How many people are happy with their Howa Mini?

[M70.338CS]

Couldn’t be happier with mine in 223. 3 pos safety. Better factory trigger than 3 adjusted tikka’s. Accurate rifle. My mini sits in a Stockys vg2 stock. I’d do another in a heartbeat.

 

[westsloper]

I'm a fan of the Mini Action. I got one when they first came out. I have another with a 1/8 twist.

Even the injection molded stock is perfectly usable. I'm gonna pick up one in 6mm arc soon.

 

[Benjy howell]

I'm a fan of the Mini Action. I got one when they first came out. I have another with a 1/8 twist.

Even the injection molded stock is perfectly usable. I'm gonna pick up one in 6mm arc soon.

Inhave the carbon stalker in 6mm arc it's so fun to shoot and super lightweight

 

[nockhunter]

I have had good luck filling the forend on plastic factory stocks with epoxy, it stiffens them up nicely without adding too much weight.
I added lead weight and epoxy in two T1x's for shooting rimfire PRS. I got the total weight of those rifles to 9.5lbs and stiffened the forends for bipod shooting.

Mike

 

[NSI]

I am beyond done with the factory howa pencil barrels. I believe they are not properly heat treated. Two in a row (6 arc) start throwing wild groups after the first 2 rounds. I printed 2 5 round groups today each over 2.5 inches. Not acceptable.

I’ll try a pre fit from @hereinaz before writing off the platform entirely.

-J

 

[General RE LEE]

I am beyond done with the factory howa pencil barrels. I believe they are not properly heat treated. Two in a row (6 arc) start throwing wild groups after the first 2 rounds. I printed 2 5 round groups today each over 2.5 inches. Not acceptable.

I’ll try a pre fit from @hereinaz before writing off the platform entirely.

-J

Are you running any muzzle devices? My 22” pencil barrel 6 ARC goes from 1.5-2” bare muzzle to under a minute with a suppressor on the barrel.

 

[Stocky]

I am beyond done with the factory howa pencil barrels. I believe they are not properly heat treated. Two in a row (6 arc) start throwing wild groups after the first 2 rounds. I printed 2 5 round groups today each over 2.5 inches. Not acceptable.

I’ll try a pre fit from @hereinaz before writing off the platform entirely.

-J

Also is your rifle bedded that front lug floats in the factory inlet and torqued it's definitely stresses the action at higher torques.

 

[hereinaz]

I am beyond done with the factory howa pencil barrels. I believe they are not properly heat treated. Two in a row (6 arc) start throwing wild groups after the first 2 rounds. I printed 2 5 round groups today each over 2.5 inches. Not acceptable.

I’ll try a pre fit from @hereinaz before writing off the platform entirely.

-J

Sucks to get two.

Have you tested the torque on the front action screw? That fan have a dramatic effect. I don’t think the heat is that big a deal.

I have 16” 22 ARC barrels right now.

 

[Cosmono]

those Howa rifles shoot pretty good.

 

[RWT]

Curious regarding barrel removal or replacement. I have a 6.5 Grendel in 20”. I would prefer the 16” and two different smiths stated they could not remove my barrel without cutting the action or the barrel? Is this the case. So I need to buy a 16” and trash the 20”? I was planning on cutting the 20” to 16” and it appears that is not possible at this time. Suggestions are appreciated.

 

[NSI]

Sucks to get two.

Have you tested the torque on the front action screw? That fan have a dramatic effect. I don’t think the heat is that big a deal.

I have 16” 22 ARC barrels right now.

Yeah I put it in a Stocky, jefferson BM, and torqued Gutenteit.

How are you doing your pre-fits, with a barrel nut?

-J

 

[jeremy.b]

Curious regarding barrel removal or replacement. I have a 6.5 Grendel in 20”. I would prefer the 16” and two different smiths stated they could not remove my barrel without cutting the action or the barrel? Is this the case. So I need to buy a 16” and trash the 20”? I was planning on cutting the 20” to 16” and it appears that is not possible at this time. Suggestions are appreciated.

If you are around anyone with a barrel vise and action wrench (of if you really wanted to buy your own) you can pull the barrel yourself and just take that to a smith and get it cut down. There are pics floating around one of these mini threads where someone pulled their barrel without doing relief cuts.

 

[hereinaz]

Yeah I put it in a Stocky, jefferson BM, and torqued Gutenteit.

How are you doing your pre-fits, with a barrel nut?

-J

Yes, barrel nut for lathe free headspace on Howa. I wish they were consistent enough for shouldered prefits.

Barrel nuts don’t affect precision, but they look off to some people who care about those things. I am not one of them.

 

[NSI]

Yes, barrel nut for lathe free headspace on Howa. I wish they were consistent enough for shouldered prefits.

Barrel nuts don’t affect precision, but they look off to some people who care about those things. I am not one of them.

Not really concerned about that, more whether or not I'll need to relieve the stock for the nut.

-J

 

[The Guide]

Not really concerned about that, more whether or not I'll need to relieve the stock for the nut.

-J

The short answer is yes.

Jay

 

[BBob]

Curious regarding barrel removal or replacement. I have a 6.5 Grendel in 20”. I would prefer the 16” and two different smiths stated they could not remove my barrel without cutting the action or the barrel? Is this the case. So I need to buy a 16” and trash the 20”? I was planning on cutting the 20” to 16” and it appears that is not possible at this time. Suggestions are appreciated.

You can chop and thread without removing the barrel. If they can’t figure out how to do it then find someone that can.

 

[BBob]

Also is your rifle bedded that front lug floats in the factory inlet and torqued it's definitely stresses the action at higher torques.

That’s for sure. The front lug isn’t supported very well and when torqued to normal values bends the action. At the very least I’d bed the front lug.

 

[Stocky]

Curious regarding barrel removal or replacement. I have a 6.5 Grendel in 20”. I would prefer the 16” and two different smiths stated they could not remove my barrel without cutting the action or the barrel? Is this the case. So I need to buy a 16” and trash the 20”? I was planning on cutting the 20” to 16” and it appears that is not possible at this time. Suggestions are appreciated.

I pulled one 2 days ago. Wasn't hard at all. Barrel vise and about a 1.5-2 foot bar (total bar length )on an custom external action wrench. Broke free pretty easy.

 

[Stocky]

Yes, barrel nut for lathe free headspace on Howa. I wish they were consistent enough for shouldered prefits.

Barrel nuts don’t affect precision, but they look off to some people who care about those things. I am not one of them.

Aren't they both my 223 barrels were headspaced within 0.001". Maybe I was lucky. Based on death mic go gauge to barrel shoulder and action face to bolt face. Then action face to bolt face.

Carbon six do prefits don't they?

 

[hereinaz]

Aren't they both my 223 barrels were headspaced within 0.001". Maybe I was lucky. Based on death mic go gauge to barrel shoulder and action face to bolt face. Then action face to bolt face.

Carbon six do prefits don't they?

Most probably could headspace. They are well made. But, no prefit barrel maker I know makes shouldered prefits for Howa.

Carbon six makes prefits in the Savage style. If you go to their page and look at the contour, it doesn't have a shoulder. Looking at the contour link, it shows Savage, Remage, etc. which uses a barrel nut.