2024 Howa SUPERLITE subMOA Rifle with 16.25 Barrel - SHOT Show 2024

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2024 Howa SUPERLITE subMOA Rifle with 16.25 Barrel - SHOT Show 2024

Building a capable rifle at less than 5 pounds isn’t easy. The Super Lite accomplishes this with a slim, trim, classic carbon-fiber stock from Stocky’s (stockysstocks.com) for this new reduced short-action with small-­diameter bolt and polymer detachable magazine. At 21 ounces, it feels as though it weighs almost nothing. The 20-­inch barrel also saves weight. I wouldn’t call it pencil-­thin, but it’s slender, which it has to be to get the rifle’s overall weight down that low.

Cartridge options are 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. Both chamberings are offered with stocks dipped in Kryptek Altitude or Obskura patterns. Guns & Ammo’s test rifles were in Kryptek Altitude, and my sample scaled right at 4.7 pounds as advertised. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Creedmoor version was a couple ounces heavier (same barrel with narrower bore), but I can’t confirm that comparison here.
The barrel is threaded 1/2x28 for a suppressor or muzzlebrake, and it’s supplied with thread protector. Atop the receiver is a full-­length 51/2-­inch Picatinny rail strip with 14 stations to accept a full choice of optics. This rifle was shipped to me with a very capable Viridian Antero 5-­30x56mm ($799) riflescope. Of course, what optic you mount is up to you, but a large scope with sturdy rings will add significantly to this rifle’s overall weight. “That’s obvious!” you might say, but there’s the point: The straight-­comb Stocky’s stock was intended for use with a full-­size scope, having a slightly higher comb. It came up perfectly on target with a full field of view. There was no stretching or scrunching to get a proper sight picture.

The stock also has a half-­inch Limbsaver recoil pad, which is a good idea for a .308 of this weight. The stock finish is “soft touch,” offering a very good feel. The Super Lite was light, compact and handled like a dream out of the box; I couldn’t find anything not to like about this rifle, provided it would shoot.

In the fall of ’79, I used a S&W bolt-­action example in .243 Winchester on a pronghorn hunt. It was the then-­new Howa M1500 action. The story appeared in Guns & Ammo in 1980, which was one of my first articles in this publication. It’s a stretch to say that I have a rich history with the Howa M1500 action — I’m left-­handed and it’s a right-­hand action — but it’s so common that there have been frequent encounters, always positive. The M1500 is a highly respected bolt-­action. In fact, my son-­in-­law Brad Jannenga needed “ranch rifles” for his place in Texas and acquired several Howa M1500s in .308.