S&W did not make the rifles. Howa made them and S&W branded them.
The later ones are made by Howa in Japan. Vanguard is almost identical to the Howa 1500 which was also sold as Smith & Wesson rifle and Mossberg 1500.
They have been made in the U.S. for several years now. Prior to that they were made by Howa in Japan and before that they were made in Germany.
Howa's population is 31.
The population of Howa is 1,212.
Howa was made in Japan
Howa was created on 1907-02-09.
Value on a rifle depends on the caliber and condition. The S&W 1500 was manufactured in Japan by a company named Howa, and they are high quality rifles. Howa also made guns for Weatherby and Mossberg. In good used condition they are worth $300-$400.
HOWA MACHINERY LTD., Added 5/27/02 MODEL 1500, 1550, 1700LS SERIES RIFLES Distributed by SMITH & WESSON, O.F. MOSSBERG & SONS and INTERARMS IN SERIAL NUMBER RANGES: PN 00010 â€" PN87159, LS00001 â€" LS05150, LS 10001 â€" LS10309, B000001 â€" B028450, M000001 â€" M020422. ADVANCE \d4ADVANCE \d4Howa Machinery Ltd. of Japan is performing a safety upgrade on all model 1500, 1550, and 1700LS series rifles manufactured between 1970 and 1993. The affected rifles bear serial numbers from one of the following series on the receiver. PN00010 â€" PN 87159, LS00001 â€" LS 05150, LS10001 â€" LS10309, B000001 â€" B028450, M000001 â€" M020422. The safety upgrade will replace the bolt sleeve to prevent misassembly of the bolt, which might occur on the affected rifles. Such misassembly might result in a hazardous condition in which the rifle can be accidentally discharged without the bolt being fully engaged, causing severe injury. These rifles were distributed by Smith & Wesson, O.F. Mossberg and Sons and Interarms. These rifles may bear the distributor trademark. Presently Howa firearms are imported by Interarms of Alexandria, Virginia. If you own a Howa model 1500, 1550 or LS1700 series rifle with the serial number from one of the serial number series referred to above: USE OF YOUR RIFLE MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT AND SEVERE INJURY, STOP USING THE RIFLE IMMEDIATELY and visit our website at www.regcen.com/howa or call Howa at 1 (800) 456-5131 to receive a Bolt Upgrade Kit. Only the bolt sleeve is being upgraded. Your bolt will be returned to you after the upgrade. NO OTHER HOWA RIFLES ARE AFFECTED. CHECK YOUR SERIAL NUMBER. Howa Machinery Ltd. Apologizes for any inconvenience to its customers resulting from this safety upgrade program, but it is important that owners of affected rifles take advantage of this free upgrade program and DO NOT USE AN AFFECTED RIFLE before it has been upgraded. All work will be done at no charge. Return the bolt only, not the entire rifle. Please do NOT return your bolt before contacting Howa Machinery Ltd. At either www.regcen.com/howa or 1 (800) 456-5131 for your Bolt Return Kit. Value - 300 or so.
Leupold Remington 700, one or two piece, you have to determine the action length of the rifle long or short thus the la or sa on the model number
Your Dickson Howa Golden Bear is a copy of the Sako Finnbear. Dickson was a US importer who brought the Howa rifle in from Japan. The Howa is a good rifle. The Golden Bear is the same as a Smith and Wesson Model 1500 and Mossberg Model 1500. Weatherby Vanguard is very similar also. There was a recall on some Howa/Smith and Wesson rifles. The flaw was that closing the bolt could cause the gun to accidentally fire without touching the trigger. Get your serial number checked to see if the recall applies to your firearm. If it does, get it fixed. In 1970, Your rifle retailed for $130.00 US. Today, in mint conditon, your rifle would be valued at $650.00. Any nicks or worn bluing would naturally decrease the gun's value.
they did at one time