Howa mini actions?

[hunter2405]

I love the minis also got 7 of them , the last one was a 6 ARC also have one in a 450 bushmaster all are stocked in stockys carbon stocks the 450 has a big break and is a pleasure to shoot and very accurate all bottom metal has been replaced with Wayne Yorks bottom metal flush fit , looks great , Wayne also built me one in a 6.5 Grendel and it is a fantastic shooting rifle , Howa makes a solid mini action !!!!!

 

[Darryle]

So… I do not have a Howa mini action. I do have a 243 in a 1500. Shoots great. I was looking into a mini action and was reading a lot about it not feeding well with the factory mags. And the factory mags being junk. Anyone else have issues with this?

It's the junk plastic bottom "metal" that cracks that is the real issue. I shortened both the 223 and 6.5 Grendel mags to 5rds so they'd be flush. Still no feed issues.

I swapped both to Oregon Gunsmithing BDL bottom metal, so I wasn't really concerned about the factory composite stuff.

 

[epoletna]

264 MHC: sticky's? Never heard of them.

 

[Gordon Schmidt]

My son had a 6.5 Grendel in a chassis type stock that I shot a bit. I didn't like the magazine set up. My experience was that cycling the bolt to load and extract cartridges was hampered by the magazine design. I occasionally had to fiddle with the magazine to get things to work. I wanted a mini action but that soured me on the Howa option. That said, a mini action fitted with Oregon gunsmithing flush magazine looks very promising. (I would have to go with their carbon fiber stock as well).

Anyone else have issues with the stock Howa magazine? Are the metal flush magazine options as good as they look?

 

[hunter2405]

I Never tried the Howa plastic magazine, The looks of it was enough for me , I switched all of mine out to Wayne York bottom metal and they work fantastic , and look great !!!

 

[matthewmass]

I own a Howa Mini in 450 Bushmaster and love that rifle, very accurate out to 175-200 yards. Mine came with a cheap plastic stock that I'm actually replacing right now, waiting on my Boyd's Laminate to show up. The only thing that frustrates me, which isn't a rifle issue, is the lack of ability to get additional magazines. Howa discontinued the 450BM and no one makes a compatible magazine and I've reached out to Howa a few times for them to tell me that they had some in stock, only for them to go look and they don't. So if anyone reading this has a 450 BM Howa Mini Action magazine they'd part ways with let me know. But overall I think you'd be very happy with a Howa, I own three in total and they are just as reliable and accurate as some higher end rifles that I own.

 

[Huntz]

I just bought a Howa Mini in 223 with a 22" barrel and walnut stock from GB.I want it for a walk around Varmint rifle .This has the floor plate , no extended mag.I never had a mini before but the full size 1500`s were stupid accurate for the money.

 

[Flyingdaddy]

I love my Howa mini in 6,5 Grendel. I have it in a laminated stock and also an Onyx chassis depending on whether I'm hunting or target shooting. I replaced the trigger with a Jard, which is pretty amazing. And on the laminated wood stock, I replaced the cheap plastic bottom "metal" with real metal. The gun is certainly sub MOA.
Howa magazines are verschitzen, imo, but they work well enough.

 

[MSU Marksman]

I bought a Boyds Pro Varmint stock for my 6.5 Grendel but I find it to be a little too "chunky". I'd really like to find the new Walnut Hunter with a heavy barrel in 6 ARC.

 

[JWhitty]

I run the mini in 6.5 grendel w/ a sightron 3x16. Heavy barrel suppressed... Love it....you won't regret a mini

My only gripe is the mag latch catches if it slides up on my sticks...but these things are garnering a cult following. The aftermarket is booming on these little guys!

 

[nsewell]

I've really thought about getting one of the mini .223 actions from brownells for a long time. Paired with a lightweight stock I think they would be a great training and rifle for my kids. I've added it to my cart at brownells multiple times but never have went through with it. Maybe it's time

 

[adamjp]

6.5 Grendel is in a B&C stock, a very light and handy rig. Doesn't seem picky on loads. As mentioned the 90 grain TNT are great. I hope someone comes out with a 100 grain deer bullet.

That would be a 100gn Nosler Ballistic Tip. Flattens my local deer and pigs very emphatically out to 200 or so without a problem.

More broadly, some of the chassis systems give feeding problems with the Howa magazine system as they have incorrectly set the action height above the magazine. Fix that distance and they work flawlessly.

The newer bottom metals, made of metal, are a boon for the rifle and I do like the look of the Stockys CF wrapped stocks.

A 6mm ARC or 6.5 Grendel in a light, stiff, synthetic stock with a 6x42ish type scope which is clear, and high light transmission for twilight hunting is a great way to collect a lot of deer without fuss. Don't bother with the 123gn or larger bullets, stick with the 100 to 120gn weights over some 8208 and you have a light, accurate and deadly deer/pig rifle.

 

[Hudge76]

I got a 6.5 Grendel 2 weeks ago and so far I really like it. I'm switching over it OGS bottom metal and probably a B&C stock by this summer. Mine came with Talley rings and a Vortex Crossfire scope for $437 + shipping.

 

[Ugly Dog]

I got a 6.5 Grendel 2 weeks ago and so far I really like it. I'm switching over it OGS bottom metal and probably a B&C stock by this summer. Mine came with Talley rings and a Vortex Crossfire scope for $437 +shipping.

Would you be willing to share where you picked it up at?