Testing the Howa 1500 Super Lite

When we heard Howa was making a mountain rifle that was under five pounds and affordable, we just had to take it for spin. We shot it during a couple sessions on the range and plan on having it with us in the deer woods this fall.

At first grasp, the Super Lite is, well, just that: super light. “Most of the weight savings come from the development of the New Super light action, which about 30% lighter than a standard action,” said Andy McCormick president of Sales & Marketing for Howa’s PR in the US. That, with a carbon-fibre stock and the 20-inch barrel, you get real weight savings you can feel when you carry the rifle in the field.”

What we think

The gun impressed as soon as we picked it up. It’s far lighter than carbon-barreled guns we’ve checked out. It’s well balanced, and the textured grip makes for a comfortable, secure hold. A drawback of shooting ultralight rifles can be recoil. They’re known to kick, but we had no issues with our Super Lite chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. The felt recoil was very manageable and the Limbsaver butt pad helped. The stock and length of pull is shorter than average but felt more than comfortable shooting.

Magazine, magwell, and trigger guard are plastic but feel solid and contribute to weight savings. A threaded muzzle is a nice touch, if you like muzzle breaks, but we didn’t feel the need to use one. The two-stage trigger was crisp. And we appreciate a three-position safety: bolt and the firing pin are unlocked, bolt is unlocked and the firing pin is locked, bolt and the firing pin are locked.

Howa 1500 Super Lite

Available in 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem., and Super Lite Short
Starts at $1,699.99
www.legacysports.com
If we had to nitpick to find something that could be improved, it’s the mag release — it could use a heavier spring, and maybe a red dot to mark the position of the safety when it’s on fire.

Originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS

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