njc110381 Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm looking at a Howa at the moment. All the reviews on the net seem to be pretty positive and I like the basic Hogue stock and all metal action. Outside of the appearance and sales talk how do they shoot? Are Hogue stocks fairly rigid or not? How are the triggers? Are they accurate rifles? Who on here shoots one? In what calibre and for what use? I'd quite like a gun I can knock about without worrying about it getting scratched, but it has to shoot! I'm looking at the stainless sporter model. Thanks in advance for any opinions given Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 I dont shoot one but I cannot ever recall hearing a bad word about them, certainly if I was buying a factory rifle they would be on my short list. Basically a Remmy 700 with the problems removed they are the Miroku of the rifle world IMHO. Price is also really good, seen them on Guntrader at mid £400s. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hogue stocks are only any good in the full bedded versions.The pillar bedded ones flex off a bipod...regardless of which make of gun they are fitted to [We are hogue distributors ] Howa triggers, are like remmy trigger,s....crap. Rifle basix do a replacement, as do jard. Disregard the jokers who tell you they can reduce the pull to a pound...it cant safely be done, its a two lever, simple trigger. Other than that, they are good rifles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntsman Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Ask ejg223 (edi) about them. He had a 22-250 that was a tack driver and he makes really nice stocks for them too. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejg223 Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 3 shot group with stainless sporter 22-250, trigger, crown done by Roedale and PSE stock. Ok, Ok that might have been a fluke . But this was more standard, 5 shot. Yes, I think the Howa is good. Actually thinking of selling my old Sako and getting a Howa to replace. edi ps, thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamfarmer Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 hi guys , got a remmy 700 pss in 308. real good gun now got some loads sorted for it , would of had another when looking for my 243 recently but couldnt find one about locally but andy banner at wildcat had a full range of the howas in stock in 243 so went and had a look at them and ended bringing one home in stainless steel heavy barrel varmint profile finished off with a prederator eight wildcat mod. he also gave me a couple of starting points for the homeloading to get up and running. the barrel quaility and finish is such when asked about barrel break in he said shoot one clean for five rounds then two five shot groups cleaning after each group then treat as normall it showed copper traces for the first three shots . accuracy wise cant fault it yet grouped sub 1" group with both loads he gave me for a 70 grain sierra blitz king and a 87 grain vmax using varget when i saw him another time said i was disapointed with the performance of noslers and he said i need to be around book max figures for them to work well in it ,as it is the two loads i have will shoot same holes at 100 yards so can swap between bullet types with no zero effect.just need to find a bit of time and a few calm evenings to do some tunning then will be really up and running with it . yes the fore end does flex a little when tested and when a bipod if fitted but if you take a sharp knife to the barrel grove at the front there is a very soft flexible lip which you can remove down to the hard finish of the stock and this removes any contact between barrel and foreend leaving one of the biggest freefloating barrel groves on any rifle i have seen striped down. performance wise the standard trigger is perfectly usable conpared to a factory set remmy it can be adjusted but not felt any need to yet but not a match shooter anyway ,bolt is smooth and accurate three posistion safety .ejects cleanly but not violently so you can find your cases to reload.performance wise well as said in a previous post came fourth at the varmint shoot at home with it effectively shooting a good quailty home load that can be worked on but has no trouble stopping 200 yd rabbits several foxes have fell to it along with several roe deer and a muntie as to quailty of build it does what its designed to prehap not in the sako or blaser finish standard league but every bit as good as a remmy sps or tikka t3 in my opion if you are looking for a everyday gun thats going to get bumped or a bit of rough treatment then for the money they have to be a serious contender also the action is such that some people are enquireing if the action alone would be available for custom builds . i my opion they are seriously good value for the money for a working gun as i would term it ,as accurate as you can shoot it with good reloads factory ammo cant say as havent used any through mine but if your not to far away from bromsgrove give andy banner at wildcat rifles a a ring and go look at them as he has some quite good thunbhole stocks available as well as black or green finishes in standard or heavy barrels with all stainless or stainless action blued barrel or all blued finish . would certainly look at another if ever get another caliber or change one i have already. graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 That's great. Thanks for all the detailed replies. It sounds like they are just up my street then, think I'll buy one. Someone above compared them to the quality standard of a Tikka T3. If they can shoot like my T3 but without having all the plastic fittings I'll be well happy with one. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I hate bloody plastic bits! Thanks again for all the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxing2night Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Tomany coming up for sale all the time??????? If i was you i would buy one of the new savages Rgds F2n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 You could assume that because they are so cheap there are loads about? More guns out there means more of that kind for sale? You do have a point, but I haven't heard many bad reports (just one in fact). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamfarmer Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 well yes their may be a lot about 2nd hand but suspect they are there as a entry level gun as they are relatively cheap compared to some makes and they are traded in when people go more up market in their purchases . i think some people have to have a caliber gun bigger or the same as there mates just for the sake of it . sadly to howas detrement they offer a good range of calibers at an affordable price . the action is used by weatherby in there guns and they wouldnt use any old action with there reputation for quaility. as some one said it is a remmy 700 with all the teething problems sorted. now i can wack 200 yd rabbits with mine with confidence and three hundred yd 5" or less groups as a varmint shooting farmer with no match shooting practise it aint shooting to bad out of the box and i havent ladder tested the loads yet. graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinePMI Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 GF, Not sure about the UK, but in the US the actions can defintely be had. I have built (parts build) three different rifles using Howa actions. They all shot around 1/2 m.o.a., with one shooting more in the .250" m.o.a. (I was almost, almost tempted to put that action in one of my rifles! ...j/k). Good guns, easy to bed (flat bottom receiver) and inexpensive. As mentioned by Baldie and others, depending on your experience/tastes the triggers can range from very useable to mushy crap that just can't be tuned. All in all, a very, very good gun for the money (better than Remington IMHO). Generally, the actions go for about $50-75 less than the list price... Howa Barreled Actions Price List Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigun Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 after seen my mates rifle that he got of some body of here and how good its shoots i would buy one the only down side i could see on the rifle that i was not 100% happy with was the finish were the metal meets the stock at the back end theres a gap ..still buy one though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skany Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Hi yeps they are a great little factory rifle i hada nice little 204 which was a awsome little tack driver(altho never used:-( due to a custom 243ai ) finish isnt sako quality but its then next best thing & much nicer then a remmy imho i have two other friends that use them to great effect:-) the lamnate stock versions are fantastic value but hte one i had was the plastic fantastic but still shot great! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Which stock is the rifle fitted with? Is it the full bed or pillar bed type, and can they be upgraded if it's the bendy one? I really like the idea of one of these. They seem like good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinePMI Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 The link in my post above provides info on stocks and such... Hmmm...I guess it doesn't(?) anymore. FWIW, a Howa 1500 is identical to a Weatherby Vanguard. Any stock made for a similar Weatherby will fit a comparable Howa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks for that info marine. I couldn't see any stock info on the page, although that doesn't mean it's not there. I didn't really look for that detail on the link. It's interesting that Weatherby sell a Howa as their Vanguard. What's the cost of having their name stamped on it then? Is the quality control any better do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 What are Bell and Carlson stocks like? Midway UK have some and I know I've heard of them as a maker. Would it be better to buy a barrelled action and one of these? They do one with full aluminium bedding like the Hogue, but the cheek piece looks better for scope use? This is what I'm looking at..... http://www.midwayuk.com/apps/eproductpage....leItemID=372286 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menial 1 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I have a Bell and Carlson thumbhole stock on my 6BR and it's been spot on. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Coltauto Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I'm looking at a Howa at the moment. All the reviews on the net seem to be pretty positive and I like the basic Hogue stock and all metal action. Outside of the appearance and sales talk how do they shoot? Are Hogue stocks fairly rigid or not? How are the triggers? Are they accurate rifles? Who on here shoots one? In what calibre and for what use? I'd quite like a gun I can knock about without worrying about it getting scratched, but it has to shoot! I'm looking at the stainless sporter model. Thanks in advance for any opinions given I shoot a 270 WSM Howa. I think you outlined a great application for the rifle. The model has been around for a very long time and sold under a number of brand names with minor aesthetic changes. Someone pointed out it is sold by Weatherby as the Vanguard. It is an accurate gun, a little rough on fit and finish, but decent accuracy. Factory ammo three shot group performance is approx 1.5", handloads will produce sub MOA. The overmolded stock is...interesting. It sort of fits on the rifle, the barrel channel seems to not always honor the wishes of the barrel (floater), but it is comfortable to hold and the geometry is right. I think it is on the order of the low end M98 clones with fewer plastic parts. I've owned and shot them in a variety of calibers and this is pretty representative of my experience with them http://www.realguns.com/archives/132.htm . For beating around in the woods and wanting a gun that will reliably perform and does not require special handling. It is a good gun. In regard to Remington comparisons. Personal opinion that they are not even close with Remington production of the past five or six years. Fit and finish, accuracy, strength, or aesthetics, other than perhaps low end M98's sold under the Remington brand name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinePMI Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Hey Coltauto, good to see you over here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Coltauto Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Hey Coltauto, good to see you over here! You know how it goes, where ever there is interesting conversation about firearm it always a good place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyH Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 I'd already decided Howas were worth considering, even though i'd always intended to get another HB varmint rifle by Remington - my previous Rem 700 VS in 22-250 was excellent. The action is said to be based on the Rem - but does anyone know whether this means after-market triggers for Rem will drop straight into a Howa? I kept my Jewell varmint trigger (natch) when disposing of the Rem after its throat started eroding, and the trigger is too good not to use; if I could fit it readily into a Howa varmint model (I like thos s/s ones with the thumbhole laminate stock - hate the rubberised Hogue jobs!) I'd very likely get a Howa. Anyone fitted an aftermarket trigger to Howas? TonyH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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