I got a Howa PCS heavy barreled (#6 Contour) 308 when they first came into the country (After they dropped the Weatherby name)... Even still to this day, people don't know how fantastic these guns are, but since that time, they have caught on a bit more.
Well, lately, I have been in this "long range" phase, swapping off a lot of my semi's for precision bolt guns.
My first Howa PCS (Police Counter Sniper) grouped 1/2 MOA with Federal Gold medal Match, or good handloads. Not too bad for a $390 rifle.
I also had a Sporter (That I have since traded) in .270 that was sub-MOA with junk factory ammo.
Well, my latest one was a heavy barreled stainless .308... I shot it for groupage this morning...
With a crappy Tasco mil-dot, and Federal Match, it was 1 ragged hole at 100 yds
. MAJOR sub-moa...
I did only a little work to these guns.
The stock is crap (Butler Creek is the factory OEM
) so, I bedded it with Brownells Steel-Bed.
I also used spotting compound on the bolt, and burnished any contact points with Flitz, and a Dremmel felt wheel at about 20K rpm... Just to make the bolt a bit slicker... Also, I floated the barrel channel with emory paper and a dowel rod. Personal prefrence. The triggers are as good as a Remington factory unit. They are outstanding.
That's it.
These guns are absolutley fantastic.
Buy one.