Howa M 1500 .308 Review - AT THE SHOOTING RANGE!!!

[DeQuiken]

Bipods from Deben are exactly the same as Harris in quality and design but cost 1/3 less. Just an info i wanted 2 share...

[acacialife]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I will be uploading some more Howa videos so if you have any requests for things you would like to see get shot at let me know! hahah

[KRN762]

Sounds Aussie to me. 

[cleancutish]

DID THIS FUCKEN BRIT BUY THAT GUN HERE IN THE US??? OH WELL I GUESS IF CRIMINALS HAVE GUNS THEN AN ENGLISHMAN CAN

[LJOESOBE]

@cleancutish this dude is australian. jussayin

[MrMapex2010]

Thumbs up for finally having some Aussies getting in on the action

[acacialife]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I will be uploading some more Howa videos so if you have any requests for things you would like to see get shot at let me know! hahah

[ctford27]

I have a Stevens 200 in 30'06. Great gun but it is a little on the ugly side! I hate the grey stock that they come with. I don't mind the barrel nut as i think it looks kinda cool. I gotta make a vid, I haven't got to shoot it yet.

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 I've shot one of the newer Stevens 200's. Those are great guns. It's essentially a Savage 110/111 minus the accutrigger and with a little less fancy stock. No one questions how well the Savages shoot. Excellent value and I would probably have one if the aftermarket industry for stocks and accessories was a little better.

[ctford27]

Is that the light sporter barreled version?

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 It appears to be, yes. Unless you plan on varmint hunting or have a legitimate need for your barrell to tolerate 5 shots in rapid succession w/o group stringing, the sporter contour is all you should need. I have a Howa 1500 chambered in .25-06 and I love that gun. I've never found a rifle with a better factory trigger, I love that the action is milled out of one piece of steel, it's more aesthetically pleasing than a Savage or a Tikka, doesn't have any plastic components and...

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 (pt 2)...Howa mills their actions to very close tolerances; you don't need a gunsmith to true the action for you - Howa has already taken care of that. I'm not crazy about the Hogue "pillar bedded" stocks that most of the Legacy Arms Int. Howas come out of the box in, but I can tell you that the sporter barrel DOES float even with a firm, prone rest from a bipod. The heavier varmint contour barrels, however, WILL contact the stock from a bipod rest in the pillar bedded stocks. If...

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 (pt 3)...you want the varmint contour, you need to upgrade from the basic Hogue stock. Hogue's overmold stock with the full bedding block is actually a pretty good one, although if you have the money you can't go wrong upgrading to a Bell & Carlson or a semi-custom laminate stock. My .25-06 with a 22" barrel, 1:10 twist chronos around 3140 fps with regular ol' 100 grain Remington Core-Lokt. Even with cheap factory hunting ammo and a new bore I had an average extreme spread of 1.23"...

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 (pt 4)...out of ten 5-shot groups at 100 yards. That data was compiled very slowly over the course of the summer (each 5 shot group took about an hour - very boring) and I think that's pretty damn good for a rifle that I have a total investment (including scope, rails, rings, bipod and sling) of under $750 into. I have little doubt that the rifle is capable of sub-moa accuracy with handloads or ultra-premium ammo, but that doesn't really matter since I don't compete. All I need the...

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 (pt 5)...rifle to do is put a bullet into the upper half / middle third of a pig's head at any practical distance and the accuracy of this rifle in its utterly basic configuration with utterly basic ammo way, way outperforms minimum standadrs for that purpose. About the only thing that I don't like about my Howa is the 14" legal disclaimer that Legacy Sports International decided to stamp into the top of the barrel. It doesn't affect function, of course, but it looks terrible to me.

[GriffGruff78]

@ctford27 All in all, Howa makes a great rifle. Get one before everyone else figures it out and they get too expensive.

[acacialife]

@GriffGruff78 True that!

[GrenMoyo]

Kricky! sorry couldn't resist! Awesome vid man that's my deer gun for sure if i can find one :)

[acacialife]

@GrenMoyo We have already gone pig hunting in Darwin with it and it definately does the job!

[MrJubbers12]

@GrenMoyo you spelt it wrong mate its crikey

[liljohn830]

Was the barrel floating out of the box, or did you have to modify the stock? I didn't think they came standard with a floating barrel.

[acacialife]

@liljohn830 Definately comes standard with floating barrel, or at least it does in Australia

[GriffGruff78]

Oh, one more thing... The factory trigger is about perfect for most hunting applications. It's fairly heavy (haven't checked it but it feels a little heavier than another rifle I have set at 3 lbs.) but it doesn't have any creep or take-up. If asked to describe it I would say that the trigger will give you a surprise before you think it should break but enough pull that it isn't going to break before you're ready, make sense? In other words, your eyes will be open when the rifle fires.

[evrythingape]

@MrROTTENJUGGALO it's 4+1 in .308.. I think the .223 is 5+1.

@acacialife You should check out the Accu-shot BT10 Atlas bipod if you think Harris is the only bipod that works well. Many precision shooters are choosing the Atlas over the Harris.

[MrROTTENJUGGALO]

its actualy 5 in 1 6 total

[acacialife]

@MrROTTENJUGGALO Hey brother, it's definately 4+1 as the .308 round are bigger. Thanks for watching anyway

[MrROTTENJUGGALO]

@acacialife i have one, its the Varmint model howa m1500 308 win with the houge rubber overmolded stock that i have since replaced and mine holds 5+1 but thanks for the info on yours

[blastermitch]

Good to see an Aussie in one of these vids!

I'm over here in Canada looking at getting my first rifle (a .308). I'm tossing up between a Savage, Weatherby Vanguard and Howa Hogue, as the prices are fairly good here. Any thoughts? I'm a big guy (6'4", 130kgs); I've been researching barrel lengths etc. There's so much to take into account! I'm leaning towards the Howa Hogue Coyote stock in 20" barrel, as it will be lighter for hunting and most of my shooting will be at shirter ranges.

[GriffGruff78]

@blastermitch (pt 1) Don't let the internet drive you crazy. Have you heard a lot of people telling you how bad you're screwing up if you get a .308 with a 20" barrel? If so, forget all that garbage. You will never, ever notice a difference between a 20" barrel and a 26" barrel if you top the rifle with a 3x9 scope and never shoot at anything beyond 300 yards. Howa makes a great rifle. There is nothing fancy about them, just a very solid action capable of excellent accuracy with minimal...

[GriffGruff78]

@blastermitch (pt 2) ...work required, if any at all. Weatherby decided to use the Howa action in the Vanguard line for a reason... I'm a pretty big guy as well (6'5", 270 lbs.) and the standard 13.5" length-of-pull on a hogue is a bit short, but shootable as-is and perfect with a slip-on recoil pad. You will probably like the Hogue stock a lot more than the synthetic on the Savage and if you like the Vanguard stock you can purchase the same one from Bell & Carlson for about $200...

[GriffGruff78]

@blastermitch (pt 3)... I was in very much the same boat you are (or were 2 months ago) trying to decide between a Vanguard, a Howa and a Savage. I probably would have been equally happy with any of them, but I really like my new Howa. It's nothing fancy and has no frills to speak of, just a tough, well-built rifle.

[blastermitch]

@GriffGruff78 Mate, you are a champion! Best ever reply to a Youtube comment I've ever seen. Thanks very much for your advice! Like you say, I think it's easy to get caught up in the hype and technicality, but for the average Joe shooter, a Howa would be fine. After all, I'm not a sniper, or pro, and I'm never gonna be on Top Sniper shooting in a competition. Thanks again! ;)