Howa's are very fine rifles with a reputation for accuracy and durability. One piece forged action, one piece forged bolt, and one piece alloy bottom unit. Simple and rugged. I think that the design is one of the best available. There are several custom makers that use the Howa for their rifles. Barrel are also some of the best factory barrels you can get. I like the fact that they are a little heavier contour than most factory sporter barrels. I think only Remingtons are stouter in the sporter barrel contour. I've owned one, shot several more. It's the same rifle as the Weatherby Vanguard. The only difference is the bolt shroud and the trigger. The Howa trigger has more adjustment range than the Weatherby one does.
I've also had a couple of Savage's, and I will tell you that they have been better shooters out of the box than the Howa's. If you don't like the Accu-trigger, you can get a replacement from Sharp Shooter Supply that is a conventional trigger, but its pricey. I like the Accu-trigger for target work, but I like a conventional trigger better for hunting.
I think that in durability, the Howa has it all over the Savage. How can an action that few major components not out-last an action that has a ton of little parts? As stated before, Howa makes the Vanguard for Weatherby, and used to market the same gun to Smith & Wesson and Mossberg too. If it wasn't a quality gun, I don't think that these other companies would have sold them under their name.
There was an issue of Rifle magazine a couple of months ago that actually had a comparison of "package" rifles from Savage, Howa, and the Remington 710, in .243. All three rifles shot 1.5" or less for 3 shots at 100 yds with all loads, and each of them shot less than an inch with a couple of different loads. The writer picked the Savage as his favorite, the deciding factor was the ease of the tang safety.
Hope this helps a bit.
