Mossberg MVP Flex vs Howa Varminter

[panzerman]

Howdy all, I got a bug in my rear for one of these 2 rifles and was wondering if anyone had experience with them? I read on here about the general preference for the Predator over the Flex but for some reason I am drawn to these type of rifles. I have a Mossberg 500 shotgun that is reliable and funtional with no complaints and I have owned 2 Howa 1500, one in 270 WSM that was like shooting a shotgun for accuracy and the other in 300 Win Mag that other than a heavy recoil was a good rifle.

I am leaning towards the Howa but not convinced yet. The PX here has one in 22-250 that seems to feel good and handle well (in store). I am looking for one in 308 with the medium/bull barrel and would use it as a backpacking, hunting, defense rifle in very rugged conditions in Montana.

Thanks much and Merry Christmas...

[Shankin swine]

I have the howa targetmaster .308 heavy barrel. Awesome gun. Accurate and reliable. http://www.legacysports.com/hogue-targetmaster-package

[panzerman]

Nice looking rifle but looking for the pistol grip version..glad you have had no accuracy problems as it seems to be hit and miss (no pun intended) with some Howa rifles.

[Shankin swine]

Yeah my howa has shot great. Well under sub moa at 100 yards. Yeah no pistol grip on this model. Sorry bout that. I've never held a axiom stock but they look awkward to me.

[panzerman]

Yes, they are and quite nice but that is not what I am looking at right now.

[3RDGEARGRNDRR]

you are comparing a chefs knife and a swiss army knife.
For the mission, it sounds like you would want the MVP. Much handier and easier to lug around.
Mines been great, and not at all scared to get her banged up.
It also has iron sights, it sounds like you might not want optics with the type of use in mind

[panzerman]

you are comparing a chefs knife and a swiss army knife.
For the mission, it sounds like you would want the MVP. Much handier and easier to lug around.
Mines been great, and not at all scared to get her banged up.
It also has iron sights, it sounds like you might not want optics with the type of use in mind

That helps as I did not know there was that much difference between the two. If I do mount optics they will be low power and hopefully configured in such a way that I can use irons sights too or quickly remove the optic and have the iron sights. You have the MVP Flex then? What caliber and what kind of accuracy do you get with it, shorrtcomings?

Thanks much

[Click Boom]

You want a heavy/bull barrel for backpacking?

[panzerman]

I believe both Howa and Mossberg cal lit a medium bull (correct me if I am wrong) and yes if it is 20" or less it will work just fine and given the lite weight of either rifles stocks it should not make a difference. It is not like I am trying to hump a 12-15 pound target rifle around the mountains.

[Click Boom]

Get a tikka t3 lite, 499 and 6lbs, and should be more accurate than either of above. I would definitely not get anything with a bull barrel for backpacking. T3 lite and a 2-7x scope is about 7lbs. That setup is on my short list, for sure.

[Click Boom]

Really I would not hump a rifle backpacking unless I had tags and a specific goal of taking game. If you plan on getting deep into the bush to take game, the lighter the firearm, the better. If you need bear protection there are bether oprions than (especially heavyish barrel) bolt action rifles. I was tempted to get a howa 1500 for a while, but they aren't light. And you can get a tikka for about the same price... so not tempted anymore. Lol.

[panzerman]

I do like the Tikas but at least the ones I have looked at are quite pricey. I hunt on my parents ranch in the mountains of south central Montana and spend as much time as I can backpacking there in the summer. I usually carry a revolver but like the idea of a rifle and I am trying to get tags for mountain goats there in Sept and the terrain is pretty rough. I am just leery of Howas based upon my past experiences with them.

[ar15barrels]

I am leaning towards the Howa but not convinced yet. The PX here has one in 22-250 that seems to feel good and handle well (in store). I am looking for one in 308 with the medium/bull barrel and would use it as a backpacking, hunting, defense rifle in very rugged conditions in Montana.

Any Howa 1500 will be a far better made rifle than any Mossberg.
You want a sporter contour barrel for hunting.
Varmint barrels are for bench shooting.

[panzerman]

Hmmm, what is the weight difference between a 20" sporter bbl and a 20" meduim/bull bbl? I thought the diff would be negligable and the better accuracy with the medium/bull would offset any small weight gains...am I not thinking correctly?

[jbj]

Hmmm, what is the weight difference between a 20" sporter bbl and a 20" meduim/bull bbl? I thought the diff would be negligable and the better accuracy with the medium/bull would offset any small weight gains...am I not thinking correctly?

Accuracy for hunting will be the same. It's after 3+ rounds that the heavier contour will start to earn it's weight, as it is less prone to shift its point of impact due to slight warpage from the heat of repeated firings.

You can go to most any custom barrel makers website and compare the weights of different contours to get a ballpark figure.

Nothing wrong with the Mossberg, but the Howa is a better designed rifle (essentially a redesigned Rem 700). Given your price range, a Savage might do well, but as other have stated, a Tikka T3 would serve you well from the get go.