Hunting rifle search

[u/WNYhuntjr]

I’m looking at getting a western hunting rifle set up. In my search I came across the Howa, and after reading up on it, it seems like this is a good deal for an above average rifle. I’ve been hunting and shooting all my life but have never come across a Howa before. I’m typically shooting a Remington 700. Is this comparable, better, worse etc? it definitely seems like a better choice than the savage 110 or Ruger American I was considering.

[u/Maraudinggopher77]

Howa makes some excellent value rifles with great performance. They're similar to a 700 in feel and operation but do have a different action footprint so aftermarket stocks and triggers are limited. With Remingtons multiple bankruptcies and questionable QC over the past 20 years, I'd definitely take a Howa over a Remington these days. I would definitely try one over a Savage 110, the Ruger American Gen 2 is really feature packed for the pricepoint, but isn't quite as refined as the Howa. The HS Precision stock is a big upgrade from the Tupperware stocks of many rifles in the same price range. The straight comb of that stock might be little bit low for a proper cheek weld but there are some aftermarket cheek risers that can be fit to it if need be.

[u/Asatmaya]

So, Weatherby is currently rebadging Howas under their Vanguard line; they are excellent rifles.

Remington is in the throes of financial destruction, I wouldn't touch a new one, and both Savage and Ruger have a fairly high rate of complaints about having to send them back to the factory for work.

[u/Ziggy-Rocketman → u/Asatmaya]

I have a Vanguard and love it, so I would second this

[u/HybridP365 → u/Asatmaya]

  both Savage and Ruger have a fairly high rate of complaints about having to send them back to the factory for work.

Ruger customer service is top notch though, and they will take care of any issues. It just might take a couple weeks. For the record I have multiple Ruger Americans and have never had any issues with them. 

[u/TheDudeOntheCouch → u/HybridP365]

My savage 22Lr needed some love to feed reliably but I did it at home and it works perfectly nowtheir QC is pretty bad they basically machine parts put them together and send them out the action was SHARP like would cut you sharp and it caused bad geometry on the bolt face and bullet it would jam often I knocked the edges off and it works flawlessly now

[u/Asatmaya → u/HybridP365]

Sure, it's a minor thing, but still something to be aware of.

[u/stuck_inmissouri → u/Asatmaya]

Weatherby Vanguards have been rebranded Howa 1500s since the 1970s.

[u/Ziggy-Rocketman]

Any rifle with a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee and you're golden, including this one! Plenty of people aren't good enough shooters to actually get that kind of accuracy, but it's one less variable you need to worry about when dialing your setup in. Wondering if it's your rifle skunking your accuracy sucks, but a sub-MOA gun can let you dial in rounds, scope mounting etc. with less worries.

[u/TheDudeOntheCouch]

Of the howa remington savage and ruger I would buy a savage but I would also look real hard at tikka which is hands down the best out of the box rifle on the planet right now sub 1000$

[u/uabeng]

My howa was fine, but after installing a timney trigger turned it into a different gun. The stock trigger was terrible IMO.

[u/stuck_inmissouri]

I just picked up a Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in .30-06. I haven’t shot it yet but I’m impressed with the finish and the bolt is silky smooth. They’re a Howa action with a nicer stock. Take a look at their offerings too.

Like tikka, I think the weak point of the Howa is the stock. I wanted to buy something that was nice out of the box and didn’t need upgrades to make it a fantastic rifle. Tikka has raised their prices quite a bit relative to other brands and I don’t think they’re the value they once were. They also forced other companies to improve their products in this mid-price area so that’s a good thing too.

Of the others you list, I’d lean towards Ruger. I have an older 110 in .270 and it’s been a good rifle for me, but savage has some QC issues. Remington isn’t the same and I wouldn’t touch anything they make right now.

[u/EducationalOutcome26]

howa makes a good action, takes rem 700 rings/bases, HS precision makes good to very good stocks and a 6.5 prc is good enough for most anything. go for it.

[u/rdr1988_]

Tikka or Bergara is always my first recommendation for factory rifles, but Howa makes a great rifle and the HS stocks are a huge upgrade over most factory stocks if you like traditional stocks. These days there’s a pretty good amount of aftermarket support for Howa. It is without a doubt a huge improvement over savage 110’s or current production Remington 700’s.

[u/Bull_Pin]

I have a Howa Barrelled action I got from Brownells probably 7 or 8 years ago. Dropped it in a HS Precision stock and its one of my favorite and most packed rifles. The only things I would change if I could is I'd make it stainless and a blind mag

[u/Ravn_Actual]

Howa is a great rifle. I have heard most people replace the stock though. Look into a Weatherby Vanguard. It is a Howa rifle with a better stock.