Q: Howa 1500 Scope Mounting

C

C17A

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My son bought a Howa 1500 in .308, 20" HB, model number HGR93123 with Hogue stock.

Now it needs a scope.

1) Want 1-piece base that will fit the short action, either Redfield JR or Leupold. I'm assuming the short action size will fit. Howa apparently made the mounts the same as the Remington 700.

2) Word is, they used metric threads throughout: what are the thread specs for the base mount screws to the receiver?

I'm assuming M3 X .5, similar size to SAE 4-40 screws.

Fun project ahead, first scoping and then working up loads.

Thanks in advance
 
Bases are sold as Weatherby Vanguard or Howa 1500 bases, just google it. Leupold does not make a base for the short action, EGW and Nightforce (probably others as well) make a Picatinny base for the rifle, either 0 MOA or 20 MOA style. The short action does not accept one-piece Remington 700 bases.

Base screws are 6-48. They will most likely come with the scope base.

I believe your load development cycle will be very short. Howa 1500s are very good shooters as a rule.
 
If you use 2 piece bases anything that will fit a Rem 700 will work. Long actions use the same bases as the 700 in either 1 or 2 piece. Short action Howa and Vanguard needs a specific 1 piece mount.

I wouldn't use ANY mount that requires dovetails. For strength you want something similar to a Weaver style with cross slots. If you want a 1 piece mount you want a picatinny rail. No serious shooters use the Leupold or Redfield dovetail type mounts any more. They were designed years ago to be used on rifles not drilled and tapped at the factory. The holes gunsmiths drilled were often not perfectly lined up with the barrel. This system's only purpose is to get the scope aligned with the barrel if the holes aren't drilled correctly.
 
Thought that the base mount holes were metric (blogs all said Howa has metric threads), nice to know they're standard 6-48. We have a waiting period here before picking up the rifle, so I want to order the base and rings in advance. Already have a scope on order, and reloading dies came today.

I would like a 1-piece base for the rigidity. And, in steel so it has the same thermal expansion coefficient as the receiver.

jmr40: Have a Redfield JR mount (1-piece) for my 30-06, 1000's of rounds later it's still going strong. But, time marches on and I accept that the Picatinny rail is better. Thank you.

Going to work up a safe load with 168 HPBT Match and IMR4895. This will be a fun project.

Thank you all for your replies.
 
JMR40, I guess everyone here has his own opinion...You have yours, and I have mine...when I bought my first Rem 700 BDL, In the mid 1970s, It came with factory holes in the top of the receiver. The use of Leupold and or Redfield bridge mounts had nothing to do with gunsmiths drilling the holes in the wrong place.

I don`t remember weaver even making a bridge mount...I can only remember the 2-piece.

leupold and redfield had passed weaver scopes in popularity by then, and the only good mount was one of theirs...You could mix bases and rings with either brand. The reason for the 1-piece bridge...was torsional ridgidity...It was believed that the steel bridge would make the action stiffer...or take the flex out. I don`t know if it really worked, but it was preached as gospel by some of the best gun writers of the day. If picatinny was even a word back then I hadn`t heard it yet.


I guess it`s what ever we want to use, you can use what you want , and I`ll keep using my steel bridge mounts.
 
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