Howa bolt guns

The Weatherby Vanguards are built by Howa and they just stamp Weatherby on them instead of Howa. Weatherby does have some slightly different specs but I'm out of the loop as to exactly what they are presently.

At one time Weatherby's all had 24" barrels. Howa used 22" barrels on some, 24" on others. The stocks are usually slightly different but will interchange. The safety used to be slightly different and Weatherby used to flute the bolts whereas Howa did not. But all of the parts will interchange. Anything you read about a Weatherby Vanguard applies to the Howa. Other than some minor differences in specs they are the same rifle.

Generally speaking, they are very well-made rifles that tend to be above average accurate. The bare action is one of the heaviest, so the rifles tend to be heavy. Since it's the action that has the weight it's hard to make them lighter. Thinner, shorter barrels and lightweight stocks only do so much.

MOST scope mounts made for a Remington 700 fit both Howa and Vanguard. The exception is if you're using a 1 piece base on a short action. Remington and Weatherby have different hole spacing. Long actions are the same with all 3 rifles and if you're using 2 piece bases the ring spacing doesn't matter so those intechange.

At one time you could get a Howa quite a bit cheaper than a comparable Weatherby, but that's not always true anymore. At times I've seen Weatherby's sell for less than a comparable Howa.
 
I have a Howa 1500 in .223. It's a decent gun for the money and decently accurate. However, accuracy is better with a Tikka. Things I like about the Howa are the one-piece bolts and the HACT two-stage trigger. However, you'll need a different trigger spring if you want to adjust down from the factory ~3.5 lb pull weight. The safety is a 3 position safety that locks the bolt. However, the safety lever is a small piece of sheet metal...I don't like it. Lastly, they are on the portly side in terms of weight. They're a well-built rifle.
 
I have a Howa 1500 in 308. It's a stainless and in a Houge stock. The action is smooth as butter with a very good trigger. Will put 3 shots in an inch or less @ 100yds. But "mine" won't shoot a five shot group to save the world. That being said I know a couple of other people that have them in 308 and 223 that will shoot 5 shots in 1.5" or less.
The Weatherby vanguard action is made by Howa. But weatherby uses their own bolt and trigger and not sure about the barrel. I also have a Vanguard an it's a tack driver.YMMV
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Just hope it meets their MOA Accuracy Guarantee, because if it won't then your just out of luck. Mine was a Weatherby Vanguard S2 same thing as a Howa and they absolutely refused to warranty it for the poor accuracy.

Was told and I quote "you would be wasting your time, and your money sending that rifle to us"
 
They're good rifles, if a bit traditional in features (not necessarily a bad thing). Standard 2 lug bolt with 90 degree throw and a three position sliding safety.

I have one of their Superlite M1500's in 7mm-08 with a carbon fiber stock. While I bought it for lightweight, that's not as noticeable one everything is on it (not that its not lighter on paper, its just that a 5.75 lb scoped rifle just doesn't end up feeling THAT different than a 7 lb scoped rifle to me). I do love the feel of the gun though. In order to make it lightweight, everything was slimmed down and small which feels great in my hands.
 
I had 2 vanguards that shot super accurately but traded them in on howas mostly because the barrels are smaller and get hot with 3 shots, the howa has heavier barrels, you can even get varmint barrels, and all howa barrels come with threaded muzzle. I have 5 and love them all.
 
i bought a early S&W 1500 howa on close out years ago with heavy barrel parked with oil finished checkered walnut stock in .223 and it shoots sub moa with the right loads. i have a 12x leupold on it and have killed a pile of groundhogs with it.
 
Just hope it meets their MOA Accuracy Guarantee, because if it won't then your just out of luck. Mine was a Weatherby Vanguard S2 same thing as a Howa and they absolutely refused to warranty it for the poor accuracy.

Was told and I quote "you would be wasting your time, and your money sending that rifle to us"
That right there is a big reason to be cautious, in my opinion. That seems to be the attitude of a lot of companies these days.
Companies acting this way could also be a reason so many people assemble their own rifles.
 
My only experience with them is looking them over at my LGS that used to stock them. I had just rebuilt a Stevens 200 in 223 with a Boyd's stock that I had done quite bit of work on to turn it into a nice stock with epoxy bedding and a trigger spring I made to get a better trigger. I kind of wished he had of had the Howas in stock when I bought the Stevens from him. I don't know if it would have been any more accurate then the Stevens but I certainly would have been happy with a Howa with no need to replace the stock. Cost for my reworked Stevens was on par with the out of the box Howa then. They must not have sold well as he quit carry them sometime ago and now you find mostly Savage Axis for bolt actions in his shop. I thought they were nice rifles and still do.
 
I've seen this particular brand for sale on various websites and occasionally at the local stores. For anyone that owns one, how's the overall quality/accuracy?
I had the varmint profile 1500 in .308 win. I bought it new at my LGS at about 2005.

The accuracy was fantastic. Also had the first 4 groove factory barrel I'd ever seen. The stock wasn't the best but the barreled action fitment was top notch. The finish from the action to the crown was near perfect.

For the price at the time it was a great value. It seems the price has went up dramatically, but the price for everything else has as well.
 
Howa advertises their barrels as being cold hammer forged. This contributes to longevity (IIRC) but does it aid accuracy in any way?
 
Howa advertises their barrels as being cold hammer forged. This contributes to longevity (IIRC) but does it aid accuracy in any way?
You'll get all sorts of feels about this topic. The real truth is... does it shoot or not? If it comes from a reputable manufacturer, it'll shoot regardless of hammer forged, button or single point engraved. In my opinion, hammer forged if fine for sub moa accuracy in a hunting rifle.
Most long range shooters will use a premium barrel like a brux that is single point engraved. I shoot a Shilen in my long range gun it is pushed button rifled.

Does hammer forging contribute to longevity? SHORT ANSWER: Maybe! Most people, under normal condition, will never shoot out a barrel. The thinking is that hammer forged barrels are work hardened which adds to the longevity and rigidity of the barrel. It all depends on what you believe.
 
I have a Howa Mini in .223. I wish I had enough rounds down range to give an educated opinion, but … I’ll put it this way: The 75-100 rounds I have fired went where they should. I’m not in love with the stock, but I will probably replace that. The action feels pretty smooth to me. FWIW, YMMV.
 
I've got the Vanguard version in 350 Legend. Absolutely a fantastic rifle, great trigger, and it's out of the box accuracy is superb
 
The triggers on new Howa M 1500’s are one of the best I have ever used.no creep and very little over travel.
 
I currently have a couple, 30-06 and a 6.5cm, both shoot well WITH the correct ammo, 168gr for the 30-06 and 140gr for the 6.5. I purchased a 308w that had a Leopold scope and a nice case and resold it around hunting season for the same price without the scope and a cheap Allen case. I like the safety better than my R700s. The stock on the 30-06 is better than most plastic stocks. The trigger on mine is better than the one that was replaced in my R700s. If I was looking for another hunting rig I would definitely have the Howa on my list.
 
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