howa .308 varmint stainless

doonered

Well-Known Member
ive just ordered a howa varmint stainless in .308 with a hogue stock. has anybody got one, any pros/cons? seems like a nice solid well made rifle.
 
I've been waiting for my Howa Lightning (1500) in .308 - blued barrel, black hogue stock - for about 4 months now... It's supposed to be delivered this month, so I'll let you know when it arrives... :)
 
The Hogue stocks have two configurations with Howa's, Pillar bedded & Full length ally block, the pillar bedded one is the most common & more than adequate, the overmoulded rubber is really comfy & pretty well non slip in the wet. Steve.
 
Howa has one of the best factory triggers... if you get it it tuned by an expert.
Very well made rifle overall, no plastic bits. You can always upgrade a stock later. You'll enjoy the howa.
check out the Roedale website, he writes a bit about the howa.

edi
 
My buddy bought a new Howa 243 a few weeks ago. Stainless with a laminate thumbhole stock. He paid a fair old premium for the stock. I would personally rather have had the standard Hogue stock.

I keep hearing that the Howa is a "good rifle for the money". Personally, I think that is crap.

They are a good rifle, full stop. The price is irrelevant.

The dealer had no 243 ammo in stock ( can you believe that? ) when we collected the rifle, so we literally threw together a load - 45gr N160 and a 87gr V-max, with no development just to get him going. Zeroed the rifle with 5 shots. First three shot group, shots number 6,7 & 8 from this barrel, went into .7". Cleaned the barrel again, shots 8,9 & 10, went .5".

This rifle has a great trigger, about 2lb, no creep. Bolt travel is smooth. Just an excellent rifle all round.

I would describe the Howa in many ways as an "old fashioned" rifle. There is no plastic where you don't want it. Really good action and barrel, a bit heavy, but I don't like fly weights. Certainly a much better rifle than many I have seen at a lot more money. If Remmies or T3's were free, I would rather buy a Howa.

You would have to spend a lot of cash, ie Sauer or Blaser money to do better than a new Howa.
 
many thanks for the replys, i picked the rifle/ scope combo up from euroguns at doncaster yesterday, took exactly 1 day from them ordering it, i can only echo all of your comments above, it feels like a really well put together rifle, everythng seems solid and in the right place, the only downside is that ive got a 4 week wait till i can use it, (next stalking trip). price fro the rifle and a nikko stirling 3/9x40 game king and mounts. £689. seems like a lot of rifle for the money!
 
Use the time to practice and get to know the rifle.
It's a 308, cheap ammo and long barrel life.
Remember, it sometimes takes a bit of testing to find
the hunting ammo that the rifle likes and shoots well.
edi
 
doonered said:
i picked the rifle/ scope combo up from euroguns at doncaster yesterday, took exactly 1 day from them ordering it

VERY jealous! :) I'm still waiting for mine - but then I guess since it's a prize and not something I'm paying for I can't compete with real customers! :)

Another week or two, I hope....

Glad you got yours, and will be interested to hear what ammo it shoots best...
 
pippa. hope yours arrives soon. will let you know re the ammo. euroguns have some cheap 7.62 nato. does anyone know if im right in thinking its ok to put that through a .308 but not the other way round. i would use this just to get a rough zero and put some rounds through the rifle.
 
ian. jst read the review, i had read it before, it was one of the reasons i bought the rifle, very well written and informative. my rifle came with the nikko sterling game king. my last rifle had a barska scope, not terribly fashionable but very robust, i think i will be getting another one of those. many thanks for the info. martin.
 
just back from first stalking trip with the howa. unfortunatly the deer didnt oblige but i put the rifle through its paces on the range. initial impressions, fantastic. initial problems when zeroing, this was due to the stock screws working loose. once tightened it was delivering sub 1 inch groups at 100 yards with 150 and 180 gn winchster cx2. really pleased with it. anyone know where i can get hold of an axiom stock for it?
 
doonered,
not many axiom stocks around. What are your expectations of this stock?
Or what improvement are you looking for?
edi
 
edi. the majority of my fullbore shooting has been done with military rifles. i just feel more comfortable with that type of stock/ grip. the only one i have handled that feels that comfortable is the axiom.
 
In that case the reason might also be from a too fat pistol grip on the standard rifle stock which is often the case.
I also shot a bit with Uzi and H&K G3 but think I'm quicker with a hunting style stock that I fitted to myself.

edi
 
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