Howa Superlite - my experience

[Justabirdwatcher]

I love light guns and have had good luck with Howas (after a bit of tweaking on each of them) so I jumped on the Superlite bandwagon this past week. I wanted the 7mm-08 in gray cerakote, which I could only find without a stock on Brownell's website, so I ordered it along with a green splatter CF stock. A couple days ago they both came in. Barreled action looks great, as I'm used to with Howas, and to my delight no "zipper" sound on this action. Pretty smooth all in all. But I have to say that bottom plastic and even the magazine, is complete garbage for something that cost over $500. Sharp edges and toy-like.

Looked over the stock and immediately noticed a couple things. A little "notch" behind the bolt cutout where I think a read bead is supposed to go, indicating the safety is in the fire position. But no red bead. Just a weird little notch. And then, I looked at the sling stud on the forend and get this - someone had GLUED IT IN. It came out easily with a little tug on the sling. I looked into the hole and someone had broken off the sling stud screw in the aluminum bedding block, and instead of scrapping the whole stock (because they didn't want to try to get a stuck steel screw out of an aluminum bar) they just glued in what was left of the sling stud and sent it down the line! Sheesh! I don't blame Howa for this. This is clearly a Stocky's issue. And I'm not real surprised because I've sent two Stocky's carbon stocks back to them in the past due to very poor quality control. Anyway, I managed to get the broken steel stud out, retap the hole and replace the swivel stud with one that has a nut recessed into the barrel channel. I got lucky because it covers the original damage and darn sure isn't going to pull out now. But that was just awful.

After dropping the action into the stock, I snugged up the action screws. Immediately I noticed how proud the rear tang stood in the action. I only got 1 1/2 turns on the rear action screw. But it was firm. Can't say the same for the front action screw. Talk about mush! I was careful to not overtorque the front action screw (I've seen pictures of cracked bottom plastic) but with even a moderate torque, the barrel pulled down into the channel and touched the stock. I could back it off and have a free floated barrel, or give it 30'ish ft.lbs. and watch the barrel descend with each turn toward the bottom of the channel. (sigh...) I've read on other forums where this is a problem, and that $500 stock is going to need to be bedded to prevent the barrel from being pulled down into the stock.

I also learned that there is now an aluminum hinged floorplate available for these. I like a hinged floorplate on a hunting rifle, so I plan to order one and bed the action into this stock while I wait on that to arrive. Then hopefully I'll get a decent shooting gun.

I did take it to the range and went through the prescribed break-in process, using some moderate hand loads with 130 grain Speer boat tails. Those typically shoot really well for me. They shot "okay" in this rifle. 2" or so, with me cleaning between each of the first 5 shots, then every other shot for the next 5. That was with a pretty lightly torqued front action screw, so I'll be curious to see how she does with a bedded action and the aluminum floor plate. Should be able to properly torque the action with that setup.

I do like the action and surprisingly it doesn't kick all that bad, even with my full 140 grain loads. Don't care for the fat heel on the grip of the stock, but I can live with it. Overall the geometry is pretty good. It's not the Bansner stock that the old Howa Alpine came with (the pinnacle of Howa's mountain rifles IMO) but it's not bad.

The plastic magazine feeds well enough, but it bounces around (spring action) under the gun and doesn't give one a very secure feeling when you touch it. Feels like it's never quite inserted all the way. Not sure I could tolerate that long-term, so the aftermarket floorplate will be a welcome upgrade.

More to come as I spend a little more time with the new gun.

Oh, 5 lbs. 11 oz. all in with Talley rings and my VX-2 LR 3-9x40 scope. A full pound and a half lighter than my other 7mm-08, which is already a pretty light gun. This thing will be a treat to carry if I can get it shooting even halfway decent. It's the closest thing I've found to my old Howa Mini in 6.5G but its actually a half pound lighter than that gun was.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Playing with the trigger weight adjustment today, while waiting on my walnut stock and real bottom metal... Got the pull down to 2 lbs. but was also able to recreate the well known issue of a heavy trigger when forcibly cycling the bolt. This is a well documented issue with HACT triggers on Howas. Some do it, some don't. Mine does it. Cycle the bolt too hard and instead of a light two stage trigger, you get a heavy (5-6 lbs) single stage. That is unfortunate. Howa needs to clean this up. The HACT trigger is outstanding otherwise, and I do like the two-stage trigger. Just keep an eye out if you get too aggressive on the bolt.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Seems like a bummer, a lot of work to get the gun to where you need it to be...

Keep us updated on how it shoots over time. I've thought about getting a super lite but if 2" is the best she can do I'll move on to greener pastures...

 

[TN2shot07]

Who is making the bottom metal for these, I didn’t know that was an option yet?

I’ve pulled the trigger off every Howa I’ve bought and stuck a Timney on it, I don’t use a 2 stage on anything else so I’d rather it be consistent.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Oregon Gunsmithing is making bottom metal with a hinged floorplate, which is what I actually prefer on a hunting rifle. $150 plus shipping. Mine will get here next week.

SD, I am confident this will be much better than a 2" gun. That was just a very preliminary function test with a mid-range "safe" load with zero workup. Plus I only had the action screws torqued to about 25 ft. lbs. due to not wanting to crack the factory plastic. After I bed the wood stock and torque down the new bottom metal, I bet it cleans right up to 1" or better. I've never owned a Howa that didn't shoot 1" or better, and several were 1/2" or better. Howas can be a PITA but if you don't mind doing a little work, they are generally worth it, are usually great shooters and Howa makes rifles nobody else is making, like the Mini and now the Superlite. So I knew what I was getting into. As I said earlier, just about everything Legacy Sports touches is garbage. I would add Stockys to that as well. QC is nearly non-existent. They are just looking to move product out the door and it shows. The actual barreled action however, is another story. I think it's a great value, especially if you want something nobody else is making.

I tell folks if Howas are too much work for you, buy a Ruger American and be happy. Or if you're like me and enjoy swapping barrels from time to time, a Savage. But most folks who never want to mess with their guns would be better off buying a Ruger American or for a little more money, a Bergara, and be done with it. But where's the fun in that?

On the bolt/trigger issue, I've never in my life needed to work a bolt action so fast in a hunting situation that I would create the issue I and others have seen with these HACT triggers. If this was a gun I planned to hunt feral hogs with, that might change my mind, but feral hogs are what semi-autos are for. LOL

 

[std7mag]

Wow, definitely a lot more work than I put into my Savages.

I don't even do that much to the Axis actions.

Lap the lug raceways, trigger (if it's not an Axis II), screw on a barrel and go.
I've done a Boyds stock, and I've stiffened up a factory Tupperware stock.

The barrel that I got from you is getting reamed today to 7mm-08 Improved 40° with a 0.06" freebore. I decided to screw it onto my Stevens 200.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Wow, definitely a lot more work than I put into my Savages.

I don't even do that much to the Axis actions.

Lap the lug raceways, trigger (if it's not an Axis II), screw on a barrel and go.
I've done a Boyds stock, and I've stiffened up a factory Tupperware stock.

The barrel that I got from you is getting reamed today to 7mm-08 Improved 40° with a 0.06" freebore. I decided to screw it onto my Stevens 200.

Yea, Savages have (don't laugh) become my go-to's after 20+ years of playing around with lots of different brands. They just work. People love to hate on them, but it is nothing for me to get a sub-7 lb. all-in setup with a Savage short action 110 in .308 or 7mm-08 (which is what I have atm). The new accufit stocks are a huge improvement over the old stocks and the 110 action and barrel nut are so easy to work on a cave man could do it. Nothing elegant about them, unless you consider practicality and reliability and accuracy to be elegant. I've yet to have a Savage of any kind really surprise me in a bad way. Can't say that about Remingtons, Rugers, Christensens, Kimbers or a number of other rifles I've owned. I've had a few of each of those I couldn't wait to get rid of and have never missed. But every Savage I've owned I've been able to turn into a sub MOA gun with very little work, and then part out or change up when the mood strikes. If a person gets a barrel vise and basic tools, rebarreling Savages can be addicting. These days it takes me less than 10 minutes to swap a barrel, and most of that is removing the scope because I use Talley one piece rings.

But I still really like these Howas. Great action IMO and easy enough to tinker with (triggers, stocks, bottom metal/plastic, etc) if you need to.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Wood stock came in from Legacy. Not a bad looking stock, but it is very "fat" in size and shape, especially for such a trim and light barreled action. Inletting is pretty good. Made in Turkey. There area aluminum pillars in the stock, which I was happy to see. One pillar was a hair long (where the recoil lug rests) but a quick trim with the correct sized drill bit backed it down flush with the inletted wood. The Action rests nicely in the inletting, without the teeter-totter effect that the Stocky's CF had. Barrel is free floating, even with the front action screw torqued down.

I will eventually bed the action, lug and first inch of the barrel, but I plan to shoot it as-is first to see how it shoots without bedding. I am definitely going to put this wood stock on a diet however. In the wood stock, with the factory bottom plastic and mag, the whole rifle weighs 5 lbs. 12 oz. I'm pretty sure I can take as much as six ounces of weight off this stock. Hoping to get it under 5 1/2 lbs. total, then 6 1/2 lbs. scoped. I should be able to get there.

I had Oregon Gunsmithing send me their metal hinged floorplate, but with the wood stock, the factory bottom plastic and magazine mate up nicely and are much more firm when torqueing the action screws. I'm sure the aluminum pillars help a lot there. I tried the aluminum floorplate but I think I actually prefer the factory bottom plastic and DBM in this wood stock. That wasn't the case in the Stocky's CF stock, which was inletted very poorly, and without pillars.

Pity the wood stock is going to have to be reshaped so much, but it's not something I haven't done already on other wood stocks. If the LSI wood stock was as trim as the barreled action, this would be a really nice combination right out of the box. Eventually I'll get it how I want it with a wood file/rasp/sandpaper and elbow grease. This particular action runs pretty smoothly, and with a little adjustment, this trigger is excellent.

I'll post pics tonight of the wood stock.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Took her to the range this afternoon and tried five different preliminary loads. All shot over 46 grains of StaBall 6.5.

120 Sierra Pro Hunters (always an accurate bullet for me) - 0.94"
139 Hornady CX (this is not a typo) - 10.1" !!!
140 Nosler E-Tip - 2.4"
139 Barnes LRX - 1.9" (two holes touching)
142 Controlled Chaos - 1.8" (two holes touching)

I am not too discouraged by this (yet) as I think with a simple bedding job and a little load development, most of those groups will be around an inch. Today, I shot 3 shot groups in about a minute total, then waited five full minutes between groups. It was 40 degrees so the barrel cooled pretty quickly.

Some 7mm-08's I've owned only like 120 grain bullets. Some will shoot 140's well. A few like both. That 120 Pro Hunter is a short bullet so it's not hard to stabilize. Might try 120 TTSX's and 131 Hammers next, but first I need to get to work on this bloated stock.

Sure will hate to file the checkering off this one, but it's got to be done. This thing is like holding a 2x4 in your hands. I mean, look at that forend! At least they got the barrel channel right.

6 lbs. 12 oz. as shown, with Talley rings and a Leupy 2-7x33. I'm hoping to get it down to 6 lbs. 6 oz.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Regarding the Oregon Gunsmithing bottom metal... It's well made and very light. I assembled it with the factory magazine well and spring follower and it functioned perfectly. But I just am not a fan of the pattern on the bottom of the floorplate. I wish they had just left it smooth. Looks very out of place on this simple gun. I am happy with the bottom plastic and detatchable mag in the wood stock (hated it in the Stocky's CF stock) so I think this hinged floorplate is going back. I'll just stick with the bottom plastic and detatchable magazine.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Went to work on that stock last night. Lots of material taken off with the hand-powered wood rasp. Slimmed the forend substantially, then to balance that out I (very nervously) took a 1" spade bit and ran it into the butt, between the recoil pad screws. Then I took a 1/2" spade bit and did the same above and below. Thankfully I didn't crack the stock, but those three holes accounted for nearly 4 ounces removed from the butt which is important to balance such a lightweight barrel. In all, I was able to remove 6 oz. and the grip fits my hand really well now. The forend looks correct for the light barrel now too.

Lots of sanding to remove tool marks, then fine sanding, then wetting and drying with a hair dryer to raise the grain, then more sanding, rinse and repeat. But it's ready for finish. Now I just have to decide how I'm going to finish it, but that's the easy part now that it's shaped and sanded. You can see some type of "bedding" from the factory, and the aluminum pillars in place, but before I finish it I plan to epoxy bed around the front and rear screws, around the recoil lug and under the first inch of barrel. This is what I've done to my Howa Mini's in the past, and they all shot lights-out when I was done.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Here she is in the raw.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Final assembly after two coats of teak oil. I’ll put a coat of gun wax on the stock before I hunt with it. Barrel is centered in the channel and free floated at 35 ft.lbs. of torque on the action screws.

Sure do like how it turned out. Hit my weight too. Pretty happy with this combo.

 

[Rie Bread]

Excellent looking rifle!

 

[morgaj1]

Excellent work and great looking rifle!

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Excellent looking rifle!

Excellent work and great looking rifle!

Thank you both.