Howa Hogue Rifles

[Kodiak]

Opinions, pro/con???????????

TIA,

Jim

 

[Guest]

I've shot a couple, and known folks who own them. All are more than satisfied. I've been on the lookout for a heavy barreled 243Win in their 24" Varmint configuration for a while, never see them when I have the money. But they're great rifles, especially for the price.

 

[FOTIS]

Nice guns. Accurate and smooth.

 

[SJB358]

Think the Howa is a pretty well made rifle. Not super fond of the Hogue stocks, but I do think the action and barrel on the Howa's are probably as accurate or as good as any other.. Weatherby wouldn't use junk and stake their name to it...

What are you thinking of getting Jim?

 

[Teknys]

I had one in a 22-250 and gave my son one in 243. Both shoot very well. Great guns for the money. Not fond of the trigger but then again I'm real picky about that. The Hogue stock is different but is very functional.
The 22-250, I did work up loads for and it was capable of very tight "ragged" hole groups when all went well.

 

[Kodiak]

Well, if a Howa is bought, the step-son would get it. He is currently paying on a guided elk hunt in the fall of 2014 and I want him to have something better than his .243. We looked at them at Bass Pro a while back and he said he liked them better than the Remington in .300 Win. Mag.. I already have a scope for it and will get proper loads worked-up for him. The Howa receivers are the same as is used on the Weatherby Vanguard.

Last year I got a Kimber Montana for his daughter and he absoluetly hates it , so .... no Kimber for him .

 

[SJB358]

I think I'd do the same. I think they are right in the best rifle for the money spent category. Plus, again they seem to be pretty good out of the box with a little trigger work. What cartridge is he looking at ?

 

[Kodiak]

The salesman at BP said they only carry 3 magnum calibers, 7MM, .300 Win. and the .338 Win.

I would lean towards the .300 Winnie with a 180 or a 200 Nosler for his use on elk. These Howa rifles weigh around 7.0# without a scope.

 

[Teknys]

Nice choice for Elk and occasional use.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Don't be afraid to check out the Weatherby Vanguard. I often see them for less $ than the Howa (why, I don't know) and the barrel is usually 2 inches longer. When shooting a magnum cartridge there are benefits to that extra 2 inch length and the resultant speed.

I put my 243 Vanguard in a Hogue youth stock (available only thru Legacy Sports) and it shoots exactly the same as in the pretty factory stock. It's now my daughters' rifle. You can bed the recoil lug using Devcon, but you have to avoid the rubber coating which is the upper 3.8 inch of the action and barrel channel. Not a big deal.

The new Vanguard S2 has a nicer stock than the previous Weatherby one, and the trigger was upgraded. However, I've learned how to tune the older trigger or you can always replace it with a Timney.

PS. I'd sell him a Wby Vanguard in 300 Wby already bedded in a B&C stock if you're interested. With a 300 Wby Mark V in Dad's safe and a 340 Wby in mine I don't need this rifle.

 

[gerry]

The Hogue stocks are very comfortable to shoot and are easy to hold on to in wet weather. Two of my friends have Ruger Alaskans in 375 with the Hogue stocks and like them quite a bit, can't say much about the Howa guns from personal experience but they have a good reputation.

 

[SJB358]

The salesman at BP said they only carry 3 magnum calibers, 7MM, .300 Win. and the .338 Win.

I would lean towards the .300 Winnie with a 180 or a 200 Nosler for his use on elk. These Howa rifles weigh around 7.0# without a scope.

Hard to make a bad choice between those three..

 

[truck driver]

Think the Howa is a pretty well made rifle. Not super fond of the Hogue stocks, but I do think the action and barrel on the Howa's are probably as accurate or as good as any other.. Weatherby wouldn't use junk and stake their name to it...

What are you thinking of getting Jim?

Never held a rifle in the Hogue stock but I do own a Weatherby Vanguard and can tell you it's a lot of bang for your buck. With the caliber selections and 24" barrel if you go with a Magnum you get the best of both worlds, Howa action and Weatherby magnum. Check out Mark's.com they have some great deals on all brands and you can find a Vanguard for $500 and up grade the stock to a Bell & Carlson for another $200 depending on the style stock you want. I have one of the Medalist on my S1 and it is heavier than most synthetics but helps to tame the 300Wby. I also put a Timiney trigger in mine because I didn't want to mess with the factory trigger on the S1 which in my oppinion was junk, The S2 trigger is suppose to be better but I haven't tried one.
If the price of Weatherby ammo is the hold up you can also get it in 300 Win or 7mm Rem and have the best of both worlds.
I should also add that I won my S1 and would not have bought it but would consider a S2. Weatherby also puts the Vanguard in a nice piece of wood if you perfer wood over plastic. If I were to buy another rifle I would look hard at the Weatherby Vanguard in the sporter model with wood stock.

 

[wildgene]

...pretty easy to find a Tikka in that price range, too...

 

[Guest]

I think TD may have been referring to marksoutdoors.com. Click on the "gunfinder" link and you'll get pages of used guns. They have some stellar deals on Vanguards, including a couple of 300WSM models for an asking price of $339. Of course, if he's interested, there are some very nice deals on Mark Vs, too, starting at $599 asking price. Many, many choices suitable for elk...

 

[.280 Remington]

I have/had 2 Vanguard Sub MOA's and now have a Howa Hogue in 6.5x55 and it's the "new" version with the 3pos safety. The trigger in the "new" ones is WAY better than the ones in my Vanguards. I like the hogue grip for snow/rain as it's very easy to hang on to.

As far as accuracy, the jury is still out. I think I've got a bad scope on there and hope to remedy that situation in the near future and get some loads worked up.

It'll be my primary deer gun this year and I will make sure and give a full report when the time comes.

 

[DrMike]

Good looking lineup, Mike. I'll be looking forward to your review of the Howa stock.

 

[.280 Remington]

Good looking lineup, Mike. I'll be looking forward to your review of the Howa stock.

Thanks Doc! I do have an Hogue stock on my Icon .243 and like it a lot. The only detractor(which can be seen as a plus) is the fact that it is "sticky" and picks up dirt pretty easily. A quick wipe down with a wet cloth can alleviate this, but in a dusty environment it will surely pick it up.

I've got some cash/gift cards to throw towards a new scope/rings/dies/brass/boolits soon. I hope to have a range report in the next few weeks.

Looking at 120BT's to start off with.

 

[Kodiak]

We finally decided on the Howa, .300 Win. Mag., stainless, Hogue stock. Now to scope it and the test loads begin :grin: .

After his hunt next fall, that rifle may very well reside in my safe 8) 8) 8) !

 

[gerry]

It should be a great gun, the Howa's are known to be accurate and the Hogue stock while not pretty is very comfortable. Let us know how it all goes