trigger assemblies that provide out-
standing trigger pulls that break
crisply with minimal after-travel.
The point is, the Howa rifle is eas-
ily customized with top-notch af-
ter-market components.
For accuracy testing, a Swar-
ovski Z6 1.7-10x 42mm variable
scope was installed using Weav-
er-style cross-slot bases and Leu-
pold QRW rings.
As can be seen in the accom-
panying table, a variety of factory
loads from Barnes, Black Hills,
Federal Cartridge, Hornady, Nos-
ler and Winchester were tried.
Every load produced groups that
were under the accuracy guaran-
tee and included big-game hunting
bullets such as the Nosler Par-
tition and Ballistic Tip, Barnes
TTSX and Hornady SST. Several
loads grouped into .5 inch or less.
For example, Black Hills Gold
containing the Hornady 155-grain
A-MAX bullet grouped into .5 inch
while the Nosler Ballistic Tip 165-
grain load grouped into .45 inch.
In spite of these impressive perfor-
mances, I suspect that with some
additional seasoning of the bore,
groups will tighten.
A number of carefully assem-
bled handloads were also tried;
however, none were specifically
tailored to this rifle. In other
words, cases were full-length sized
rather than neck sized, and over-
all cartridge lengths were held
within the industry standard of
2.810 inches. These loads are prac-
tical to use in the field and can be
used in other rifles.
Notable accuracy was obtained
using Nosler cases, CCI BR-2 prim-
ers, Nosler 150-grain Ballistic Tip
bullets and 45.5 grains of Hodg-
don Varget powder for 2,851 fps,
which grouped into just under .40
inch. Another handload that pro-
duced identical accuracy includes
the Hornady 178-grain ELD-X bul-
let pushed to 2,648 fps using 43.5
grains of Varget. Several other
handloads grouped into just over
.5 inch.
Regarding the Model 1500 .223
Remington with its comparatively
short, stiff, heavyweight barrel
and a Nikon P223 4-12x variable
July-August 2019 http://www.riflemagazine.com 37Overall
accuracy
was excellent,
especially
considering
the 1500’s
comparatively
modest price.R.308 Winchester Handloads
overall 4-shot
loaded 100-yard
bullet powder charge length velocity group
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (inches)
150 Nosler Ballistic Tip Varget 44.5 2.810 2,796 .65
45.5 2,851 .40
150 Swift Scirocco II N-203B 47.0 2.810 2,869 .70
150 Hornady SST TAC 46.0 2.810 2,895 .85
165 Barnes TTSX RL-15 44.5 2.710 2,679 1.10
165 Sierra SBT Power Pro 2000-MR 49.5 2.805 2,879 .55
178 Hornady ELD-X Varget 43.5 2.810 2,648 .40
180 Nosler Partition 8208 XBR 41.0 2.790 2,585 .65
Factory loads
150 Barnes VOR-TX Tipped TSX (2,820*) 2,833 .95
150 Federal Premium Nosler Partition (2,840*) 2,895 .60
155 Black Hills Gold Hornady A-MAX (2,750*) 2,795 .50
165 Hornady Superformance SST (2,840*) 2,866 .65
165 Nosler Ballistic Tip (2,800*) 2,761 .45
168 Nosler Defense BSB (2,750*) 2,744 .70
168 Winchester Supreme Competition Nosler HPBT Match (2,680*) 2,671 .90
180 Federal Power-Shok softpoint (2,570*) 2,555 .65
* stated velocity
Notes: A Howa 1500 with a 24-inch barrel and a Swarovski Z6 1.7-10x 42mm scope was used to test all
loads. Nosler cases and CCI BR-2 primers were used throughout. Bullet diameter: .308 inch; maximum overall
loaded length: 2.810 inches; maximum case length: 2.015 inches; trim-to length: 2.005 inches.
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used.
Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.scope; time did not allow as much
accuracy work as compared to the
.308 Winchester rifle. However, ini-
tial testing with factory loads from
Federal (55-grain Power-Shok
softpoint) and Hornady (60-grain
TAP FPD) proved that the rifle
was capable of .5-inch groups.
With handloads containing Speer
55-grain softpoint bullets and 24.3
grains of Ramshot TAC powder as-
sembled in mixed headstampedcases, five-shot groups hovered
around .5 inch. If premium factory
loads would have been used, or
handloads were developed using
premium components, accuracy
certainly would have improved.
The Howa Model 1500 is a good
rifle. It is well designed, machined
from solid forgings, offers smooth,
reliable function and comes with
an accuracy guarantee that it eas-
ily exceeds.