The Howa 1500 Bolt Action Rifle Is Well Worth Its Price A truly underrated rifle. Here's What You Need to Know: The Howa 1500 series remains a well-built, durable and accurate bolt action rifle for target shooting and hunting. Name some of the top-selling bolt action rifles of 2020 so far and companies such as Remington, Ruger, Mossberg, Winchester and even CZ-USA are likely to be expected. So what is the Howa 1500 doing on the NRA's American Hunter list of top sellers? Clearly a lot of shooters know something that the rest of us don’t! The Japanese-made Howa doesn’t have the name recognition of the larger American (or Czech) brands—to the point that some gun writers have called the Howa 1500 the most underrated rifle produced today. The bolt action centerfire rifle isn't exactly new—nor is its design entirely original.