Howa Rifle Info Needed....
- Thread starter Sky Dog
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well....howa 1500s ARE Weatherby Vanguards, with some weatherby specific modifications, but still built on the same action in the same factory.
IMO Howas are equal in quality and performance to any of the other Major brands of rifles, they are actually one of my favorite two lug push feed actions. The only downsides are that they are heavier than most similar rifles, and dont have the aftermarket support of say the 700 or Savage.
IMO Howas are equal in quality and performance to any of the other Major brands of rifles, they are actually one of my favorite two lug push feed actions. The only downsides are that they are heavier than most similar rifles, and dont have the aftermarket support of say the 700 or Savage.
denton
Member
I have one and like it. Comparing user reports, I think the Savages are generally more accurate.
MachIVshooter
Member
They're basically a Rem 700. Good rifles, tend to be very accurate.
CoalTrain49
Member
I have two, a mini and a 1500 HB, both 223. Nothing to get excited about, just good solid rifles. Both shoot 1 MOA. Not knowing anything about the other brands I can't compare but I can't imagine any new $600 rifle being any better. Bottom line is I would buy another one without looking at anything else except maybe Tikka. Howa uses Remington scope mounts so nothing weird there.
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They are similar in design to an improved 700. They took all the 700 shortcomings and improved them. Better bolt handle, better trigger, better extractor, better bottom metal, better recoil lug. I still think Remington barrels are more likely to shoot more accurately. But not by much.
I'd rate them equal to Savage in build quality, and better looking.
Weatherby's are built on Howa actions. That is about it. From the factory the barrels, safety, bolt, and stocks are all slightly different. All parts will interchange however. One is as good as the other, it just depends on which you get the better price on and the features you like. I prefer Howa to Weatherby.
I've had examples of both, but no longer. The quality is there. They are very nice rifles, but the actions are HEAVY and just don't suit me. A standard rifle in either a Howa or Vanguard is 7 3/4 lbs before adding scope and mounts. Once scoped you are looking at 9-10 lbs. A 700 or Savage is 7 1/4 lbs. or less and most newer designs today are closer to 6 lbs. Some as light as 5 lbs.
The only way to lighten a Howa or Vanguard is with a pencil thin barrel which hurts accuracy. On the other hand you can start with a much lighter action, add a heavier than standard weight barrel and still come in under 8 lbs scoped and have a tack driver.
I'd rate them equal to Savage in build quality, and better looking.
Weatherby's are built on Howa actions. That is about it. From the factory the barrels, safety, bolt, and stocks are all slightly different. All parts will interchange however. One is as good as the other, it just depends on which you get the better price on and the features you like. I prefer Howa to Weatherby.
I've had examples of both, but no longer. The quality is there. They are very nice rifles, but the actions are HEAVY and just don't suit me. A standard rifle in either a Howa or Vanguard is 7 3/4 lbs before adding scope and mounts. Once scoped you are looking at 9-10 lbs. A 700 or Savage is 7 1/4 lbs. or less and most newer designs today are closer to 6 lbs. Some as light as 5 lbs.
The only way to lighten a Howa or Vanguard is with a pencil thin barrel which hurts accuracy. On the other hand you can start with a much lighter action, add a heavier than standard weight barrel and still come in under 8 lbs scoped and have a tack driver.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
I have an early '90s Weatherby Vanguard (Howa 1500), and a mid 70s Rem.700 (Walker trigger)- the Remington had the better factory trigger (and the current Xmark is even lighter and crisper), though a little stoning and oiling brought the Vanguard trigger very close.
The Weatherby has the smoother action, even better than the jeweled bolt on the 700 BDL.
Accuracy wise, both guns will outshoot me....lol.
The Weatherby has the smoother action, even better than the jeweled bolt on the 700 BDL.
Accuracy wise, both guns will outshoot me....lol.
The new Howas all come with the HACT, which I found to be very easy to adjust to exactly the way i wanted it.
Its 2 stage as well, so you have some tactile response before your hitting the point where it will break. I like light triggers, and i REALLY like the 2 stage trigger when other people are shooting my rifles, that second stage usually keeps them from having the gun go off before they expect it.
One other thing worth mentioning, and part of the reason Howas are heavy, is that they are a flat bottomed action. I find this to be an easier design to bed properly than a round bodied action.
Its 2 stage as well, so you have some tactile response before your hitting the point where it will break. I like light triggers, and i REALLY like the 2 stage trigger when other people are shooting my rifles, that second stage usually keeps them from having the gun go off before they expect it.
One other thing worth mentioning, and part of the reason Howas are heavy, is that they are a flat bottomed action. I find this to be an easier design to bed properly than a round bodied action.
dranrab
Member
I think everything has pretty well been touched on so far.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Accurate
Reliable
Strong
Good Trigger
Cons:
Heavy
Heavy with few reasonable solutions for lightening them up
Pros:
Inexpensive
Accurate
Reliable
Strong
Good Trigger
Cons:
Heavy
Heavy with few reasonable solutions for lightening them up
Cowboybebop
Member
Their one flaw from what I've heard (not experienced myself) is that the bolt stop can crack if you work the action and eject too forcefully. But A LOT of bolt rifles have that problem apparently.
I've got one in 300 Win Mag with a Hogue stock, it's about a 1 MOA shooter if I don't flinch.
I've got one in 300 Win Mag with a Hogue stock, it's about a 1 MOA shooter if I don't flinch.
BrocLuno
Member
Howa good in my book 
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
That's funny, mine WAS cracked when I bought it. Someone had jammed half a penny in the slot as a field fix. Worked, too, until I got a replacement stop- cost $12.
jhansman
Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
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- 1,113
I have a Howa 1500 in .223 that I absolutely love. When I was ready to buy, I was torn between the Rem 700 and the Howa; the latter won out, and it was the smart choice. I've added a Timney trigger that out of the box is < 2 lbs., and was definitely an upgrade. Eventually, I worked up a load for it that (on a good day) gives me sub-MOA all day. The only rifle I have to compare it to is a Savage Model 12 BVSS that was good, but I could never get it to group consistently. Dunno what they are using these days, but mine uses a Weatherby action that is just an excellent piece of machining. I have sold many guns over the years, some regrettably; the Howa was never a candidate for sale, and never will be.
Legacy Sports has made my Varminter model available again, and can be seen here:
https://www.legacysports.com/legacy...e-varminter-and-classic-sporter-rifle-stocks/
Legacy Sports has made my Varminter model available again, and can be seen here:
https://www.legacysports.com/legacy...e-varminter-and-classic-sporter-rifle-stocks/
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DannyLandrum
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- Aug 30, 2017
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- 439
Had a few Howas/ Vanguards. Overall they are nice, but the trigger isn't great, and if you adjust it all the way down as far as it will go (to around 4 lbs), the safety no longer works. Vanguard Sub-MOA Varminter was a joy despite that.
Hokkmike
Member
Had one. Like it. Moved up to a more expensive choice in a much lighter rifle but it was fine.
I've carried a howa ranchland for several years now in the truck. I bought it in I believe 2012.
One negative I have found is the barrel is too thin to cut for a suppressor. It's the lightest barrel they sell. In 20". So the gun is light.
I had to polish the action and lugs. I had some pretty bad galling on one of the lugs. I'm not sure what it came from. It's fixed now. The metal may not have been hard enough for the abuse of living in the pickup.
It is accurate, not picky with ammo at all.
Good price point.
Nikko sterling scope that comes with the combos holds zero but the glass is low quality.
I think it's a good buy in its price range. I'd have parted ways with mine a long time ago if I didn't like it.
One negative I have found is the barrel is too thin to cut for a suppressor. It's the lightest barrel they sell. In 20". So the gun is light.
I had to polish the action and lugs. I had some pretty bad galling on one of the lugs. I'm not sure what it came from. It's fixed now. The metal may not have been hard enough for the abuse of living in the pickup.
It is accurate, not picky with ammo at all.
Good price point.
Nikko sterling scope that comes with the combos holds zero but the glass is low quality.
I think it's a good buy in its price range. I'd have parted ways with mine a long time ago if I didn't like it.
CoalTrain49
Member
Howa has three barrel weights. The lightest is on their minis and maybe some others. They use the medium barrel on their 1500's. It's beefy and I'm pretty sure there would be enough metal there to thread for a suppressor. The heavy barrel is massive and probably heavier than most. I have a mini and a HB so if anyone wants those dimensions I can get those. I don't have a 1500 medium so don't know what that is. This is important when buying a Howa because they're a bit different. I used to have the barrel OD's but lost the info.
CoalTrain49
Member
The prices are about the same. I don't see a lot of difference in the actions. I like the 2 stage trigger on the Howas, some may prefer the Tikka trigger. I don't know anything about warranty work on Howa, never had to use it. I've had a ton of Beretta shotguns (they own Tikka) and never used their warranty either, they were that good.
The big difference to me is Howa isn't well known in this country and they don't advertise much. They've been in the US a long time though. My neighbor told me they were available in the 70's as he considered buying one. The real kicker for me is that Howa will sell a bunch of rifles to large retailers pretty cheap and occasionally you can find them discounted. I've never seen that on Tikka rifles. I'm still watching the flyers for a Tikka CTR. Nothing yet.
Hummer70
Member
I have only had experience with one Howa and it was a 300 Win Mag that belonged to a friend in my volunteer fire dept. He could shoot it with factory ammo, fed, fired, extracted just fine. He got a set of RCBS dies and FL sized the cases, loaded them up and they would not go back in rifle. He bought another set of dies and same thing happened and he bought a third set of dies and same thing happened then he asked me. I told him to bring rifle down with all his ammo and we shot it three rounds, came in and sized them on my dies and the FL sized cases would not go in the rifle. My dies are like 40 years old and have worked with multiple rifles just fine so I knew my dies were OK.
I took a looksee with bore scope, nothing visible. I unscrewed the barrel and cut the threads off and rethreaded it and put in a new chamber with my reamer and every round he had previously loaded with the first three sets of dies and my dies chambered and closed fine. I Visually looking at fired cases from factory chamber and my chamber looked the same but that is what cured the problem with his.
Never even heard of such in any other rifle so I can only figure something did not work out right somewhere in the original production.
I took a looksee with bore scope, nothing visible. I unscrewed the barrel and cut the threads off and rethreaded it and put in a new chamber with my reamer and every round he had previously loaded with the first three sets of dies and my dies chambered and closed fine. I Visually looking at fired cases from factory chamber and my chamber looked the same but that is what cured the problem with his.
Never even heard of such in any other rifle so I can only figure something did not work out right somewhere in the original production.
Chamber was probably just barely deep enough for a go gauge, so commercial or new cases would be ok, but a fired and resized case would still be just slightly too large. My Savage .243 was like that...it was easier to grind a bit off the bottom of the die then remove the barrel and reinstall, so i did that instead.
My new 6.5x284 is close to that tight. I have to make sure die is as far into the press as possible or cases are hard to close the bolt on.
Hummer70
Member
I guess I have trimmer the bottoms of at least 20 FL dies from .005 to .015" to get them sizing correctly and bump the should back.
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