Howa Superlite 308win Field Evaluation

[Reddish]

Any insight into the the writer or the manufacturer?

He's been writing for 40 years and has written many books.

Rifle company is out of Georgia.

 

[TheGDog]

View attachment 754289

On the left (1,2,5) are groupings from my Tikka .223. Shots next to (3),(4) can be ignored as I was just testing for pressure signs/velocity going up in powder charge from (2). (1) is 55gr V-Max w/ Varget (2) is 55gr V-Max with TAC, (5) is 75gr ELD-M with Varget.

On the right are 3 3-shot groupings from my 6.5 CM super-lite that I've attempted to 'improve' by fixing the inletting so it feeds, clearancing the barrel channel, and glass bedding. I've tried several different bullets and loads with this gun and nothing seems to get it to shoot, they all basically look like this load (100gr BT w/ Staball Match) which was a hail mary attempt to see if it would shoot lighter bullets better. I'm glad that some folks have had better luck with theirs.

If anyone wants mine, it's for sale.

Have ya tried reaching out to them re: getting it replaced? I'm sure with all the documented evidence you've I'm sure got, you can show them you did your due-diligence in trying to find a load that works with it for you, but to no avail. They can learn things when receiving ones back to them like this. IF they bother to try looking for the reasons why. AND they can come off as smelling like a Rose by showing how they were more than willing to work with you on replacement. That sorta thing.

 

[matchu865]

Have ya tried reaching out to them re: getting it replaced? I'm sure with all the documented evidence you've I'm sure got, you can show them you did your due-diligence in trying to find a load that works with it for you, but to no avail. They can learn things when receiving ones back to them like this. IF they bother to try looking for the reasons why. AND they can come off as smelling like a Rose by showing how they were more than willing to work with you on replacement. That sorta thing.

I got the original poor fitting stock replaced by Legacy with another poor fitting stock, then did the bedding/inletting myself. They'd probably tell me that I screwed it up or something. Unless they promise to rebarrel it for me I'd rather just sell the thing with the caveat that I couldn't get it to shoot. I don't think it's worth the $$$ to take it to a smith for a new barrel, which if I also added aluminum bottom metal would be ~$800-$1000 to have a functional rifle.

 

[Seak_angler]

Wow now that’s light

 

[menhaden_man]

Just skimmed the latest issue of G&A, looks like this same rifle (is it?). This ad has been running for a while.

 

[xsn10s]

Well a very early morning, not enough coffee, purchase of one of Stocky's blem carbon fiber stocks caused me to get one of Brownell's Howa Superlite barreled actions. When I received the action the picatinny rail wasn't installed and there were no screws shipped with it. So I called Brownells and they sent me out some long screws to grind to fit. Being a bit worn out from life's responcibilites I decided to call up Howa to just buy some screws from them. A week latter I got the screws in the mail for free. So I'm pleased with the customer service. The bottom metal did flex when I torqued down the action screws to 35 in/lbs but it feeds just fine so we'll see how it shoots. With an old Leupold VariXIII 2.5-8x32 Mildot reticle it weighes 5lbs 10 ounces. I'll size down some 308 win brass to 7-08 and workup 162gr ELDM's for it.

 

[tommy226]

Damn that thing is really light.

 

[Tibodoe]

Good info

 

[Nateknight]

Nice write up on this.

 

[Bama67]

I'm always surprised when I see Howa get recommended on here so much. I had one of their precision .308 rifles and I was very unimpressed. Fit and Finish wasn't much better than my Ruger American that cost less than half as much, and I could never get the Howa to shoot nearly as well as the Ruger.
Sold it, no interest in another.

 

[General RE LEE]

I skimmed through the thread and went and tested my Howa Mini action for the cycling/trigger issue.

No issue on mine. Trigger pulls exactly the same after Lee Harvey Oswalding it several times.

 

[xsn10s]

I just finished necking down some .308 Win brass to 7-08 and sighted in with 162gr ELDM's/ SB 6.5. Ran into some pressure with a mid-book load so I'm neck turning the brass and tuning the dies for better runout. I don't find the recoil bad at all for such a light rifle.

 

[intunegp]

He's been writing for 40 years and has written many books.

Rifle company is out of Georgia.

Gotta be a McWhorter being reviewed by...Rick Jamison?

 

[Igloo]

I was able to recreate the "heavy trigger phenomenon" on a Vanguard chambered in 6.5 CM. Took a few tries though, and working it with some mustard lol. Think it was Sun_and_steel who asked me to try in the first place actually.

 

[Luke S]

Does the heavy trigger thing happen for just the one shot after working the bolt or is it stuck that way?

 

[Igloo]

Just one shot after having worked the bolt hard/fast enough for the sear/trigger to catch each other as meant to.

its back to normal afterward

Personally I think unless you're working the bolt with "Battle of Mons" intensity its not really gonna happen...but it does happen.

 

[HNTR918]

@Formidilosus

Thanks for doing exactly what I'd like to see before buying this rifle.

With modern manufacturing methods, this type of quality and accuracy should be non-existent.

 

[TheGDog]

I am also wondering how much this rifle is effected by the recoil of the 308 and if the 6.5 or .243 would have preferable results.

Obv recoil is different for each person. Lot of it depends on damage you already have, like to your shoulders. I've had a few tears in there over the years, and surgical correction on my shooting side.

This UltraLite, in 6.5cm, was SO MUCH nicer to shoot then my much heavier Savage Trophy Hunter in .308 Win. w a heavy (21oz) scope on it, with that 168gr TTSX load. (Personally I wouldn't like to go much higher than that in terms of recoil. But that's just me.)

I liked the difference so much so, that for my needs (just Mule Deer and hopefully Bear some day), I decide to drop down to 130gr TTSX on the .308 Win. Which essentially gives you the same thing as the 6.5cm. Just that the 6.5cm overtakes it in retained energy past 400yds, due to the better B.C. since less frontal area.

 

[bojangles808]

@Formidilosus

Thanks for doing exactly what I'd like to see before buying this rifle.

With modern manufacturing methods, this type of quality and accuracy should be non-existent.

He saved me some money too. I wanted to try one so bad due to the weight but thought it'd function worse and that's not rly worth it I. The long run. Got another Tikka instead

 

[Stinky Coyote]

this thread made my day, I've been bashing on these most expensive cheap rifles you can get for a long time, still laughing about...'that's a first', awesome

I still have one, JO hinged, chopped, slabbed, fluted bolt hollowed handle, stocky's, and stupid accurate. Kids like it, and I love to hate the facking money pit and trash it wherever possible. Legacy and howa are dead to me. If I could do it over right again the first time, I'd have never bought one.

It's like buying cheap optics and progressing through multiple sets until you finally get the alpha's for less than you spent on all the crap leading up to it.

If you like projects to turn a budget pos rifle into something worthy of a smile and some pride these are great but they are triple the cost to get them even close and even once you're done spending you'll still be left wanting.

No biggie if you're ready for it when you jump in lol but best if you can find a stainless barrelled action (good luck, they couldn't even get that right for the biggest market for guns) and buy everything else and put it together properly or have someone do it. The list is long with everything that has to go, basically the action/bolt/barrel the only part worth a fack, sell it without the trigger too please lol. Too late for me I reduced myself to their level of tard by trying to make a go out of a few of them....slow learner, fooled me a couple times lol.

There's only two positive things I can say about em. 1. BB gun like size and handling (one handed if you dare) and 2. Accurate. If that's enough to put a swell in your pants then have at'r. I'm out. There's not another intangible or feature I can think of that I like, zero pride of ownership, just madder than a dog sh1tting tacks about the whole affair.

It will be the last one I have and as soon as my kids are old enough to get firearms licenses I'll be happy to give it to whoever wants it, they may fight over it lol, but other guns available for their choices to take also.