Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Howa 1500 opinion?

What is your honest opinion of a older. Howa 1500 action? I have one spotted on GB and they look and seem like they would be a nice rifle? What is the accuracy like in these rifles as well? Weatherby clones? What would you do?

It has been my impression that the basic Howa 1500 actions are the same, except for the roll stamps.

If you want to use it "as is", I'd recommend the Vanguard 2s as the stocks are better than those on comparable Howa 1500s.

If you're planning to install the barreled action in an after-market stock, either will do. Howa 1500 sporters typically have 22" barrels, while comparable V2s typically have 24" barrels.

If think that they are accurate hunting rifles, depending on the skill of the shooter.

Howa is good to go.

They are an excellent value.

Its all good.

On the budget side when compared to Savage, Ruger American, Winchester XPR, etc., they represent one of the better values for the money. Triggers are decent 2-stage triggers. Barrels seem to clean up decently. I actually like it better than Remington actions and have always been a Remington guy.

I bought two Howa Alpine's for my kids. Once properly bedded both shoot well. The triggers kinda stink, but are easily fixed by a Gun Bloke spring kit available off ebay.
A friend has a 1500 25-06 that Indid the load work for. It shot lights out from the git go. The Hogue stock sucks and again the trigger needs a spring kit. The gun is also pretty damn heavy.

My Howa 1500 in 223 feeds so smooth you can not tell if it actually fed a round from mag to chamber by feel. Yeah shoots too. MB

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-mag-tell-me-about-the-1500#Post15091135





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Howas have forged actions and one-piece bolts with easy take-down, almost unheard of at their price point. Their hinged-floorplates are aluminum, but work flawlessly in my experience. Accuracy has been good. Current models have good two-stage triggers, not to everyone’s taste, but my latest came to me set at 2 3/4 pounds with almost zero aftertravel. Best deal out there IMO for those of us who favor traditional construction. They are a bit heavy, but lightweight models with #1 barrels are available here and there. My newest, one of the Brownells sale rifles, goes 9lbs 3.5oz in a Weatherby Griptonite stock with a 22oz 8x56 scope in Burris Signature rings. Could probably shave 12oz with Talleys and a light scope, but I have a couple light ones already.

With new ones so affordable, a used one would have to be a real deal to get me. The new ones often have faster twist barrels and of course the better (IMO) trigger.

They are quite popular here in Australia and that means a lot of game falls to them as almost everything here is plague proportion, open season , no bag limits.
I have friends who have turned howas into good long range platforms too.

A Hogue grip on a 44 mag revolver, I get. I fail to understand the appeal of a Hogue stock on anything called a rifle. My 2 cents.

My 1500 HB varmint 308 wears a B&C medalist stock.....at the current weight the recoil is a little more than daisy red rider

Howa's have been imported under many names thru the years. The first one I saw in the late 70's had Interarms stamped on it.

I figure that had Weatherby not picked up that line when they did they might have been defunct by now. As Kenny Jarrett said about the 280 AI,"It's what brung them to the dance."

Howa is good stuff albeit a little on the heavy side. I think Howa is now what Remington was in the 70's, turning out quality arms that shoot right out of the box at an affordable Blue Collar price.

Smith & Wesson marketed them for a while, Interarms & Mossberg. Even Howa sold them for a time. Like a Remington 700, no matter what clothing it is dressed in, it is still a Howa 1500.

If I wanted one I would not hesitate to get it. As Pappy 348 stated:
"With new ones so affordable, a used one would have to be a real deal to get me. The new ones often have faster twist barrels and of course the better (IMO) trigger."