I owned a Howa built S&W 1500 in .30-06 that was probably the most accurate rifle I ever had. I traded it for a Win Model 70 Feather Weight 06 that is also very accurate. That was back when I could only afford one rifle. If I could find that Smith back, I'd buy it back in a second.
I bought my son a Howa 1500 youth package in .308. We both absolutely LOVE the Hogue stocks. I disagree totally with the above poster who said the Weatherbys "look nicer". The Hogue stock is the clincher between these two.
Here is a post I wrote last night to a gentleman needing to replace a cracked M700 stock.
This is an opportunity for you. I used to despise the synthetic stocks. Then one day I laid my hands on a Hogue Overmolded stock. I now have a saying. "Once you go Hogue, you never go back." These things are great in so many ways.
1. The "stick" to everything. Example: This last deer season, I laid mine on the sloped hood of my SUV. I only did this because I knew I could. (If it had been a wood or hard carbon stock, it would have slid off immediately.) Anyway, in the darkness I stowed all my other stuff, got in and drove off down the very bumpy road to the highway. You guessed it, I had left that dang rifle and its $350 scope on the hood. But it hadn't moved even an inch by the time I got to the gate. I think I could have driven the 45 miles home and it would have been right there (barring having to slam in the brakes). More importantly, this "stick to" quality causes guns with these stocks to simply feel good in your hands while hunting.
2. They are whisper quite. If you brush a typical carbon stock against tree limbs walking through the woods, it sounds like a percussion section. Not with the Hogue. Silence.
3. They deaden recoil like you wouldn't believe. Part of this is the added weight compared to a typical synthetic stock. They are a bit heavier. But man do they deaden recoil. The rubber just seems to absorb it. I used to call my Savage 110 .30-06 that came with a light synthetic stock - "the punisher." That dang thing killed on both ends! Now it kicks more like a .257 Roberts or .300 Savage. They deaden WAY more recoil than a comparatively heavy wood stock.
4. They are very durable. They don't mar or scratch like fine wood or laminated stocks. Oil or solvents do not seem to bother them either. Water certainly doesn't.
I love a fine bedded walnut stock and like the way laminates look and perform. But man, you NEED a hunting rifle with a Hogue stock. Good luck.
Also, I think CZ makes fine rifles. I own currently Winchester, Ruger, Howa, Marlin, Savage, and T/C high powered rifles. I would love to add a CZ to the mix. But I'd get a Howa with a Hogue stock first if I didn't have any of them.
