Howa 1500
- Thread starter villaman
- Start date
Blackthorn2
New Member
own one and I haven’t had any complaints from the foxes.
nice accurate rifle
nice accurate rifle
Brighty3006
Well-Known Member
Love mine. Shoots 50 grain vmax bette than I can
I really like my howa1500
When I bought it I was rushing to fill my .223 slot as I was excited to have it for what I wanted it for and didnt quite have enough money at the time for a tikka so ended up with this for £300 (mag conversion added later).
Shooting sub Moa with factory 53g vmax I was happy and then I started to reload and Iit produces 10mm groups at 100yrds, so it's more than capable.
Plenty of aftermarket parts available and other calibers catered for.
If I could change one thing I would like a shorter bolt throw like the tikka 's but that's being very picky
When I bought it I was rushing to fill my .223 slot as I was excited to have it for what I wanted it for and didnt quite have enough money at the time for a tikka so ended up with this for £300 (mag conversion added later).
Shooting sub Moa with factory 53g vmax I was happy and then I started to reload and Iit produces 10mm groups at 100yrds, so it's more than capable.
Plenty of aftermarket parts available and other calibers catered for.
If I could change one thing I would like a shorter bolt throw like the tikka 's but that's being very picky
So would you say tikka is a far better gun
Not to worried about money but £950 for howa 1500 , mod , scope and gun slip all brand new
The Howa is a very good rifle and will do everything you want it to, and so will the Tikka. You pay your money and make your choice.
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
You will be splitting hairs deciding which is better Tikka or Howa, both are great guns.
It sounds like the Howa packages have grabbed your attention, I'm sure you will not be disappointed if you buy one.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
I bought a package, stainless varmint with mod in a GRS Berserk for about the same price. I've since moved it to an Oryx chassis. It took a while to settle down and become very accurate with Sierra 69 SMK as I tried to get a load I was happy with the 69TMK but wasn't quite there with the 1:9 twist.
Compared to my Tikka CTR it's not quite as nicely finished but I only notice that on the safety and bolt release which feel a tad cheaper. However, I prefer the 3 stage safety and some safety features like the bolt vent holes down into the mag well. Also the Howa has the option of a floor plate and top loading which on a hunting rifle I prefer, but if you want a magazine then an AICS conversion works well and opens up your options even more.
Both rifles have a good supply of aftermarket parts to keep you happy if you like fettling the rifle. The HACT trigger on the Howa is decent and I can't really tell much of a difference between it and the Tikka.
Overall I'd be happy with either rifle.
Compared to my Tikka CTR it's not quite as nicely finished but I only notice that on the safety and bolt release which feel a tad cheaper. However, I prefer the 3 stage safety and some safety features like the bolt vent holes down into the mag well. Also the Howa has the option of a floor plate and top loading which on a hunting rifle I prefer, but if you want a magazine then an AICS conversion works well and opens up your options even more.
Both rifles have a good supply of aftermarket parts to keep you happy if you like fettling the rifle. The HACT trigger on the Howa is decent and I can't really tell much of a difference between it and the Tikka.
Overall I'd be happy with either rifle.
I have a 1500 in .204R and it shoots better than I ever will. When it was very new the magazine spring was a little fierce which resulted in the top round sometimes over-feeding if you filled it (5 rounds), but that soon settled down and rifle has not missed a beat since. Hundreds of dead foxes and not just a few long-range crows can attest to it doing what it was bought to do, and doing it very well.
No, tikka are more fashionable, put a tikka in an oryx, grs, bell and Carlson etc and will be as good as any tikka.
Why?
I own 2 tikkas and have owned 2 howas, the only but I don’t like on the howa is the safety….
Very much what I have found, howa’s are very underrated, probably due to the fact every man and his dog says buy a tikka.
LancsL200
Well-Known Member
howa's feel a bit rough and agri where as tikka's feel much smoother to me atleast
No, I wouldn’t disagree, though a bit like CZs they do bed in well.
LancsL200
Well-Known Member
on my howa the last little bolt is much less smooth than the rest dunno why, any ideas?
As in, at the end when you close the bolt? Can’t say I’ve noticed on the 2 I’ve owned or those I’ve shot at the club.
About to buy a weatherby .243 which is a howa so will see with that.
I have a Howa 243 in laminate (in profile), it was at least 2nd hand to me and has been put in all weathers, not been mistreated but no princess, Christ knows how many rounds and still boringly accurate… I treated myself to a ‘nicer‘ tikka super light in 6.5, very slightly more accurate but less character than the clanky old Howa my friends laugh at until it outshoots them.
kennyc
Well-Known Member
I might be biased 
I have 2 .308 Howas and 1 .223 Howa all shoot very well, 2 have the HACT trigger and 1 has the earlier one, on an average range day I will put 50-80 rounds through them, the bolt clunkiness has no impact on the accurracy , neither does the trigger.
not being blessed with an enhanced ego, I couldnt give a toss whether I'm fashionable, however having had to carry my sporter around the hills for a good few hours I do appreciate the light weight of it
it is still able to shoot better than I do even after thousands of rounds (200 in a single day when it was my only rifle !)
so in short, if you want a good reliable workhorse, then the Howa will do the job, if you are worried about you image or just have to have that buttery smooth action then the Sako or Tikka will serve you very well.
to put it context, all three of my Howas together cost less than I paid for a SIG210 D'oh!
I have 2 .308 Howas and 1 .223 Howa all shoot very well, 2 have the HACT trigger and 1 has the earlier one, on an average range day I will put 50-80 rounds through them, the bolt clunkiness has no impact on the accurracy , neither does the trigger.not being blessed with an enhanced ego, I couldnt give a toss whether I'm fashionable, however having had to carry my sporter around the hills for a good few hours I do appreciate the light weight of it
it is still able to shoot better than I do even after thousands of rounds (200 in a single day when it was my only rifle !)so in short, if you want a good reliable workhorse, then the Howa will do the job, if you are worried about you image or just have to have that buttery smooth action then the Sako or Tikka will serve you very well.
to put it context, all three of my Howas together cost less than I paid for a SIG210 D'oh!
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