Howa 1500 30-06 Report

I recently purchased a Howa 1500 in 30-06 and took it elk hunting in Colorado, deer hunting in Nebraska, and recently on a bison hunt in Nebraska. I wasn't able to connect on a elk, but the rifle carried well and was easy to handle in the dark timber. The rifle performed well during the deer hunt and I was able to harvest a decent buck with it. I checked its zero last weekend and on Wednesday I was able to harvest a bison with it. One item of concern is the trigger is a little heavy. Another issue I am concerned with is the buttstock is hollow and in the cold when you hit it with brush etc while carrying it make a load noise. I may need to take the recoil pad off and fill it with rags or something to dampen the noise. Otherwise I have been quite pleased with its performance.

In a hunting rifle I am usually not bothered by a heavy trigger as long as it has a smooth pull and no creep. I am happy with 4-8lbs on my various large game rifles. When you jump a deer and the adrenaline hits, if the index finger strays into the trigger guard, it is too easy to accidentally set off one with a light target trigger. Truth to tell, I like heavier triggers than most on my target/varmint rifles, too, in the 3-4lb range. I seldom do more than simply polish the surfaces on my triggers so that all the grit and creep is removed and will only adjust the pull weight if it is really excessive. More important than a light pull weight is the kind of familiarity with the specific trigger that only comes from shooting the rifle many, many times in the off season.

i love the howa's !!!!! smooth action , decent price , excellent quality etc etc , i believe i wrote on this question once before but will now add another thought .. wrap the stock with buckskin or something similar it will help deaden any noise as well as offer a nice feel against the cheek , one can even add a few loops on the offside to hold a few shells if desired