Howa 1500 rifles

[adrian44]

How is my comment "random" Adrian? The words I used were far from "random".
I am genuinely surprised that anyone who shoots and who owns a number of rifles of different manufacture so would not be an absolute newcomer to shooting, has not encountered the Howa rifles.

Makes perfect sense and no one can fault you. Anyone who owns guns "must" have encountered Howas or else he's "an absolute newcomer" obviously pretending to own guns to appear wicked

I appreciate that reasoning is not your forte, but I'll add that the way you're projecting your own methodology on others is laughable to say the least. I can venture to explain the fallacy of your logic, but I would be quite naive not to spot the Dunning–Kruger effect here and expect anything in return other than more senility manifesting itself in a new series of unintelligible uniformed ramblings stated as a matter of fact. I'll leave it there, and please accept my regards.

 

[adrian44]

Ignore the comments that the stock is too flexible when used with a bipod - yes there is a tiny little flex in it but it doesn't effect accuracy at all.

Erik, thank you VERY much for your post. Pretty much sums it up and only enforces my decision. I'm actually now toying with the idea of getting the walnut stock, but waiting for Monday morning to make a few calls and check its availability. This has to be one of the rare instances where there is a near global agreement that it's an excellent value. Thanks everyone for the input in this thread. That's all I needed

 

[Cyres]

They are excellent, I have a MK 1 in .243 Stainless heavy varmit and it is extremly accurate. Original stock was awfull mine has been reenforced and bedded and trigger done and now much better. Recently I was in Ladd's Devon and looked at the newer version. Concur the new style trigger is excellent and current price is approx £500. In the new GRS stock its a hell of a package approx £1000. Brock and Norris will give you all the gen as they screw cut all of them for the importers.

It will out shot you and to be highly recommended esp if you are on a budget. However everbody seems to go for T3 lite which is about £250 more.

D

 

[Southern]

I have an old Howa 1500 .223 and a nice walnut stock, which shoots very well. It is a smartly engineered rifle, well made, and solid.
I have never seen or heard of one which does not shoot well.

I have a T3 Lite, my second one. But if you are not looking to shave ounces for wandering the hills all day, you might want to go with the Howa for a little more ( normal ) weight, which may make it easier to steady down in the field.

 

[dan71]

Have many of you guys customised your rifles?

 

[ejg]

I had a few Howa rifles in my hands, most were customised bit by bit. A 22-250 with original sporter barrel was incredibly accurate.
Action is around 60 grams heavier than a remmy action but at least has a proper recoil lug however every action seems to have a different shape, meaning recoil lug shaping is quite crudely done. The Howa's seem to react quite strongly to bedding, we have in the past tried to help customers by pre-bedding a stock with a rifle we have in the shop, however the customers rifle would not shoot for beans in that setup. After re-bedding or relieving inletting accuracy was incredibly good.
I had one stainless Howa that had the lugs galling really badly, stainless running on stainless is not a good choice.
Once setup right a Howa is a robust rifle at a good price.


My sons semi custom stainless, 243 1/8 Bergara Barrel, 19.8 oz carbon fibre stock, AI mag system

Good friend of mine has this Howa with a 1/10 Lothar Walther Polygon Barrel in 308 that he uses for goat (pest) control. Often over 600m.

edi

 

[FISMA]

I have had a few 1500's and found them to be a great no frills rifle.

Although not all bases are interchangeable between 1500's and Rem 700's, mine are. Great idea. Opens up a lot of possibilities. Hate having to look at a handful of bases for the Finnbear.

 

[Krico308]

I have a 1500 stainless in .308 in the walnut stock. I think the wood and stainless go well together and as for accuracy, I am very happy with it.

 

[adriandavidb]

Couple of remarks on this thread about the reworked trigger in the later model . . .

I am thinking of acquiring one of these, by most accounts excellent, rifles. I would like to know how you tell the difference between the older ones and the newer reworked trigger models?

Is it as simple as "Howa 1500 mark 2" stamped on the receiver?

On another note; I infer from one of the posts here that the Hogue over-molded stocks seem to have got better too. I guess this refers to the basic 'pillar bedded' one, not the more expensive version with the aluminium block?

I have heard these stocks described as "dog chews"; they have there detractors, but I for one like the look and feel of these at least, although I have not tried one for myself, and if they have made them more rigid I would consider getting one; otherwise it may be Bell & Carlson!

Have they changed the Hogue design?

Thanks

 

[Cut+Squirt]

The updated trigger is two stage, the mk1 is not.

 

[adriandavidb]

The updated trigger is two stage, the mk1 is not.

Thanks, that should make it easy enough to tell in the shop!

 

[Thar]

They should really be the mark 3s, the first Howa triggers had only a single position safety, the next ones had a two position safety, and then of cause the latest models have the two position trigger.

The first Howas in the country had butler creek synthetic stocks, before the Houge ones we fitted. The early stocks are pretty cheap TBH but work well enough.

ATB

Tahr

 

[Cut+Squirt]

They should really be the mark 3s, the first Howa triggers had only a single position safety, the next ones had a two position safety, and then of cause the latest models have the two position trigger.

The first Howas in the country had butler creek synthetic stocks, before the Houge ones we fitted. The early stocks are pretty cheap TBH but work well enough.

ATB

Tahr

I didn't know that they used to use Butler Creek stocks, you learn something new every day.

 

[adriandavidb]

"On another note; I infer from one of the posts here that the Hogue over-molded stocks seem to have got better too. I guess this refers to the basic 'pillar bedded' one, not the more expensive version with the aluminium block?

I have heard these stocks described as "dog chews"; they have there detractors, but I for one like the look and feel of these at least, although I have not tried one for myself, and if they have made them more rigid I would consider getting one; otherwise it may be Bell & Carlson!"

Any thoughts on whether Hogue have upgraded their pillar bedded stocks, or is it 'same old same old'?

 

[Adam204]

I have a 1500 stainless sporter . Any one had trouble with rust/corrosion in the action area? Along the bolt slides and lugs? Mine has and wondering if I am not alone. I have a standard rem sps in stainless and it's treated to the same cleaning regime and I don't have any rust/corrosion on that rifle.

 

[kennyc]

I have a 1500 stainless sporter . Any one had trouble with rust/corrosion in the action area? Along the bolt slides and lugs? Mine has and wondering if I am not alone. I have a standard rem sps in stainless and it's treated to the same cleaning regime and I don't have any rust/corrosion on that rifle.

no sign on mine, and its been soaked through many times.

 

[Adam204]

That's interesting, as mine is only a couple of months old and has never seen rain. One slightly damp night foxing and that's it.

 

[kennyc]

That's interesting, as mine is only a couple of months old and has never seen rain. One slightly damp night foxing and that's it.

then you may need to revisit your oil treatment regimen, I use pre-oiled wipes on every surface except the lenses (one does all the rifles that I have out on a given day), I then wipe over with a dry cloth, the bolt lugs get a very fine wipe of lithium grease, the bore gets an oiled patch followed by a dry patch and another one before use, on occasion I have had to leave the stock out of the cabinet to dry overnight.Don't forget the trigger set ! My SS Howa has been with me 3 years or so and wasn't new when I bought it.

 

[adriandavidb]

then you may need to revisit your oil treatment regimen, I use pre-oiled wipes on every surface except the lenses (one does all the rifles that I have out on a given day), I then wipe over with a dry cloth, the bolt lugs get a very fine wipe of lithium grease, the bore gets an oiled patch followed by a dry patch and another one before use, on occasion I have had to leave the stock out of the cabinet to dry overnight.Don't forget the trigger set ! My SS Howa has been with me 3 years or so and wasn't new when I bought it.

What type?

 

[kennyc]

What type?

the ones I use I bought about 3 years ago, they are marked G38 brand, they are to a milspec .I bought them from a local RFD although I suspect you can find similar under different names, or just make your own with gun oil and a rag.