Tell me about Howa bolt action rifle.
- Thread starter HP-Sauce
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They are identical to the Weatherby Vanguard which seems to be better known. There were also sold by S&W and Mossberg for a while as the model 1500. I would say they are most similar to a Remington 700. Excellent rifles, somewhat heavy. I think they are a step above the Ruger American, not necessarily in accuracy but in overall quality.
Taurus 617 CCW
Member
I own one and built the action up on a Shilen barrel in 30-06. It shoots very well and I would consider it to be a very solid rifle action. FWIW I also hunt with a Ruger American in .243. I prefer the .243 for most of my hunting due to the lighter weight but the Howa has always gotten the job done.
Captcurt
Member
Not a fan of the Hogue stock, but they are a well built rifle. They used to have one with a synthetic stock that I think was called Lightning. I sold a 30-06 to a guy at a gun show and he took it to Africa as a light rifle. Said that it worked well. Took Impala, Gemsbok, Zebra, and Wart Hog with it.
They are a Japanese made rifle that borrows a lot from the Remington 700. In fact scope mounts for a Remington will fit Howa MOST of the time. The only exception is if you're using a one piece base on short action rifles Remington and Howa are different. Long actions are completely interchangeable and if you're using 2 piece bases on short action any Remington mount will fit. Many consider them a better rifle than the 700. They do have a better extractor and trigger.
Over the years they have been sold under several names including Weatherby Vanguard and Mossberg 1500. Overall I like them, but all of them are overweight. They make some "lightweight" versions but since the actions are so heavy the only place to lose weight is in the barrel. I'd rather keep some weight in the barrel and lose it in the action. I've had 2-3 different versions over the years. None were inaccurate, but they are simply heavier than I want in a hunting rifle.
In a top tier rifle I'll take a Winchester 70. If looking at less expensive hunting rifles the Tikka's have been the most accurate for me, but for about 1/2 the cost the Ruger American Predators are a very close 2nd.
The Ruger 77 series is a completely different rifle closer to a Winchester 70 in function. If I needed a rifle to be 100% reliable, no excuses for weather, or abuse the 77 would be my pick. But not my pick if accuracy were important.
Over the years they have been sold under several names including Weatherby Vanguard and Mossberg 1500. Overall I like them, but all of them are overweight. They make some "lightweight" versions but since the actions are so heavy the only place to lose weight is in the barrel. I'd rather keep some weight in the barrel and lose it in the action. I've had 2-3 different versions over the years. None were inaccurate, but they are simply heavier than I want in a hunting rifle.
In a top tier rifle I'll take a Winchester 70. If looking at less expensive hunting rifles the Tikka's have been the most accurate for me, but for about 1/2 the cost the Ruger American Predators are a very close 2nd.
The Ruger 77 series is a completely different rifle closer to a Winchester 70 in function. If I needed a rifle to be 100% reliable, no excuses for weather, or abuse the 77 would be my pick. But not my pick if accuracy were important.
I considered a Webley & Scott Empire rifle (manufactured by Howa) in .30-06 while places like Bud's Gun Shop had those on clearance. Having both a synthetic stock to use while hunting and a wood stock to keep in good shape for visual aesthetics had some appeal for me, but I never pulled the trigger on one. I've never really warmed up to synthetic stocks on hunting rifles. Cabela's has a few in stock in their Gun Library.
https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/bro.../Ne-4294370053?WTz_st=GuidedNav&WTz_stype=GNU
https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/webley-scott/webley-scott-empire-rifle/
https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/bro.../Ne-4294370053?WTz_st=GuidedNav&WTz_stype=GNU
https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/webley-scott/webley-scott-empire-rifle/
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
My .30-06 Vanguard (Howa 1500) is incredibly accurate, though the trigger needed some stoning and careful adjustment when I first got it- I would probably drop a Timney in it if I were to buy another. Mine wears a McMillan stock and a Burris 18X Black Diamond and MOA out to 400yd is no problem. Smooth long action and reliable feeding, love it.
They make detachable magazine kits for these too, now.
Never shot an American, but the Howa is several notches above the lackluster Savage Axis I had.
They make detachable magazine kits for these too, now.
Never shot an American, but the Howa is several notches above the lackluster Savage Axis I had.
someguy2800
Member
They are very nice rifles. Similar to a remington 700 as others have noted. They are definitely a step up in quality and workmanship from a ruger american. I would rate them even with an M77. The M77 is a more complex controlled round feed action with nicer stocks, but a howa has a better trigger and safety.
Bill460
Member
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have a Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06, (rebranded Howa 1500), with a beautifully finished Walnut stock. And a Ruger Model 77 Stainless with a Coffee Laminated stock in the same caliber. Both are beautiful rifles. But I would say the Weatherby, (Howa), is the nicer rifle. Better trigger, fit and finish all the way around. These guns are way above the Ruger American's. Which are cheap, entry level rifles aimed at the big box retail market.
Mine even has the Rosewood forend tip, much like the Weatherby Mark V Deluxe. And believe it or not, I actually bought it from Wal-Mart! Howa bolt action rifles are extremely underrated in my opinion. I've never seen a bad one. All that I have handled showed excellent fit and finish. Along with good attention to detail. Something that gets missed on a lot of rifles today as the, "Build em' cheap, and stack em' deep!" mentality seems to prevail in todays market.
Howa's are great rifles, especially the mini actions. I own two, a .223 and a 7.62x39. Both are sub MOA with hand loads.
X39 came as a barreled action.
Here's a link to that project
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/howa-7-62x39-project.846843/
X39 came as a barreled action.
Here's a link to that project
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/howa-7-62x39-project.846843/
cdb1
Member
I believe the Vanguards have better fit and finish than the Howa 1500 and used to at least have better stocks. When the S2 Vanguard came out they had a much better synthetic stock than previous model Vanguards and were much nicer than Howa 1500’s. In addition the S2 had a new trigger that was much much better than the older Vanguards and 1500’s. Howa upgraded the 1500 trigger a couple of years ago and I believe it is the same as the S2 trigger though I could be wrong. Standard Vanguard barrel length is 24” compared to 22” on the 1500.
Not speaking to the 1500 but I believe the Vanguard is a much nicer rifle than the RAR, Axis and 783.
Not speaking to the 1500 but I believe the Vanguard is a much nicer rifle than the RAR, Axis and 783.
Space Ghost
Member
I have the Vanguard in .223, and that is supposedly a re-branded Howa. It came with a 1/9 twist barrel (that I wish was a 1/7) but for the money has been very reliable, and accurate so far. Haven't had it out too many times as of yet, but enough that I can say I'm happy with the purchase.
mdThanatos
Member
I have one of their mini actions, I like it a lot and was waiting for the barrelled actions to go on sale but last year the caliber I wanted didn't end up discounted. If the barrelled action is anything like the mini action then I will like it a lot more than my savage model 10.
Gordon
Member
I finished this Howa actioned Weatherby Vanguard S-2 .22-250 last spring and posted about it. It has been a .5 MOA gun with my favorite load of Sierra Gameking 55 grain bullets loaded to +-3600 FPS with H414 powder. It has the standard chamber, the only .22-250 non Ackley I own. I am completely happy with this gun and it rides in my truck under seat safe for a GP rifle. The rifle cost $400 new on sale and the
Bushnell Elite Tactical LRS Rifle Scope 5-15x 40mm Adjustable Objective Mil-Dot Reticle Matte
scope was $350 on sale . I pillar bedded it and put on a Timney trigger = $1000+- as it sits. I also have an older Howa 1500 custom mini action in .17 Remington that works very well also.
Bushnell Elite Tactical LRS Rifle Scope 5-15x 40mm Adjustable Objective Mil-Dot Reticle Matte
scope was $350 on sale . I pillar bedded it and put on a Timney trigger = $1000+- as it sits. I also have an older Howa 1500 custom mini action in .17 Remington that works very well also.
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Space Ghost
Member
Looks very much like my little .223 Series II Vanguard I was talking about. Mine loves the 62 gr Federal Bonded. I had the barrel shortened, and added the surefire slash suppressor so I can use a can, but I never felt the need to do a Timney trigger, like I did with the old 7mm Mauser.
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rdnktrkr
Member
I've got 2 Howas in 30-06 and reading the earlier post one is the new style and the other is the old style since I can tell the difference between the triggers, the newer one also is longer, both of mine came with Leopold scopes and another one in 308 one also. I purchased the first because my Rem 700 has polished wood and was scared to hit the woods with it, now I prefer the newest one for everything. If you get one in 30-06 mine likes the 150gr Hornady better than 180 or 200gr. I've had no problems with them, I check accuracy at the beginning of the season and clean them after the season and they still look good
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