Thread: Savage or Howa

Got a mate thinking about getting a . 223 to fill the gap between his 7mm-08 and 22lr.. Which manufacturer would you recommend between Savage and Howa? Any opinions appreciated

Not what you wanted to hear but I would go the 243 instead

He won't go wrong with either, can vouch for the Howa, mine is a tackdriver as are most I have heard of, on the downside they are slightly heavier. People go on about the trigger but the new Howa triggers are fantastic, mine is almost as good as my timney, the older ones were horrible!

No experience with the savage though, I hear they are good rifles.

Dont go Axis if you go Savage, the one I used was yuck.

I really like my Savage 223 - accurate, nice action, 3-stage tang safety, excellent trigger and so on.

The floppy fore-end on the hogue stock was a big negative of Howas for me, though I prefer the feel of the Savage in other ways as well.

Mostly it will come down to personal taste, get your mate to try a few and see what he prefers.



Toby makes a good point about the Axis too, its really not the same as a nicer Savage - totally different action.

Make sure the Bugger will extract a fired round reliably if its Howa.
Seems to be a issue :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Make sure the Bugger will extract a fired round reliably if its Howa.
Seems to be a issue :rolleyes:

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The one you got from happy playing up?

What is the twist rate on the savage? The Howa has a 1:12

Apparently its very common in 223

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Apparently its very common in 223

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It's all in the ammo Using Hornady training it never missed a beat Cheap steel case tried it didn't like it
I used three rounds then went back to the training ammo never had another problem. Sorry VC I didn't even think about researching it ..

Originally Posted by Happy

It's all in the ammo Using Hornady training it never missed a beat Cheap steel case tried it didn't like it
I used three rounds then went back to the training ammo never had another problem. Sorry VC I didn't even think about researching it ..

Haha, hardcase, the training ammo is the only cases I have had failure to eject with my Howa, they always extract but the odd one just ends up lying there loose and I have to clear it with my hand.

Originally Posted by possum_shooter

Not what you wanted to hear but I would go the 243 instead

Sticking with .223 for the cheaper ammo

Originally Posted by Toby

Dont go Axis if you go Savage, the one I used was yuck.

Definitely not Axis, probably 11 trophy hunter xp if Savage

Originally Posted by Spudattack

What is the twist rate on the savage? The Howa has a 1:12

1:9 which is better for heavier bullets?

Yup, 1:9 will stabilise heavier pills, with the 1:12 55gr is about the max.