The Howa Mini (300 blackout) ?

[Oso]

I saw an Instagram video posted by Sharp Bros on their new Heatseeker chassis. The extended rear tang design allows the bolt to fully retract backward and then it offsets upward for the buffer tube interface. It is a different approach to addressing the need for an elevated cheek rest to align with scope height. Functionally it is a solution, stylistically it is not elegant. The front carbon fiber rail is made by Lancer, and as result of mounting style the barrel is located above centerline within the forearm resulting in a large gap/space below it. Weight seems to be in line with the MDT LSS-XL chassis..

 

[GrocMax]

300BO-

Rediscovery of the 30 Carbine.

Wait till they learn about the 8mm Kurz!

(everything old is new again)

 

[Oso]

300BO-

Rediscovery of the 30 Carbine.

Wait till they learn about the 8mm Kurz!

(everything old is new again)

7.62x39, 7.62x35 (300BO), 7.62x33 (30 Carbine) --- The winner of the short 30 cal cartridges is the 300 Blackout because of better .308" bullet selection (7.62x39 is .311" diameter) and better case design with readily available brass. Winner by compromise!!!

There are so many overlapping cartridges with similar performance... 222 Rem Mag vs. 204 Ruger, 243Win vs. 6mm Creedmoor, and Varminters are the worst with creating wildcats that overlap...because they wanted to try something different! As a result of joining this forum I now have 4-5 more calibers in my safe...

 

[dryhumor]

While I don’t have the Howa, I do have a couple, an AR pistol and a M700 Tactical 5R 1:7, 16” bbl. I like the BO, though there a bit more expense in .30 cal bullets. I shoot mostly 110 gr, some 125, seldom subsonic. Next loading project is 116gr Bibbs.... This is the rifle I hunt with around the house. LTR stock, Conquest 3-9, Calvin Elite trigger.

I’d probably try a Grendel, I just haven’t come across one yet.

 

[rookie7]

I know this thread is a few months old, but since I actually own the rifle in question...

I purchased one of the 300 Blk heavy-barreled actions from Brownells and dropped it into a Bell and Carlson M40 stock and then topped it off with a MDT 20MOA scope base, low Warne rings and a Nikon Prostaff P3 2-7x32 scope. Since I do shoot it suppressed, it also has a Rugged R3L flash hider for my Surge 762. Total weight is 8.3 lbs.

Now that you have the specs, here are my thoughts...

The action is smooth and the finish was very good. However, I was very disappointed that Howa decided to use a plastic trigger guard/magazine well. The magazine release was also in a less than optimal location; directly in front of the magazine, allowing it to be easily actuated by any slight contact. I quickly replaced the whole assembly with one from DIProducts Inc (including their mag release lever). The fit was perfect and positioned the inserted magazine at just the right height.

The rifle shoots great and is more accurate than the 16" 300 Blk AR-15 that I sold in order to fund the entirety of this build.

The weakness in this rifle lies in its magazine. The follower is most definitely NOT anti-tilt. I have fed 125gr, 147gr and 200gr without any issues, but the 220gr ammo has a tendency to slip off the bolt (pushing down on the remaining ammo in the magazine and sending the round into the chamber at an angle too steep to go into battery). Backing up the bolt a little to attempt a second try at the round doesn't help any either, as the case is now wedged against the shoulder of the round below it and the tip of the bullet is in the locking lug channel (I think... It's hard to tell with everything jammed up in there). You have to drop the magazine to clear the malfunction. It tends to only do this when the magazine is half empty. This leads me to believe that the spring is too weak to cycle the heaviest subsonics.

As I was simply looking to build an accurate, relatively light, magazine-fed bolt action rifle chambered in 300 Blk for recreational target shooting from 50-200 yards... It fits the bill.

Good morning,

What kind of ammo are you shooting in the rifle? What kind of accuracy are you getting at 100?

Thank you

 

[Riesel]

7.62x39, 7.62x35 (300BO), 7.62x33 (30 Carbine) --- The winner of the short 30 cal cartridges is the 300 Blackout because of better bullet selection (7.62x39 is .311" diameter) and better case design with readily available brass. Winner by compromise!!!

There are so many overlapping cartridges with similar performance... 222 Rem Mag vs. 204 Ruger, 243Win vs. 6mm Creedmoor, and Varminters are the worst with creating wildcats that overlap...because they wanted to try something different! As a result of joining his forum I now have 4-5 more calibers in my safe...

I've used both Savage and Remington actions using a PPC style bolt face to chamber a number of .308x39 rifles using a .308 barrel. The 1 in 12 twist works a bit better because you may limit yourself on bullet weight unless you are trying for something subsonic. They're not one hole shooters but can do 3 in about .5. Something to consider.

 

[MikeG08]

Figured I chime in even though OP stated going another route.
I have a Howa 1500 Mini in the 300BO. I do not reload so limited to factory ammo which wasn't too bad until things got weird this year. My particular barrel likes the Federal 220g factory load, which I was getting for .69 a round from Target Sports USA. Tried Hornady, Gemtech, Prime, Geco, Sellier & Bellot, and the Fed 220g grouped the best. Barrely under a 1" average at 100yds (I am an average shooter.). I do run it with a supressor (Thompson Machine 30Ti) and it is laughably quiet for centefire. That was exactly the reason I bought it, and it met my expectations. I will say that the magazine it came with functions fine after about 300rds. The Howa mag I bought after has annoying feeding issues. I have not attempted to pursue for replacement, so I can not speak to the customer service. Other than that rifle functions well.
I did drop it into the MDT LSS Gen 2 and actually saw a slight decrease in accuracy from factory stock which surprised me.
On a separate topic after chasing accuracy on a AR 6.5 grendel build I decided to throw the 300BO back into the original stock. I recently ordered the Howa 20" 6.5g which will go into the chassis. I will bed the chassis in hopes for sub moa with the 6.5g.
I do have some videos on YouTube of how it sounded, I'll add the link if interested.