October 31st 2021 Sunday Gunday: Howa rifles — Factory Rigs, Custom Builds
The top image is a Howa 1500 with KUIU Vias Camo Stock. The lower image shows a Howa 1500 with KRG Bravo Chassis. Howa is a reliable and accurate rifle that can be used for hunting in the fall. Howas have smooth-running actions and a two-stage HACT trigger. A Howa barreled action is also a great base for DIY projects. Some people have heard that it can be difficult to find stocks or to fit an after-market bar. This is false. There are many stock options. Bill of RifleShooter.com explains how to remove the factory-installed bar with the right tools. A Howa is a great base for a field rifle or varmint rig. You can also build a tactical rifle like Bill. You can start with the stock barrel and then, if you need more accuracy, have a gunsmith make a custom barrel using Krieger Barrels, Lilja Barrels, or another quality brand.
The Carbon Stalker, weighing only 4.6 lbs, is an excellent factory option. Mini Action (before optics). All Howa Carbon Fibre Stalker rifles come standard with a SubMOA Guarantee and a Lifetime Warranty. The Tech Feature on Howa 1500-series Rifles by Bill, editor at RifleShooter.com
This article is the “Howa 1500 Overview”. Legacy Sports International has received a lot of interest for Howa rifles and barreled action imports. Brownells also sells barreled action in a variety of calibers. We will be taking a look at the Howa 1500 series in this post. Howa Rifles — General Background
Howa is a Japanese heavy machine company. Its product line includes firearms. They are imported into the United States of America from two companies, Legacy Sports International or Weatherby. The 1500 is sold under the manufacturer’s name by Legacy, while Weatherby rebrands the guns as Weatherby Vanguard. The Weatherby rifles are generally more refined than the LSI-imported 1550s. General Evaluation of the Howa 1500 Rifles
Howa 1500s are solid rifles, which I found to be entry-level rifles capable of sub-MOA accuracy right out of the box. Because I love the Howa rifles, I have purchased two of them. Below is a Howa Mini-Action 7.62×39 Russian Russian. It is one of my favorite factory guns. This is a three-shot group that I shot at 100 yards using the rifle above and 125 grain Sierras. It took some load development and a lot of work to get there but it worked well. Howa 1500 HACT 2-Stage Trigger
The Howa 1500s have the Howa HACT trigger. This adjustable, two-stage trigger is about 3 pounds in total (combined stages). This trigger is excellent for factory guns. It is crisp and repeatable. The safety lever is not Glock-style and is located in the middle of each trigger blade. The 2-stage design and pull weight range are ideal for hunting rifles or rigs for PRS competition. Rifleshooter.com states that the Howa trigger is “one the best factory triggers, alongside Tikka.” The Howa trigger is superior to the Remington 700, and the Howas doesn’t need to be replaced. Steve Comus, a writer for the Western Outdoor News, WONews.com has field-tested HACT Trigger. Steve writes: “I have always loved two-stage triggers because I could take up the slack and then know when the rifle was going off. The [HACT] trigger took only a few seconds to activate. The second stage’s crisp, positive release of pressure [reminded] me of the target rifles that I have shot over the years. Howa Actions – Three Options
Howa offers three lengths of action: Mini, Short, or Long. The image below shows the bolts for each length. Although the Mini-Action is similar in external dimensions to the Remington Model Seven’s, its bolt travels less far to the rear. This is a mixed bag. This has the upside of a faster action (shorter bolt throw). You are restricted to shorter rounds like the 6.5 Grendel, 7.62x39mm Russian and.223 Remington. If you need a larger cartridge, choose the standard or long-action Howa variant. Howa 1500 vs. Remington 700 — Important Differences
Is the Howa 1500 a Remington 700 replica or an improved Remington 700? Nonsense. The top radius of the Howa 1500 is the same as the Model 700’s, and they can use the same scope bases. However, there are some differences. The Remington 700 is not as round as the Howa 1500, but the Remington 700 is. The bottom half of the Howa reminds me a lot of a push-feed Winchester. The chassis and stocks that can support a Howa 1500 do not have a V-block base like the 700. Instead, they have a flat bottom. Although the bolt of the Howa looks similar to the Model 700’s, there are some improvements. These include an M16-style extractor, and a firing pin assembly that can easily be removed without the use of tools. The action screws for the Howa 1500 are metric and are located in a different place than the 700. The integral recoil lug on the Howa 1500 accepts the front-action screw. This means that you will have more action screws engaging the action. WARNING: It is possible to bind the action if it is installed into a poorly-fitted stock. Can a Howa action be used for a custom rifle project?
Yes! You have two options: either purchase a Brownells barreled rifle and put it in a stock or chassis system of your choice, or you can build your own rifle using a stripped-action. MDT has a wide range of chassis at different price points for those who are interested in the chassis market. They all worked well for me. How to Remove a Factory Barrel From Action
You may have heard grumblings on the internet about how to remove Howa barrels. Some keyboard commandos claim they are difficult to remove without a relief cutting. Bill from Rifleshooter.com shows that Howa barrels are easy to remove if you have the right tools. This video shows how to remove a barrel quickly and easily (click the speaker icon for audio)
Q: Can you remove the barrel from a Howa 1500?
A: Not much. Some smiths who worked on Howas years ago have told me that factory barrels are hard to remove. They have been easy to pull out of the dozen or so Howa barrels I have pulled. Brownells action wrench, with the top piece for Rem Model 700 and the flat bottom against the flat on the wrench. Howa actions require Metric barrel threads
It is easy to thread a barrel for Howa Action. It’s easy to cut metric threads with most lathes. I used change gears to cut the threads below using a manual lathe. [Editor John Whidden cuts metric-tenon threads on a CNC lathe. John says, “It’s simple,” and “No problem whatsoever.” Howa Actions for Custom Rifles
I have created a few customs using Howa actions. Here is my favorite, a.308 Winchester. It includes a Howa 1500 action and Shilen Select Match Rem V Varmint contour barrel. It is a great rifle, and it hammers! Legacy Sports International has more information about Howa rifles. Brownells.com is the best place to buy a Howa barreled-action rifle. MDTTAC.com has more information about modular chassis systems for Howa rifles.
Similar Posts: Tags: HACT Trigger, Howa 1500, Howa Barrel Removal, Howa Mini Action, Howa Rifle, MDT Chassis, Rifleshooter.com
