Contessa Picatinny Rail for Howa 1500 Long (20 MOA)

Picatinny rail consists of slots with 5.23 mm spaces between one another, which means that it can be used across its entire length. It is simple to mount and interchangeable – if something is made for a Picatinny rail, it will fit regardless of the manufacturer or manufacturing date. It is affordable, resilient and reliable – this is why it so commonly used by professionals and military. Because of all its great qualities, Picatinny rail has been dominating the rail market in the recent years.

Picatinny is a big step forward from the Weaver standard. Weaver has a few predesignated slots while Picatinny has slots all over its surface, allowing the device to be mounted wherever the user finds it fitting. Weaver's slot is 3.8 mm wide, which is why ring mounts made for a Weaver rail will also fit on a Picatinny rail while ring mounts made specifically for a Picatinny rail will not fit on a Weaver rail. This is one of the main reasons why Picatinny is a far better mounting solution.

Contessa is an Italian company, famous for producing aesthetically appealing mounts with a nice finish. The tolerances of the produced pieces are very tight – there are no deviations, the mounts are very carefully machined. Contessa's Picatinny rails are made from steel and come with their unique screws which fit nicely into the rail. The screws have a huge contact surface and a bigger head than screws of other mount manufacturers, while the thread is the same. Contessa's Picatinny rails, made in Italy, are available in both 0 MOA and 20 MOA versions. Throughout the middle of the rail, there is a canal so that the rail can be used together with rifle's sights.

20 MOA Inclination

20 MOA inclination is only needed when the scope runs out of elevation. For example, when shooting at the range of 100 m, shooter gains 58.2 cm / 100 m of additional elevation range with a 20 MOA mount. This is approximately 5.8 Mrad of elevation. To make things even clearer – if the target was placed at 100 m, the scope with 20 MOA inclined rail would aim to the center of the target while the rifle’s barrel would aim 58 cm higher than the scope. This gives the shooter extra elevation needed for long range shooting. If you plan to shoot on distances longer than 600 meters, use of rail with 20 MOA is greatly recommended. There is no negative effect of the inclined Picatinny rail in the mounting setup if you only shoot on shorter distances. The same goes also the other way around, since if you don’t shoot on extreme distances then Picatinny rail with inclination is not needed.

About the rifle

Howa is a machinery manufacturer with headquarters in Japan. It was founded in 1907. They produce firearms, industrial tools, construction vehicles, windows, and doors. Throughout the years, Howa has also produced components for other renowned firearms manufacturing companies such as Mossberg, Weatherby and Smith & Wesson.

Howa 1500 is a bolt-action centerfire rifle available in both short- and long-action versions, made in Japan. The long-action model (LA) is chambered for 6x5x55 SW, .25-06 Rem., .270 Win. and .30-06 Sprg. Magnum long-action models are chambered for .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag., 7mm Rem. Mag. and .375 Ruger. Standard version holds 5 + 1 rounds but 5- and 10-round removable box magazines are also available. Magnum version holds 3 + 1 rounds. Its safety has three positions. As regards stock and finish options, there are many versions on the market. The barrel is free-floating to ensure great accuracy. The action is push-feed. Weatherby 300, Vanguard, Europa, Weatherby rifles equipped with Mark V action and Howa 1500 LA have actions of same dimensions, which is why they share the same mounts.

Rifles Weatherby 300, Vanguard, Europa, those equipped with Mark V action and Howa 1500 La have a similar action as Howa 1500 SA. The radiuses of the mounting surfaces are the same but there is a difference in B distance (see the picture below). This is why two-piece mounts made for Weatherby 300, Vanguard, Europa, those equipped with Mark V action and Howa 1500 LA will fit Howa 1500 SA while one-piece mounts made for those rifles will not fit Howa 1500 SA.

A: 22 mm
B: 113.8 mm
C: 15.3 mm
BHU: 3.2 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: R17
R2: R60

Mounting instructions

Remove all the stains (grease, oil etc.) from the rifle's receiver with a cleaning fluid (acetone). Once the surface is clean and dry, check whether the screws match the rail and the holes on the receiver. Make sure that the Picatinny rail is compatible with the rifle by inspecting the mounting holes on both. Before mounting the rail permanently, apply a minimal amount of thread-locking fluid 278 or 648 on screws and contact surfaces. Be careful not to get the fluid in or near the mounting holes. Carefully clean the remaining excess fluid around the rail with a cleaning fluid. Using a torque driver, screw the screws appropriately (up to 2.2 Nm) – do not overtighten.

Warranty

The product has a warranty period of 30 years.