What is the deal with Howa 1100 .22?

M

Meroh

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I recently saw some advertised with both walnut and composite stocks. Howa has a good reputation with their centerfire rifles, but I had not even heard of these until earlier this week. I also could only find one thread here at CGN; not a great review.

I like the look of the rifle.

There must be a few members here with them.

Thoughts and impressions?

Thanks!
 
Meroh said:
I recently saw some advertised with both walnut and composite stocks. Howa has a good reputation with their centerfire rifles, but I had not even heard of these until earlier this week. I also could only find one thread here at CGN; not a great review.

I like the look of the rifle.

There must be a few members here with them.

Thoughts and impressions?

Thanks!
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Meroh - I had one of these I picked up new in 2022. I've owned several Weatherby and Howa centrefire rifles, so it should have been a home run. The specs on the M1100 are fantastic and Howa does know how to build great rifles.

Without a doubt, the worst 22 I've ever owned. And that includes dozens of Cooeys, Winchesters (old ones), Mossbergs (old ones), Savages, Marlins, Norincos, CZs, TOz, and Anschutz 22s (OK, just one Anschutz).

If you look at online reviews from that time, they all talk about feeding issues and poor accuracy. Mine had all of those issues in spades. I tried everything to get it to work well and had a bit of success, but I found even the Scorpio I had at the time was far superior in every functional way.

I sold it to a rimfire guru with full disclosure of all the issues, and let him test it as much as he wanted. He felt he could fix any of the issues. He's a very knowledgeable guy with lots of rimfire experience and talent. After a couple of months he let it go in a fit of disgust to a third owner, also with full disclosure. Apparently it got moved on shorty after that.

Maybe the newer ones have fixed those problems, which would be great. I have bought another Howa since this experience, but a centrefire.

I would be curious to hear if anyone has had a more positive experience with the M1100 too!
 
Lever30 said:
Meroh - I had one of these I picked up new in 2022. I've owned several Weatherby and Howa centrefire rifles, so it should have been a home run. The specs on the M1100 are fantastic and Howa does know how to build great rifles.

Without a doubt, the worst 22 I've ever owned. And that includes dozens of Cooeys, Winchesters (old ones), Mossbergs (old ones), Savages, Marlins, Norincos, CZs, TOz, and Anschutz 22s (OK, just one Anschutz).

If you look at online reviews from that time, they all talk about feeding issues and poor accuracy. Mine had all of those issues in spades. I tried everything to get it to work well and had a bit of success, but I found even the Scorpio I had at the time was far superior in every functional way.

I sold it to a rimfire guru with full disclosure of all the issues, and let him test it as much as he wanted. He felt he could fix any of the issues. He's a very knowledgeable guy with lots of rimfire experience and talent. After a couple of months he let it go in a fit of disgust to a third owner, also with full disclosure. Apparently it got moved on shorty after that.

Maybe the newer ones have fixed those problems, which would be great. I have bought another Howa since this experience, but a centrefire.

I would be curious to hear if anyone has had a more positive experience with the M1100 too!
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Thanks for the info; reviews were mixed on line. Vanguard and Howa (same) rifles do have a stellar reputation.

Zastava the same, I have bolt action sporter (M70) I bought new; kicked myself for not buying one of their .22 rifles when available. Finally found a nice used one that looks like it had hardly been used, now I know why. It too lacks in both accuracy and smooth feeding, however feeding is reliable, she is not CZ, Anschutz, Brno, etc. Beautiful looking rifle though.
 
I'll say upfront that I haven't given a ton of thought (or research) to any of the brands I'm about to mention...but our Cdn. market is getting pretty flooded with budget 22 options, some have good brand names attached to them. Howa being one, Springfield another...Diana? Hard to find a lot positive said about these .22s, then there are modern versions of less expensive brands like Rossi confusing matters. Turkish brands are gaining in popularity because of the tactical look and price, yet to be seen whether or not they stand-up over time. To me, the more aluminum/pot metal/cast parts involved=the less I'm interested personally.

Fun to try stuff on the fringes, but less risky/known performers are usually on the rack right beside them in the store.
 
.22LRGUY said:
<Snip>

Fun to try stuff on the fringes, but less risky/known performers are usually on the rack right beside them in the store.
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I own/have owned lots, all OK in their own way, non I would call a dud. I would never buy either a Diana or GSG; Also, no longer see any semi-autos; to risky to own under the present regime, and I am more interested in accuracy and reliability than doing mag dumps. Maybe if a used Howa shows up at a reasonable price, I might give it a try, but it would need to be cheap.

Thanks everyone for the information. I don't need another rifle. LOL
 
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