I have a new 2021 Howa1500 in 223. It is stamped right in the barrel that it is a 1:8 twist barrel. (20in heavy barrel)
I`ve been shooting Hornady Vmax 60gr with Hodgdon CFE223 & CCI400 primer.
I`m very impressed with this gun, you can easily cover the 5 bullet holes easily with a nickel (@100yds)
I have NOT touched the adjustable trigger at all. So wherever its set from the factory is where it is at.
Now, what remains to be known yet, i dont know if these rifles are chambered for and are ok to shoot 223 NATO rounds in it or not.
Nobody has been able to prove to me yet, that its ok to shoot NATO rounds in this rifle. I (email) contacted LegacyUSA, and i have yet to get a response from them.
I did set up a dummy round to see how far out the rifle lands are in the chamber. I could load the Vmax 60gr out to 2.260 OAL.
I ran a few dummy rounds on my concentricity gauge and got one all set up with no more runout than .0001
Anyhow, i dont know if any of my post will shed light on this subject, but that`s where i`m at with my Howa1500 223.
I do also have several other Howa`s, and every one of them run spot on. I couldn`t ask for a better gun for the money.