Howa Mini Rifles, Builds, and Upgrades

[The Guide]

Howa Mini: 22 ARC, 16" 1/2 threads, #1 contour

lswildarmory.com

Cheap way into a Howa Mini 22arc.

The barreled actions from Brownells are $489 and I've bought 2 complete rifles (with scopes) on gunbroker for $530 shipped. If you had a 6.5 Grendel you weren't using it might be a good way but the 22 ARC Howa Mini Actions are pretty cheap and available currently.

Jay

 

[KyleR1985]

The barreled actions from Brownells are $499 and I've bought 2 complete rifles (with scopes) on gunbroker for $530 shipped. If you had a 6.5 Grendel you weren't using it might be a good way but the 22 ARC Howa Mini Actions are pretty cheap and available currently.

Jay

I missed that the 22arc's were available now.

 

[The Guide]

I missed that the 22arc's were available now.

I got my first one in June. Shoots the 88's pretty dang good. Got my wife a Ruger American Predator Gen 2 in 22 ARC and I think we like it a little bit better. Both great budget rifles for the 22 ARC.

Jay

 

[tall]

Howa Mini: 22 ARC, 16" 1/2 threads, #1 contour

lswildarmory.com

Cheap way into a Howa Mini 22arc.

I’d have one if we could hunt with that caliber here.

 

[KyleR1985]

Link posted above, but $200 factory seconds from Stockys!

30 in stock when I got the email (promptly bought stock for my 223AI mini build).

There's 16 total between pencil and bull profiles left.

Rokslide is on it!

 

[BigWoods]

30 in stock when I got the email (promptly bought stock for my 223AI mini build).

There's 16 total between pencil and bull profiles left.

Rokslide is on it!

Yeah I've been debating between a gen 2 Ruger American and a Mini for a 223. The $200 Stocky's made the choice for me. I'll have a ~5lb rifle for around $700.

 

[Tbuckus]

30 in stock when I got the email (promptly bought stock for my 223AI mini build).

There's 16 total between pencil and bull profiles left.

Rokslide is on it!

Is the stocky lighter than the Howa original?

 

[Te Hopo]

Is the stocky lighter than the Howa original?

The Sporter is roughly half the weight, the VG is about 3/4s the weight of the original plastic stock

 

[KyleR1985]

Is the stocky lighter than the Howa original?

Answered above.

I have two of their VG’s. I wanted one of the sporters for this build. Sale came just the right time.

The stocks aren’t perfect. But to me they’re a good value at discounted seconds pricing if you are somewhat handy at fitting a rifle.

 

[Tbuckus]

Answered above.

I have two of their VG’s. I wanted one of the sporters for this build. Sale came just the right time.

The stocks aren’t perfect. But to me they’re a good value at discounted seconds pricing if you are somewhat handy at fitting a rifle.

Aren’t perfect as in blems? Or inletting?
Or just other little things you don’t like about it?

 

[Te Hopo]

I like the feeling of my sporter and it makes the rifle a very handy weight.
But the inlet was pretty sloppy and the barrel channel quite close.
Easy enough fixes, I bedded the action and sanded out the barrel channel.

I paid a pretty hefty price for it by the time it was shipped here, taxes, import duties and do on but I reckon its a decent buy.

 

[Okbow87]

Thanks for posting the link! I jumped on one to go with a 6.5 Grendel barreled action I bought a while back that’s going to turn into a 6 arc for my two boys.

 

[KyleR1985]

Aren’t perfect as in blems? Or inletting?
Or just other little things you don’t like about it?

I use really light weight barrels and I buy heavy weight barrel channel stocks. I haven’t had to grind on the whole length of the barrel channel. Lots of people say they have to with these stocks. I ground just enough to do my half ass bedding job.

I bedded the action from the start because it’s really easy to do, and has no real downside.

On one of my stocks the rear action screw area for the bottom metal is milled slightly too deep, and at an angle. I ground on a flat washer to match the angle, and it goes between bottom metal and stock. When I get a little time I’ll build up some bedding compound there instead of the washer.

My stocks really don’t have much in the way of aesthetic blemishes. I would imagine most do.


This is why I say they’re a good value at 2-300. If I have to do this stuff, I would be disappointed at 5-700.


The general advice is clean action screws and holes, torque the rifle properly, and shoot it before doing any of that stuff. I do it all to start.

But, Howa’s have front action screw in the bottom of the recoil lug. And plastic bottom metal. These two things are responsible for unmet expectations with the rifles. Hard to distinguish between these and stock issues from anyone who doesn’t understand it.

 

[glock24]

Admittedly, I went a bit overboard with this one, but I do love my Howa mini actions. The goal was a do-it-all whitetail hunter and a 500m NRA silouette competitor. Unfortunately this was also my first experience with a carbon fiber barrel. It's not my favorite.

I am experiencing POI shifts after about six or seven rounds, which is not ideal for match shooting. Oh well, it still makes a good deer blind rifle, and I did take a nice eight-point with it last year. In hindsight, I should have just gone with a medium-contour Bartlein and been miles ahead.

- 6.5 Grendel, SAAMI chamber
- black nitride bolt and action
- Vortex fluted bolt with Kampfeld Campfire-sized bolt knob
- Smoothed and adjusted Howa HACT trigger
- Proof Research Sendero profile barrel, 18" OAL, 5/8x24 muzzle
- Boyd's Agility stock, Nutmeg, Epoxy-bedded
- Jefferson Outdoors bottom metal magazine conversion
- 2-12x42mm Leupold VX6-HD in extended-low Talley rings

I'm pushing a 120g TMK at about 2520 fps using 28.1 grains of AR-Comp

 

[Schroedernd]

My 6 arc barrel had issues. But I think the whole barreled action was messed up. Very tough bolt lift, constant pressure signs from factory ammo and wimpy reloads. Fairly slow speeds. I swapped bolt and it fixed the bolt lift but the pressure signs still existed. I ordered a mcgowen barrel to replace it.

What contour did you go with for the mcgowen?

 

[KY_coop]

Mcgowen #4. Its not quite the same contour as factory hvy barrel but it finished around .750 at 18 inches. So thats what I went with.

 

[Schroedernd]

Mcgowen #4. Its not quite the same contour as factory hvy barrel but it finished around .750 at 18 inches. So thats what I went with.

Thank you. Im looking at the #3 myself. Have you been happy with it? I find mixed reviews on mcgowen but don't seem to find many options made directly for the mini.

 

[KY_coop]

No complaints so far. I sent in dummy rounds so I could load long. Haven't been able to do any load development yet though. I've only shot factory and it shoots precision hunters around an inch for 10 shots and the eldm match around 1.5" for 10 shots. Ill start loading for it and shooting alot more after rifle season ends here in ky and I'll try to update this.

 

[The Guide]

Thank you. Im looking at the #3 myself. Have you been happy with it? I find mixed reviews on mcgowen but don't seem to find many options made directly for the mini.

You won't find many prefit options for the Howa actions. Preferred Barrel Blanks does a prefit for Howa Actions. They are of the Savage/Ruger lock nut style that you have to do the head spacing yourself with a set of go/no go gauges. If you really want a new barrel, you can order any barrel from any manufacturer and have a competent local gunsmith thread and chamber a barrel for you. Having a gunsmith do it for you will be cheaper unless you already have all the tools to remove and install barrels.

Jay

 

[KY_coop]

Mcgowen offered a shouldered or a barrel nut prefit. I told them it didnt matter to me which one they did. They sent a shouldered prefit and it spun right on and headspaced fine.