Here's another Howa fan. I watched a barely used 1500/tupperware stocked .338WM for several months at an area Gander Mountain a few years ago until it dropped to $199...after which it came home with me (grin). I restocked the rifle with a Boyd's "JRS" laminate, mounted an Ebay Leupold M8-4X, and, after a lot of bedding experimentation, full-length bedded the rifle. With near max loads, it will put 3, 250 gr. Hornadys into about an inch @ 100 yards. (Only a little larger groups with 250 Nosler Partitions). Haven't had the opportunity to shoot on a range with longer targets. The trigger on my rifle is nice enough to preclude replacement.
