Howa M1500
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 560 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.70 kg
- Introduced
- 1979
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Howa M1500 is a bolt-action rifle manufactured by Howa Machinery in Japan since 1979. Originally designed as a sporting and hunting rifle, the M1500 has been adopted by Japanese prefectural police departments as a sniper platform in its Heavy Barrel configuration, which features a longer and heavier barrel to increase projectile velocity and resist heat soak for more consistent shot placement. The rifle uses a push-feed bolt action with a forged steel receiver and a two-stage HACT (Howa Actuator Controlled Trigger) system that provides a clean, consistent break. The internal magazine is loaded through the open action and holds up to five rounds. While the Japan Self-Defense Forces primarily use the American Remington M24 SWS for dedicated sniper roles, the M1500 Heavy Barrel serves as a cost-effective precision platform for Japanese law enforcement counter-sniper operations. The rifle is also widely exported as a commercial hunting and target rifle under various brand partnerships.
The Howa M1500 is one of Japan's few indigenous firearms still in active production. While the Japanese Self-Defense Forces rely on imported American sniper systems, Japanese police departments have adopted the M1500 Heavy Barrel as their primary precision rifle, making it a symbol of Japan's quiet but capable domestic arms industry.
The Howa M1500 is sold internationally under various brand names including Weatherby Vanguard, Mossberg, and Smith & Wesson. The action is based on a Mauser-type design with a push-feed bolt. Japanese law restricts civilian firearms ownership severely, so the M1500's primary domestic market is law enforcement and export. The rifle is known for its excellent out-of-box accuracy, with many examples delivering sub-MOA groups.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Howa Machinery
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1979
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 560 mm
- Overall length
- 1067 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.70 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.90 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Trigger pull
- 15.0 N
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Chromoly steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3515 J
- Effective range
- 800 m
- Maximum range
- 3700 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Heavy barrel
Forged receiver
Two stage trigger
Sling swivel studs
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 3.70 kg | 5.20 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 1067 mm | 1130 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 560 mm | 610 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 5 | 7 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Howa M1500
How much does the Howa M1500 weigh?
The Howa M1500 weighs 3.70 kg (8.16 lb) empty and 3.90 kg (8.60 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Howa M1500?
The Howa M1500 is chambered in .308 Winchester.
How many rounds does the Howa M1500 hold?
The Howa M1500 holds 5 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Howa M1500?
The Howa M1500 is 1067 mm (42.0 in) long overall, with a 560 mm (22.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Howa M1500?
The Howa M1500 is made by Howa Machinery (Japan).
When was the Howa M1500 introduced?
The Howa M1500 was introduced in 1979.
How does the Howa M1500 operate?
The Howa M1500 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Japan National Police Agency
- Japan
- Japan Prefectural Police
- Japan
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/howa-m1500' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "howa-m1500", "name": "Howa M1500", "manufacturer": { "id": "howa", "name": "Howa Machinery", "countryCode": "JP", "foundedYear": 1907, "website": "https://www.howa.co.jp", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "92a63959c6eadbabe566297f6ef96a1554d837fd5792be753c7906ecdbc12361" }, "category": { "id": "sniper-rifle", "name": "Sniper Rifle", "description": "Precision rifles optimized for long-range accuracy" }, "country_of_origin": "JP", "year_introduced": 1979, "barrel_length_mm": 560, "weight_empty_g": 3700, "action_type": "bolt_action"}