Hows Howa?

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Atroxus

New member
I am gonna start saving my pennies for a hunting rifle. I want something that will be accurate(accurate enough for hunting not sub-moa), reliable, and if possible under $1000 including scope. I am thinking .308 or .30-06. I figure either would work well for any of the med-large edible critters in my state.(deer and elk) I am not interested in bear, I think it's too greasy, and dunno how tasy big horn sheep or mountin goat, or moose are so I probably won't hunt those either.

I was in a local gun shop today and the employee recommended a Howa .308 with 3x9 scope for $500.(I don't recall make of scope) I have never heard of that manufacturer, but the shop employee told me that the parts are all made by weatherby, but that they are just assembled and branded by Howa. This seemed a little odd to me, so I figured I would ask around. Anyone know if that statement was true? Anyone know what their quality is like, or have other suggestions for a good entry level hunting rifle?
 
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fisherman66

New member
Howa is a good as is Weatherby Vanguard. Savage and Stevens are also good entry lever makers. I'm very leary of scope/rifle combos. I have seen sum pretty crappy scopes on those combos. If you don't mind spending a little more, the Ruger Hawkeye is exceptional. Top that with a Zeiss Conquest or VX-II or better and you'll have surpassed the entry level crowd my a wide margin.
 
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Atroxus

New member
I don't necessarily mean to get a gun with scope on it already, I just want teh gun to be inexpensive enough that if I do buy a scope seperately my total cost will be under $1000.
 
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Ivan

New member
Howas aren't bad, just a little wacky looking. The short action is actually quite long for a .308 IIRC. The gun shop fellow didn't exactly lie to you, but wasn't really right either.

Howa is the actual manufacturer of the Weatherby Vanguard and the Smith & Wesson 1500 series of bolt actions. Weatherby doesn't make them. THEY made some of the Weatherbys. They are pretty generic guns but don't do anything a Savage or Remington can't do. They are NOT expensive guns. I have seen one in .223 that was easily a 1/2 MOA rifle or better and I don't believe it was tuned.

YMMV
- Ivan.
 
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Abel

New member
The best entry level setup, in my mind anyway, would be a used Savage 110 or Remington Model Seven in 7mm-08 or 308 with a Burris Timberline scope on it. But if you are investing $1000.....

$1000.00 will get you a nice setup. A brand new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight is only like $650.00 & with the leftover you could get a sweet Nikon Buckmaster or Bushnell Elite 4200 scope. That's about as good a setup as anybody that I've hunted with has. Entry level stuff is fine, but if you buy right the first time, you'll never have to upgrade. You could always put a high dollar scope on your rifle later. But the Buckmaster by Nikon, the Bushnell Elite, & the Burris scopes are all great scopes for less than $300. Even Leupold's VX-II would be fine. Its wonderful to have so many otions.
 
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fyimo

New member
You can buy a Bushnell Elite 4200 3x9x40mm scope off of GB for less the $277 and they are great glass. The Bushnell Elite 3200 is also a very good scope and you can get a 3x9x40mm for $170 off of GB. You can get a really good hunting rifle in either 308 or 30-06 for whats left and there are very good rifles out their for around $500 to $600 price range like the Remington 700 SPS and the Weatherby Vanguard with the Howa action.

I bought my son a new S&W model 1500 made by Howa for S&W in the early 90's for around $200 and he put a tasco 3x9x32 scope on it and it shot under an inch at 100 yards and he has killed many Deer and Antelope with it. They are very good rifles and are usually very accurate.

Savage also makes a good rifle for a really decent price. If you don't get scope bases and rings with your rifle then that and will cost you less the $60.
 
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tINY

New member

Howa is good. The action is smooth and strong (feels like good old timey bolt actions). You can't beat the price...



-tINY

 
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sholling

New member
Howa makes a good solid rifle. Plenty accurate and they come with a good somewhat adjustable trigger. Their only real downsides are their weight (7.7lbs) and the flimsy stock. If you don't mind the weight you could do a lot worse. I do mind the weight so I've been moving to Tikkas but Howas are good rifles and hard to beat for $400-500 or so. I like to think of them as the Toyota Corolla of rifles. Practical and reliable if not all that exciting.

IMG_0186a.jpg

The one on top is a short Howa youth model in 308 that I use for a brush rifle. It's scoped
with an excellent Nikon Monarch 2-8x32. The lower one has been sold but it's a full sized
Howa in 30-06 and was scoped with a 3-9x40 Nikon Team Primos. Both scopes are shown
in Talley Lighweight scope mounts.

IMG_0240a.jpg

This is what I replaced my Howa 30-06 with. A 6.2lb Tikka T3 Lite with that same Nikon
Team Primos scope and the same style rings. T3 Lites run $500-600 depending on the finish.
If the Howa is a stogy but reliable Toyota Corolla then the Tikka is a Porsche. The action is
super slick and the trigger is outstanding.
 
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Abel

New member
;)

If the Howa is a stogy but reliable Toyota Corolla then the Tikka is a Porsche.
Click to expand...

Hold on now. Lets not get carried away. The Tikka is a nice rifle, for sure. But the comparison might be better if the Tikka was the Toyota Tacoma. :D
 
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Inspector3711

New member
Speaking of weight, I had planned on buying a Howa rifle for elk. I've shot two Howas and they were very accurate. Then I got to thinking about weight. The Weatherby Vanguard rifles are a bit lighter than the Howas, must be the stock, I don't know. I've now decided Weatherby is worth the extra 20-50 bucks.
 
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TMUSCLE1

New member
I just bought a Howa1500 not too long ago. I love it! The weight isn't that bad at all. Great action, accurate out of the box.

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jmr40

New member
Actually Howa of Japan makes their rifles as well as the Weatherby Vanguard. They are basically the same rifle with a few cosmetic differences. Both are good and I can find the Weatherby for slightly less money than the Howa.

At 7.5-7.75 lbs they are too heavy for my uses. After adding a scope and mounts that will mean a finished rifle between 8.5-9 lbs. If you hunt close to the road or from horseback etc. it may not be a problem.

If I had a $1000 budget I would look at a Ruger Hawkeye all weather or a Winchester Featherweight. Of course if the weight does not bother you there is nothing wrong with either the Howa or Weatherby and it leaves you more money in your budget for a better scope.
 
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pit808

New member
howa 1500

I got the howa package deal from Mel over at sniper central and it puts 5 rounds into .75 at 100 all day. If I really try, it will do 5 in 1/2 inch and thats with a 10-20mph crosswind. It's always windy at my range.....:mad:
 
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rbernie

New member
As stated, the Howa/VG action is accurate and strong but a bit heavy if you hunt on foot (as I do) instead of from a stand. The trigger is adjustable but only OK. My biggest quarrel with the Howa is the fact that the two-position safety does not lock the bolt, and when tramping in heavy brush I consider it very important that the bolt not get accidentally knocked out of battery.

I've had several Howa/VGs and for bench/stand use they are bargains.
 
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