6mm arc build Howa Mini or buy complete

[Marshfly]

Well this was fun. Absolutely love this rifle. Kills were 125-325 yards with 108 ELDM. All three ran about 200 yards with single or double lung shots. Not thrilled about that though. Expected at least one bang flop. My wife got here first two big game animals with the rifle.

 

[General RE LEE]

Well this was fun. Absolutely love this rifle. Kills were 125-325 yards with 108 ELDM. All three ran about 200 yards with single or double lung shots. Not thrilled about that though. Expected at least one bang flop. My wife got here first two big game animals with the rifle.
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Awesome. I am taking my son on youth deer hunt the 27th and debating between the ARC and 108 ELDMs or my 6.5 Creedmoor with some 129 grain Interlock handloads. I've seen reports of the 6 ARC and 108 ELDMs anchoring deer sized game on the spot. I'm in TN so don't know about pronghorn.

 

[Marshfly]

Awesome. I am taking my son on youth deer hunt the 27th and debating between the ARC and 108 ELDMs or my 6.5 Creedmoor with some 129 grain Interlock handloads. I've seen reports of the 6 ARC and 108 ELDMs anchoring deer sized game on the spot. I'm in TN so don't know about pronghorn.

Maybe they would have had these been heart shots. We pretty much shoot for the center of the biggest kill zone which is center lungs.

 

[tony]

So I have been researching the hell out of the 6 arc.
Howa twist is 1:8
Ruger American is 1:7.7
Savage is 1:7:5
Google says 1:7 to 1:7:5

Berger Bullets twist calculator is saying possible issues with a heavy for caliber bullet in anything above 1:7:5 twist.
I can pick up a Ruger ranch literally right now at the local Sportsman's Warehouse up the road from me. Which I plan to do in the next day. Sound I worry about that 1:7.7 twist
I already bought a box of ammo, so I have to get a rifle now!

 

[General RE LEE]

So I have been researching the hell out of the 6 arc.
Howa twist is 1:8
Ruger American is 1:7.7
Savage is 1:7:5
Google says 1:7 to 1:7:5

Berger Bullets twist calculator is saying possible issues with a heavy for caliber bullet in anything above 1:7:5 twist.
I can pick up a Ruger ranch literally right now at the local Sportsman's Warehouse up the road from me. Which I plan to do in the next day. Sound I worry about that 1:7.7 twist
I already bought a box of ammo, so I have to get a rifle now!

My Howa Mini is 7.5 twist

 

[The Guide]

My Howa Mini is 7.5 twist

So is mine. Stamped right on the barrel.

Jay

 

[BLJ]

So I have been researching the hell out of the 6 arc.
Howa twist is 1:8
Ruger American is 1:7.7
Savage is 1:7:5
Google says 1:7 to 1:7:5

Berger Bullets twist calculator is saying possible issues with a heavy for caliber bullet in anything above 1:7:5 twist.
I can pick up a Ruger ranch literally right now at the local Sportsman's Warehouse up the road from me. Which I plan to do in the next day. Sound I worry about that 1:7.7 twist
I already bought a box of ammo, so I have to get a rifle now!

10 shot group from a RA GEN 2 Standard (20” barrel) with Hornady Black 105’s.
I believe that these are shots 11-20 from the day I bought it.
It may look like 9, but the 10th is mixed in with a previously marked shot on the right.
I think you’ll be fine at least up to the 105’s.

 

[tony]

Weird, Howa site and the catalog list them as 1:8

 

[passinggas33]

Weird, Howa site and the catalog list them as 1:8

Mine is a 1:8 twist. Wondering if it is barrel dependent? I thought they had 2 variations of barrel choice, but I could be wrong.

And mine is not having a hard time stabilizing the 108 Eldms.

 

[General RE LEE]

My guess on the Howa twist rate is they initially were offered as 1:8 and then changed it to 1:7.5 in newer offerings.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

Well this was fun. Absolutely love this rifle. Kills were 125-325 yards with 108 ELDM. All three ran about 200 yards with single or double lung shots. Not thrilled about that though. Expected at least one bang flop. My wife got here first two big game animals with the rifle.
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Congrats to you and your wife!

200 yards travelled after lung/lungs would be very hard for me to use anywhere other than open ground.

Exit/blood trail details?

I'd planned on carrying the mini 6 ARC with 108 factory ammo at least a few times this year but that report worries me a bit.

 

[Marshfly]

Congrats to you and your wife!

200 yards travelled after lung/lungs would be very hard for me to use anywhere other than open ground.

Exit/blood trail details?

I'd planned on carrying the mini 6 ARC with 108 factory ammo at least a few times this year but that report worries me a bit.

Lungs on antelope gets that a lot. It's no big deal. They are narrow and there's simply not a lot of flesh there to open the bullet. If you look through the 6mm/243 hunting success thread there are tons of reports on that bullet from deer and elk with much less movement after the shot because it has more opportunity to expand and cause damage.

6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix. Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

rokslide.com

Here is a pic of one of the bucks exit wounds. Golf ball sized. This one went about 150 yards. Antelope just go and go fast when hit unless you kill them on the spot. I could see blood everywhere on his side immediately after the shot. In fact, I have only had two antelope fall where they stood with any bullet/caliber and those were direct heart shots.

I have another tag to fill this weekend on a doe and I can report back in that thread. Going to try to make it a heart shot if it works out.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

That exit takes care of my worries.

 

[General RE LEE]

Has anyone gotten the Howa Mini screw on bolt knob from Legacy Sports?

 

[waspocrew]

Has anyone gotten the Howa Mini screw on bolt knob from Legacy Sports?

For $10, I’d say it’s worth a try. Factory bolt knob is definitely a little small. I’ll probably pick one up to see how it works out. If it’s not great, I’ll send to LRI for their bolt knob install.

 

[General RE LEE]

For $10, I’d say it’s worth a try. Factory bolt knob is definitely a little small. I’ll probably pick one up to see how it works out. If it’s not great, I’ll send to LRI for their bolt knob install.

Yep I placed an order. The factory bolt knob is very small and makes cycling the bolt slightly cumbersome. If it comes in and is plastic, oh well. The Tikka oversized bolt knob is also plastic and works great.

 

[PistolPete]

Well this was fun. Absolutely love this rifle. Kills were 125-325 yards with 108 ELDM. All three ran about 200 yards with single or double lung shots. Not thrilled about that though. Expected at least one bang flop. My wife got here first two big game animals with the rifle.
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Nice work and congrats!

200 yards is a long way to go on a double lung hit with that 108 (disregarding the single lung hits). Any idea why they might have made it so far? How was internal damage?

 

[Marty]

My Howa Mini is 7.5 twist

Same, 1-7.5 on my 22" sporter barrel

 

[Marshfly]

Nice work and congrats!

200 yards is a long way to go on a double lung hit with that 108 (disregarding the single lung hits). Any idea why they might have made it so far? How was internal damage?

I think just antelope are fast. LOL. I do gutless so didn't go inside.

 

[PC356]

Okay, had to try my hand at a LW 6 ARC build on the Howa Mini platform too.
7.5 twist factory sporter barrel chopped and threaded to 16.25”. Action and barrel Sniper Grey Cerakoted.
All done by my buddy Nathan Maddox, owner of Madman Muzzle Works in W TX.
Bedded it into a Stockys CF stock and bolted up a JO hinged floor plate bottom metal.
Factory trigger is breaking at about 1.5” lbs and came that way. May increase it a tad.
Scythe Ti can with a Weka sleeve. Tried the brakeless .22 cal cap others have reported working fine with 6mm but accuracy was horrible. Switched to the braked .30 cal cap and everything tightened up and became very consistent . Trying out a Japanese made Vixen 2-8x32 scope. Glass is very nice, has a simple BDC reticle, and weighs in just over 11 oz. Goin with Talleys for now being that it’s a very LW scope and rifle combo with very mild recoil. Hopin they live but have DNZs waiting in the wings lol. Slingin factory 105 Hornady Blacks and 108 ELD Ms both about 2500. Barrel seems a bit heat sensitive. Will group 3 just fine when cold but tends to open up just a bit if shooting fairly rapidly on 4/5. Good enough for me, mild compromise. Weights in pics are loaded mag with and without can.