I recently purchased a couple hunting rifles but it has been a consistent -30 or colder since I got them. This weekend temps soared up to +2 yesterday and around 0 today though so I finally got to go try them out. For the last 11 years I have done probably 75% of my rifle hunting with my Kimber Montana in 338 Federal and absolutely love it. I added an Ascent style titanium handle, an aluminum trigger guard, Talley light weight rings and topped it with a Leupold VX3 3-9x33 Ultralight. Loaded with 210gr TSX, it has hammered a pile of deer and elk. It's been fantastic and I will continue to use it for elk/moose but it's really more than needed for deer, has a good amount of recoil, and isn't the greatest should I need a longer range shot. I only practice out to 300yds and would rarely need to shoot further but I wanted something that doesn't kick as hard and could be used to reach out a little further if needed. I decided another Montana in something a little lighter recoiling would be perfect so the search was on. Thanks to a tip from a member here I picked up this one in 6.5 Creedmoor. Before shooting it I added an Ascent style titanium handle. The trigger guard is already made from some light weight material on these newer production Montana's so I didn't need to swap that out. Talley light weight rings and a Leupold VX3i 2.5-8x36 top it off. I loathe buying factory ammo for anything but I just could not find the bullets I wanted to load so I ended up buying enough Barnes VOR-TX with the 120gr TTSX to keep me busy for a few seasons. I was hoping it would be accurate and it didn't disappoint. I bore sighted the rifle, fired 2 rounds at 50yds to get it good enough to move out and then fired this 3 round group at 100yds. Pretty limited samples but I would say the rifle is more than accurate enough.
The second rifle I picked up is a bit of an odd one for me to buy, a Howa mini action in 450 Bushmaster. It has 3 things I do not like in a hunting rifle that would normally be an instant no go when choosing something but for some reason it just appealed to me so much I decided I could live with the one thing and change the other 2. The rifle weights just a hair over 5lbs, has a 16.5 inch barrel and is a blast to shoot. It's light and handy. I added Talley light weight rings and a Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x36.
The first thing, the muzzle brake, was an easy fix. I immediately took it off the day I got the rifle home. It was ridiculously huge, added unwanted weight and length and I just hate the muzzle blast and noise from them. It has gone into a parts bin never to be seen again.
The second thing is the detachable mag. I have zero use or need for a detachable mag for my hunting style and this one is particularly bad. The release is so easy to hit, I can't possibly see how it wouldn't get bumped when going through thick brush or even accidentally moving your hand too far back on the forend. Even shooting off the bags on the bench I hit the super light release multiple times when positioning the rifle, causing the mag to drop. It's just not for me. Unfortunately I have to live with it for another month or so then I'll have a solution for that problem. I will update with that if anyone is interested. My biggest knock on this rifle is the plastic trigger guard and mag system. In my opinion it's just junk.
The third thing is the push feed action. I know it will work just fine and be reliable, I just really prefer CRF and all my other hunting rifles are CRF actions. However, I have always been impressed with the Howa action. It has a lot of quality features like a one piece bolt, integral recoil lug, 3 position safety, and a really decent trigger. Overall I think they are great actions and I really don't mind it and can definitely live with it.
I bore sighted it and took a few rounds to get it good at 50 then moved out to 100 and fired 2, three round groups. Accuracy wasn't great but I felt I pulled one shot in each group. I will definitely be working up some handloads once I get components but for now I just bought some Remington 260gr premier Accutips. I thought these would be great since they are a bonded bullet but they have a huge fault that will basically limit them to target practice. I loaded up 4 rounds in the mag, fired 2 then went to feed the 3rd and it just jammed. Wouldn't ride up the ramp, it just jammed into the front of the mag. Took me a few minutes figure it out but once I did, I was pretty disappointed with the ammo. The bullets feature a plastic pointed tip of some sort and the force of the recoil flattens the tip out so much that they won't feed anymore. I posted a pic below showing a fresh round and one that had been in the mag through 2 firings. The Howa is known for not feeding anything that isn't pointy so I would not recommend this ammo to anyone with a Howa. It feeds the first 2 rounds slick as can be but then you're in for a jam if you need more. I have a bunch of Barnes 250gr TTSX on order for it and I expect them to maintain a point and feed better. I guess I'll find out when ever they show up.
The second rifle I picked up is a bit of an odd one for me to buy, a Howa mini action in 450 Bushmaster. It has 3 things I do not like in a hunting rifle that would normally be an instant no go when choosing something but for some reason it just appealed to me so much I decided I could live with the one thing and change the other 2. The rifle weights just a hair over 5lbs, has a 16.5 inch barrel and is a blast to shoot. It's light and handy. I added Talley light weight rings and a Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x36.
The first thing, the muzzle brake, was an easy fix. I immediately took it off the day I got the rifle home. It was ridiculously huge, added unwanted weight and length and I just hate the muzzle blast and noise from them. It has gone into a parts bin never to be seen again.
The second thing is the detachable mag. I have zero use or need for a detachable mag for my hunting style and this one is particularly bad. The release is so easy to hit, I can't possibly see how it wouldn't get bumped when going through thick brush or even accidentally moving your hand too far back on the forend. Even shooting off the bags on the bench I hit the super light release multiple times when positioning the rifle, causing the mag to drop. It's just not for me. Unfortunately I have to live with it for another month or so then I'll have a solution for that problem. I will update with that if anyone is interested. My biggest knock on this rifle is the plastic trigger guard and mag system. In my opinion it's just junk.
The third thing is the push feed action. I know it will work just fine and be reliable, I just really prefer CRF and all my other hunting rifles are CRF actions. However, I have always been impressed with the Howa action. It has a lot of quality features like a one piece bolt, integral recoil lug, 3 position safety, and a really decent trigger. Overall I think they are great actions and I really don't mind it and can definitely live with it.
I bore sighted it and took a few rounds to get it good at 50 then moved out to 100 and fired 2, three round groups. Accuracy wasn't great but I felt I pulled one shot in each group. I will definitely be working up some handloads once I get components but for now I just bought some Remington 260gr premier Accutips. I thought these would be great since they are a bonded bullet but they have a huge fault that will basically limit them to target practice. I loaded up 4 rounds in the mag, fired 2 then went to feed the 3rd and it just jammed. Wouldn't ride up the ramp, it just jammed into the front of the mag. Took me a few minutes figure it out but once I did, I was pretty disappointed with the ammo. The bullets feature a plastic pointed tip of some sort and the force of the recoil flattens the tip out so much that they won't feed anymore. I posted a pic below showing a fresh round and one that had been in the mag through 2 firings. The Howa is known for not feeding anything that isn't pointy so I would not recommend this ammo to anyone with a Howa. It feeds the first 2 rounds slick as can be but then you're in for a jam if you need more. I have a bunch of Barnes 250gr TTSX on order for it and I expect them to maintain a point and feed better. I guess I'll find out when ever they show up.
