Howa M1500 HCR
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Introduced
- 2016
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Howa M1500 HCR (Heavy Chassis Rifle) is a bolt-action precision rifle built on the proven Howa M1500 barreled action and mounted in a full-length aluminum chassis. Introduced in 2016 and imported to the United States by Legacy Sports International, the HCR pairs a heavy contour barrel with an AR-15-style pistol grip, an M-LOK forend, and a fully adjustable LUTH-AR MBA-3 buttstock, giving shooters an out-of-the-box long-range platform at a budget price point. It feeds from a detachable box magazine and uses Howa's two-stage HACT (Howa Actuator Controlled Trigger) for a clean, consistent break. The rifle is offered in .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester, with the 6.5 Creedmoor chambering being especially popular among precision rifle series (PRS) and hunting shooters for its flat trajectory and low recoil.
Howa launched the HCR to bring true chassis-rifle ergonomics to shooters on a working-class budget, taking the same M1500 barreled action that Japanese police departments trust for counter-sniper work and dropping it into an aluminum chassis with an adjustable AR-style stock.
The HCR is one of several chassis and precision variants Howa builds on the M1500 action, alongside the APC (Australian Precision Chassis) and Mini Action rifles. Chassis and Cerakote finish options include black and various Kryptek camouflage patterns. Barrel lengths vary by chambering, with lighter cartridges such as .223 typically offered in shorter barrels than the 24-inch heavy barrel common to the 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 versions.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Howa Machinery
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2016
- Variant of
- Chassis
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Overall length
- 1168 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.75 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Trigger pull
- 13.0 N
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Chromoly steel
- Stock
- Aluminum
- Finish
- Cerakote
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 838 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3094 J
- Effective range
- 1000 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.
Aluminum chassis
Heavy barrel
Threaded muzzle
Luth ar mba3 adjustable stock
Ar15 pistol grip
M lok forend
Two stage hact trigger
Detachable box magazine
Picatinny rail
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 40 6.5mm Creedmoor sniper rifles | 4.50 kg | 4.48 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 41 6.5mm Creedmoor sniper rifles | 1168 mm | 1118 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 44 6.5mm Creedmoor sniper rifles | 610 mm | 610 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 44 6.5mm Creedmoor sniper rifles | 10 | 10 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Howa M1500 HCR
How much does the Howa M1500 HCR weigh?
The Howa M1500 HCR weighs 4.50 kg (9.92 lb) empty and 4.75 kg (10.47 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Howa M1500 HCR?
The Howa M1500 HCR is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, and .308 Winchester.
How many rounds does the Howa M1500 HCR hold?
The Howa M1500 HCR holds 10 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Howa M1500 HCR?
The Howa M1500 HCR is 1168 mm (46.0 in) long overall, with a 610 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Howa M1500 HCR?
The Howa M1500 HCR is made by Howa Machinery (Japan).
When was the Howa M1500 HCR introduced?
The Howa M1500 HCR was introduced in 2016.
How does the Howa M1500 HCR operate?
The Howa M1500 HCR 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
- Civilian precision and target shooters
- 2016
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
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-hcr' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "howa-m1500-hcr", "name": "Howa M1500 HCR", "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": 2016, "barrel_length_mm": 610, "weight_empty_g": 4500, "action_type": "bolt_action"}