Howa love them or hate them?

[danban]

Hi guys. I'm on my second howa and at the moment I am looking at another cal when my license needs to be renewed. My first was a .223 and it was very accurate. I had a nikkon prostaff scope and no moderator. I then put in a variation for a .243 as I wanted to be legal for bigger deer.
I swapped my scope to my .243 and got a ase utra moderator. Very accurate.
I now would like to get a dedicated nv fox rifle.
I like the howa and will probably get another.
What are your opinions?
We all know about the stocks but that is an easy fix.

 

[sir-lamp-alot]

i was always put off of howas as i remeber seeing a advert where they were only promising a 1.25 moa grouping and i always wondered about there accuracy as your normaly promised sub moa but a good mate of mine bought one and its been very reliable and accurate, i always remember him phoning me after shooting a rabbit at 400yrds and whilst he was on the phone a crow came down onto the dead rabbit and he put the phone down and promptly shot that too i could even hear the bullet strike the crow

 

[PAULT]

Happy with. One so far under an inch at 100 with prvi.

 

[sauer]

Never had one but never heard bad report about them or accuracy either , let's face it the japs can make some damn good accurate well made stuff , no reason why actions are any different

Paul

 

[White Hart]

There not my cup of tea, I don't know if I'd personally own one - but and it's a big but. I've got a mate that's a keeper and he owns one, he's very hard on his kit and his Howa is superb! It takes loads of hard abuse out in all weathers getting splattered in mud on the front of the quad then lent up by the fire to dry and thrown back in the cabinet. It's out day in day out stalking, lamping, park culling and vermin shooting. It's proven to be ultimately reliable and accurate. Topped with quality glass and decent ammo there very good!

 

[Fiadh]

I don't own one but those friends that I know that do seem to rate them.

 

[palmer_mike]

Had one in .308
very accurate and reliable, BUT converted it back to floorplate magazine as the aftermarket drop mags (in my opinion are *****). The catch on these is too prominent and can lead to dropping the mag......

 

[Greener Jim]

Me mate has one. No problems but the hogue stock is crap and ruined accuracy. He MASSIVELY free floated it and now it's fine.
Another mate is on his second Weatherby Vanguard (same action and barrels, different stock) and never had a problem with either

 

[Cooter]

Had one in .308 for the last six years, and it's completely standard.
Never ever failed or faltered.
Very accurate.

Excellent case extractor.
Three position safety with bolt lock.
Never felt the need for more rounds than I can hold in the drop plate.

A real work horse.
Can not ask for anything else.

 

[The Burpster]

Have one in .22-250. Heavy barrel, Timney trigger and Dolphin stock. With reloads will actually put bullets in the same whole on a perfect day at 100yds. Tried the drop magazine option and it was OK but I wouldnt get excited about it. Wiith AI mags in the Dolphin it is very very good.

Would definitely use one again as barrel and action are really good vfm. Can get lots of upgrade parts and make them work very well and fit your exact requirements.

 

[kimh]

I have 5 Rugers, annoyingly thou' when I was looking for a 204Ruger, Ruger, there wasn't one about I for some reason purchased a 1500 Howa in 204Ruger thinking I wont care so much about this, in the wet, night outs on the foxes, etc if it gets abused I'm not so bothered, well I can't part with it as it shot straight out of the box and remains extreamly accurate also not bothered what I feed it, so although a Ruger man I have this too

204Ruger Howa 1500 for fox

 

[FISMA]

I have 1500's in 270 and 223. Love them both.

In recent years, where I am, the 700 has gotten a bit pricey. The 1500 is a nice alternative. There's often a deal with rifle, scope, rings, and mounts, that is still considerably cheaper than a BDL 700.

I like the trigger and the rifle is very accurate. Fed some proper handloads after a ladder test, I have had no problem with moa precision from the 1500.

The stock is not much, but it is better than handling the metal!

 

[Co1]

Given all the good press they get, why would I spend more on a tikka or sako? I'll be in the market in spring and I haven't heard a bad thing said about Howa's, but I've also been recommended to spend more on something from these other 2. Is the difference worth the extra expense? I'll be looking for a .243 with a synthetic stock and moderated if that is of importance when choosing between the brands. Using it for roe.

Cheers

 

[jthyttin]

Howa is considerably heavier than Tikka T3.

Good aftermarket support for both Howa short action and T3.

There's some ergonomic differences like detachable mag, 3 position safety, toploading the attached mag. Best would be to ask experienced users about the features they feel important in the rifle they chose.

My latest purchase was T3:

- detachable mag
- sporter stock with integrated bedding block available (aftermarket B&C Medalist)
- lightish (medium weight even after accessories)
- good solid trigger mechanism, no reason to go aftermarket
- good solid scope rail integrated (using Warne QD mounts)
- got it at very good price

The Lite profile barrel is a bit fuzzy with loads as is the light sporter stocked rifle a bit demanding to shoot accurately. But I found a good all-around load with 150gr E-Tip (308 Win) so I'm a happy camper now...

 

[Taff]

I have several Friends with howa rifles, very reliable and accurate, always amazed at people who say, " this or that rifle will shoot sub Moa out of the box" the main question is can they shoot sub Moa every time ?
I think when deciding on a rifle, you need to think about the following
what are you going to use it for, stalking or target or both
where are you hunting, high seat, woodlands, hill country, mountains, this will decide weight
budget, deer don,t care what you paid for the gun or its make
are you a follower of fashion , if so you will end up with a sako, tikka or blazer, or be different.

 

[.17 Remington]

Have owned Howa's in both .223 and .243 without any faults at all

 

[d foxxer]

had one in 223 couldn't fault it in any way cloverleaf groups and did exactly as it said on the tin .....none of its victims ever complained either

 

[nick-h]

I had a howa 243 it was a real tack driver i loved it but i sold it and got another howa in 6.5 creedmoor and i can't fault that ether it groups as well as the 243 , howa are great rifles but a mate of mine got 1 in 300 win mag and that wont group no better than 1.5 moa he's very disappointed with it as he wants it got his long range rifle so its of to get re barrelled

 

[rabbitter]

are you a follower of fashion , if so you will end up with a sako, tikka or blazer, or be different.

I've no particular axe to grind as I own rifles from a few different marques, but as we are making sweeping statements...... Sako and Tikka are a rock solid, accurate work-a-day rifles. Blaser (when you get past the silliness of the arguments) are accurate and practical if take-down and barrel swapping is your thing. I don't think fashion comes into it for the vast majority of owners. That said, I would prefer a rifle I like the look and feel of than not.

Back to the topic; Howa are a solid choice, but the ones I have shot have been functional, accurate but clunky. When I see posts about upgrades and stock-swaps, I would rather buy something that cost a little more and requires less work.

 

[danban]

Mine is 3 shots on my thumb nail at 100 yards without trying. I can see what people say about buying bits to upgrade them. People also buy bits for tikka and sako.
The only thing I would change would be the stock but it's only because I like the look of laminate