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BEFORE A UK DISTRIBUTER WAS APPOINTED FOR HOWA WE USED TO BUY THESE DIRECT AND SO HAVE MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OF HOWA RIFLES.

HOWA 1500 STAINLESS VARMINTER

HIGH SPEC JAPANESE MADE RIFLES

MANY DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS AND WHOLESALERS HAVE COMMISSIONED HOWA MACHINE TOOL COMPANY IN JAPAN TO PRODUCE SPORTING RIFLES FOR THEM TO MARKET UNDER THEIR OWN BRAND NAME, SUCH PRESTIGIOUS COMPANIES AS WEATHERBY IN THE FORM OF THE VANGUARD, RWS MODEL 89 AND SMITH & WESSON MODEL 1500 HAVE APPEARED IN SMALL QUANTITIES ON THE U.K. MARKET, BUT NOW HOWA ARE PRODUCING THEIR OWN MODEL 1500 IN MANY POPULAR SPECIFICATIONS.

FOR THE UK MARKET THE BASIC 1500 BARRELLED ACTION IS AVAILABLE IN BLUED OR STAINLESS STEEL WITH SPORTER WEIGHT OR VARMINT BARRELS WHICH ARE FITTED TO A RUGGED SYNTHETIC HOGUE OVERMOLDED STOCK IN BLACK OR GREEN. AS AN ALTTERNATIVE A VARIETY OF BOYD LAMINATED STOCKS CAN BE SUPPLIED FITTED TO ALL MODELS . ALL STOCKS ARE FITTED WITH RUBBER RECOIL PADS AND QD SLING SWIVEL STUDS.

ALL RIFLES ARE NOW SUPPLIED SCREW THREADED FOR A MODERATOR, AND CAN BE SUPPLIED WITH A WILDCAT T8 OR ASE SOUND MODERATOR FROM NEW.

THESE ARE NOT BUDGET QUALITY RIFLES, BUT ARE HIGH QUALITY RIFLES OFFERED AT BUDGET PRICES.

THE FORGED ACTIONS ARE SMOOTH AND RELIABLE AND ARE FITTED WITH HAMMER FORGED PREMIUM GRADE BARRELS, TRIGGER PULLS ARE CRISP AND FACTORY PRE-SET AT 4 LBS. THE SAFETY CATCH IS CONVENIENTLY POSITIONED AND QUIET.

THE M1500 FEATURES A FORGED ONE PIECE BOLT HANDLE FOR SUPERIOR STRENGTH WITH THREE SAFETY LUGS. THE CARTRIDGE HEAD IS FULLY ENCLOSED, THE BOLT HAS LARGE GAS ESCAPE PORTS TOGETHER WITH A STRONG EXTRACTOR AND A COCKED FIRING PIN INDICATOR.

ALL 1500 RIFLES FEATURE A CONVENIENT HINGED MAGAZINE FLOORPLATE HOLDING 5 ROUNDS IN STANDARD CALIBRES.

SCOPE MOUNTS ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR HOWA, THE RECEIVER IS THE SAME PROFILE AS THE REMINGTON 700 ACTION AND THEREFORE EVERY MAJOR MOUNT MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD PRODUCES COMPATIBLE SCOPE MOUNTS.

HOWA 1500 VARMINTER , 24" BARREL, WEIGHT 9 3/4LB FITTED WITH A LIGHTENED CUSTOM WOOD LAMINATE STOCK

HOWA 1500 THUMBHOLE SPORTER, FITTED WITH A CUSTOM SPORTER WEIGHT WOOD LAMINATE STOCK.

HOWA LIGHTNING SPORTER, 22" BARREL , FITTED WITH A BLACK POLYMER STOCK

AROUND 10 YEARS AGO WHEN WE IMPORTED OUR FIRST BATCH OF HOWA RIFLES WE CONDUCTED THE FOLLOWING FIELD TEST USING RIFLES CHOSEN AT RANDOM TO ENSURE THEY WERE PERFORMING UP TO STANDARD, AND WE ARE PLEASED TO SAY THAT THEY ARE STILL JUST AS GOOD TODAY.

RIFLE TEST

THE HOWA .223 VARMINT HB STAINLESS SYNTHETIC SHOWN BELOW WAS CHOSEN AT RANDOM FOR TEST FIRING FROM A BATCH OF 15 WHICH HAD JUST BEEN RETURNED FROM PROOF TESTING. THE RIFLE WAS STRIPPED AND EXAMINED CAREFULLY,THE QUALITY OF THE BARREL ,CHAMBER AND MUZZLE CROWN WERE ALL EXCELLENT THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE BOLT LOCKING LUGS TO RECEIVER WAS CHECKED AND FOUND TO BE NEAR PERFECT AND THE TRIGGER WAS SMOOTH AND CRISP BREAKING AT 4 LB. THE RIFLE WAS RE-ASSEMBLED AND FITTED WITH A SET OF STEEL LEUPOLD BASES AND RINGS, AND A 15 YEAR OLD PECAR 2.5 TO 10 X 45 SCOPE WHICH HAPPENED TO BE HANDY WAS MOUNTED ON TOP AND BORE SIGHTED.

HOWA 1500 VARMINT HB ALL WEATHER, 24" BARREL ,WEIGHT 9LB FITTED WITH BLACK POLYMER STOCK

ALL TESTING WAS UNDERTAKEN AT A DISTANCE OF 70 YARDS FROM A COMFORTABLE REST, THE DISTANCE IS THE MAXIMUM I CAN GET ON MY TESTING RANGE AND IT HAS PROVED SUFFICIENT IN THE PAST TO GAUGE A RIFLES CAPABILITIES.

THE FIRST SHOT WAS APPROX 3 " LOW BUT PERFECTLY IN LINE, TWO SHOTS LATER AND I WAS READY FOR THE FIRST GROUP, USING FEDERAL 55 GN HI SHOCK SOFT POINT THE RIFLE PRODUCED A .25" 3 SHOT GROUP SOMETHING WHICH WAS NOT REPEATED AGAIN BUT WHICH MADE ME SUFFICIENTLY EXCITED THAT I HAD TO SHOW THE WIFE THE TARGET ( YOU KNOW HOW IT IS ) IS THAT GOOD ? WAS THE DEFLATING COMMENT. THE NEXT TWO GROUPS WERE .75" AND .8 " BOTH FOR 5 ROUNDS NOT LETTING THE BARREL COOL FOR MORE THAN 10 SECONDS BETWEEN SHOTS , THESE SHOULD EQUATE TO A FRACTION OVER 1" AT 100 YARDS. CHANGING TARGETS ALLOWED THE BARREL TO COOL AND ANOTHER 3 RD GROUP WAS SHOT THIS TIME USING SAKO 55 GN SP AMMUNITION THE RIFLE PRODUCING A .4" GROUP .

ALLOWING 3 OR 4 MINUTES FOR COOLING A 5 ROUND GROUP WAS SHOT RESULTING IN .6" . THIS SHOULD EQUATE TO APPROX .85" AT 100 YDS UNDER FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS . ALL GROUPS WERE CONSISTENT NOT SHOWING ANY SIGN OF WANDERING WHEN THE RIFLE GOT HOT. I ALSO CONSIDER THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT WITH CAREFUL HAND LOADING , THE ACCURACY WILL ALSO NO DOUBT IMPROVE WHEN THE RIFLE IS RUN IN .

.243 HOWA LIGHTNING STAINLESS SYNTHETIC

THE ABOVE RIFLE WAS CHOSEN FOR A FIELD TEST PURELY BECAUSE OF AN ABUNDANCE OF .243 AMMUNTION LEFT OVER FROM THE LAST .243 I OWNED .THE RIFLE WAS SET UP WITH THE 4-10X45 PECAR FROM THE ABOVE TEST AND AFTER INITIAL ZEROING A 5 RD GROUP WAS SHOT USING 87 GN HORNADY BT HP BULLETS LOADED WITH H4831 THE RESULT WAS A .65" 70 YARD GROUP, A SECOND GROUP WAS SHOT USING AMMUNITION LOADED WITH NOSLER 95GN BALLISTIC TIP BULLETS AND H4831 POWDER , 5 SHOTS RESULTED IN A .6 " GROUP FROM A BARREL THAT WAS NOW TOO HOT TO HANDLE. THE ABOVE GROUPS EQUATE TO APPROX .9 " AT 100 YDS IF SHOT UNDER FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS AND USING AMMO MADE FOR ANOTHER RIFLE.

RIFLE TEST CONDUCTED BY MARTYN BRAY