So what do you all think of it?
I just picked one up, with a very nice Leopold scope, for $600.
It shoots dead on! And the kick is nothing! So far i'm loving it! (BTW for those of you who dont know, Howa makes the vanguard)
Howa is probably one of the most unknown and underated rifle manufacturers. They have been making the Weatherby Vangaurd for years and previously made rifles for Smith & Wesson and Mossburg. They are very welll built and usually very accurate. My wife uses a 243 that easily shoots sub moa with 100 gr. Hornady bullets for her deer rifle. I have a total of 6 Howa mfg rifles from the Smith & Wesson, Mossburg, & Howa line -223 (2), 243. 308, 6.5x55 (discontinued), 30-06. They are all great rifles and shooters and have found them to be of excelent quality. IMO they are one of the best rifle values out there.
Well i can tell you it shoots like a dream! The recoil is not bad at all! (compared to the .308) and its dead on accurate! For the price i dont think you can go wrong!
I've had a HOWA 270 for about 6 years and it's never let me down. The last deer I shot was 200+ yards and he droped on the spot, there were about 10 other deer around him and I was far enough away they didn't hear the shot and were wondering why Big Buck fell on the ground, I could have shot 3 more before they would have figured out what was happening, I was only gone from the house for 10 minutes when I shot him. I wish they were all that easy.
I have the Howa 1500 in 243 that I had originally bought for my son. Its a fantastic rifle. It has the NS Nighteater scope and the Hogue stock. Its a great shooting weapon, no doubt.
Originally the factory trigger felt like there was sand in it. I replaced with a Timney in a few minutes, and it had no issues after that.
my favorite cartridges. Glad you discovered the lack of kick and the inherent accuracy of the .243. It is good for all game up to and including deer. You can practice until you get really good with it at no expense to your shoulder.
The Howa is a true "sleeper" value. Few people seem to know about the Howa yet those who have it seldom part with it.
I have the 1500 in the compact ranchland and honestly the trigger it came with feels awesome and is lite, too lite imho, but I will try and get used to it. Glad you got one and enjoy it. Medic
