Howa 1500 Long action with Hogue overmold stock thoughts/experiences?

R

riggins_83

New member
I've been looking at a Howa 1500 30-06 with the Hogue Overmold stock. Most reviews I've read were of the rifle prior to being sold with this stock. Any experiences with this version of the rifle? Opinions of the stock and action combo and its ability to remain free floated shooting from a bipod or bench?
 
Howa rifles are amazingly accurate, and very fairly priced. Hogue stocks, while heavy, are very nice. I say go for it.
 
riggins, 3/30/10

I picked up that very rifle after looking at a bunch of rifles when I was back in the States last November. The Howa 1500 30-06 joins my thirty year old Remington 700 in .270 Winchester. Both are good weapons and shoot 1&1/4 MOA with the proper handloads. I like the Hogue rubber stock better than the plastic-polymer stocks available on some rifles ( I looked at the Tikka's, Rem. 700 and Weatherby Vanguard series), the stock seems more solid, yet is lighter than my wood-stocked Remington. I have been carrying the Howa twice a week on my afternoon trips into the hills looking for pigs. It carries well and has a Leupold VX-3 x 2-8 power scope and works well. I got it new for approximately $490 from Onpoint Firearms in Florida.

In summary- it's a good rifle at a good price.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
I like the Howa actions and rifles. They are probably the heaviest rifle action made and are heavier than I like in a hunting rifle. But are good rifles. For the right uses where a heavy rifle is not a problem I would highly recommend them.

I do not care at all for the Hogue stocks on a centerfire rifle however. On the 10-22's where the extra weight is helpful I like them. The centerfire rifles I have had that came with them were thick, chunky, and cumbersome. When you combine the heaviest rifle on the market with the heaviest aftermarket stock you get a rifle that handles like a pig.

I picked up a stainless Winchester Classic model 70 a few months ago that had the Hogue on it. I replaced the 42 oz Hogue with 27oz McMillan and it completely changed the way the rifle handled. Average group sizes went from around 1.5" to around .75".

I had similar results when replacing the 48 oz Hogue that came on my FN patrol rifle with one of the 28 oz. tactical stocks made by Bell and Carlson. When you reduce the weight of your rifle by 3/4 lb and shrink your group sizes it is a good thing.
 
Fantastic rifle, fantastic value, I like it better than my Remington, I like it better than my Ruger as well. If I had lots of extra money, I would own a stainless model in every offering they have. The finish on my stainless 300 Win. Mag is terrific, I like the trigger as well. The stock is great as well. Go for it, I bet you will like as much as I like mine.
 
Hogue Overmold stock - Depends

The Hogue Overmold stock with pillar bedding is flimsy and most of the time using a bi pod or bag rest the stock will touch the barrel.

Hogue Overmold stock with a full bedding aluminum block is very rigid secure platform and the rubber overmold provides a firm grip in most environments.

I have a Rem 700 SPS Tactical that came with the Hogue Overmold stock pillar bedded stock and it was crap. Replaced it with the full aluminum bedding block version, and I have been satisfied since.
 
I have a Compstock on my Weatherby Vanguard. The Compstock is a Hogue with a shock absorber in the stock. The Hogue is flimsy and stock will flex using a bipod.

Over in sniperhide.com there is a thread on stiffening the stock. One guy used steel rods, another used carbon arrows.

This past weekend, I bedded the action and stiffened the foreend. I bought a pitching wedge from Goodwill for $2. I removed the plastic webbing from the stock with a chisel heated with a propane torch. I cut the club shaft to fit inside the foreend. I had to cut a few pieces to get one that fit without touching the barrel. I cut off a narrower piece of the shaft and inserted it in the first. I glued the narrow shaft inside the wider one. The I put the assembly in the foreend and epoxied it in the stock.

Now the stock is really stiff.
 
Get the basic howa or vanguard model at the best price you can find. Then get a b&c Medalist stock for $200 in whatever color combo floats your boat. you will then have one heck of a rifle for about $600 total. Great action/barrel and good looking rigid stock that doesn't weigh too much. I have my vanguard with a medalist and timeny trigger. Total of $750 for a rifle which I feel is much better than the Sub-MOA vanguard as the sub-moa uses a b&c stock without the full legnth alluminum bedding platform and does not have a timeny trigger.
 
I have the Hogue stock on my Howa 1500 but do not have any of these problems (at least I haven't noticed them). My Howa is however a .223 with a 20" barrel. How can I tell if I'm having problems with the stock and barrel making contact? I've never noticed anything like that but then again I'm not sure how to notice it either. Thanks
 
Hey guys, new to the forum here, but I thought I would share my experiences, what little I have.

I have used the hogue with the full length bedding block and as long as the barrel is free floated, using it with a bipod it makes no contact with the stock even with a heavy varmint contour. I put a karsten adjustable cheek piece on it and a tac ops stock pack and it made for a very comfortable stock set up and perfect cheek weld scope alignment. I think the stock itself weighs about 2.5lbs. Don't know how that compares to other stocks.

I actually liked the texture of the overmold and it makes for a very quiet stock if anything ever makes contact with it walking around.

my .02 and first post :)
 
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