Howas are very good guns. The gun tech at gander (who has been in gun sales for 21 years) said that those are the absolute best for the money gun out there. Also the weatherby probably felt very similar because Howa is also a major parts manufacturer and provides the majority of the parts to weatherby.
When I was working for gander, we sold a ton of the pardner guns simply because of the price. Never had any of them come back with problems or anything, so I would think if you could get over the weight it would be a pretty good gun.
I've been considering this gun:
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/pr...&from=grid
I like that it is 9mm and it is very small and concealable but I can still fit all fingers on the grip unlike most 380s. Plus it's a taurus so there is a lifetime warranty that comes along with it.