Bought a Howa 1500 243 win with a hogue rubber stock yesterday from a pawnshop. Once home with it, took it apart to inspect and clean. Reassembled and tightened the two stock screws pretty good. Took rifle to range to zero scope I'd mounted on it and see how the rifle shot. Fired 10 rounds. Last three shots at 100 yds were a little more than a 1" group. Once home with rifle and doing a quick bore cleaning, noticed the barreled action seemed to be loose in stock. Took a screw driver and much to my surprise, discovered both receiver/stock screws were loose.
So, I'm just wondering if these Howa Hogue stocked rifles have a problem with the screws loosening when fired?
I have a Weatherby Vanguard which is a Howa action in the Bell & Carlson Carbelite stock. The directions in the manual it says to invert the rifle, put the short trigger guard screw in the front, the long one in the rear. Then it says to lightly tighten both screws. Then we are instructed to grasp the barrel and pull it rearward to firmly seat the barreled action in the stock. Then we are to tighten the front trigger guard screw "firmly" and then the rear. The manual doesn't give a torque specification and I am assuming the procedure would be the same for your Howa, but I surely don't know that for a fact....
