Excellent review here. I pick up my new one chambered in 5.56/223 in 2 weeks. Running a mod which safely allows the higher pressure associated with the 5.56 rounds also with an AR extractor. Its a beautiful rifle and now just waiting on paperwork which is typical here in Australia. The process of purchasing anything "unusual" here takes longer than the buying of a house. Once again, great video. Thank you very much.
Awesome! Wonder how the accuracy is on the 5.56. Any reason you went with 5.56/223? Or has to do with Aussie laws. From what I know though Howa is fairly well known/respected in Australia/New Zealand.... and you have some great long range matches there that I would love to attend one day! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the sub! Have a few more MDT things on the way!
LOL. Thanks. Glad you found it helpful. One of my earlier videos so still trying to find the voice/format. Video on the Ruger Precision Rifle 6.5 PRC coming tomorrow.
I got the stock and had issues. It has a hidden screw in the back of the trigger guard that was impossible to tighten properly. It had a lot more felt recoil than expected. It did not improve my groups, and you have to take the cheekpiece off to clean it.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Will definitely come back to this rifle this year. This was my second or third video on this channel. Did just get a replacement stock for a Howa from GRS.
Nice review. If I may add some constructive criticism, you may want to work on your follow through a bit. You seem to be pulling off the gun really quick during the break of the trigger.
Hey Neil, I really appreciate the feedback and really struggled to keep it in mind with this gun, particularly as I was shooting it off of the bench, not prone and the recoil on it was fairly harsh without the brake. And OH YES I was getting off of the trigger quick! Always room to improve and 95% of it I just need to constantly remind myself of the basics. 90+ degrees and humidity and it all goes out the window. =) I look forward to the fall! I really appreciate you watching and your comment!
Just a few comments. First, the Oryx is a bargain chassis, so it doesn't have the bells and whistles more expensive chassis have. You can spend more if you want/need those niceties, but I'd rather spend the money on more magazines. Second, some people don't want a muzzle device of any kind (muzzle brakes are also banned from some ranges and from some types of competition because they're damn annoying to people shooting nearby). Also, if it came with a muzzle device, you'd be paying for it, and chances are pretty good it wouldn't be your preferred device. So it's better for it to come w/o a muzzle device of any kind to keep the price down and allow the consumer to make his own choice in an after-market item, or to just leave the muzzle as-is. The same goes for all the other accessories you mentioned.
Thanks for watching and your comment Dave. You are quite right that the MDT Oryx chassis is the entry level chassis and does not have all the bells and whistles... of course, if it did, it would cannibalize the sales of MDT's more expensive chassis. $400 can get you a pretty decent chassis though and there are options out there outside of MDT. Once again I do agree with you on the fact that some gun ranges do not allow brakes (and I would not be shooting there) and some matches do not either. For the price however, there is no excuse not to... by not including those basic things, it only drops the value on the secondary market. Pretty much every competing rifle I have seen at Shot Show in the price range... comes with muzzle devices that if someone wants to remove, they can... of course we know that 95% of those gun buyers however will use what they have.
Bullets4Bucks Thanks for watching and your comment. Good to know mine was not an isolated incident and seems to be the norm. Again, not a huge issue just annoying. I still like having the ability to replace the knob.
You SHOULD be using Loctite on anything with threads on any rifle, Especially Precision rifles. Most go with the blue, However the Red is a lot better and can be cracked off if need be throughout its life time if you choose to change anything out. Always degrease whether the threads need it or not otherwise its pointless applying it.
@@Top-Jimmy Thanks for the suggestion. If I will end up keeping the gun will do so for sure. I am just puzzled why it was not done so from the factory... just weird I suppose. Especially since the vast majority of the buyers of the gun would never change a thing on it.
Hello Comrade! I am as Slav as it gets and your Slav impression offends me... You don't have any sunflower seeds neither can you Roll youR "R's"... LOL just kidding! very good review! keep on doing a good job! I live in Australia and my Howa came with 20 moa MDT pic rail and MDT muzzle break as standard... a single MDT see through mag was also included and the price was $1399 AUD (around $1000 USD). it is a 2022 now, but the rifle still seems to be very competitive on price and quality in todays market! Cheers, Vlad
hahaha, I certainly cannot roll my R's... my wise does not let me forget it either. In Ukraine, when I was a child they sent me to speech therapy to teach it out of me, but could not. =)
Considering the Howa and this is the best review I've seen so far from a potential purchasers point of view. You've got a Sub! I'm also considering the Ruger PR or American Predator or a Savage 110/11 to get into long range shooting. Happy to upgrade as I go but want the best action and receiver to build upon. What would you recommend??
Thank you very much! I appreciate the comment and the subscribe. So I do not have direct experience with the Savage but I would say it depends on your budget as well. So I think if you want to get into shooting, even a basic Ruger American Predator will be capable of shooting 1,000+ yards in a 6.5 CM or hopefully soon a 6.5 PRC. I have a video coming out next on the 6.5 PRC Ruger Precision Rifle. Lots to love there as well but pricier. What I am looking to do is take a stock Ruger American and throw that in a MDT chassis! Between Chassis and scope, we should be able to get a chassis gun under $1k including glass! Though you really do not need a chassis... but it does help.
Funny enough, I have quite a few of those. Started with the RPR in .308 and what's great is that is all you need. Theres no changing for a different stock or chassis. The buttstock is alright. Good enough to start with but I went with the magpul PRS. After some time with that I got the Savage 110 in .300wm but the BA Stealth version. Thats a great package, a little pricey when I bought it, but still worth it. Same thing with it being all you need to start. Recently got a Howa 1500 in 6.5 and threw it in an Oryx. Love it. Something different about it not being a fully contained in a chassis. I also got a steal on the barreled action so between that and the oryx, im in it for about the same or less than the other 2. The trigger isn't my favorite, but you cant have it all, out of the box. The RPR trigger was good enough for me to buy a RPRR in .22lr for that same trigger shooting cheaper ammo.
does the raised edge of the buttstock rear get in the way of pushing a cleaning rod through the barrel? I understand the cheek riser can be removed but does the cleaning rod bend when it hits the read raised edge? although one can use a brass jab and a fiberglass rod I am still concerned about the rod not entering parallel to the barrel and possibly damaging the lands. any experience with cleaning the barrel so far? also what size cleaning rod do you use?
@@SlavGuns NO BRAND NEW, I was shocked and it was I think either at cost or a little under cost, Turners outdoorsman here in California had a special and legacy sport is owned by the owner of Turners outdoorsman. I also picked up a ceracoated camouflaged version in 6.5 creedmore, that one was at $399.00. These are with the Hogue stock pillar bedded. If I find the chassis on a special or somebody wants to get rid of i will by one. They have your oryx chassis on sale for $349.00
Thanks for watching. Absolutely.... Amazing what a brake will do. Versus even a 6.5 PRC in RPR... Video coming tomorrow. And 8208 is a little fast but a damn good powder in both 223 and 308.
Thats why i bought the weatherby vanguard SA in .308 and fitted this oryx chassis,the trigger is easily adjustable and the build quality is better than the howa 1500. Even though they are basically the same gun the trigger is fully adjustable on my vanguard. The only modification i wanted to do was machine a thread onto the barrel to fit a slim line muzzle break and that was it. I have a 6x25x50 nightforce scope on it and it is a beast,as accurate as any $4000.00 rifle. I had no problem with magazine feeding so maybe the magazine receiver on my vanguard is slightly different than the howa 1500 ? Overall im stoked with my set up i have now. Definitely worth the $400.00 .
Nice review. If you took a Percision rifle class all those would be in the same hole with load development. My groups looked like yours then I took a class. boom one hole! In California right now you can get that barreled action in a cheap Tupperware stock for $299 at turners outdoors. And then get that chassis for sub $400. Also if you call Howa they’ll tell you take off the white stuff on the trigger and adjust it down. If you want it lighter There are a few videos on cutting the adjustment spring about one link off. It will take it down to about 2 pounds I did it to mine and talking to a lot of people on snipers hide it’s 100% safe as I tested stringentlyWith a 2 stage trigger you will still have the first stage. Made my rifle a lot easier to shoot. Nice looking set up.
Thanks. In fact i have and taken multiple classes. The keyword there is load development and it is a 308. With basic handloads of where i thought it would do well it did. :) so i am quite happy with the way it performed and it was as expected under the conditions. Will do further development on it in the near future and should get down to consistent .4 or so when not shooting off of wobbly bench in hot icky weather. And i remove the anti tamper crap off of trigger.
Slav Guns nice thanks for the reply. Search on UA-cam howa 1500 HACT trigger job by “bretthl1” I did what he did and it was a game changer. And in my testing 100% safe. If you go to light you can tighten the screw and bring the pull weight back down. I also have a howa 1500 in the krg bravo chassis in 6.5 creedmoor. I love that rifle and it shoots 1/2 inch at 100 with 140 elf-m with 41.5 grains of H4350 40 thousands off the lands.
Hey Carlo, Thanks. This was one of my earlier videos. It is tough to find a balance between just skimming over the top and providing enough, and then shooting footage. I think I found the balance with some of my newer videos including the videos on the Mossberg MVP 224 Valk, Ruger RPR 6.5 PRC and Ruger Hawkeye LRT in 6.5 PRC. Let me know what you think.
Not sure where you are located, but in the United States, Legacy sports, the importer, puts white goop on the trigger in order to dissuade people from adjusting the trigger. =) this has been consistent on 3 or 4 different Howas I have purchased or gotten for review. Thanks for watching. This was one of my very early videos so should update at some point. the gun is certainly a good value, the downside so far has been dealing with the US importer and distributor, not Howa themselves. The Oryx is an okay chassis... not a fan at all that you need tools and spares to make any comb or LOP adjustments, however it is solid otherwise.
PolskiHetzen haha yes of course I know that. I did have camera footage as we saw in the second group of what the impacts were for most, and am confident in that the 3 shots were in fact 3 before it opened up. Thanks In the future will have target camera for all. For the seven shot on top I forgot to shoot the new square. Hence why 7 and 3 before I realized it.
@@pedrovelez616 Did we meet at the range and I told you about the channel or just coincidence that a largely obscure channel attracts a member from an equally obscure gun club? =)
Excellent review here.
I pick up my new one chambered in 5.56/223 in 2 weeks. Running a mod which safely allows the higher pressure associated with the 5.56 rounds also with an AR extractor.
Its a beautiful rifle and now just waiting on paperwork which is typical here in Australia. The process of purchasing anything "unusual" here takes longer than the buying of a house.
Once again, great video. Thank you very much.
Awesome! Wonder how the accuracy is on the 5.56. Any reason you went with 5.56/223? Or has to do with Aussie laws. From what I know though Howa is fairly well known/respected in Australia/New Zealand.... and you have some great long range matches there that I would love to attend one day! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the sub! Have a few more MDT things on the way!
Hey 300 AAC Blackout, do you mind sharing more detail on that 556 mod you mentioned? Cheers!
This is a very thorough review thank you!
I'mn getting asmr from this please talk like this again so relaxing and good info on your rifle there
LOL. Thanks. Glad you found it helpful. One of my earlier videos so still trying to find the voice/format. Video on the Ruger Precision Rifle 6.5 PRC coming tomorrow.
I got a howa .300 WM barreled action, tried a few stocks I didn't like, and just bought an Orxy. That thing is baller af.
Awesome! I am sure you will love it! IT is a nice chassis...
Great job very interesting!
Your intro was awesome!
I got the stock and had issues. It has a hidden screw in the back of the trigger guard that was impossible to tighten properly. It had a lot more felt recoil than expected. It did not improve my groups, and you have to take the cheekpiece off to clean it.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Will definitely come back to this rifle this year. This was my second or third video on this channel. Did just get a replacement stock for a Howa from GRS.
@@SlavGuns Hi. I got it for a custom on their claim that it should improve group size by at least 20%. It was very disappointing.
Nice review. If I may add some constructive criticism, you may want to work on your follow through a bit. You seem to be pulling off the gun really quick during the break of the trigger.
Hey Neil, I really appreciate the feedback and really struggled to keep it in mind with this gun, particularly as I was shooting it off of the bench, not prone and the recoil on it was fairly harsh without the brake. And OH YES I was getting off of the trigger quick! Always room to improve and 95% of it I just need to constantly remind myself of the basics. 90+ degrees and humidity and it all goes out the window. =) I look forward to the fall! I really appreciate you watching and your comment!
Another Great video :-)
Bill, Thanks as always for coming onto the premiers and participating!
Just a few comments.
First, the Oryx is a bargain chassis, so it doesn't have the bells and whistles more expensive chassis have. You can spend more if you want/need those niceties, but I'd rather spend the money on more magazines.
Second, some people don't want a muzzle device of any kind (muzzle brakes are also banned from some ranges and from some types of competition because they're damn annoying to people shooting nearby). Also, if it came with a muzzle device, you'd be paying for it, and chances are pretty good it wouldn't be your preferred device. So it's better for it to come w/o a muzzle device of any kind to keep the price down and allow the consumer to make his own choice in an after-market item, or to just leave the muzzle as-is.
The same goes for all the other accessories you mentioned.
Thanks for watching and your comment Dave. You are quite right that the MDT Oryx chassis is the entry level chassis and does not have all the bells and whistles... of course, if it did, it would cannibalize the sales of MDT's more expensive chassis. $400 can get you a pretty decent chassis though and there are options out there outside of MDT. Once again I do agree with you on the fact that some gun ranges do not allow brakes (and I would not be shooting there) and some matches do not either. For the price however, there is no excuse not to... by not including those basic things, it only drops the value on the secondary market. Pretty much every competing rifle I have seen at Shot Show in the price range... comes with muzzle devices that if someone wants to remove, they can... of course we know that 95% of those gun buyers however will use what they have.
Nice video. I had to use loctite on the bolt knob threads
Bullets4Bucks Thanks for watching and your comment. Good to know mine was not an isolated incident and seems to be the norm. Again, not a huge issue just annoying. I still like having the ability to replace the knob.
You SHOULD be using Loctite on anything with threads on any rifle, Especially Precision rifles. Most go with the blue, However the Red is a lot better and can be cracked off if need be throughout its life time if you choose to change anything out.
Always degrease whether the threads need it or not otherwise its pointless applying it.
@@Top-Jimmy Thanks for the suggestion. If I will end up keeping the gun will do so for sure. I am just puzzled why it was not done so from the factory... just weird I suppose. Especially since the vast majority of the buyers of the gun would never change a thing on it.
Hello Comrade! I am as Slav as it gets and your Slav impression offends me... You don't have any sunflower seeds neither can you Roll youR "R's"... LOL just kidding! very good review! keep on doing a good job! I live in Australia and my Howa came with 20 moa MDT pic rail and MDT muzzle break as standard... a single MDT see through mag was also included and the price was $1399 AUD (around $1000 USD). it is a 2022 now, but the rifle still seems to be very competitive on price and quality in todays market! Cheers, Vlad
hahaha, I certainly cannot roll my R's... my wise does not let me forget it either. In Ukraine, when I was a child they sent me to speech therapy to teach it out of me, but could not. =)
Considering the Howa and this is the best review I've seen so far from a potential purchasers point of view. You've got a Sub! I'm also considering the Ruger PR or American Predator or a Savage 110/11 to get into long range shooting. Happy to upgrade as I go but want the best action and receiver to build upon. What would you recommend??
Thank you very much! I appreciate the comment and the subscribe. So I do not have direct experience with the Savage but I would say it depends on your budget as well. So I think if you want to get into shooting, even a basic Ruger American Predator will be capable of shooting 1,000+ yards in a 6.5 CM or hopefully soon a 6.5 PRC. I have a video coming out next on the 6.5 PRC Ruger Precision Rifle. Lots to love there as well but pricier. What I am looking to do is take a stock Ruger American and throw that in a MDT chassis! Between Chassis and scope, we should be able to get a chassis gun under $1k including glass! Though you really do not need a chassis... but it does help.
Funny enough, I have quite a few of those. Started with the RPR in .308 and what's great is that is all you need. Theres no changing for a different stock or chassis. The buttstock is alright. Good enough to start with but I went with the magpul PRS. After some time with that I got the Savage 110 in .300wm but the BA Stealth version. Thats a great package, a little pricey when I bought it, but still worth it. Same thing with it being all you need to start. Recently got a Howa 1500 in 6.5 and threw it in an Oryx. Love it. Something different about it not being a fully contained in a chassis. I also got a steal on the barreled action so between that and the oryx, im in it for about the same or less than the other 2. The trigger isn't my favorite, but you cant have it all, out of the box. The RPR trigger was good enough for me to buy a RPRR in .22lr for that same trigger shooting cheaper ammo.
does the raised edge of the buttstock rear get in the way of pushing a cleaning rod through the barrel? I understand the cheek riser can be removed but does the cleaning rod bend when it hits the read raised edge? although one can use a brass jab and a fiberglass rod I am still concerned about the rod not entering parallel to the barrel and possibly damaging the lands. any experience with cleaning the barrel so far? also what size cleaning rod do you use?
Hello guys, what's the size of muzzle breaker I should choose for this gun with .223 rem?
I JUST PICKED ONE UP IN A FACTORY STOCK FOR $299.00, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW IT SHOOTS!!! I CAN GUARANTEE WITH MY RELOADS IS WILL BE HALF MOA.
Used?
@@SlavGuns NO BRAND NEW, I was shocked and it was I think either at cost or a little under cost, Turners outdoorsman here in California had a special and legacy sport is owned by the owner of Turners outdoorsman.
I also picked up a ceracoated camouflaged version in 6.5 creedmore, that one was at $399.00. These are with the Hogue stock pillar bedded.
If I find the chassis on a special or somebody wants to get rid of i will by one. They have your oryx chassis on sale for $349.00
I'm a reloader, I'll have to test xbr8208 in 308.. you need a break on that rifle to tame it down.
Thanks for watching. Absolutely.... Amazing what a brake will do. Versus even a 6.5 PRC in RPR... Video coming tomorrow. And 8208 is a little fast but a damn good powder in both 223 and 308.
@@SlavGuns I use xbr8208 mostly in my 6.5grendel loads. Check out my videos if you have a chance.
Adiddas suit... check.
Hardbass... check.
Squat without western spy ankles... check
Subscribed.
Now I can watch the video !
Sorry man, I don't think you're qualified to test. The gun is recoiling a lot causing you to flinch. You should have put a brake on the gun.
What's the total length of the rifle?
This one or the Bravo?
Different styles. The Oryx is a good platform... I just dont like the pistol grip. Have not tested the bravo but I should I think.
Thats why i bought the weatherby vanguard SA in .308 and fitted this oryx chassis,the trigger is easily adjustable and the build quality is better than the howa 1500. Even though they are basically the same gun the trigger is fully adjustable on my vanguard. The only modification i wanted to do was machine a thread onto the barrel to fit a slim line muzzle break and that was it. I have a 6x25x50 nightforce scope on it and it is a beast,as accurate as any $4000.00 rifle. I had no problem with magazine feeding so maybe the magazine receiver on my vanguard is slightly different than the howa 1500 ? Overall im stoked with my set up i have now. Definitely worth the $400.00 .
Does it take magpul ar-10 mags?
No sir. It takes AICS pattern mags however for HoWA they have to be MDT ones iirc only as the Howa have a small obstruction in opening.
Nice review. If you took a Percision rifle class all those would be in the same hole with load development. My groups looked like yours then I took a class. boom one hole! In California right now you can get that barreled action in a cheap Tupperware stock for $299 at turners outdoors. And then get that chassis for sub $400. Also if you call Howa they’ll tell you take off the white stuff on the trigger and adjust it down. If you want it lighter There are a few videos on cutting the adjustment spring about one link off. It will take it down to about 2 pounds I did it to mine and talking to a lot of people on snipers hide it’s 100% safe as I tested stringentlyWith a 2 stage trigger you will still have the first stage. Made my rifle a lot easier to shoot. Nice looking set up.
Thanks. In fact i have and taken multiple classes. The keyword there is load development and it is a 308. With basic handloads of where i thought it would do well it did. :) so i am quite happy with the way it performed and it was as expected under the conditions. Will do further development on it in the near future and should get down to consistent .4 or so when not shooting off of wobbly bench in hot icky weather. And i remove the anti tamper crap off of trigger.
Slav Guns nice thanks for the reply. Search on UA-cam howa 1500 HACT trigger job by “bretthl1” I did what he did and it was a game changer. And in my testing 100% safe. If you go to light you can tighten the screw and bring the pull weight back down. I also have a howa 1500 in the krg bravo chassis in 6.5 creedmoor. I love that rifle and it shoots 1/2 inch at 100 with 140 elf-m with 41.5 grains of H4350 40 thousands off the lands.
@@bryanmarks4070 thanks will try. I really like 8208 but will try 4350
The video is really long. Are you Nutnfancy's cousin? Just kidding. (The video is really long though). Anyways, I enjoyed the content and subscribed.
Hey Carlo, Thanks. This was one of my earlier videos. It is tough to find a balance between just skimming over the top and providing enough, and then shooting footage. I think I found the balance with some of my newer videos including the videos on the Mossberg MVP 224 Valk, Ruger RPR 6.5 PRC and Ruger Hawkeye LRT in 6.5 PRC. Let me know what you think.
Very stupidly ridiculous the issues you have with that combo , they are brilliant, an no Loctite on them at all trigger is easily adjusted,
Not sure where you are located, but in the United States, Legacy sports, the importer, puts white goop on the trigger in order to dissuade people from adjusting the trigger. =) this has been consistent on 3 or 4 different Howas I have purchased or gotten for review. Thanks for watching. This was one of my very early videos so should update at some point. the gun is certainly a good value, the downside so far has been dealing with the US importer and distributor, not Howa themselves. The Oryx is an okay chassis... not a fan at all that you need tools and spares to make any comb or LOP adjustments, however it is solid otherwise.
You're not supposed to shoot a 5 shot group and then pick 3 best ones.
PolskiHetzen haha yes of course I know that. I did have camera footage as we saw in the second group of what the impacts were for most, and am confident in that the 3 shots were in fact 3 before it opened up. Thanks
In the future will have target camera for all.
For the seven shot on top I forgot to shoot the new square. Hence why 7 and 3 before I realized it.
@@SlavGuns Got it. keep making videos!
PolskiHetzen thanks! I appreciate it!
Where the link for your outfit comrade
Dis Hayn adidas on adidas.com or amazon! Thanks for watching and your comment! I appreciate the sub!
If that range is in PA, I am also a member there. Great review.
Near some Blue mountains? :)
@@SlavGuns lol yup
@@pedrovelez616 Did we meet at the range and I told you about the channel or just coincidence that a largely obscure channel attracts a member from an equally obscure gun club? =)
@@SlavGuns maybe there are a pretty big group of russians that shoot there. Have you tried to run aics mags in this rifle? I heard they dont fit.
@@pedrovelez616 i covered it in the video.
stalker