Howa 1500 Ranchland Compact review part 2

Atkins

New member
Well the rifle made it to the range yesterday. I started off shooting what I had which was 55gr vmax reloaded to factory specs.

I first shot the rifle at 25 yards 5 shots all touching...not surprising and nothing to brag about.

Second set was out to 50 and still 5 shots all touching. This rifle is beginning to show some potential!

Third set was out to 100. Now my groups opened up to about 1.5". I am 100% posititve that this was me and the rifle will shoot better. I was having a hard time focusing and the wife was pushing me to get home and clean before we go out of town this weekend. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I only shot about 15 rds after preliminary sighting in. I am going to make a trip to the range, with plenty of time scheduled, next thursday. Hopefully I can get things tuned in and find out what this rifle can really do. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif I think they have potential! I've only ran the bulk Win 45gr hp (40 pack) through mine for the break-in procedure recommended by LSI and i was keeping it around an inch at 100yrds. I'll keep you posted...I just keep waiting for a calm day, where I don't have to go to work, to take it to the range.
 
I am skeptical about "breaking" in a barell. I have done some research and see not practicle reason for the shoot clean, shoot clean, shoot clean approach. I have never done this on any new production gun, and everyone has performed though its life as it was expected to do. No problems at all. I clean my rifles every 50 shots, and the only thing I do prior to shooting for the first time is wipe the barell once to get any metal from manufacturing out.
 
I read a lot about breaking on in too. In the end I decided that since there factory barrels are lapped, I'd just follow what they recommend and call it good. The time and cost that some break-in procedures call for are too much IMO. They may be necessary for a benchrest gun/champion, but I don't have the $$$ for the gun nor am I a hoping to be a champion in contests.

I just want to kill some 'yotes...is that too much to ask!?!
 
I have heard every side to the argument of breaking in and I have tried breaking in rifles and just cleaning them after every shooting for the first hundred rounds. I actually tried my own test while I am not a scientist even though I like wearing a lab coat (ha) I actually bought three rifles at the same time and they were all the same make. I decided to break one in with the most stringent break in procedure and then another I did about half the procedure and the third I did nothing but shoot and I will say that they all did the same thing (actually the one with the strict procedure actually was the hardest to get shooting). They all started shooting their best after about a hundred rounds. The gun that actually seemed to work the best was the one that I cleaned in between shootings (which I figured to be and average of about 12 rounds between cleaning). Now I am no benchrest shooter even though I have spent many hours sitting on the bench in other sports (ha) I shoot pretty good using a bench rest and bags and a good bench. The best shooting guns I got just so happen to be the ones I did not break in properly, coincidence, I am not sure.
 
Good point! I think a regular claning regimin from the beginning is best. I am no expert though. I am sure that soon enough someone will chime in and argue for strict break in procedure.
 
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