Howa 1500 22-250

[Patterdale31]

I am looking at getting Howa 1500 22-250. Anyone using one or recommend. Hear the early ones with synthetic stock we’re not great. If so has this been changed. Am struggling to get one at moment as all sold out so is that a good thing (high Demand maybe )
cheers

 

[old keeper]

I don't know about the 22-250 but the 1500 in 243 and 223 are excellent, accurate, rifles. Laminate thumbhole stocks by the way.

 

[Deerstalker6]

Hello Patterdale,

That is what I heard due the stock you had to be careful with the moderator put on it, sonic45's seemed fine but it was anything weighty that caused accuracy/poi issues.

I have heard off people in shops and read online that the best stock choices to go with their rifles are laminated stocks or Bell & Carlson stock,

There is a really rare 22-250 on guntrader at the moment Howa 1500/Christensen Arms varmint action but it's barrel is Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber type.

 

[Mickeydredd]

My mate has one and it was the rifle I used when he introduced me to deer stalking. Very nice calibrate and rifle.

he foolishly messed around with stocks etc to reduce weight and it completely ruined the rifle in his eyes.

 

[Laurie]

The Howas we get are made in Japan as barreled actions only and exported from there to Legacy Sports International in the USA who decide on the range of stocks they'll offer with the various calibre / barrel weight options.

LSI regularly changes its catalogue as new stocks become available, fashions change, and as part of continuously 'refreshing' its range. It's a very clever system in two ways - because there is such a huge range of stock types / materials these days and a correspondingly large range in prices, it means that a good basic product can be continuously 'dressed' and re-dressed' to be attractive to customers and to meet their particular shooting needs too. A different stock in effect creates a different / new rifle. Also, it allows a large price range from affordable in basic plastic stocks up to pretty sophisticated but more expensive models, examples being the recently introduced Howa HCR model (Howa Chassis Rifle) and even more 'tacticool' KRG-Bravo stocked model to get into the currently fashionable and big money American PRS / 'Blackticool' market.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/08/new-howa-tactical-rig-howa-chassis-rifle-hcr/

https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/

So, it's not an issue of 'older rifles' with flexy stocks - they will always be there as the budget starter models, a basic Hogue Products 'Overmolded' stock having been used for some years which is the one that usually attracts criticism. The important thing is to get the spec and order right if buying new, or to be sure of what you're buying if secondhand. It can be quite confusing in the s/h market with LSI having changed its stocks so frequently and many rifles out there offered for sale have stocks that haven't been on the new market for some time and are more often than not no longer in production by the stock-making outfits. (I have an earlier generation quasi-tactical 1500 in the original heavy recoil absorbing Knoxx Axiom chassis stock, a model I imagine few people have heard of here now, but which was quite the rage some years back with You Tube videos and lots of magazine write-ups.)

There are also many choices in after-market stocks as a result of this policy by LSI, but one has to do the research and factor in how much that will add to the cost of buying a secondhand rifle with a cheapo basic stock.

 

[smokey]

heavy barrel rifles have always been much better in the howa range a friend had a HB 223 it was the most accurate factory benchrest rifle I ever saw straight out of the box.
remember Howa have been around since the 60s as smith & Wesson - Tradewinds 1500 -Weatherby- Husgavarna and a few others

 

[rangey]

ive got 3 howas all heavy barrel,22.250,223,6.5.2 are in after market stocks.the 223 is now back in the original Hogue stock,was in a mdt stock but the 6.5 now sits in that.shoots under 1/2" in the Hogue...the 22.250 sits in a grs and is set up with nv and that also shoots great.love my howas,great rifles and not expensive.had 4 howas now and wouldn't buy anything else.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

My howa heavy barrel in 223 is accurate as anything. Ragged holes at 200 yards with homeloads. That's with the hogue stock and a wildcat pred8 mod. If I was buying a new rifle it would be another howa