Howa Mini Rifles, Builds, and Upgrades

[Stocky]

I have found myself interested in a 6GT on a howa ultralight action. Gain some speed, loose some action weight, win-win.

A kimber action weighs less that a mini action. Gives speed and weight.

 

[KyleR1985]

A kimber action weighs less that a mini action. Gives speed and weight.

I think the Kimber is probably better than the Howa mini for the standard bolt face cartridges.

6gt doesn’t work in mini, but does in super lite.

Currently you can get a stockys VG for the superlite.

Just need someone to make the aftermarket bottom metal.


That said, a mini can be built for under 1000 bucks.

 

[longrangelead]

Wellll I do have a die set in .25-45 Sharps that I scored stupid cheap.....

I've gone .223AI with my Mini in the mean time but there's something about the 25-45 that does intrigue me.

forgot about that one...

 

[longrangelead]

A kimber action weighs less that a mini action. Gives speed and weight.

yes, but...the mini is cheap enough for playing around with.
if I was going to build a forever version, the Kimber would probably be it.

 

[UnckleBob]

A kimber action weighs less that a mini action. Gives speed and weight.

I have had a Kimber action and frankly loved it. The problem with Kimbers is that they come with ultralight barrels that heat up quickly and which are not easy to suppress without going to a rediculously short barrel for the cartridges they normally chamber.

Solution: buy a new barrel? Nope! The stocks Kimber offers won't work with 20-22" fat carbon fiber barrels and nobody (that I am aware of) makes aftermarket stocks for Kimbers in any numbers.

I'll give up speed before I give up suppression.

 

[Kaleb]

No problem cutting and threading a Kimber barrel at 18” for a suppressor. I wouldn’t want it any longer for suppressor use. I’ve not had any problems with the barrel being hot. The suppressor gets hot too. If wanting big carbon barrels the kimber is probably not the best option.

 

[Te Hopo]

I think the Kimber is probably better than the Howa mini for the standard bolt face cartridges.

6gt doesn’t work in mini, but does in super lite.

Currently you can get a stockys VG for the superlite.

Just need someone to make the aftermarket bottom metal.


That said, a mini can be built for under 1000 bucks.

A very talented lad here in New Zealand is making alloy bottom metal that works with the factory mags, the local Superlite owners are loving them.
I know at least one has gone overseas

Howa Superlite aluminium bottom metal

It's taken a while, but the superlite bottom metals are coming off the machine. These ones will take the factory mags. The likelihood of doing a blind

www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.nz

 

[Tanner]

I have had a Kimber action and frankly loved it. The problem with Kimbers is that they come with ultralight barrels that heat up quickly and which are not easy to suppress without going to a rediculously short barrel for the cartridges they normally chamber.

Solution: buy a new barrel? Nope! The stocks Kimber offers won't work with 20-22" fat carbon fiber barrels and nobody (that I am aware of) makes aftermarket stocks for Kimbers in any numbers.

I'll give up speed before I give up suppression.

Pendleton will make you a replacement stock for a Kimber.

Carbon barrels are completely unnecessary for a lightweight hunting rifle.

 

[nm.otter]

I have found myself interested in a 6GT on a howa ultralight action.

The case capacity to bore area ratios for 6mm GT and 6.5 Creedmoor differ by less than 1%.

 

[Stocky]

I have had a Kimber action and frankly loved it. The problem with Kimbers is that they come with ultralight barrels that heat up quickly and which are not easy to suppress without going to a rediculously short barrel for the cartridges they normally chamber.

Solution: buy a new barrel? Nope! The stocks Kimber offers won't work with 20-22" fat carbon fiber barrels and nobody (that I am aware of) makes aftermarket stocks for Kimbers in any numbers.

I'll give up speed before I give up suppression.

Nothing wrong with a skinny barrel. All mine are suppressed. They make barrels in steel btw don't need carbon ive got one in 22 creed currently all of mine have been cut and suppressed. Longest is 18" have trimmed them as short as 15"

They feed much better than the howa with a jeffersons. (I have a howa mini 223 that should be nicer based on money spent but I'd sell it in a second to buy a 223 kimber if I could find one for a reasonable price down here).

 

[Techbb]

Bought a 20" 6ARC barreled action off Brownells and built this up. Dropped it in an Elf Owl chassis with a folding Black Collar stock. I also had the barrel fluted which actually made it lighter than the 22" sporter i have in 223. Not as light as id hoped for, but happy with how it turned out. It ended up weighing the same as my 20" tikka sitting in a HNT26 chassis with the same scope, but significantly cheaper to put together. View attachment 805368View attachment 805369

This is exactly what I am looking to do minus the fluting. I was getting heavier numbers from the Elf site though, what butt stock is that and is it the 11.5 forend?

 

[HaystackJohnny]

Thinking of 6mm ARC in the HOWA mini action.

Any negatives to this over choosing a 22 ARC..?

 

[WyoWild]

Thinking of 6mm ARC in the HOWA mini action.

Any negatives to this over choosing a 22 ARC..?

Not really, I have looked at the numbers and in general with 77-88gr bullets the 22 ARC gives you a flatter trajectory and with 105-110gr bullets the 6 ARC give you less wind drift. If hunting coyotes/varmints where you may not always be able to range targets or might be holding over with your reticle frequently then the 22 ARC would have an edge. If you are shooting bigger game and dialing then the 6 ARC may be better.

 

[KY_coop]

Legacy was pretty easy to work with. They sent me a new ejector. Went to go install it and it was sticking out of the boltface. Went back and forth with them trying to figure out if the mini and 1500 share the same extractor part# ( they do). Legacy sent me a whole new ejector group to install(free of charge) and same problem still. Ended up running some rounds through it, it doesn't feed correctly and the speeds are still anemic. Some of the pressure signs seem to have gone away but still showing some smear marks from extractor area. ( I figure the ejector is so long it can't really show signs of pressure as well as it once did).
Sadly, I believe I got a lemon BA and its time to cut losses and get a replacement.

 

[The Guide]

Does anyone have a factory heavy barrel stock they want to get rid of?

I bought 2 more mini action rifles. 1 in 22 ARC with a 22" sporter barrel and 1 in 223 in the factory chassis for a mini action. I'm swapping the 22 ARC into the chassis and need a home for the heavy barrel 223. Figured I'd ask this thread before I bought another Bell and Carlson M40 stock.

Jay

 

[bymers311]

Does anyone have a factory heavy barrel stock they want to get rid of?

I bought 2 more mini action rifles. 1 in 22 ARC with a 22" sporter barrel and 1 in 223 in the factory chassis for a mini action. I'm swapping the 22 ARC into the chassis and need a home for the heavy barrel 223. Figured I'd ask this thread before I bought another Bell and Carlson M40 stock.

Jay

I have one. Shoot me a message if you’re still looking for one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[General RE LEE]

Does anyone have a factory heavy barrel stock they want to get rid of?

I bought 2 more mini action rifles. 1 in 22 ARC with a 22" sporter barrel and 1 in 223 in the factory chassis for a mini action. I'm swapping the 22 ARC into the chassis and need a home for the heavy barrel 223. Figured I'd ask this thread before I bought another Bell and Carlson M40 stock.

Jay

Jay have you been bedding the BAs in the M40 stocks? I tried a JB Weld skim bed and it didn’t really change anything. I’m getting a new barrel now and will probably hog out the bedding in my M40 and start from scratch.

 

[The Guide]

Jay have you been bedding the BAs in the M40 stocks? I tried a JB Weld skim bed and it didn’t really change anything. I’m getting a new barrel now and will probably hog out the bedding in my M40 and start from scratch.

No. I haven't really seen the need. I do use a card scraper or a brass scraper made for cleaning AR-15 type rifles to clean and flatten the mounting surfaces. They seem to get a little paint and webbing/splatter in the areas I want clean, flat, and true.

As an aside/update...

I'm putting the 22 ARC back in the factory stock. I loved everything about the Excel Lite Chassis. The weight was right where it should be. My issue with it was how flexible the forend is. It is almost unusable with a bipod. By the time you add enough support to stiffen it up, the weight savings is gone. If someone only shot off a backpack and/or offhand it might be OK but it isn't suitable for my desired use.

Jay

 

[J_Jacobson]

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OTHER CARTRIDGES THAT FIT IN THE MINI?

Might be worth a separate thread?

At $400 +/- for a Brownell's special, I'm looking at buying several 223's to do 17 Rem, 20 Practical, 204 Ruger and who knows what else after my current projects.

If you start the thread I'll join in! I've been playing around with a few cases for a potential mini build... 30grendel, 27grendel, 25arc, 20arc, 277wolverine, etc. Can't decide!

 

[KyleR1985]

If anyone has a takeoff 6ARC sporter barrel they want to get rid of shoot me a message