Back in 2024, one of Howa USA’s lightest rifles arrived in the U.S. marketplace. Dubbed the Superlite, it was listed as weighing in at just 4 pounds 7 ounces with a blued finish, a 20-inch threaded barrel, a 1-piece scope rail and a Stocky’s carbon-fiber composite stock. I got to handle it at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas that year. As much as I liked the rifle's weight, balance and feature set, it was just one of many new rifles that year and it eventually slipped off my radar. That is, until recently.
Get the Howa 1500 series rifle just the way you want it by purchasing the action and stock separately.
Over the years I've had positive results working with the Howa 1500 series barreled actions which are available exclusively from Brownells. I peruse the company’s website from time to time to see what might be available. The selection is constantly in flux as various finishes, barrel lengths and caliber options come and go. This time around I found something I had not seen before. A few of the Superlite barreled actions had been added to the lineup. Customers could choose from 16.25-inch or 20-inch barrels with caliber options that included .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Win. The blued-steel action was listed for $576.92 while the two Cerakote colors offered, Gray or Burnt Bronze, could be purchased for $607.69.
This Brownells exclusive Howa action arrives with a top-notch Howa HACT 2-stage trigger installed at the factory.
Looking over the selection of Superlite actions, there were some intriguing possibilities. A lightweight, 20-inch barrel .243 Win. would be a handy walking around gun for varmints. The 16.25-inch .308 Win. would make a useful and portable suppressor host within reasonable shooting distances. But in the end, I went with the same action configuration I had handled a few years before, the 20-inch barrel paired with the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. It looked to be the most flexible, all-around pairing for the region where I live, with or without a suppressor installed. And of the three finish options, the Gray Cerakote's good looks and improved corrosion resistance struck me as a worthwhile investment of the $31 difference between that and the blued action.
The author’s goal was to assemble a flexible, light-weight mountain gun.
Getting Into the Action
Although this member of the Howa 1500 series is chambered for short-action calibers, the receiver is not exactly a short-action configuration. This is because the hybrid receiver is adjusted to reduce its weight. I've seen the barrel listed as a Sporter contour, which is not the case. It is more correctly described as a pencil profile, or what the company calls its Slender Mountain profile, which is another a key weight-reduction feature.
Threaded muzzles for bolt-action rifles are nearly a standard feature these days due to the popularity of hunting suppressed. This barrel's profile is slim enough for the muzzle to be threaded at 1/2x28 TPI. A knurled thread protector is provided. The muzzle and the protector are both cut so that a rubber O-ring, which is not included, could be installed to keep the protector from shaking loose in the field. This particular barreled action is shipped from Brownells with a Howa brand 5.5-inch long, one-piece aluminum Picatinny optics rail in the box. It’s a nice touch that makes the action ready to hunt right out of the box.
The Stocky's NextGen Ultra Carbon Hunter Composite Accublock is available in a variety of finishes, including the Black Web finish shown here.
The machined steel receiver sports a large, integral front barrel lug. It is paired with a forged two-lug bolt assembly that features an oversized extractor, pressure vents, an integral round-knob handle and a firing pin that can be removed without tools. At the rear of the assembly is a fairly large and easy-to-see circular silver cocked firing pin indicator.
To the left side of the receiver is the bolt-release lever which, when pressed, allows the bolt assembly to be pulled all the way out for routine cleaning. On the right side is the three-position safety lever. Pressing it all the way forward sets it into the FIRE position. The central SAFE position blocks the trigger from cycling while allowing the bolt to open and close for ammunition management. The rearward SAFT position locks up the trigger and the bolt assembly preventing either one from cycling.
A Howa one-piece aluminum optics rail is provided.
One of the reasons I keep coming back to the Howa actions from Brownells is because they are so easy to install. They are a great option for first time builders, or, folks like me who do not want to spend the time and energy finding a set of stock bolts, a bottom plate, magazine and trigger assembly. All of them are included with the action. With the optics rail in the box as well, just add the stock and shoot!
The Superlite action ships with a polymer bottom plate that has a forward-mounted magazine release lever. The flush-fit, 3-round polymer box magazine is a proprietary design that I have not worked with before now. But one of the best features of this and other actions in this series is the proprietary HACT (Howa Actuator Controlled Trigger) two-stage trigger group. This particular unit exhibited a light, 0.25-inch-long first-stage take-up with a firm wall before breaking cleanly with 2-pounds 8-ounces of trigger pull. The listed trigger pull weight is approximately 3-pounds, so shaving half a pound off of that was just fine by me.
The bottom plate is made out of polymer to reduce its weight.
The complete action sent for this evaluation, with the empty magazine and the optics rail installed, tipped the scales at just 3-pounds 11.4-ounces. So it was only logical to seek out an ultra-light, mountain rifle type stock to go with it. But as is so often the case with do-it-yourself projects like this one, I learned something I didn't know before I started.
Taking Stock of the Situation
Howa offers three common Model 1500 action inlet sizes, including the Long Actions, Short Actions and Mini Actions. I've worked with all three and found them to be smooth and reliable. Although stocks made for the Howa inlets are not too hard to find, they are not as common as those sized for more prolific action footprints such as the Remington 700 or Savage 110.
--- 008_H15SL65_R_MagAmmo_01 The flush fit, polymer box magazine holds up to three rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition.
As mentioned earlier, the Superlite does not have a typical short-action shape. This calls for a unique outlet and screw placement. And the pencil contour of the barrel requires a smaller channel size as well. As it turned out, this limits the shoulder stock options to those currently in production from the two manufacturers that also happen to be the OEM providers for the factory assembled Superlites, namely, H-S Precision and Stocky's.
Thankfully, the available lightweight stock options are not disappointing! The model that caught my eye for this Gray Cerakote action was the new Stocky's NextGen Ultra Carbon Hunter Composite Accublock model with a listed price of $799.99. Available in more than a dozen different finishes, I went with the Black Web which is a matte black with a light gray drizzle that provides a subtle but effective random grip surface texturing.
--- 009_H15SL65_R_Muzzle_01 The muzzle is threaded at 1/2x28” TPI for sound suppressors and compensators.
The stock is constructed using a solvent-proof epoxy resin baked into a carbon fiber cloth that is hand-laid in three directions for added rigidity, durability and accuracy potential. The patented carbon fiber composite Accublock is permanently bonded to the external shell. The use of a waterproof, closed-cell foam inside of the butt section of the stock dampens sound for quieter stalking.
The rounded fore-end and traditional grip are both slim and comfortable to hold. Other features include front and rear steel sling swivel studs, an effective Limbsaver recoil-reduction rubber butt pad and a 13.25-inch length-of-pull (LOP). The NextGen stock sent for this evaluation weighed in at an impressive 19.8-ounces, or 2.2-ounces lighter than the listed weight.
--- 010_H15SL65_B1_Rest_01 This action and stock combination proved to be utterly reliable with all ammunition tested.
At The Range
I had a new lightweight scope lined up for this evaluation. But as happens from time to time, it turned out to be faulty and has to be returned for repairs. So in its place, I broke out a tried and trusted Athlon Optics Argos HMR 2-12x42mm second focal plane scope with a BDC 600A SFP IR reticle (#214008; $462.49). This is not a reduced weight model but this water-resistant scope is packed with features for the price including fully multi-coated lenses, a red illuminated reticle with six brightness settings and it has been argon purged for more effective fog-proofing.
--- 011_H15SL65_B2_Ammo_01 The 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition included premium Federal and Hornady loads.
Fully assembled, this rifle weighed 4-pounds 15.2-ounces before installing the optic. Not only was it light and handy, it felt well-balanced as well. All of the features and controls proved to be utterly reliable. There were no malfunctions, gun or ammunition related, throughout the course of testing.
But as is common with other types of weight-reduced camping and backpacking gear, there were a couple of minor trade-offs with the Superlite action that I have not seen with the other Howa actions I've tested over the years. The bolt did not cycle quite as smoothly. It was perfectly serviceable, but the slight hitch when driving it forward was noticeable since it was unexpected. The flush-fit, 3-round magazine was easy to load and to insert into the magazine well. But occasionally, it was necessary to actuate the magazine release lever two or three times in order to get it to drop free. Neither of these things are deal breakers for this platform, but they should be mentioned.
--- 012_H15SL65_B3_Target_01The best individual group of 1.49-inches was fired using the Hornady American Whitetail load.
The formal bench-rested accuracy testing consisted of firing three 3-shot groups, using three different 6.5 Creedmoor loads, into paper targets posted at a distance of 100-yards. The loads used for this portion of the test were the Federal Premium Nosler Accubond along with Horandy's American Whitetail SST and Outfitter CX loads. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph was used to track the average bullet muzzle velocities for 10-shot strings. Here are the results:
--- 013_H15SL65_B4_Results_01
Parting Shots
The exceptionally lightweight mountain rifles used to be more of a niche product that usually cost an arm and a leg to acquire. But these days they are far more common and affordable for those who are looking to lighten their outdoor adventure load. This Howa action and Stocky’s combo is impressively light and handy. I've walked around with rimfire rifles that weighed more than this centerfire bolt-action! Its feathery handling is topped off with a terrific trigger and useful, modern set of feature. And by working with Brownells and Stocky's to put it together, I got just the metal and stock finishes I was looking for.
--- 014_H15SL65_B5_End_01
Specifications:
- Brownells Exclusive Howa M1500 Superlite Barreled Action
- Type: bolt-action centerfire rifle
- Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
- Magazine: 3-round detachable box; flush fit polymer
- Barrel: 20-inches; Slender Mountain (pencil) contour 1:8" RH twist; ½"x28 threaded muzzle with thread protector
- Trigger: HACT, two-stage; 2-pound 8-ounce pull weight
- Sights: none, one-piece Picatinny rail
- Safety: three-position toggle
- Magazine: 3-round polymer removable box
- Weight: 3-pounds 11.3-ounces
- MSRP: $607.69; brownells.com
Stocky's NextGen Ultra Carbon Hunter Composite Accublock Stock
- Construction: carbon fiber composite
- Finish: Black Web
- Weight: 19.8-ounces
- MSRP: $799.99; stockysstocks.com
