A friend of mine wants to jump up to 300RUM in his Howa that is currently a 7mag. Question is, will a Rem or Win take off barrel thread match or be recut if not and is the mag well long enough? He wants a higher powered rifle for bear that has been hanging around lately but loves his Howa.

The threads won't match and the mag well isn't lomg enough. dempsey

I love my Howa(s) too, and the best thing he can do is trade it for a 338 WIn Mag Howa.

Wouldn't the bolt face also have to be opened up? It sounds like it's time to get another rifle.

Also, some beefy loads in that 7-mag. wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea for that bear, anyway.

RSY

416 taylor, don't look back, don't slow down!!
jeffe

Bolt face is the same,. I once owned a long action Howa and I believe that magazine length is the same as a Rem 700,ie: 3.70".Anyone have one to measure? I like Teryy's advice..or you may find a Howa 338 or 300 Win Mag barrel somewhere.

Brent:

A custom barrel job from a good maker like Pac-nor or others is going to run about $450. Seems to me, that he could buy a whole new Howa rifle for that amount (or close to it), and have two rifles instead of one. His current rifle is very useful, and it does not make a lot of sense to dump it for a cannon that would be way overkill for most uses.

Look at it this way, his current rifle cost say $500 (new). He pays $450 for a rebarrel, so investment = $950 for one rifle.

OR...........
Keeps the gun he has, ($500) buys another rifle for $500. Investment = $1,000 for two rifles, (practical 7 mag, (and) a special purpose cannon).

JimF