown a lot of targets to  me from rifles he has built on the action....his custom rifles are stunning in thier accuracy....be they for competition or hunting.....just made my jaw drop when I looked at the results of what he does...

Went in to him with no preconceived standards other than I wanted to max out the potential of the .30-06....wanted a 26" barrel....and didn't mind using a bull barrel and weight to accomplish my accuracy objectives....

Mentioned that I liked the Remington 700 action....he was fine with it but basically said he is more confident of the results with the Howa & that he would have to otherwise buy an entire 700 then strip out the action....then put in a Sako extractor....Howa gets him where he wants to be faster....and honestly, the action is a whole lot smoother to begin with...

So here is the deal ......with the trueing, lapping, etc. the cost is almost in the same category as the Nesika Bay.....and absolutely no trade off in accuracy....Howa makes a fine action....and not so sure that they don't have involvement in the Mark V action for Weatherby as well....agree with you 100%, the action is a great looking peice of equipment and it is smooth as silk to operate and solid as a rock.....can't go wrong with it...

Oh...he builds 90% magnums on it....most of them in the .338 range and up....probably 30% in 375 H&H....so they definetly can handle the load....

Forgot to mention....the Broughton Barrel he is marrying it to is the light varmint...will come in at 6.5 lbs in just barrel weight...total weight on the finished item, including scope (Leupold VariX III 4.5-14, 50 long range) will be about 14.5 lbs.....pretty much the same as the Marine M40A1 sniper....and will be every bit as accurate if not more so....