Howa 1500 review
1One of my rifle purchases back in 2015 was a Howa 1500 in 7mm-08. This was the version with the green Hogue rubber overmold grip. It adds some weight and gives a good purchase while out in the cold and snow. What was my backup hunting rifle, soon turned out to my preferred weapon of choice when heading to the woods. Shortly after, sometime in 2016, I purchased a second Howa 1500. This new rifle, a 223, is designated as my range gun. Not much out there on these rifles. So here is a quick overview of these rifles and my thoughts.
This particular rifle was hard to find. Howa rifles - or rather the action - are still made in Japan. Legacy Sports out of Las Vegas then imports them. They add on the various stocks, scopes etc and then push them out to the vendors. So, one can find them in various configurations. The 7mm-08 was a drop ship from Legacy Sports to my LGS. The 223 I found at Buds. I had to double-check the model numbers with Legacy to make sure I was getting one with the Hogue grip. Howa also makes the action for Weatherby. A solid rifle at a solid price.
After my purchase, this rifle got stashed away as I was busy with work and life. I finally go around to it this weekend. So, here we go.
This particular rifle came from Buds. They had them for around 400 and this was the "Game King" version. Complete with a Nikko Sterling 3.5-10X40 Scope.
That of course had to go, and was replaced by a nice Vortex Crossfire II. 4-12X40 with AO. Scope base was included, so not much of a hassle.
The rifle is well built. The bolt is solid and the action smooth. Rifle is equipped with a nice trigger. Howa calls it the Howa Actuator Controlled Trigger (HACT). Basically a two-stage trigger of sorts. The initial squeeze takes up the slack and then a crisp 2.8-3.5 lb trigger pull. Trigger as far as I know is non-adjustable without taking the thing apart. While some folks like to adjust the trigger pull weight, I like to leave things as they are - and this trigger for me hits the perfect spot.
Another selling point for me: A three position safety. While nothing beats basic gun safety and using common sense when loading/unloading a rifle, the 3 position safety works well. An added layer of safety for some.
The other feature - or as some may consider a downside - is lack of a detachable magazine. This might be OK on a hunting rifle. After all 4 shots should get the job done, or you have no business hunting. On a range gun, I think a detachable mag would work better. If 5 rounds don't work for you, go ahead and purchase the detachable magazine kit from Howa for an extra 100 bucks. Includes a 10 round magazine and the swap is fairly easy. But you'll be going to a plastic trigger guard and magazine. No thank you!
One of the interesting bits of paper included with this rifle, reads something like this:
Yup. A break-in period of 20 rounds. I followed these instructions to a T, on my 7mm-08. I intend to do so with this rifle. My phone call with Legacy Sports indicate that they prefer one to use straight up ammonia as a cleaning agent. Hoppes #9 or any ammonia based product would work just as fine. Legacy says this increases the longevity of the barrel. The key is to time the shots and allow for some cooling.
The barrel is a 22" specimen with a 1:12 twist. Overall the rifle sits at 42". Rifle and scope come in at about 10 lbs, or so said Buds and I believe them. The added weight helps with the bigger caliber and recoil mitigation. This would be fine for a bench shooter too.
Cannot wait to get it to the range and see how she shoots. Range report and break-in details to follow in the near future.
Howa makes them in all the popular hunting calibers and in various packages. If you are in the market for a good hunting rifle, take a look at the Howa.
Last edited by JaxTeller on Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.