The only difference is the name on the side of the receiver. This may become an issue if you ever decide to part with your rifle as some folks have heard or weatherby rifles, but have not heard of howa. I would hazard a guess that most all folks who mess with guns know they are the same, but there are the folks who go out to buy themselves a deer rifle with little individual knowlege of the products available. They have seen a few hunting shows on television, and maybe read a magazine at a barber shop. They stand a better chance of having heard of a Weatherby than a Howa.
Name recognition is all it comes down to.
