Howa rifles blog
Plain-English guides to the Howa 1500, the Mini Action, calibers and buying rifles online, written by the team at Howa 1500 Rifles.
Latest Howa rifles blog guides
Six guides cover what most buyers ask us before they order. Start with the one that matches your question.
Howa Rifles for Sale: How to Pick the Right Model
Every Howa line we stock compared, plus how to choose a caliber and where to buy.
Howa 1500 Rifle Guide: Action, Trigger and Models
The action, the HACT trigger and the safety, plus how every Howa 1500 model compares.
Howa 1500 Barreled Action Explained
What a barreled action includes, why builders like it and when a complete rifle wins.
Howa 1500 6.5 Creedmoor: Models, Barrels and Loads
Every Howa 6.5 Creedmoor we stock, barrel lengths and the best loads.
Howa Mini Action Guide: Calibers, Models and Who It Suits
The short action, the six calibers and every Mini Action we stock.
Buy Howa Rifles Online: Ordering and FFL Transfers
How ordering and FFL transfers work, and what to check before you buy.
What the Howa rifles blog covers
We write about the rifles we sell. That means the Howa 1500 action and why it has such a following, the differences between the Mini Action and the full-size 1500, and how to match a caliber to the game you hunt. You’ll also find a straight explanation of what a Howa 1500 barreled action is, and why most buyers are better off with a complete rifle.
Every guide links to the rifles it talks about, with real prices from our store. When we cite rules or specs, we link to the source: the ATF for federal transfer rules, SAAMI for cartridge standards and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for hunting.
Popular topics on the Howa rifles blog
- Calibers: the Howa 1500 6.5 Creedmoor and Howa 1500 308 are our biggest sellers, followed by 6mm ARC and 6.5 Grendel in the Mini Action.
- Weight: the Howa Superlite is the one to read about if you hunt in steep country.
- Precision: the Hera H7 and APC chassis rifles for steel, matches and long-range practice.
- Buying: how FFL transfers work and what to check before you order. The ATF firearms Q&A is the federal reference.
- Hunting: seasons and legal cartridges vary by state; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hunting page is a good place to start.
Ready to shop instead? Browse all Howa rifles for sale or jump to the rifles that come with a scope.
How we write the Howa rifles blog
We keep the guides short and practical. Each one answers a question buyers actually send us, uses real models and prices from the store, and skips the filler. When something depends on your state’s laws, we say so and point you to the official source instead of guessing.
We also update the guides when the lineup changes. If a model sells out or a new caliber arrives, the links in the guide change with it, so you won’t land on a dead page. Our current favorites for first-time buyers are the Howa 1500 Hogue for hunting and the Howa Mini Action for light, easy-shooting rifles.
Suggest a topic
Is there something you wish someone had explained before you bought your first bolt gun? Tell us. Good questions we’ve had lately include how much a scope should cost compared to the rifle, whether a 20-inch barrel is too short for the 6.5 Creedmoor, and what to look for when picking a transfer dealer. Each of those could be its own guide.
You can send ideas through our contact page. We read every message, and the questions we hear most often go to the top of the list.
Questions the blog does not answer?
Send us a note and we’ll reply by email. If a question comes up often, it’ll become the next guide.