Howa 1500 Super Deluxe Walnut: Traditional and Accurate

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I’ve come to accept that the traditional sporter-style hunting rifles I grew up with are no longer mainstream. Walnut and bluing have been replaced by carbon fiber and Cerakote, and although I understand why these changes make sense, sometimes I still long for the look and feel of a sporting rifle from years gone by.

Several new walnut stocked rifles have been released in recent years including multiple Browning X-Bolt models and Weatherby’s 307 Adventure SD. But the Howa is certainly among the most eye-catching of all. The wood grade and finish are exceptional, especially considering the price.

The Howa 1500 Super Deluxe Walnut looks very much like the vintage sporters of yore. The high grade deluxe Turkish walnut stock with oil finish is particularly attention-grabbing. The wood grain and finish are excellent, and the laminated fore-end and grip give the gun an extra styling touch that’s reminiscent of high-end rifles from years gone by.

I wish the fore-end cap and pistol grip were ebony instead of laminate, but I’m a purist. With their shades of red and purple these laminate accents do give the rifle a unique look, though, and the line spacers between the laminate and walnut are a cool retro touch.

Features

The Super Deluxe Walnut even features a Monte Carlo cheekpiece that’s elevated to align the shooter’s eye with a scope. And the finishing touch is an orange recoil pad that hearkens back to the classic Winchester Model 70, Ruger M77 and British express rifles before that. The stock profile is pure sporter, so don’t look for any thumb rests or vertical grips. Diamond checkering adorns the pistol grip and the fore-end.

Not surprisingly, the Super Deluxe Walnut rifle is available with a blued finish—the industry standard on sporting rifles for decades—but there’s also a matte stainless version, which I received for testing. Available chamberings range from .223 Rem. to .30-06.

Howa’s 1500 push-feed action has been popular since it was initially released in 1979. It’s manufactured at the company’s facility in Kiyosu, Japan, and it features dual locking lugs up front and a plunger-style ejector that extends through the bolt face. Howa machines its steel receivers, and bolt faces are trued and squared to the receivers.

Howa’s push-feed design is similar to Remington’s venerable Model 700 action, but it outshines the 700 in one important aspect: the extractor. The Remington’s extractor was widely viewed as a weak point of the design, and I know one professional hunter who says a broken extractor on a Remington 700 .416 Rem. Mag. very nearly resulted in him being bisected by a bull hippo in Namibia. The Howa utilizes a more robust M16-style extractor, which is renowned for unfailing reliability.

Track Record

It’s worth noting that several major manufacturers have offered factory rifles based on the Howa 1500 action—including Smith & Wesson and Mossberg—and Weatherby still uses the Howa action as the base for its Vanguard rifles. Howa’s guns are imported and distributed in the United States through Legacy Sports International in Reno, Nevada.

The Howa action features a flat base and an integral recoil lug. The front action screw threads directly into the barrel lug. True to its classic sporter roots, the Super Deluxe Walnut is offered with an internal box magazine and a hinged floorplate. The floorplate release latch is tucked into the front of the trigger guard, a virtually foolproof design that prevents the floorplate from releasing while you’re busting through heavy brush.

Super Deluxe Walnut rifles come with sporter profile hammer-forged barrels measuring 22 or 24 inches. The barrel is threaded 1/2x28, which means you’ll need an adapter to attach muzzle devices with the popular 5/8x24 thread pitch.

The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Howa’s Actuator Controlled Trigger (HACT) is user adjustable and comes from the factory set at around three pounds. The HACT is an interesting design. Launched in 2011, it’s a two-stage mechanism with the actuator located between the trigger and the sear. Initial take-up is light—around a pound—and there’s a defined wall.

Trigger Design

The HACT lacks the blade design favored by Savage, Mossberg and others, giving the trigger a cleaner, more traditional look.

The trigger is self-contained and can be removed by loosening a single Allen screw, so if you prefer to install an aftermarket trigger it’s a simple process. The HACT features a rocker-style three-position safety that allows you to operate the action with the safety engaged.

My test rifle was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. The thin sporter barrel measures 22 inches, which makes the rifle suitable for use with a suppressor, and I used an adapter to attach my Banish Backcountry suppressor for portions of the testing. For an optic I chose the new Bushnell R5 3-9x40mm scope, mounted with Talley lightweight bases and rings. So set up, the combination would set you back a bit over $1,000 at full retail.

With an unloaded weight around seven pounds, three ounces—which can vary depending on wood density—the Super Deluxe Walnut is not a lightweight mountain rifle like Howa’s barely-there Superlite. With the scope and a full magazine you can expect the Super Deluxe to run about 8.5 pounds. But that added weight helps mitigate the 6.5 Creedmoor’s already mild recoil.

Accuracy

For velocity and accuracy testing I ran the rifle without a can, but when I tested it at 200 yards I added the Banish Backcountry, which helped tame recoil and muzzle blast even more. So equipped, this rifle is a real pussycat that’s easy on the shoulder of even the most recoil-sensitive shooter.

You won’t find any Arca rails or M-Lok attachment points on this gun, just a simple sling stud. But that allowed me to add a bipod.

The steel setup on my home range has plates starting at 200 yards, continuing to 400 yards, and I fired almost a full box of Hornady Precision Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor at the steel. Howa rifle stocks are designed to manage recoil effectively, and they do just that. And you can take my word on that, since I owned a Howa of similar weight in .375 Ruger. In short, from field positions the Super Deluxe was comfortable to shoot.

The HACT trigger pull is crisp and manageable. Let me address the notion that Howa rifles have creepy triggers. You hear that occasionally, and sometimes the complaint is levied against Weatherby Vanguards as well. But some inexperienced shooters mistake take-up in a two-stage trigger like the HACT for creep. It’s not, and the HACT trigger is very good and completely predictable. The test rifle’s trigger broke cleanly at three pounds.

Feeding and Function

Feeding and function were outstanding throughout the test. I like that the Howa 1500 offers enough space in the action to properly top-load the rifle, and the no-nonsense design makes it easy to top off the internal mag while you’re walking.

Howa backs its rifles with a sub-m.o.a. accuracy guarantee, and all the Howas I’ve tested would do that, or come very close with at least one load—even that .375 Ruger I mentioned. You simply know when you buy one of these rifles that it will shoot well if the optic is properly installed and you’re using quality ammo that the rifle likes.

While it didn’t manage to beat the guarantee on the averages, the test rifle did shoot two of the three groups sub m.o.a. with Hornady ammo, and very nearly did so with Winchester’s Deer Season XP as well.

Howa figured out long ago how to make its guns cycle, and there were no issues with the Super Deluxe Walnut, save one empty case that didn’t clear the action for some reason. The opening in the receiver is generous, and the magazine isn’t overly persnickety about how the rounds are loaded.

Clunky Safety, But Great Rifle

I do enjoy the three-position rocker safety. Like the safety on other Howa rifles it isn’t silky smooth, but it’s easy to operate and allows you to load and inspect the action with the safety engaged, and lock the bolt so it can’t flop open in the field.

Overall performance was excellent, which comes as no surprise since this is a Howa. I also happen to think it’s the best rifle offering in Howa’s extensive catalog. I wish the flat-bottom fore-end was a bit rounder and leaner, but it’s not unattractive or uncomfortable. Heck, I wish I was a bit leaner, too.

The Super Deluxe Walnut is dressed to impress, but its performance doesn’t disappoint. This is a striking rifle that, despite being a bit heavier than some other modern rifles, will make an excellent companion in the field. It’s available in an array of calibers for hunting everything from varmints to elk, and there’s a nice mix of new cartridges like the .22 and 6mm ARC, as well as classics like the .243 Win. and venerable .30-06.

Despite its stunning looks the Howa is also a cheap date, too, costing just $839 for the stainless model and $799 for the blued version. That’s a very good value for such a great-looking gun.

Howa 1500 Super Deluxe Walnut Specs

• Type: bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: .223 Rem, .22 ARC, .22-250 Rem., .243 Win., 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7.62x39, .308 Win., .30-06
• Capacity: 4
• Barrel: 22 in., sporter profile, 1:18 twist; threaded 1/2x28
• Overall Length: 41.5 in.
• Weight: 7 lb., 3 oz.
• Stock: Turkish walnut
• Finish: matte stainless (as tested)
• Trigger: adjustable HACT 2-stage; 3 lb. pull (measured, as received)
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped on Rem. 700 footprint
• Price: $839
• Manufacturer: Howa, HowaUSA.com

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