Opinions on Howa firearms

B

bucksnort13

New member
A while back a buddy of mine won a Howa Snowking in 223 at a gun raffle and asked me if they were a good rifle. I could not answer that question for him but when took the rifle out to the range and shot it I really liked it now I am interested in one for deer hunting for next season and possibly Elk in the future. I was just wondering if anybody has any opinions on them and are they a good rifle for the price I am looking at the hunter game king package chambered in 300 win mag it MSRB for $757.
 
Like the rifle, never a fan of scope and rifle packages, this being no exception. If Howa rifles said made in the USA on them, they'd sell a lot better. That being said, the Japanese have a very solid arms industry and put out a generally quality product. Winchester, FN/Browning, and Weatherby all import Japanese models.

I find the rifles to be generally on par with Rem 700's, Win 70's, Savage 110, and Ruger M77's for fit and finish. If you like it, then go for it.
 
Weatherby uses the basic Howa action to build their Vanguard rifle's. The 2 are very similar. Weatherby uses slightly different barrels, stocks etc, but any aftermarket part will fit either. At one time the Howa was less expensive than the Vanguard, lately the Vanguards seem cheaper. I'd look at the Vanguard S2 instead. Last I saw were selling for about $469 or so. I'd buy a much better quality scope separately.

I'd rate them at least as good as Remington, better actually.

I've owned both Howa and Vanguard in the past. My only complaint is the weight. They are the heaviest bolt rifle made. While I respect the quality of their guns, they just don't suit my needs. Once you get a scope and mounts on one it is going to be over 9 lbs, closer to 10 depending on the caliber, barrel length and the optics and mounts you choose.

My 300 WSM, the heaviest bolt gun I own, is 7.5 lbs ready to hunt. One of my 308's, under 6 lbs. The heavier Howa/Vanguards were just fine, but didn't shoot any better and always got left at home and were eventually sold. If weight isn't a concern, you could do a lot worse.
 
Do you guys think that I would be better off with a Ruger m77. I have never owned one but I am a huge Ruger fan. I like the howa my buddy has but would a Ruger m77 be the better choice. I do a lot of walking when I hunt and I did think the weight on my buddys rifle was a ton. I am just asking because I know absolutely nothing about the howas.
 
Howas are an excellent buy & if you get a new Weatherby Van II it'll quite likely be more accurate than the Ruger.

Howa is push-feed, Ruger is controlled-round-feed, if that makes a difference.
Denis
 
I agree with what was said above, good rifles just heavy. If weight is a concern you'd be better off looking elsewhere. Since you're a Ruger fan and if weight is a huge concern, you might look at their Hawkeye Compact model.
 
I own a Vanguard, 2006 version, in 300WBY. IMO these are the best value on the market today.

The test target on mine was .6". I can't quite get that, but 300WBY is challenging to shoot accurately consistently.

The Howa-Vanguard was or is actually a Sako L61, the design being purchased by Roy Weatherby to provide a more affordable, yet high quality rifle, to the market.

The L61/Howa/Vanguard is as solid a rifle available to the consumer.

The competition in it's price category Rem 700, Tikka, MarlinX, Savage, Rem 783 are all drilled bar stock, fused, alloyed, or partially ho;;ow bolts with washered recoil lugs.

The receiver on the Howas are machined from a solid billet, with a machined recoil lug, the bolts are again machined from a solid billet, bolt handle and all.

I have owned many rifles in my lifetime, Mdl 700's, Savaghes, Interarms MKX, Ruger 77 ect. I would not trade my Vanguard for two Mdl 700's.

All the others are quite serviceable, but just feel cheap amnd flimsy after getting your hands on a Weatherby of any model. I also own a MKV in 340WBY, as well a a Cooper Mdl 22 Montana Varminter, 6.5-284 Norma, so maybe I'm a snob, but quality speaks for itself
I'm a big enthusiast of Weatherby rifles, along with any other solid system, Win 70 Ruger77, Sako 75,85 and Mausers.

IMO you can't go wrong with a L61-Howa-Vanguard.
 
I have a Weatherby Vanguard S1 in .270 Win. It is a great rifle. Yes it is heavy and I wouldn't want to carry on long spot & stalk missions. IF I ever wanted a 300 WM I would want it in the Howa/Weatherby rifle. Why?

That extra weight definitely mitigates recoil. I was not away these rifles were patterned after a Sako but that would definitely explain the weight. I rented a Sako in .30-06 on my Africa trip a few years ago. Over the 10 days I developed a love/hate relationship with that rifle. Hated it on long stalks because of the weight.:( Loved it for it's accuracy and reduced recoil due to that weight.:)
 
We have 6 Howa built rifles in 5 calibers(.223, 7mm08, 30/06, 300 Win mag, and 257 Wby) and 4 trademarks(Mossberg, S&W, Weatherby, and Howa). All are excellent shooters and the only thing I can fault is a couple of the pre-series 2 triggers are a little rough.
Considering some of the current reports, I'd pick Howa ahead of Remington 700(blasphemy in my previous life).
 
I own both Howa 1500 heavy barrel (.308) and Ruger Hawkeye (30-06). Both will shoot better than most consumers. For a Howa, I would recommend the Howa Hogue set-up with pillar bedded stock. The Howa will be an easier stock disassembly/reassembly. The Ruger will have the angled action screw which is different and unique. I would suggest synthetic stocks for either to eliminate any issues with moisture and warp.

Aside from checking action screw torque on the stocks, you should only need to do a proper optics mount to get the Howa shooting it's best. My Ruger required some tweaking the mag box to eliminate stress on the action before it's accuracy sweeten up.

I like the factory triggers on both, both are very well built rifles and I would recommend either.
 
My hunting buddy has a howa 1500 (I think) in 270 Winchester. It has a Nikon 3-9 on top.
He loves it. Deer don't.
 
I have a Howa 1500 in .308 with a Nikon Prostaff 3-9 on it. I really like it. Everyone says they are heavy but either it doesn't bother me or I don't know any better (not sure which).
 
IT seems to be a good rifle whether it's the Vanguard version or the Howa. We sold quite a few of them and I don't recall a complaint on any. It ain't pretty like a blue Ruger with a Walnut stock. If all you plan to do is hunt with it buy the one that you like the best. Both are plenty accurate to put meat on the table.
 
I have a Howa made Wby Vangard and I love it. I wasn't crazy about the plastic stock that it came with so I put it in a BC Medalist. They make one in the Wby pattern so it looks factory. It's a great shooter and I think it looks great as well.
 
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