Shop for Howa HCR online at GunBroker.com

Howa HCR stands for Howa Chassis Rifle. It’s a Japanese long-range, bolt-action rifle good for 2,000 foot shots on target that’s imported into the USA by Howa USA and was unveiled for the US market in 2017.

Howa USA is based in Reno, Nevada. It’s an importer of guns and a subdivision of Legacy Sports International. Howa USA imports its guns from Howa Machinery, Ltd. In Japan, a firm established in the late 1930s as a defense contractor to make aircraft parts, rifles and more. Post-war, it made a variety of weapons for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and entered the US market in the 1950s where it has sold firearms ever since.

The HCR has numerous calibers. It also comes in standard and heavy barrel contours that are 20”, 24” or 26” long for .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, 6 mm Creedmoor, 6.5 mm Creedmoor and .300 Winchester Magnum. Except the two Creedmore calibers, the rest have a 1 to 10” twist. The 6 mm Creedmore has a 1 to 7.5” twist and the 6.5 has a 1 to 8” twist.

The 20” barrel length guns have an overall length of 39” to 43.23”. The 24” barrel guns have an overall length of 43” to 47.25”, and 26” barrel guns measure 45” to 49.25”. All have a 5/8 x 24” TPI threaded muzzles and weigh between 11 to 12.2 pounds.

The HCR is available with or without the Nikko Stirling optics package. It also has two color choices: MultiCam Cerakote FDE or standard black. Standard black is very compelling as every component coordinates: the receiver, barrel, scope, magazine, stock, etc., and thus it seems to be part of an organic, purposeful, whole. However, the MultiCam (multiple camouflage) Cerakote FDE has some greens and other colors on an FDE background, while the upper receiver, bolt, barrel, pistol grip and butt stock are all solid tan. The FDE HCR’s scope, scope rail, trigger, magazine release and magazine are still black.

The receiver is made of the aerospace industry 6061-T6 aluminum. Above it is the aforementioned optional Nikko Stirling Diamond Illuminated Long Range 30 mm 4-16x50 aluminum scope that mounts on an EGW 20 MOA elevated scope base that bridges the ejector area. The scope is nitrogen-filled to prevent fogging. It’s also waterproof, shockproof, 14.5” long and weighs a pound. Attached to the front of the receiver is a free-floating M-LOK type hand guard.

Bringing up the rear is an American-made Luth-AR MBA-3 buttstock. This stock an intricate piece of work that has a six position buffer tube that’s easily adjusted with a lever. It also has an adjustable comb and an adjustable length of pull. Both are unfastened/fastened using simple twist knobs. Length of pull can thus be adjusted a total of 4.25 inches from 12.5” to 16.75”. It has a built-in rail to attach a monopod, multiple sling attachment points, and it’s padded too!

Moving to the ventral area, the HCR has a two-stage Howa Actuator Controlled Trigger (HACT) and a three-position safety that work in concert. The trigger pull is factory set to 3.0 pounds but is adjustable. The grip is an Ergo MSR rigid grip. Most calibers have a 10-round magazine. The exception is the .308 Winchester Magnum, which has a 5-round magazine.

This fine firearm is Made in Japan.

Do you have a Howa HCR for sale? click here.