Beentown71
New member
Yep. The AO on my Vortex was off by about 50 yards at higher settings with my eyes.
Howa 1500 GK project
- Thread starter Duzell
- Start date
Yep. The AO on my Vortex was off by about 50 yards at higher settings with my eyes.
its an odd thing
this niko sterling scope has an adjustable parallax (sorry i should have made that clear)
the settings are low 15 yards to infinity
the scope itself when set to the yard im aiming at via a rangefinder the groups are consistent if set to the exact yard i am aiming at when setting my parallax distance.
now i was adjusting the scope to lower my parallax while still shooting the same distance and i noticed this tightened my groups up.the scope is solid and holds zero , and I find that I rather like its recticle design.
so far its an awesome gun, that i highly enjoy shooting as my new primary target gun, just currently putting funds on my ar build once that is operational I plan to get back onto the howa.
but i imagine i will eventually get a stock and flip covers for the scope.
this niko sterling scope has an adjustable parallax (sorry i should have made that clear)
the settings are low 15 yards to infinity
the scope itself when set to the yard im aiming at via a rangefinder the groups are consistent if set to the exact yard i am aiming at when setting my parallax distance.
now i was adjusting the scope to lower my parallax while still shooting the same distance and i noticed this tightened my groups up.the scope is solid and holds zero , and I find that I rather like its recticle design.
so far its an awesome gun, that i highly enjoy shooting as my new primary target gun, just currently putting funds on my ar build once that is operational I plan to get back onto the howa.
but i imagine i will eventually get a stock and flip covers for the scope.
steveNChunter
New member
Most of the lower end scopes that have adjustable parallax aren't spot on with the yardages. Odds are it's a little off from what the dial says. Keep experimenting with it and figure out if you get better accuracy on the high or low side of what your actual yardage is. Then remember that for future reference. I'm not dissing your scope, it's just that I have a couple cheap scopes that have adjustable parallax as well and I have this same issue. Once you figure it out all is well.
well took the howa out to the ranch again, to play with its companion gun the ruger american, owned by my buddy. we also brought along a winchester custom 300 win mag (yes it is stainless, with checkering on the bolt nob and stock. beautiful)
we are trying to do regular shoots with our rifles, to get him better at handling his gun.
so we shot the ruger for a bit, then the 300 win (yes my shoulder hurt after the dozen shots), the we shot the howa and i have to say, it did thte most damage to the target (due to steel core rounds but who cares it was impressive right?)
anyway , we set up a nice Block of stone about 200 yards away(yes a rock, a big rock). the 30 06 with steel tipped ammo (for bears) did nothing but knock of a little dust, the 300 with Remington standard, took a chunk out, and then the howa with steel core wolf polyformance , split the rock into pieces. was very impressive to the eye. but was probably due to all the shots previous.
im not so happy with the scope as it seems to be off when zeroed (using the bench gun shooting vise) , but works well in 200 range. im looking at getting a redfield scope , then a leopold eventually for it.
im looking into the Redfield 115216 Revenge scope, but unsure if it has a adjustable parallax system(that seems to be my most used part of my scopes lately).
maybe get a taller caldwell xla bipod 9-13 "
and a rifle case that can hold all its equipment
thats my progression on this project and i hope to have it done this year, or at least get the redfield or vortex
we are trying to do regular shoots with our rifles, to get him better at handling his gun.
so we shot the ruger for a bit, then the 300 win (yes my shoulder hurt after the dozen shots), the we shot the howa and i have to say, it did thte most damage to the target (due to steel core rounds but who cares it was impressive right?)
anyway , we set up a nice Block of stone about 200 yards away(yes a rock, a big rock). the 30 06 with steel tipped ammo (for bears) did nothing but knock of a little dust, the 300 with Remington standard, took a chunk out, and then the howa with steel core wolf polyformance , split the rock into pieces. was very impressive to the eye. but was probably due to all the shots previous.
im not so happy with the scope as it seems to be off when zeroed (using the bench gun shooting vise) , but works well in 200 range. im looking at getting a redfield scope , then a leopold eventually for it.
im looking into the Redfield 115216 Revenge scope, but unsure if it has a adjustable parallax system(that seems to be my most used part of my scopes lately).
maybe get a taller caldwell xla bipod 9-13 "
and a rifle case that can hold all its equipment
thats my progression on this project and i hope to have it done this year, or at least get the redfield or vortex
Last edited:
so was invited to a gun club by a friend, in a town 2 hours away from were i live.
this is my buddy with the ruger american,and this is his local range.
anyway when i get this gun club, we are told to arrange by skill level. i have no idea where to go. so one of the range guys brings me over to do a initial test shot, on some 223 rifle.., anyway i do my shot and its a good group and say" ok well set you up on bench 4" , ok, so im wondering if i did bad or good with this test. they hand me a target thats a typical (black single target with white outer) but says 50 yard , pistol target on the target so i think i did bad.
so im lugging the howa (in its new yukon allen soft case, also holds my ar15 btw) , and i find out im supposed to set up between the only two guys at this range with custom rifles that do the ranges furthest distance of 200 yards. ya i felt that i was misplaced next to the custom built guns. they great me and are very nice, and offer extra hearing protection as they have hot loads with double layering(not an issue as it turned out the howa was louder).
now picture this two guys with ballistics calculators, the triangular speed measuring devices, spotter scopes and all this equipment. along with being completely custom built guns on custom loads and here i am with a stock howa 1500, with its stock scope(should have brought the mosin , would have been more entertaining).
so they go back to shooting, and i start pulling out my ammo, then the howa,and then the magazines. now i brought up some ammo my friend gave me for my birthday, PMC copper 308. , never shot this before, but the howa is ranged out center dot with my wolf ammo and federal match gold. it was 20 round box , and was a gift.
now i have to wait to set my target up, and then i get to, i come back and both of these guys are staring at the howa, with this "what the f look" ,so i say"watsup?" , so apparently they both thought i had a custom rifle like them. i just laughed and say "its a howa 1500, basically a arisaka on steroids".both were intrigued and asked how it shoots , so i offer to show.
now i load up the 10 round mag and start my initial leveling with this new ammo. shoot at center black @ 200 i plug 5 center and the group is way left and loose, but i have 4 dots and i shot 5 times, so i must have done one through same hole and then start adjusting my drop via my scopes drop tacks in the recticle, and then i do a space of 1 tack to my left on my nikko sterling gameking (it has very nice optics, and apparently it was loosened on last shoot so i locktight that sucker). the ammo shoots way left(high is do to my longer range zero. we check the targets and they are very impressed with the group. and ask what brand it was so they can get one, so i give them the info and the dealer (legacy sports).
so then my friend comes up and asks to shoot the howa, i have 4 shots left and say sure, his are the top 4 holes of the target. hes still new shooter so its not unexpected group..
so it was a fun day of shooting , and the howa (with a locktight scope) performs admirably, and i enjoy its GK nikko scope. anyway, so i end my shoot, (no ammo) and go back to helping my buddy with his ruger(as he needs the help) ended up working on his gun the rest of day and got it sighted better
anyway heres the target, im planning at some point to get a higher end stock and scope to get the best bang for my buck but still, shoots very good for a 600$ rifle, and highly recommend it. Also the gameking now comes in new kryptek camo stocks and packages(i hate that as i want the desert tan) at legacy arms. but i still love the HACT trigger system
this is my buddy with the ruger american,and this is his local range.
anyway when i get this gun club, we are told to arrange by skill level. i have no idea where to go. so one of the range guys brings me over to do a initial test shot, on some 223 rifle.., anyway i do my shot and its a good group and say" ok well set you up on bench 4" , ok, so im wondering if i did bad or good with this test. they hand me a target thats a typical (black single target with white outer) but says 50 yard , pistol target on the target so i think i did bad.
so im lugging the howa (in its new yukon allen soft case, also holds my ar15 btw) , and i find out im supposed to set up between the only two guys at this range with custom rifles that do the ranges furthest distance of 200 yards. ya i felt that i was misplaced next to the custom built guns. they great me and are very nice, and offer extra hearing protection as they have hot loads with double layering(not an issue as it turned out the howa was louder).
now picture this two guys with ballistics calculators, the triangular speed measuring devices, spotter scopes and all this equipment. along with being completely custom built guns on custom loads and here i am with a stock howa 1500, with its stock scope(should have brought the mosin , would have been more entertaining).
so they go back to shooting, and i start pulling out my ammo, then the howa,and then the magazines. now i brought up some ammo my friend gave me for my birthday, PMC copper 308. , never shot this before, but the howa is ranged out center dot with my wolf ammo and federal match gold. it was 20 round box , and was a gift.
now i have to wait to set my target up, and then i get to, i come back and both of these guys are staring at the howa, with this "what the f look" ,so i say"watsup?" , so apparently they both thought i had a custom rifle like them. i just laughed and say "its a howa 1500, basically a arisaka on steroids".both were intrigued and asked how it shoots , so i offer to show.
now i load up the 10 round mag and start my initial leveling with this new ammo. shoot at center black @ 200 i plug 5 center and the group is way left and loose, but i have 4 dots and i shot 5 times, so i must have done one through same hole and then start adjusting my drop via my scopes drop tacks in the recticle, and then i do a space of 1 tack to my left on my nikko sterling gameking (it has very nice optics, and apparently it was loosened on last shoot so i locktight that sucker). the ammo shoots way left(high is do to my longer range zero. we check the targets and they are very impressed with the group. and ask what brand it was so they can get one, so i give them the info and the dealer (legacy sports).
so then my friend comes up and asks to shoot the howa, i have 4 shots left and say sure, his are the top 4 holes of the target. hes still new shooter so its not unexpected group..
so it was a fun day of shooting , and the howa (with a locktight scope) performs admirably, and i enjoy its GK nikko scope. anyway, so i end my shoot, (no ammo) and go back to helping my buddy with his ruger(as he needs the help) ended up working on his gun the rest of day and got it sighted better
anyway heres the target, im planning at some point to get a higher end stock and scope to get the best bang for my buck but still, shoots very good for a 600$ rifle, and highly recommend it. Also the gameking now comes in new kryptek camo stocks and packages(i hate that as i want the desert tan) at legacy arms. but i still love the HACT trigger system
a few people have asked on both my web site and my youtube if i plan to do more to the howa 1500
yes. at some point, but right now its very accurate and reliable as is. im currently working on other projects at the moment. one being my tm15 project (bloody money pit ar15s) and another will be my custom 1911 project i hopefully start this year on
the improvements to the howa are as follows (for future)
-fluted bolt
-extended nob
-muzzle break
-new stock
as i know a few people are following this project to see the options for a howa
there are a few stocks with recoil dampining systems for higher caliber howa's
but currently my shinsetsu shoots great, and can keep up with custom rifles for competition shoots. and its very reliable and quick to use. which was my main criteria for this gun.
in 308 i have great control and accuracy, the stock weight makes it easy to use without much recoil. and the scope (after tightening it) is very dependable and accurate (also love the reticule)
the bolt motion is flawless and the low serial number just makes me ecstatic.
im still hunting for flip covers for my GK scope(if anyone has recommendations id love to hear them)
yes. at some point, but right now its very accurate and reliable as is. im currently working on other projects at the moment. one being my tm15 project (bloody money pit ar15s) and another will be my custom 1911 project i hopefully start this year on
the improvements to the howa are as follows (for future)
-fluted bolt
-extended nob
-muzzle break
-new stock
as i know a few people are following this project to see the options for a howa
there are a few stocks with recoil dampining systems for higher caliber howa's
but currently my shinsetsu shoots great, and can keep up with custom rifles for competition shoots. and its very reliable and quick to use. which was my main criteria for this gun.
in 308 i have great control and accuracy, the stock weight makes it easy to use without much recoil. and the scope (after tightening it) is very dependable and accurate (also love the reticule)
the bolt motion is flawless and the low serial number just makes me ecstatic.
im still hunting for flip covers for my GK scope(if anyone has recommendations id love to hear them)