Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Howa, Vangard, S&W 1500

Are these all the same??
What is an Interarms 1500?? Is it a Howa too?

Looking at putting a new stock on a S & W 1500 and wanted to know if a Howa stock is the same. Boyd's has an Interarms 1500 listed, but I don't know if that is the same as a Howa 1500/ S&W 1500.

The Howa, the Vanguard, and the SW are interchangeable for stocks. 260Remguy is who you want to chat with about them.

I think the interarms was the importer of the howa

260RemGuy's PM box is full

I put a Howa 1500 in a vanguard stock. Works marvelously.

The are all the "same", but there are two different action lengths: long and short, so therefore two different stock configurations across those Howa 1500-actioned firearms.

Add the Mossberg 1500 to the list. All four are interchangeable for stocks, most you might have to do is a bit of relief if you have an aftermarket trigger/safety. Seem to recall Interarms being the original importer before Legacy took that on, but without doing some digging, I won't commit to confirming that. Boyds is typically pretty helpful. If you're looking at one of their pre-mades, just call and ask them. If you're not, the Howa is listed in their action drop down.

This is correct! My late uncle had a Mossberg 1500 in .308 Win. Right before he died is when I got interested in all of the Vanguard options and I was surprised to find out there were more than 2. Howa, Weathrby Vanguard, S&W 1500, and Mossberg are/were the same guns.

GPC has some NOS short action 1500 stocks listed on their site. if you're looking for a short action walnut stock, I think that they are a better value than anything that Boyds is selling.

AFAIK almoat all of the Howa 1500, regardless of who they were imported by, use the same barreled actions. The exception are the Weatherby Vanguard2s which typically have 24" barrels with slightly heaver sporter contour barrels than the comparable Howa 1500s with 22" sporter contour barrels.

I have a couple of Vanguard2s bedded in laminated Boyds Prairie Hunter style stocks and they are heavier than I'd prefer. Of the common after-market stocks for the Howa 1500s, I like the B&C Weatherby style the best. If an injection molded stock would work for you, I like the two-tone Vanuard2 stocks a lot and IMO they are probably the best design of any recent production factory installed injection molded stocks that I can think of.

I have a S&W 1500 in 30-06 that I keep around because of its unique serial number, PN11111.

Here is my dilemma - I have a S & W 1500 LA that came with both a 30-06 Barrel and bolt as well as a 7 RM barrel and bolt. I want to make a fast twist 25 cal and can't decide on something on the '06 case (Gibbs, AI ...) or a 257 Wby. I have a 257 Wby Vangard that I haven't shot due to recent shoulder surgery. It will get shot in May or so. I also have a 25-06 and 25 Gibbs. I can pull the barrel on the Gibbs and make that Mauser something else. The 25-06 I'll leave alone and keep as well. ALL 3 quarter bores are 10" twist. I'm looking at doing an 8" twist (for the multitude of 130+ gr bullets out there ;-))
No matter the caliber it will be a sporter weight barrel used for antelope and maybe deer.
What cal would you do?? I'll be selling off the extra bolt and both barrels.

They were all made by Howa, but at times Weatherby and others had slightly different specs. Some have 2 position safeties, some 3 position safeties. There were minor differences in the bolts and barrels. All are interchangeable, but Weatherby had 24" barrels on everything while Howa used 22" barrels for non-magnum cartridges.

Is the action for a magnum or standard case?
Im not sure if that is controlled by the box magazine or action feed rails. If it were me I would keep it in the same family as the action was made for.
I like the 26/06 but I have ever kept one long. Built 2 different ones and had 3 others. I have always wanted a 257 Weatherby but those cards have never lined up yet.

Maybe a 25 PRC?

Had a Vanguard 6.5 Crudmoor. It was accurate, gave to granddaughter