Howa Mini
- Thread starter JSH
- Start date
Lone Hunter
Silver $$ Contributor
I have one in 6.5 Grendel. Shoots pretty good. Need to glass and pillar bed it though. Haven't got around to it yet but soon. I haven't heard anyone say anything really bad about the Howa mini. My only complaints are the plastic bottom metal (RIDICULOUS) have replaced this with aluminum bottom metal and the plastic expensive magazine. Otherwise, I like the weapon.
tmwinds
Gold $$ Contributor
I purchased a Howa Mini 6.5 Grendel barreled action from Brownells. I pillar bedded it into a Boyd's stock, installed the aluminum bottom metal and trigger guard and changed the trigger springs. I mounted a 6x24 Nikon scope.
From a bipod it will shoot about 1/2 inch at 100 yards and 3-4 inches at 500 yards. I'm shooting XBR 8208 powder, CCI BR4 primers and 123 grain SMK's jumped .010. Velocity is around 2450 fps. I have to single load since this combination is to long for the magazine but it doesn't lose much by seating the bullet deeper to fit the magazine.
From a bipod it will shoot about 1/2 inch at 100 yards and 3-4 inches at 500 yards. I'm shooting XBR 8208 powder, CCI BR4 primers and 123 grain SMK's jumped .010. Velocity is around 2450 fps. I have to single load since this combination is to long for the magazine but it doesn't lose much by seating the bullet deeper to fit the magazine.
Built one a few years ago in 6 Fat Rat, 8 twist HV Krieger. Does a great job with the 95 Grain Berger, it will run them a tick over 3k fps. The rifle was built as an exercise to see if it would be an effective rifle for PRS style shooting at a much lower price point. To date nobody has actually shot the rifle in a match because they all have BRX's and 105's or something similar to shoot. This rifle has shot several groups around 2 inches at 600 yards, it is a very accurate combination. Having said all that, the main problem with it is for this kind of shooting a guy needs bottom metal and something like an Accuracy International mag. We installed SA bottom metal made by Wyat's (if memory serves me correctly) and AI mags with the blocker at the front. After doing all that the action has about no bedding area left so it was bedded appx 2 inches up the barrel. It still shoots well but when it's rebarreled it will probably have to be bedded again.
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
I picked one up in 6.5Grendel. I had drank a little of the cool aid in 6.5’s several years back, 6.5TCU and a 6.5BR. I had odds and ends of bullets, loaded a few and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
From my initial thoughts as a hunting rig, I think it may well be THE rifle for white tails out to 200. That is with the mini action and the 6.5Grendel. It handles and balances much like a lever gun.
From my initial thoughts as a hunting rig, I think it may well be THE rifle for white tails out to 200. That is with the mini action and the 6.5Grendel. It handles and balances much like a lever gun.
topclass2017
Gold $$ Contributor
I also picked one up from Brownells (barreled action) and put it into a Howa factory wood stock. I did upgrade the trigger...I've thought about putting it into a B&C Stock but at this point don't see a need to change. At some point I'll likely put a heavier contour barrel on it. I've been shooting 123 A-max's or 123 ELD Match bullets over 8208, getting just over 2500 fps, and 1/2" at 100 yards. I single load so length is not an issue. Mine seems to prefer bullets in the 120-123g range rather than the 100g range. When I run out of the Hornadys I'll try Sierras or Bergers in the same weight range.
I agree with a previous poster - the plastic trigger guard is a joke. But I'll leave it until I do other changes (stock and barrel). And the magazines are expensive! Other than that it's a sweet shooter that seems to keep finding its way out to the range.
I agree with a previous poster - the plastic trigger guard is a joke. But I'll leave it until I do other changes (stock and barrel). And the magazines are expensive! Other than that it's a sweet shooter that seems to keep finding its way out to the range.
A friend of mine has one in 7.62X39 he said the magazine system is a point of contention with this gun. The magazines themselves are kinda' expensive and that the magazine is very easy to disengage at the wrong time. If your not careful with hand placement on the forend, you can easily bump the mag release and drop the mag (at the wrong time). To it's credit, he says it a one hole shooter at 100 yards for the first three shots.
Lone Hunter
Silver $$ Contributor
The new aluminum bottom metal will fix the magazine drop problem. It's a smaller lever that fits closer to flush on the bottom metal.
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tmwinds
Gold $$ Contributor
DIP aluminum trigger guard/bottom metal. Factory magazine.
Got one from Brownells, just the Barreled action. Took the 6.5 Grendel barrel off and tossed it in the scrap pile and had it chambered up in 6mm Fat Rat and also a 224 Grendal Barrel. Put it in a Boyds Pro Varmint. Its a Hammer. 88 ELD at 3000fps.
I have a new Chassis system, should be here in a couple of days.
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
To lighten it up some, I am thinking a bigger hole in the barrel. A 35 Grendel/PPC interest me. I have found the 35’s to be easy to work with in several case sizes.
PA Jeep
Gold $$ Contributor
I bought a complete mini in 222. The factory version shot horrible, which is hard to do in a 222.
Action was trued/blueprinted, new bartlein barrel, dip aluminum bottom metal, new trigger, boyds stock/bedded.
Much like most factory Rem 700's a lot of money spent to get it right. It's a fun little rifle that costs just a couple hundred dollars less then a full custom.
If I ever sell it, its still just a Howa Mini.
I won't buy another.
Action was trued/blueprinted, new bartlein barrel, dip aluminum bottom metal, new trigger, boyds stock/bedded.
Much like most factory Rem 700's a lot of money spent to get it right. It's a fun little rifle that costs just a couple hundred dollars less then a full custom.
If I ever sell it, its still just a Howa Mini.
I won't buy another.
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
Interesting. Your comment on getting the action right. I know of two guys that have swapped barrels, one 222 to a 204 and the other a 6.5G to a 7.62x39. Both spun back up and head spaced properly. One of them timed up right with the barrel markings like the original.
I had high hopes these were some what square and true.
I will find out by next spring how “bad” at least one of mine is.
I have never found “building” a rifle to save any money. Full custom I suspect you to mean action. Buying a ready to go action has its merits for sure.
Lol, my last budget build cost me close to 2K when all done. Then I had to buy glass
.I have an Oryx factory stocked version of the 6.5G Grendel version. I rate it as an excellent out of the box rifle, good layout, pleasant to shoot, excellent ergonomics, and for a factory product pretty accurate. I have it down to just on half-inch 100 yard 5-round groups off the bench with 120gn Scenar-Ls and will shortly move onto the 120gn SMK, Lapua, Hornady and Sierra 123s and the Berger 130gn Tactical AR-Hybrid to see how they do.
The synthetic magazine is unimpressive, feeds OK in my very limited use, but as I single-load most rounds this is marginal to me. Unlike some DBM magazine fed actions, this one works well and smoothly single-shot simply dumping the round through the port and it feeds the Grendel smoothly without effort as long as it's somewhere aligned with the chamber. Magazine fit and retention are good in the Oryx stock with a positive and reliable, if rather heavy, release lever.
The Mini action is smooth. light, and unsurprisingly at 0.9" shorter than a standard short action benefits from the short bolt throw. All the basic functions such as extraction and ejection are fine, the latter about right for range use - positive but not so much so that it dents case mouths or throws them out feet into the long grass.
In prone marked target shooting off a bipod, the stock pull-length is too short for me, so I've just acquired an MDT butt spacer kit which should rectify that. Despite a lot of experience with chassis stocked and tubegun F-class rifles, I forgot that the scope needs to be mounted high for a comfortable hold / head position on such inline layouts, so a ring swap is about to take place. Finally, although crisp I find the factory HACT trigger too heavy. I bought a replacement spring to lighten it mail order from some guy in Australia, so I'll try that - it's supposed to take the trigger down to around 2lb break. (There are YouTube videos around too on DIY trigger lightening jobs by cutting part coils off the OEM spring.) If the trigger is still on the heavy side, aftermarket replacements from Rifle Basix and Timney for the standard Howa short action fit according to posts in the 6.5 Grendel Forum .... but won't be accommodated by the slot in plastic stocks. It's said though that the Oryx has a large enough well for the trigger assembly to take these triggers making it a fit and drop-in upgrade.
The synthetic magazine is unimpressive, feeds OK in my very limited use, but as I single-load most rounds this is marginal to me. Unlike some DBM magazine fed actions, this one works well and smoothly single-shot simply dumping the round through the port and it feeds the Grendel smoothly without effort as long as it's somewhere aligned with the chamber. Magazine fit and retention are good in the Oryx stock with a positive and reliable, if rather heavy, release lever.
The Mini action is smooth. light, and unsurprisingly at 0.9" shorter than a standard short action benefits from the short bolt throw. All the basic functions such as extraction and ejection are fine, the latter about right for range use - positive but not so much so that it dents case mouths or throws them out feet into the long grass.
In prone marked target shooting off a bipod, the stock pull-length is too short for me, so I've just acquired an MDT butt spacer kit which should rectify that. Despite a lot of experience with chassis stocked and tubegun F-class rifles, I forgot that the scope needs to be mounted high for a comfortable hold / head position on such inline layouts, so a ring swap is about to take place. Finally, although crisp I find the factory HACT trigger too heavy. I bought a replacement spring to lighten it mail order from some guy in Australia, so I'll try that - it's supposed to take the trigger down to around 2lb break. (There are YouTube videos around too on DIY trigger lightening jobs by cutting part coils off the OEM spring.) If the trigger is still on the heavy side, aftermarket replacements from Rifle Basix and Timney for the standard Howa short action fit according to posts in the 6.5 Grendel Forum .... but won't be accommodated by the slot in plastic stocks. It's said though that the Oryx has a large enough well for the trigger assembly to take these triggers making it a fit and drop-in upgrade.
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