Learing to shoot light rifles.

[xsn10s]

Yes, factory rail. My only other option for mounts is through Talley. The Superlite action is not the same size as a standard 1500 SA. There is about a .25" difference in screw spacing and the diameter of the reciever and bolt is reduced. Think Model 7 vs. 700 Remington.

My point would have been call Howa rather than have a GS alter it. If the bolt rubs the rail then some dimension is off.

 

[Radman]

Just a little backstory, in September of 2015 I had an accident that left me with a fused right ankle.

This has left me with some mobility issues especially on steep or uneven terrain. My ankle just doesn't flex, and my right leg isn't as strong as it used to be. So I'm working on myself to get lighter, as well as my gear as I want to be able to hunt further into wilderness areas.

So for my rifle after handling a few, base weight and ultimately price played a huge factor. The Howa Superlite won out over the CA Mesa and Ridgeline FFT rifles. Advertised weight for this rifle is 7 lbs 4 oz, but it weighs 7 lbs 10.6 oz on my scale. I bought it chambered in .308 Win as I'll give it a slight advantage over the 6.5 Creedmoor in versatility at the 400 +/- yards I expect to use this rifle out to.

I manged to keep the total weight to 7 lbs 7.1 oz with Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 4-20X50 MIL and Omega 300 suppressor.

I sighted it in with some cheap PPU 150gr SP ammunition that I have, and used it to do barrel break in per Howa's instructions. Then switched to some Hornady and Winchester 150 gr ammunition. I couldn't get the rifle to group better than 2 MOA for three shots, both of these shoot right at MOA in my M700 and my Daughter's Howa 1500. Adding the suppressor just had the same ammunition shooting 4-8 MOA at 100 yards.

So I started asking for help. Mainly asking if anyone knew the torque values as I had mine pretty light due to the polymer magazine well and no other information in the manual except "tight". I also got a few other suggestions on shooting technique and ammunition. I also got scolded for having my sling swivels still attached.

So I got some Federal GMM 168 grain ammunition. Torqued the front screw to 35 in-lbs, and the rear to 30 in-lbs per LSI recommended specs. Removed the sling swivels and went shooting.

Well the rifle didn't shoot smaller 3 shot groups with the Fed GMM. It did however, shoot more consistent stacking the second 3 shot group almost identical to the first. So I decided to adjust my scope .6 MIL right and up and shoot the next 3 shot group.

I was really disappointed when the scope didn't move correctly. I've been really impressed with the Athlon scopes I tried on my rimfire rifles, but the first roud hitting low and no movement right was not what I expected. I also shot a 10th round single load after the shots 8 and 9 landed close to the elevation I wanted.

So I put my rifle on a diet, by grabbing the NF 3-10X42 SHV off of my M700 .308 Win. This made my weight go down to 6 lbs 3 oz unsuppressed, and 7 lbs 0.9 oz suppressed.

I sighted back in with the PPU ammunition. Shot the Fed GMM and shot one 3 shot group at 1.25 MOA. Then went to the Hornady AW and Winchester ammunition again. I was holding 1.5 MOA groups for three shots, and I thought maybe the barrel is settling in. So I tried shooting suppressed again.

This time the rifle (or I) did much better suppressed. The Winchester ammunition was nothing to write about, 3 MOA was about it for 6 rounds. However, I shot my first almost MOA 3 shot group with the Hornady AW ammunition. I adjusted the scope and shot 3 more shots for another almost MOA group. If I were to overlay both groups I'd probably be closer to 2 MOA, but thats a huge improvement over the previous groups suppressed with both ammunition types.

I think I'll eventually have this rifle shooting the way I want, 1.5 MOA or better from field positions. I'm just not sure where to go next. Do I shoot it more and see if I get better, or find a factory load it likes? Or since it is still a bone stock rifle do I pillar it, bed the action, and free float the barrel?

When I've done everything I go back to my trigger.
Too, I do extra cleanings on new rifles.
As you know headspace can be everything.
I too have had scope-adjustment issues with brand new scopes. (THREE of the "major players" as a matter of fact!) Good luck & take care.

 

[ducky]

As you can see, I wouldn't call it floated.

 

[JASmith]

The trouble wth going light while using a full-sze cartridge is RECOIL

I normally recommend the 6.5 Grendel because it has a very good track record on medium game iut to past 400 yards.

That said, 125 gr-class lead core bullets will do fine for deer and other animals weigh as much as 300 lb.

Should one be interested in game wieghing up to 770 lb like elk, the lead free bullets in the 100-125 gr range will do as long as the impact velocity is high enough to ensure expansion.

Your shoulder and ability to shoot precisely will thank you for the choice.

 

[ducky]

My point would have been call Howa rather than have a GS alter it. If the bolt rubs the rail then some dimension is off.

I have a .17 HMR rifle in for warranty work with a bad chamber right now at LSI. They are informing customers minimym 120 day turn around on warranty work.It is a documented problem with other owners of the Superlite. I did contact LSI but they wouldn't send me a new base, they wanted the rifle back.

Kevin Weaver does all my rifle work. He didn't see any other issues with the rail and its interface with the reciever. If he told me differently I might have gone with the minimum 120 day option. Returning the rifle to the seller isn't an option.

 

[Mickp7]

I had a similar issue with a 28 Nos hunting rifle I'd bought last year. Tried different loads, different scopes, with/ without suppressor/ muzzle brake, with no luck. Finally I sent the rifle back to the manufacturer and they found that the bore was too tight (which explains the substantial recoil it had). They replaced the barrel and it shoots great now.
I am not sure what you should expect from the rifle, but mine was 1/2 moa guarantee, so I knew something was wrong. If you've tried a few different ammunitions, you might consider having the manufacturer or a gunsmith double check the chamber and bore specs.

 

[buzby]

I have a Kimber .308 that's 5lbs, 9oz. It is not easy to shoot. Recoil is fairly substantial. The gun likes to jump around, so it's not forgiving at all if you don't have a good foundation. The barrel is also very thin. It's not made for shooting groups. Lots of time between shots helps. I'd probably do better by just shooting cold bore groups. If you're getting 1.5moa, that's pretty good for such a light rifle. We're spoiled these days expecting every rifle to shoot sub moa.

I ended up getting a Tikka (heavier) in 6.5cm (lighter recoil), and am quite happy to carry a couple extra pounds to shoot quite a bit better.

 

[ducky]

The trouble wth going light while using a full-sze cartridge is RECOIL

I normally recommend the 6.5 Grendel because it has a very good track record on medium game iut to past 400 yards.

I've never said that I didn't think the issue isn't me and my ability to shoot this rifle. I have a 6 lbs .250 Savage that's as good as the Grendel on deer. However I wouldn't ever use it or a Grendel as a first choice elk rifle.

I killed a small bull elk two years ago with an 18" .308 and 135 grain TTSX, it worked okay. Put two through the onside shoulder, but still took one to the neck to finish it. First two shots were 265 yards with a MV of 2900 fps, so impact was above 2000 fps. I'd say the elk I've killed with the .270 and 06 were more effective. An anchored elk is anchored, I wasn't expecting it to flail its head about as I was walking up however.

 

[w6kennels]

Lightweight rifles require more control to achieve their accuracy potential, and very consistent pressure from cheek placement, shoulder and hand pressure, and forearm control. If you are not applying straight downward forearm pressure with your left hand, the rifle may be bouncing enough to alter consistent impact points. There was an excellent article in American Rifleman from 2021 addressing the subject of getting light rifles to shoot well.

 

[xsn10s]

I have a .17 HMR rifle in for warranty work with a bad chamber right now at LSI. They are informing customers minimym 120 day turn around on warranty work.It is a documented problem with other owners of the Superlite. I did contact LSI but they wouldn't send me a new base, they wanted the rifle back.

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Kevin Weaver does all my rifle work. He didn't see any other issues with the rail and its interface with the reciever. If he told me differently I might have gone with the minimum 120 day option. Returning the rifle to the seller isn't an option.

Hmm okay. Good luck with your rifle.

 

[VTbluegrass]

My wife has a Camilla Vangaurd which is basically that Howa in the Camilla styled stock. I find that rifle and my Kimber 84l 30-06 like to be held firmly on the forearm. Neither does well when allowed to "free recoil". My 700 which is almost 2lbs more than both doesn't really care and shoots that same either way.

Sometimes is just getting back into practice as well. I had medical issues of my own that made me switch to shooting left handing and with the light rifles I am having troubles being consistent.

Also how did the PPU ammo shoot? If your gun likes cheap ammo, let her eat.

 

[NW Hunter]

As Xsn10s pointed out earlier, your bolt handle rubbing may indicate something is off with the rifle's geometry.
Pull your action bolts keeping the action in the stock. Look down inside the stock where the bolts go into the action. Are the holes perfectly centered to the action threads? Are they off center?
If the holes are off center, this could allow the action bolts to touch the stock creating new lugs that the rifle could recoil off of.
A rebedding of your recoil lug with your action holes lined up properly with your stock would go a long way.

 

[Chas1]

Ducky, nice looking rig

 

[Lenny Foffa]

First of all, Very nice X fix on the ankle. It should heal nicely and may take few months before they can remove the frame. That was one hell of a fracture to had!!!! I shoot a Weatherby Ultralight which is a 5 and 3/4 rifle This is a fairly light rife. With my 270 Win hand loads, its a hand full to shoot. I have found that I must really control this Rifle, and the light touch and almost free recoil style, does not work for me, with this rifle. Now I just got the barreled action back from Weatherby because I had a factory Muzz Break fitted to the 24 inch Barrel. They did a very nice job and I shot it for the first time yesterday, with its new Leupold VX5 3 X to 15X scope. This scope is bigger and heavier than the VX 3 2.5X to 8X that was on the rifle. Since I tore Rotator cuff and tore the Biceps tendon on my right shoulder, I was looking for a way to reduce the recoil. The additional weight of the scope and Muzzle break seem helpful. It seems I can no longer shoot 5 shot raged hole groups under 1 MOA , with this rifle. As I approach 75 years old, I am happy with 3 shot 1 inch groups. I remind myself every week at the range, that I purchased a Light Weight Deer Hunting Rifle, not a Bench Rest Queen. It remains my pet deer rifle, with a hot 270 Win Load.