As some of you good folks know,recently I had major cockup and killed my ever reliable pushfed post 64 winchester model 70
well we must move onwards in life,so I bought a brand spanking new howa 1500 with the grey/green hogue stock,and got new spartan suppressor for it at same time....money has always been tight but by selling off another couple of rifles and a shotgun it just happened.
really liked the way the howa came up to eye in shop,and for a bush hobbit like myself that IS IT. fullstop...nothing else matters as much as how well rifle comes up to my eye.
well I decided I better break barrel in semi properly,so read up all sorts of hoodoo ways on the net...including some from howa which included using window cleaner ITS A FRIGGIN RIFLE..... so followed my gut and did what had worked for my .223 years ago.
gave barrel good clean with breakfree rag then dry rag...fired shot,did clean same way again,couple of passes with clp,then couple of dry rags,then fire another shot.did that 5 times,was zeroed by then too....made myself walk slowly to target box to check each shot,rifle sat on car in cool breeze with suppressor off and bolt out,stayed nice n cool.
with 5th shot on zero I fired another 2 of the same 130grn highland at target,cleaned rifle AGAIN.....left to cool AGAIN.... walked to target....yip all 3 near enough...back to car,screw suppressor back on,bolt back in...2x rem corloct 130s this time...fired them...cleaned barrel,left to cool..walked to target......promising,all 5 in same group....back to car,bolt back in,suppressor back on,2x winchester 150grn power points this time.....fired them off,knowing Id pulled one shot low.....cleaned rifle and went and collected target and headed home...shots 5-11 were in group right on the 1.5" size...now thats using a 4x scope too mind....
not bad for first 11 shots from rifle.....
this morning the alarm went off at 5am...wind howling so went back to sleep,got up went to church...came home had lunch and went for a hunt...couple of fruitless hours bush stalking had both Meg n myself pooped in the heat...plurry wind had picked up again and bush stalking just isnt fun when breeze keeps swinging up your jacksee...got back to car and looked across river to see red hind out in open,just inside block boundary....couldnt find way to close gap,she was approx 300 yards away,Ive shot deer in same spot from same spot...but with old known rifle with 9x scope on calm day...not with new rifle,4x scope in howling wind....nothing for it but to close the gap in view if she looked my way..down int oriver went Meg n I..she thought that was just awesome...loves being in water being black with thick coat n all...to be honest I was rather enjoying the cool water myself in the high temperatures..even stepped in hole and got the goolies wet...and didnt mind,deer to be shot....got into about 150yards and couldnt see her,than as often happens she just appeared,in bush edge about to exit stage left...knee deep in river,rock ahead not much more than mid thigh high,got down over it,lined her up and took out both lungs....kept Meg back,walked up to where she was standing and gave Meg the nod...she had huge tracking job,dodging all the big blobs of blood n lung on vegetation for all of 15 yards before finding barren 2year old hind piled up against tree.....quick photo then out with knife for poohs n wees removal,then onto back using Alex Gale carry strap method (look it up as its awesome and sure is easier than any other way Ive found,wish I had been shown it as a teenager,my body mightn't be so poked) 6-700 yard carry down river to car and off home for a cold beer....
so folks have said the howa 1500 is too heavy..and the 2 stage trigger sucks...them folks must be soft willied melenials and they need to hunt with a SMLE all day for a week....even with suppressor its not that heavy and trigger is just fine n dandy....am I happy?????? does a bear shit in the woods????
your damn right Im a happy K1W1 Bush Hobbit.

That's one heck of a quick christening for your new rifle mate.

Well done mate...you done good, as did your new Howa.

skinned out hind,perect meat saver shot...lost less than kilo...and Meg ate that....no projectile fragments anywhere to be seen....

Howa have a good reputation, good to hear thats continuing.
Im really jealous you guys get to shoot with suppressors, the law making fools over here have been watching too many James Bond movies.
Even the heavily regulated poms get to use them.

dhc4ever wrote:

Howa have a good reputation, good to hear thats continuing. Im really jealous you guys get to shoot with suppressors, the law making fools over here have been watching too many James Bond movies. Even the heavily regulated poms get to use them.

I've just Googled the laws relating to suppressors in Oz.

Good grief, your laws relating to suppressors are even more insanely restrictive than those in the US!
I've five of the things, none cost me anything except the purchase price, with paperwork both minimal & pretty much a formality.

one of these days a clever lawyer will take powers to be to court with a health and safety angle.....by NOT ALLOWING suppressor you are making an avoidable hazard ...non avoidable.... and they will be allowed everywhere....
they make you fit mufflers to car/motor bike/lawn mower/chainsaw but dont want one on a firearm.....double standard.

Elvis wrote:

one of these days a clever lawyer will take powers to be to court with a health and safety angle.....by NOT ALLOWING suppressor you are making an avoidable hazard ...non avoidable.... and they will be allowed everywhere.... they make you fit mufflers to car/motor bike/lawn mower/chainsaw but dont want one on a firearm.....double standard.

Maybe it will happen mate...who knows, but I’m almost prepared to bet my left goolie that the Police Commissioners Meeting...yep they are the ones that in reality make the firearms laws and pass it to the Govt for formalising with a stroke of the pen...will find a way to make those horrible, murderous, loud, noisy, hearing hurting firearms illegal, rather than make suppressors legal. Either that, or they will make it so difficult and expensive (with fees etc) to get one, that nobody but the most well heeled could afford one. That way, if anybody argues about hearing damage, they can say...suppressors are available to protect your hearing.

its crazy as they just make shooting so much more user friendly.....

Elvis,
The laws arent there to make it easy.
Theyve even invented a word to cover firearm licencing in this country,
EMBUGGERENCE.
Its not in the interests of our ruling class to makeit easier.