Howa 1500 Sporter vs Varmint for target shooting

[Michael0590]

I’m looking at buying a Howa 1500 short action in 223 in a hogue stock for target shooting at the range. I already own a Ruger American standard in 308 that is solely used for hunting. Would you recommend buying the Howa with a 24” heavy barrel or the 22” sporter barrel?

[Rwd22]

If it's a range/target gun, you want the heavy barrel.

[bladeracer]

I’m looking at buying a Howa 1500 short action in 223 in a hogue stock for target shooting at the range. I already own a Ruger American standard in 308 that is solely used for hunting. Would you recommend buying the Howa with a 24” heavy barrel or the 22” sporter barrel?

For target shooting you want the heavier barrel, the lighter barrel is likely to throw your shots around as it heats up.

[in2anity]

What rwd said. If it’s a dedicated range gun, length and weight are your friend.

[Blr243]

Ditto

[Die Judicii]

Yep, Ditto Ditto,
And the Howas are bloody good, reliable, accurate, and don't cost an arm and a leg.
I sold an as new Tikka and replaced it with yet another Howa,, and never regretted it.

[Strikey]

As the others have said, for range work you want the heavier barrel but that Hogue stock is not the best for target shooting, Howas can be bought with a few different stocks and one of the Boyds laminate stocks would be a better choice than the Hogue.

[in2anity]

As the others have said, for range work you want the heavier barrel but that Hogue stock is not the best for target shooting, Howas can be bought with a few different stocks and one of the Boyds laminate stocks would be a better choice than the Hogue.

If you’ll be competing in 3-P or field positional kind of stuff, the Hogue will do just fine. PRS or F-class yeah chassis is better.

[bigrich]

Yep, Ditto Ditto,
And the Howas are bloody good, reliable, accurate, and don't cost an arm and a leg.
I sold an as new Tikka and replaced it with yet another Howa,, and never regretted it.

you replaced a as new tikka with a howa ? can you please elaborate as to why ?

[Blr243]

I think dj had a bad experience with a tikka .....and regarding the weight of the howa Varmint models , last summer I had a camp set up a creek near st George .... my quad was near my Ute and my shady tarp ....that I had set up .....I walked over to my Ute and took out the howa and loaded into ny quardbike .... even over that short distance I was thinking how bloody heavy those varmint howas are. So I don’t think I could ever carry one in the field ....I went thar hunting years ago in nz my mate was and still is the toughest person I know ...he was carrying a 300 Remington ultra mag with a big stock and a long heavy thick barrel ,,,,as we climbed the very steep hills the poor bugger and his screaming lungs were always a fair bit behind me . And true to me being a tad selfish, not once on that trip did I offer to carry it for him

[bigrich]

yeah blr , i'm assuming DJ got a dud tikka . i just want to know the details . i've found the tikka's respond well to being in a sorted/bedded stock . i had a early 243 m55 tikka , and the rear tang had a bit of movement in it . not a fan of the floating recoil lug either . i got rid of the tikka and i rebarreled a push feed model 70, with it's flat receiver base and cast in recoil lug it's super accurate after bedding . same set up as howa/weatherby vangaurd . but even in 223 howa's are heavy rifles compared to others

my latest t3's are super accurate . put them in bell and carlson stocks and they shoot fantastic. better triggers than howas , nothing a timney wont fix but

[Die Judicii]

you replaced a as new tikka with a howa ? can you please elaborate as to why ?[/quote]

Yeah Mate, you heard correctly, and plus 1 on BLR's input.

I bought a brand new Tikka (full of expectations) and was sorely disappointed.
As per "Out of the box"
1) the so called walnut stock (a totally different color under the surface) was so open grained that it would catch whiskers.
Solution: Sand, and fill the grain, re oil finish
2) the trigger was shockingly heavy
Solution: A Yo Dave trigger spring kit
3) even with the newly introduced stainless recoil lug it was as sloppy as an old Grannie
Solution: Bedding and floating
4) The plastic Mag was extremely difficult to fill, and it would cock up the 2nd round every time.
Solution: I'd had enough,,,,,,,,,, let someone else deal with it.
5) the barrel when cleaning was tight,loose,tight,loose all the way through.
Solution: Sell it and never buy another Tikka.

Yes,,,,,,,, after all of the above,, it was accurate; but at that stage I'd had enough.
I sold it (less than 50 rounds through it) and bought a heavy barreled HOWA in same caliber.
Much cheaper,,,,, Much better,,,,,, (without all the after purchase mods needed),,,,,, no issues,,,,,,,, and just as accurate if not better.

Yes,,,, a very heavy rifle,,,,, but that is perfectly OK for my style of shooting/hunting.

[bigrich]

you replaced a as new tikka with a howa ? can you please elaborate as to why ?

Yeah Mate, you heard correctly, and plus 1 on BLR's input.

I bought a brand new Tikka (full of expectations) and was sorely disappointed.
As per "Out of the box"
1) the so called walnut stock (a totally different color under the surface) was so open grained that it would catch whiskers.
Solution: Sand, and fill the grain, re oil finish
2) the trigger was shockingly heavy
Solution: A Yo Dave trigger spring kit
3) even with the newly introduced stainless recoil lug it was as sloppy as an old Grannie
Solution: Bedding and floating
4) The plastic Mag was extremely difficult to fill, and it would cock up the 2nd round every time.
Solution: I'd had enough,,,,,,,,,, let someone else deal with it.
5) the barrel when cleaning was tight,loose,tight,loose all the way through.
Solution: Sell it and never buy another Tikka.

Yes,,,,,,,, after all of the above,, it was accurate; but at that stage I'd had enough.
I sold it (less than 50 rounds through it) and bought a heavy barreled HOWA in same caliber.
Much cheaper,,,,, Much better,,,,,, (without all the after purchase mods needed),,,,,, no issues,,,,,,,, and just as accurate if not better.

Yes,,,, a very heavy rifle,,,,, but that is perfectly OK for my style of shooting/hunting.[/quote]

WOW that's the most epic fail of QC i've ever heard of in a rifle . i'm especially suprised at the trigger and barrel in yours . i'm not a fan of tikka's floating recoil lug either . since my tikkas have gone into B&C stocks the accuracy is exceptional . mind you, the most accurate rifle i ever owned was a timber stocked, bedded, floated , swan barreled, 222 model 70 XTR .

i do prefer a top feed magazine over removable mag set ups as well . but having said that , it does allow me to carry two magazines with a different load in each . sorry to hear you got a bad tikka , i've spent good dollars on sako 85's in 270 win and 9.3x62 that flick cases off the scope back into the action cause the design of their ejection system is floored so i know your disappointment

i've owned the refined version of the howa, the vangaurd, and found it to be a accurate , well finished rifle . on the heavy side, and even after trigger mods i still went to a timney , which i thoroughly recommend. but the cost of them these days is rediculous

back to the OP's question , if it were me i'd get the trigger on your heavy barrel howa tricked and bed it or put it in a good stock with the best scope you can afford . for target/ range duty you'll get years out of it

[Die Judicii]

i've spent good dollars on sako 85's in 270 win and 9.3x62 that flick cases off the scope back into the action cause the design of their ejection system is floored :

"Floored" ,,,,,, I presume you meant Flawed.

The issue with the 85 Sako's flicking spent shells into the scope tube and then into the action,,,, has been mentioned here quite a few times.
Is it with a particular caliber ???

I have a Sako 85 Grizzly in 30/06,,,, and I've never had it happen.

But for yourself and others that do find it an issue,, I can't help but wonder that it could be solved with a simple fix and ingenuity.

Ever thought of getting one of those el cheapo (chinese) picc rail clamps that fit onto the scope tube for torches and the likes ??
On the picc rail part,,,,, a small deflector plate could be attached and positioned so as to deflect the shells in a more successful direction.

A little bit of experimentation to get just the right position/angle and problem could be solved. ( I may have to patent this )
Could easily be rotated up and out of the way for when not needed, but easily put back for when shooting.

Obviously Sako didn't think about this problem when they made/designed the ejectors.

[bigrich]

i've spent good dollars on sako 85's in 270 win and 9.3x62 that flick cases off the scope back into the action cause the design of their ejection system is floored :

"Floored" ,,,,,, I presume you meant Flawed.

The issue with the 85 Sako's flicking spent shells into the scope tube and then into the action,,,, has been mentioned here quite a few times.
Is it with a particular caliber ???

I have a Sako 85 Grizzly in 30/06,,,, and I've never had it happen.

But for yourself and others that do find it an issue,, I can't help but wonder that it could be solved with a simple fix and ingenuity.

Ever thought of getting one of those el cheapo (chinese) picc rail clamps that fit onto the scope tube for torches and the likes ??
On the picc rail part,,,,, a small deflector plate could be attached and positioned so as to deflect the shells in a more successful direction.

A little bit of experimentation to get just the right position/angle and problem could be solved. ( I may have to patent this )
Could easily be rotated up and out of the way for when not needed, but easily put back for when shooting.

Obviously Sako didn't think about this problem when they made/designed the ejectors.

the issue is the clearance between the extractor and the bolt face . if there's too much clearance , and the case is loose against the bolt face , the case will flick high and hit the scope . according to other articles i found on the net , it's due to a one size fits all mentality with extractor/bolt face clearances after berreta took over sako . rather than set clearance individual to caliber/case, they went with the biggest generic clearance, probably due to manufacture costs . the thickness of the cartridge rim has a influence . my 270 flicks out 243/308 cases much lower . to explain i partly chamber the smaller empty case making sure it's located on the bolt face ,and eject as per normal . and due to the thicker case rim on a 308 based case , it's tighter on the bolt face and ejects at a lower angle not hitting the scope . you'd be suprised how many 85 owners don't realise they have this problem of cases hitting scopes as the case ejects anyway . my 270 functions okay ,with a 3-9 loopy , but it has a nice brass build-up on the bottom of the scope. not good enough for a rifle that cost over 3k if i put a loopy 2.5-8 vx3 on it , the turret is in a different position ,too far forward and the case goes back in the action when you eject . my 9.3x62 was worse , but with express open sights only , it's not a issue of coarse . except i need a scope to see what i'm shooting at . the other alternative is to turn the scope 90 degrees to the left so the windage turret is at the top . some people say this works , but your limited on using the windage in place of elevation . besides, it's just weird . although i think a scope properly made like this is a good idea as it opens access for loading and ejection a lot
the other reason this issue exists is because they moved the ejector from the side of the action to the bottom because of the three lug bolt design . i've considered putting my sako in at a gunsmiths, but the wait for minor work is rediculous ( a mate of mine has been waiting almost a year to have scope mounts fitted to a m17 by a leading brisbane smith )
but the way to fix this properly would be get a extractor MADE with tighter clearances to suit the cases .
i fixed this another way , i bought a early L61 sako
i like the idea of a stainless laminate hunting rifle, but after my experience it won't be a new sako

rant over ......