I have a Howa 1500 308 varminter with a 20" barrel. I bought it several years ago while deciding between it, a R700 SPS Tactical, and a Tika T3-CTR.
The Howa won out because the action is well machined, has a flat bottom for easy bedding, beefy integral recoil lug, comes with a vented 1 piece machined bolt, and has a reputation for being very square from the factory.
The downside is that the aftermarket support is thinner than Remington. You can still get parts (I have a manners stock, PTG detachable bottom metal, and will drop in a Timney trigger if I ever get tired of already good factory trigger), but you won't have the endless variety of parts from every category. Also, gun smith support is harder because the Howa uses metric threads on the barrel. It shouldn't be an issue for any competent machinist, but many don't want to go through the effort.
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