The Howa rifle is very good, made by a reputable manufacturer. The above package is about $600. Remingtons and Savages are great rifles, but they'll set you back $700 to $800 and they don't come with a scope.
The Howa rifle is very good, made by a reputable manufacturer. The above package is about $600. Remingtons and Savages are great rifles, but they'll set you back $700 to $800 and they don't come with a scope.
Like you wrote, for the money it is hard to find a better package than Howa. Three years ago I walked out of Bass Pro Shop with a Howa 30-06 in camo finish, pretty darn good Nikko Stirling scope, nice gun case and a box of ammo for a little over $500. When they put a package on sale in Sept-Oct, you can get a really good deal.
The Howa action is the same as Weatherby, from what I've read, and before I bought the package I couldn't find a bad review online. I was not disappointed and the gun lived up to everything I read.
Ended up selling the gun to my son because I wanted something more like by beloved Savage 250-3000 for deer hunting. In November I bought a Browning X-Bolt in walnut, 25-06. What a sweet gun ... I love it, but it is beyond the budget stated in the body of this thread.