Howa 1500 GK project

[Duzell]

well ive just ordered the rifle from my local store.

specs are as follows

gameking package

-hogue olive rubber stock
-nikko sterling gameking scope 3.5-10 x44
- blued finnish
-2 stage match trigger
- 3 position safty
-forged 1 piece bolt 2 lugs
-1 pice scope rail installed
-lock
-target accurcay charts and proven grouping shots

-600$ out the door

-i had it chambered in 308, which is my favorite round to shoot


Project stage 1:

the project will start off with initial testing of the rifle, to see what i like and what i dont on it.

i will then progress to looking into aftermarket parts and available steps, im already considering the legacy ammo boost 10 round mag kit as an initial upgrade.

the howa 1500 also comes in 400$ or less without a scope.

but with the scope, scope mount i thought the GK package was the best option, so i could initially fire it and see how it handled
*Note*
it is currently being shipped and when it arrives, due to CA law, i have to wait 10 days from delivery arrival.

[Colt46]

I've heard they are made on the same machinery that turns out the Weatherby Vanguard line of rifles. The only thing that turns me off is they seem a bit heavier than guns I like to hunt the sierras with.

[Duzell]

its weight is 9.38 lbs? i know that my friends ruger american is perfect for hunting,m hes just a wuss about the recoil in the 30 06 chambering he got

-im only worried about what bullet weight i should try, a 180 is what my mosin tends to like shooting but im not experienced in the howa barrel

any recommendations or warnings?

[AllenJ]

A friend and I both have Vanguard S2's, his in 270WSM and mine in 243 Winchester, and both are very accurate. I've seen him shoot two sub 1/2" groups and I've shot three 1/4" groups with my gun. I think you'll be very happy with yours.

[reynolds357]

I have Vangards, Vangard 2's and Howas. Same rifles different stocks. Vangard is made by Howa. Good rifle. You will love it. You will also likely not love the scope.
V2 and modern new Howas have different triggers than the V1 and earlier Howa's.

[steveNChunter]

The Vanguards' actions are made by Howa. The barrels are Weatherby. In most cases they are longer than the Howa barrels and Weatherby offers the Wby. Mag cartridges. The Vanguard has the accuracy guarantee whereas the Howa has none. I have also heard rumors that the best, truest actions are sent to Weatherby, but I don't know if that's true.

Is this worth the extra money spent on a Weatherby?

Not to me I've got a Howa

It's sub-MOA with my handloads and that's good enough for me

[reynolds357]

The WBY does not really cost much more. I gave $405 for my last V2.

[steveNChunter]

That's a deal. Around here I think they are around $500-$550 for the basic synthetic model.

I gave almost $400 for my Howa barreled action, but everything seems to be more expensive where I live

[reynolds357]

When the V2 first came out, I called the dealer I buy from and told him I wanted one in .257 Wby. $405 is what he quoted. Its a nice stock. Its synthetic with with rubber grip panels. Has about 10 lbs of foreend to barrel pressure. Shoots entirely too good to mess with. I got another one just for the stock and the action to build off of. Getting the barrels off are a pain, but once you do, the action is a fine action to build on.

[steveNChunter]

IIRC the Howa action is a copy of the older Sako action with a couple slight changes.

If I ever "shoot out" the barrel on my .25-06 Howa, I may just have to find out how good of a semi-custom rifle they make...A 26" 6.5-06AI barrel would be nice

[reynolds357]

They are great actions to build off of Steve. Many gunsmiths bash them because they do not know how to get the barrel off. I have had smiths tell me that Howa "puts the barrels on hot." I dont know what they do, but they are near impossible to get off without machining a relief cut into the barrel. With the relief cut, they come off easily. Many, many, Howa actions have been bent trying to get the barrel off out of ignorance of that step or laziness in not wanting to take the time to do it. In my opinion, they are for all practical purposes like building off a 700. Things are definitely different, but all the concepts remain the same. It is definitely a strong action. Its not as beefy as the MarkV, but its plenty strong enough for anything its long enough for.

[Duzell]

im aware of the upsides, its why i bought it was due to its very positive background and positive feedback, plus all that it brings to the table is very nice and praised.

im not sure if i will be needing to get another barrel, and the scope is one that comes with it, im looking at function for now and getting a decent piece of glass set up on it. after im used to shooting the howa. overall Im really looking forward to it

[steveNChunter]

The Hogue is a decent synthetic stock, but like alot of synthetics there's a good bit of give in the forearm. Especially if you use a bipod.

Trimming excess material in the barrel channel may be necessary to properly float the barrel. I had to do that with mine, even though I bought the Hogue stock with the full length aluminum bedding block. It dosent flex as much as the stocks that are just pillar bedded, but it was touching the stock a couple places under the barrel and down one side. Just too much extra "rubber" in there. A few minutes with a dremel tool took care of it.

I like my Hogue stock but if I had it to do over again I'd probably get a Bell & Carlson Medalist.

The Nikko Sterling scope that comes in the package isn't great, but it will suffice until you can save up for something better.

[Duzell]

well it came in and i got to play with it a bit, before handing it back to pick up in 10 days. i hate California laws, so stupid and just gets worse by the year

it did not come with a lock sadly, even though legacy said it would.

but the guys at my local gunstore, said they would mount and bore sight the scope. i think if i was getting a new scope, id look into red-field scopes...


but overall i was impressed with it. good weight, nice grip, good bolt action, and i love the trigger, very crisp.
i cant wait to try it out, and get it zeroed.

my buddy also wants to do a comparison test against it, with his ruger american in 30 06.

[steveNChunter]

my buddy also wants to do a comparison test against it, with his ruger american in 30 06.

Your's should be every bit as accurate as his, maybe better. As for the stock, trigger, bluing, and overall fit & finish, you will win easily. But keep in mind you have $600 in the package. He has ~$350 in his + whatever he paid for his scope & rings.

i love the trigger, very crisp.

I agree. For a factory trigger they are very nice.

[Duzell]

yes i tried to explain the difference to him. a entry rifle vs a higher end rifle is quite different.

the trigger reminds me of my kimber 1911 match. same groving , but its also wide like my m1a trigger. im really going to have ablast with this gun.


also ammo wise i was looking at starting with the Sierra GameKing - Australian Outback. maybe sierra matchking by federal , also looking at Exergy - Sellier & Bellot

[steveNChunter]

sierra matchking by federal

If you're just shooting targets, the Sierra Matchking is a VERY accurate bullet. The Gameking will make a great hunting round.

Wait nevermind you live in the Republik de Kalifornistan. If you hunt in the "condor zone" try a Barnes TSX/TTSX

I'm not very familiar with match ammo, I reload mine.

[Duzell]

"Republik de Kalifornistan"

i have got to remember that line, its golden. yes california sucks, i agree entirely.


i wish i could reload but i neither have the time, nor the space required to do it.
i mainly use match grade as its as close to reload as i can get. very consistent with good ammo variety.

i had tried the seirra match king peviously(308) in my m1a soccom which is very picky about what bullets group well. i put 3 in same hole at 300 with it, which was nice. i usually only get that type of grouping when shooting hornaday tap ammo. so i have high hopes for it in the howa.

i will have it on the 9th this month, and hopefully buy some ammo and test out the howa+scope. im curious to see how the scope works, as i have not heard negative reviews on it. i may do a comarison video between it and my barska scope. like and dislikes

[natman]

The Vanguards' actions are made by Howa. The barrels are Weatherby.

It's an interesting exercise in semantics, because Howa made all Weatherbys, including the Mark V, when they were made in Japan. They still make the Vanguard, which is a Howa 1500 with a few cosmetic touches. Current Mark Vs are made in the US.

Barrels on the Vanguard and the 1500 are the same, both made by Howa.

[steveNChunter]

Howa may make the barrels, I won't argue that. But they are exclusive to the Weatherby rifles, that is what I meant by that statement. On the standard rifles (excluding carbine and varmint versions) the barrels are 24" on the Weatherbys, 22" on the Howas. The only Howas with 24" barrels are the magnums, which aren't the same ones offered with the Weatherbys since they offer their own magnum cartridges.

Therefore they must be different barrels. I'm not saying one barrel is made better than the other. On some cartridges 2" doesn't make that much of a difference. But in the case of my .25-06, it would give me a noticeable velocity difference.

[reynolds357]

They do not have to be different barrels. They are the same barrels. You really think WBY is going to export barrels to Japan just to have them make the trip back across the pond? That would be financial absurdity.

[steveNChunter]

I wasn't saying they made two trips to Japan either.

All I'm saying is you can only get the 24" barrels for the regular chamberings by getting a Weatherby. Howas are 22". Check the websites if you don't believe me.

24" is different than 22". Therefore they are different barrels. Not better, not worse, not even from a different place.

That is all.

[reynolds357]

Same barrels, different lengths.

[Duzell]

interesting

[Duzell]

what scopes fit well on the howa. i was looking at the redfield. but im unsure of what tube size is best suited for the rifle