Howa Accuracy

[darmento]

I have seen some decent prices for Howa bolt action rifles in .308. Do any forum members have experience with this brand? Just curious to see how people think they stack up against Tikka, Savage and Remington. Those are the other brands I have been looking at. Thanks for any input you can give.

 

[KHNC]

I have .308 HOWA 1500 heavy barrel. 20" Bought as a barreled action and dropped into a Bell & Carlson Stock. It is a Sub-Moa shooter when I was serious about shooting it. Its a safe queen nowadays.

 

[hereinaz]

Howa is better than Savage and Remington for quality, not as good as Tikka. The current Howa trigger is the best out of the bunch IMO.

Howa has a 1 moa guarantee. The couple of Howa I have had shoot really well. Savage tend to shoot really well but actions aren’t as nice. I haven’t owned a Remington before.

 

[nobody]

My experience is a sample of 1, but it was enough to turn me off of Howa as a brand forever. Got one in 7 mag about a year and a half ago. Broke in the barrel, followed proper scope mounting technique, and ran roughly 300 rounds through it trying to get it to group and shoot well. After 4 scopes, 2 stocks, all that ammo, scrubbing to a mirror finish clean on the bore, shooting it dirty, handloading, everything I could try, that gun NEVER shot better than about 1.75" groups at 100 yards with any ammo I ran through it, everything from 140-180 grains that I could find during the psychosis of the pandemic.

I've got several other rifles, several cheaper rifles, that all shoot at or sub MOA with ease. I shoot a ton (not as much as guys like Form, but definitely more than the average bear), and consider myself an MOA shooter, 3/4-1/2 MOA on my good days. It frustrated me to no end. And, like communists, Legacy Sports requires proof of purchase (original receipt) and registration of the firearm with their warranty. So upon contacting them about the accuracy issues, they basically gave me a "sorry, not sorry" and dismissed me as if I was yesterday's trash.

I swore off of them and warn as many people as I can about them. I sent it down the road and went a different route and couldn't be happier! Again, a sample of one, but it was one too many for this guy. But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet...

 

[HandgunHTR]

Even though you only asked about accuracy, I will break it down into the main categories that most use to chose a rifle.

Accuracy:

1. Howa has an MOA guarantee and usually meets it.
2. Tikka is one of the most consistently accurate rifles out of the box
3. Remington can be hit or miss depending on when they were made
4. Savage built its current following based on how accurate they are right out of the box. They were the “tikkas” of the day 15-20 years ago.

Weight:

1. Howas are heavy in comparison to other hunting rifles on the market
2. Tikkas tend to be lighter
3. Remingtons are pretty much the standard when it comes to hunting rifle weights, however thay have many different options that can make them heavier (Sendero) or lighter (mountain).
4. Savages are neck and neck with Remington.

Action feel and function:

1. Out of the box, Howas can seem a bit rough if you are used to others. If your experience is with Remington then it will feel about the same.
2. Tikkas have about the smoothest factory action there is. That being said, they only come in long action with different bolt stops for long or short chamberings. Changing out the bolt shroud or bolt handle is also super easy on a Tikka.
3. Remington actions are the basis for more semi-customs than any other. That doesn’t mean they are great, but they can be made so. They are the industry average in my opinion. Top of the bell curve.
4. Savage actions are decent, however they have gone through so many different configuration, sometimes it is hard to figure out which you have if you want to change stocks or bottom metal. Savages are also notorious for poor primary extraction. A shim kit can help to cure that. Changing out the bolt handle or bolt head is very easy on a Savage.

Triggers:

1. Howas come with a two stage trigger. If you like those, you will like the Howa trigger. I personally hate them on a bolt gun, especially a hunting gun.
2. Tikkas come with the best factory trigger, in my opinion. 5 minutes and an MCarbo spring make it even better.
3. Remington’s X-Mark Pro trigger is a POS and the best thing you can do is replace it with a Timney or Trigger Tech ASAP.
4. Savage has a good trigger as long as you don’t mind the safety lever. An MCarbo spring can make it truly great, but the only way to get rid of the lever is to go aftermarket.

Hope that helps.

 

[Tmac]

Both of my Howa’s shoot their favored loads right at or a little better than 1 moa. They do recommend some crazy barrel breakin routine, so if you are a rule/recommendation follower, you may want to read that process. I couldn’t hack it, gave up after 10 ish shots and just shot them.

 

[cmankingsley]

My howa 308 is pretty picky. I get 4-5 inch groups with most ammo I have tried. Even worse with anything other than 165 grains. It will shoot 165 grain federal premium trophy bonded into 1 inch groups. It has been frustrating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[firemanthornman]

I have 3 weatherby vanguards that are made by howa and as far as I can tell essentially the same rifle. All three are sub moa with hand loads with two being sub .5 moa. I also have a couple of savage rifles and load for my son’s tikka. They are also sub moa pretty easily with hand loads. I think the tikka has the nicest action but prefer the vanguard trigger. The savage accutrigger has been hit or miss for me. I also like the vanguard stock the best. The tikka stock feels cheap to me as does the savage. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them except maybe the current Remingtons. Their reputation has suffered greatly as of late. I suggest whichever feels the best to you when you handle it and that you can find in stock with the features you want.

 

[NB7]

I just picked up a Howa 1500 in .308. First one I've owned. Got it because right now it's far easier and a little cheaper to get my hands on .308 ammo than for my 7mm mag. Been pretty happy so far. Haven't quite dialed down to sub MOA yet, but VERY close as I've been trying out various factory loads and bullet weights. I'm getting there, and think once I've found the right load I'll be pretty happy

 

[SaltySailor]

I love my 1500 in .300 WM, she is a heavy gurl tho. It is slightly sub-MOA and a older gun, but I haven't had any QA issues with it.

 

[jimh406]

Go figure, a lot of opinions disguised as facts.

Most manufacturers now make light and heavy models. Almost all brands “I haven’t shot all brands” are 1 MOA if the action screws are tight and the shooter does what they are supposed to. Most manufacturers build cheaper models and “deluxe” models. There are some differences in triggers although pretty much all triggers can be replaced for any brands.

Howa is what Randy Newberg uses. He seems to do “ok”, joking. They shoot a lot of animals. I’d say most Howa models are fine for hunting based on watching his youtube, Randy Newberg Hunter. That being said, I don’t own a Howa, yet.

 

[darmento]

Even though you only asked about accuracy, I will break it down into the main categories that most use to chose a rifle.

Accuracy:

1. Howa has an MOA guarantee and usually meets it.
2. Tikka is one of the most consistently accurate rifles out of the box
3. Remington can be hit or miss depending on when they were made
4. Savage built its current following based on how accurate they are right out of the box. They were the “tikkas” of the day 15-20 years ago.

Weight:

1. Howas are heavy in comparison to other hunting rifles on the market
2. Tikkas tend to be lighter
3. Remingtons are pretty much the standard when it comes to hunting rifle weights, however thay have many different options that can make them heavier (Sendero) or lighter (mountain).
4. Savages are neck and neck with Remington.

Action feel and function:

1. Out of the box, Howas can seem a bit rough if you are used to others. If your experience is with Remington then it will feel about the same.
2. Tikkas have about the smoothest factory action there is. That being said, they only come in long action with different bolt stops for long or short chamberings. Changing out the bolt shroud or bolt handle is also super easy on a Tikka.
3. Remington actions are the basis for more semi-customs than any other. That doesn’t mean they are great, but they can be made so. They are the industry average in my opinion. Top of the bell curve.
4. Savage actions are decent, however they have gone through so many different configuration, sometimes it is hard to figure out which you have if you want to change stocks or bottom metal. Savages are also notorious for poor primary extraction. A shim kit can help to cure that. Changing out the bolt handle or bolt head is very easy on a Savage.

Triggers:

1. Howas come with a two stage trigger. If you like those, you will like the Howa trigger. I personally hate them on a bolt gun, especially a hunting gun.
2. Tikkas come with the best factory trigger, in my opinion. 5 minutes and an MCarbo spring make it even better.
3. Remington’s X-Mark Pro trigger is a POS and the best thing you can do is replace it with a Timney or Trigger Tech ASAP.
4. Savage has a good trigger as long as you don’t mind the safety lever. An MCarbo spring can make it truly great, but the only way to get rid of the lever is to go aftermarket.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the detailed response. Very grateful…

 

[darmento]

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it!

 

[Aggies2014]

I actually shot a factory howa 6mm creedmoor in tactical benchrest competitions for some time. Hornady eld m all day long. Shot less than 1/2” groups all day long

 

[vonb]

I have a Howa 1500 in .223. Pros: super smooth bolt, excellent feeding and extraction. Trigger is acceptable but not excellent. Prices on them are very favorable.

Cons: It is on the heavier side for a sporter. Accuracy is good with my best groups hovering around 1/2-3/4 MOA. 69 grain bullets in the 1/9 twist don’t do well. They usually average 1-1.5 MOA.

I also have Tikkas. The Tikkas beat it in all of the above areas mentioned.

 

[terryda]

Had a Savage 110 Hunter in 223. Accu everything. Couldn't get decent groups from a dozen different factory ammo. Sold it to my plumber and bought a Ruger. The 1in 8 twist seems more forgiving.

 

[squid-freshprints]

Our heavy barrels drive tacks. Light action, much more picky. Bolt lock on safety is good if you brush bust a lot.

 

[Jbuck]

I picked up a cheap sporter barreled grendel for my kids to use for deer. My 11yo did the load work up and grouping, so it's only around 1moa, or a little less, with a middle load. Since new I Cerakote'd the action, which helped a lot with the smoothness and added a Stockysstocks VG stock.

Here is my 6yo making a first round impact at 510yds on a 10" plate. Roughly 2moa target, but he's a kid shooting a 3-15 scope.