Top image is a Howa in KUIU Vias Camo. Lower image shows a Howa 1500 chassis with KRG Bravo. Howa is a good option if you’re looking for a reliable and accurate rifle to use on a late-fall hunt. Howas have smooth-running actions and fine two-stage triggers. A barreled Howa action is also a great base for DIY projects. Some people have heard it’s difficult to find aftermarket barrels or stocks. This is not true. Bill from RifleShooter.com demonstrates in this article that the factory-installed bar is easily removed with the right tools. We think that a Howa is a great base for a varmint rifle or field rifle. You can also build a tactical gun like Bill did. You can start out with the factory barrel, and then when you need more accuracy, have a gunsmith install an upgraded barrel from Krieger Barrels Lilja Barrels, or another quality brand.
The Carbon Stalker weighs just 4.6 lbs. With Mini Action (before optics). All Howa Carbon Fibre Stalker rifles are covered by a Lifetime Warranty and a Sub-MOA guarantee. What You Need To Know About Howa’s 1500-series Rifles Tech Feature By Bill, Editor of RifleShooter.com
Consider this article as the “Howa 1500 overview”. Legacy Sports International has seen a great deal of interest in Howa barreled actions and rifles. Brownells offers barreled action in a variety of calibers, configurations, and sizes. This post will take a closer look at the Howa 1500 Series. Howa Rifles — General Background
Howa is a Japanese heavy equipment company. Two different companies, Legacy Sports International, and Weatherby, import firearms into the United States of America. Legacy sells guns under the manufacturer’s name, while Weatherby rebrands them as the Weatherby Vanguard. Weatherby rifles have a more refined finish than the LSI imported 1500s. Howa 1500 Rifles: A General Evaluation
Howa 1500s are solid entry-level rifles with sub-MOA accuracy right out of the package. I have purchased two Howa rifles that I’ve tried because I love them. The Howa Mini-Action 7.62×39 Russian is one of my favorites to shoot. This is a three-shot group that I drilled with the rifle and 125-grain Sierras at 100 yards. It took a great deal of work to get it right, but once it was, it worked. Howa 1500 HACT 2-Stage Trigger
Howa 1500s come with the Howa HACT trigger. This is a two-stage adjustable trigger that can be set to about 3 pounds (combined). This is a crisp and repeatable trigger that’s perfect for a factory-made gun. There is no annoying Glock style safety lever in the middle the trigger blade. The 2-stage design with a wide range of pull weights is ideal for a hunting or PRS rifle. Rifleshooter.com calls the Howa trigger “one of the best factories triggers, along Tikka.” Steve Comus, writing for the Western Outdoor News WONews.com has field-tested HACT Trigger. Steve Comus writes: “I’ve always liked two-stage triggering, because I could take up the slack to know when the gun was going off. The [HACT] was easy to use. “The crisp, positive release [reminded] me] of some target rifles that I shot over the years.” Howa Actions – Three Options
Howa offers three lengths of action: Mini, Short and Long. The bolts for each action length can be seen in the image below. The Mini-Action is similar in size to the Remington Model Seven. However, the Mini-Action bolt does not travel to the rear as far. This is a mixed bag. The upside is that you get a faster action (shorter throw of the bolt). The downside is that you are limited to shorter cartridges such as.223 Remington and 7.62x39mm Russian. If you need a larger cartridge, choose the standard action or long-action Howa variant. Howa 1500 vs. Remington 700 — Important Differences
Is the Howa 1500 just a Remington 700 copy, or is it an improved Remington 700 version? No, not at all. The top radius of the Howa 1500 is the same as the Model 700 and they both can use the two-piece scope base, but there are some differences. When you compare the Howa 1500 with the Remington 700, you’ll notice that the M700 has a round-bottom action while the Howa has a flat bottom action. The bottom half of the Howa reminds me a lot of a Winchester push-feed. The chassis and stocks of a Howa 1500 do not have V-block bases like those on a 700. Instead, they have flat bottoms. The bolt on the Howa looks similar to the Model 700 but it has some improvements. These include an M16-style extractor, and a firing assembly that can easily be removed without the use of tools. The action screws on the Howa 1500 are metric, and are located in a different place than those of the 700. The Howa 1500 comes with an integral recoil screw that is a part of the action. This means the front screw will be more engaged in the action. WARNING: Installing it into an action or stock that is not properly fitted can cause it to bind. Can a Howa action be used for a custom rifle project?
Absolutely! You can buy a barreled Brownells action and put it in the chassis system/stock you choose, or you can use an action stripped to build a custom gun. If you’re in the market for chassis, MDT has a variety of options in different price ranges. All have worked for me. How to remove Howa Factory Barrel
You may have heard online grumblings about the removal of Howa barrels. Some keyboard commandos claim that they are difficult to remove without relief cuts. Bill from Rifleshooter.com shows that Howa barrels are easy to remove, provided you have the correct tools. Watch this video: Howa Barrel Removing Video — Quick and Simple (Click Speaker icon for Audio)
Q: Is it hard to remove the barrel from a Howa 1600?
Not very. I’ve heard that factory barrels can be difficult to remove from Howas. The half dozen or so barrels I’ve removed from Howas were very easy. I use a Brownells Action Wrench with the top piece of a Rem Model 700 and its flat bottom resting on the flat on the wrench. Howa Actions Need Metric Barrel Threads
It’s simple to thread a barrel on a Howa action. Most lathes can cut metric threads. I cut the threads on a manual machine using change gears. [Editor: John Whidden cut metric tenons with a CNC machine. John Whidden tells us that it’s “easy” and “no issue at all.”] Using Howa Actions to Customize Rifles
I have built several customs using Howa actions. Below is my favorite, a Winchester.308 action. It consists a Howa action, Shilen Select Rem Varmint contour bar, and Modular Driven Technology (MDT) ESS chassis. It is a great rifle that hammers! Visit Legacy Sports International to learn more about Howa Rifles. Brownells.com is the place to buy a Howa barreled actions. MDTTAC.com has more information about the modular chassis systems used in Howa rifles.
