Howa 1500

[6pt-sika]

While most folks are well aware I'm no advocate of the Legacy Firearms group . I saw something they're bringing out on the Howa bolt actions . Seems they're making them clip compatible now with up to a 10 rounder . Also you can get them with a 20" barrel the clip and a heavy enough barrel to thread for a silencer .

Dealer cost on the things is a fair bit under $400 so I am thinking this might make me a good "Poor Man's Sauer 202" thats also silencer compatible .

Now the $100 question . I have only fired one Howa in my entire shooting life and that was to sight in a 243 for a friends son last hunting season . Amazingly the darn thing shot very nicely with Hornady factory ammo . Not one hole 3 shot groups by any stretch but it was keeping 3 at 100 yards inside an inch with relative ease considering the thing scope they had on the gun and the less then benchrest quality trigger .

Anyway any of you fellows had much to do with the Howa rifles and yes I'm well aware the Weatherby Vanguard is built on the same action .

[KCSO]

I sell quite a few of the Howa's and my personal varmit rig is built on a Howa. If you get a good one it will shoot like all get out right out of the box and a poor one will run about 1" groups till you lap the barrel and work with it a little. Triggers from the box range from 2 1/2 ot 3 1/2 pounds and are semi adjustable to about a crisp 2 1/2 pound and if you are a good gunsmith you can take the factory trigger to just under 2 with mods to the safety. My current HB 1500 has a 24" tube with 1-12 twist and with my coyote load my groups are under 3/4" at 100 yards. I am still working on loads and will drop that to 1/2" before prairie dogs time. I understand the short barreled 223's have a faster twist. No by comparison I just got in and scoped and sighted a Remington SPS for a customer. Trigger out of the box 6 pounds semi adjustable to just over 3 with a little creep. The bolt action was rough and the stock was so flimsy it sagged against the barrel when you put it on bags. The Remington cost $200 more than the Howa.

[vancelw]

I bought this heavy barreled .223 several years ago. I just sold it 2 weeks ago to fund a trip to Africa.

I shot a LOT of rounds through it. Absolutely no complaints. I don't think the trigger is the same as a Vanguard, but it was a pretty good trigger. The Vanguards come with instructions on how to adjust the trigger. The Howa had the adjustment screws bobbed and tamper sealed, and the instructions told you not to adjust it. (Lawyer approved language I'm sure.)

I think they are a great value. I couldn't tell you what the smallest group I ever had was, but it popped a lot of Montana prairie dogs.

The only reason it got sold was the Africa trip and I found a great deal on a heavy 26" barrel for my Encore. (which are by far the most accurate guns I've ever owned.)

[new pig hunter]

Bought a Model 1500 .30-06 eight years ago. Awesome rifle, put a scope on it. Great accuracy, I can hit a bowling pin every time at 220 yards. 100 yard accuracy is less than 1-1/2". It is my main pig hunting rifle. It's a keeper.

Cheers,

Carl

[Rusty]

There is a shop here inn my little town that has been selling new Howas OTD with a scope for 400. He was buying a package from one of his sources that was a Houge stock and a scope of some kind.

[6pt-sika]

There is a shop here inn my little town that has been selling new Howas OTD with a scope for 400. He was buying a package from one of his sources that was a Houge stock and a scope of some kind.

With the Howa all I'm intrested in , is one with a short 20" fairly thick barrel in 308 that has the 10 shot clip !

All I wanna do is thread the thing for a suppressor and use it mainly for subsonic .

And to be honest I most likely won't do it , but it is intresting to consider at the moment . The new Savage Model 11 Pig Hunter in 308 is also very cost effective and already threaded for the suppressor however they don't have 10 shot mags .

[jcw]

I have two Howa's. A .223 and a .308. The .223 I bought as a barreled action and did my own stock. Due to the twist it only shoots the lighter bullets, but it shoots them extremely well. The .308 Doesn't like anything over 165 gr. groups really open up with the 180's. It came with a ram line stock and this has been and issue from day one with fliers. No doubt if I put a proper stock on it it would shoot just fine. Will most likely use the .308 for trading material or just sell it as I use a Savage 99 for most things needing the attention of a .308.

[crs]

My 11 year old grandson shoots his Howa 1500 with 20 Inch barrel very well. It is a 7mm-08 and is quite accurate with reduced recoil 140 grain ammo. We have not been back to the range since he moved on up to full power ammo, but he has taken 2 hogs, a whitetail doe, and a black Hawaiian ram with it.
It has an adjustable trigger, so I took out some slack and the pull is now 4 pounds.

[6pt-sika]

IF and it's a mighty big if , get one of these jewell's it's sole purpose in life will be to shoot 200-220 grain bullets at subsonic velocities with a suppressor on the end of the barrel . MOA at 100 yards is all I need with the subsonic load and generally an inch at 75 or 50 yards should fill the bill .

[Rusty]

Looking at the Savage and the Howa one thing that stands out in my mind is that both see to come in a Houge overmoulded stock. I just sold a Rem 700 that had the same style stock since Jr. and I couldn't get it to shoot well enough to make us happy. IMHO the problem was the stock and the fact that you couldn't get consistent pressure on the barrel because of the flex in the stock.
You might want to talk with Nath as it looks like his .308 has the same style stock. I'd be curious to know myself.

According to the website the Howa and the Vanguard are the same in regards to taking the 10 round mag kit. If that's the case I might consider the Vanguard if I could get away from that whippy rubber stock. YMMV

[6pt-sika]

It has an adjustable trigger, so I took out some slack and the pull is now 4 pounds.

4 pounds would be unacceptable for my needs . Something more in the pound to pund and a half would be more better suited for my use . Cold weather and lack of feeling the trigger will not be an issue as this thing will pretty much only be used in july , august and september for the damage control hunting .

[6pt-sika]

Looking at the Savage and the Howa one thing that stands out in my mind is that both see to come in a Houge overmoulded stock. I just sold a Rem 700 that had the same style stock since Jr. and I couldn't get it to shoot well enough to make us happy. IMHO the problem was the stock and the fact that you couldn't get consistent pressure on the barrel because of the flex in the stock.
You might want to talk with Nath as it looks like his .308 has the same style stock. I'd be curious to know myself.

According to the website the Howa and the Vanguard are the same in regards to taking the 10 round mag kit. If that's the case I might consider the Vanguard if I could get away from that whippy rubber stock. YMMV

The Howa that Jerry's is pushing with the clip adapter installed does not have a Hogue Overmold and neither does the Savage Model 11 Hog Hunter . The pair of short barreled 700 Tacticals my gunsmith buddy just got do however have the Hogue Overmold stock . We happen to have a Vanguard in 7mm REM MAG in the shop right now NIB for about $400 I think but thats not a road I wanna travel at this time .

I may ease down to Richmond and go in GreenTop to check out the Howa's on their rack and see if any of them call to me . Otherwise I may go back to the Savage Hog Hunter !

[Ji in Hawaii]

My hunting brother on Maui Rick if you recall I helped set him up with a Stainless Howa 1500 in 270 Win. with a 3 x 9 Nikon scope and camo stock back in 2005 (ultimate Hawaiian hunting rifle ). I reloaded all his ammo too. Got a load worked up that shot under an inch at 100 yards. This rifle came with a smooth 2.5 pound trigger pull right out of the box so I left it alone. He collected countless Axis deer as well as Black Buck, goat, and boar with this rifle ever since.

[crs]

Should you go with the Howa 1500, here are two links to good information on adjusting the Howa trigger:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/ ... how-52584/

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/fo ... er=1584878

There is much more such info out there on the Internet, but these were all I needed.

[6pt-sika]

Should you go with the Howa 1500, here are two links to good information on adjusting the Howa trigger:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/ ... how-52584/

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/fo ... er=1584878

There is much more such info out there on the Internet, but these were all I needed.

You wouldn't happen to know if RifleBasix makes a replacement trigger by any chance ?

[crs]

6pt,
No info on replacement triggers for the Howa. One of the Howa trigger links that I posted had a comment from a varmint shooter who had adjusted his trigger down to 1 - 1.5 pounds with no creep and a crisp let off. I can understand that for bench rest, varmint, and very long range shooting, but I always like a 3.5 - 4 pound trigger with a crisp let off for hunting on foot.

Grandson and I are happy with his trigger now (his first reaction was "I did know it was going to go off!) . His reaction to the new leupold Vx2 scope, was similar: "Wow, that is clear". The little scope and short rifle make a nicely balanced package.
He has an adult sized stock we will switch to when he outgrows the present child spec stock.