Howa Mini Rifles, Builds, and Upgrades

[UnckleBob]

Got this put together today. It’s a mini in 22 ARC. I bedded it in a VG stock and added some texture to the grip and forend. It’s got a UM Spartan/pic rail up front and a Spartan gunsmith adapter in front of the mag well. The factory bottom metal was replaced with Jefferson dbm and I chopped the mag down to be as flush as possible. It easily hold 3 rounds and feeds fine. I’m
partial to dbm’s, especially in a kids gun, though a flush floor plate would be nicer for hand carrying the rifle. I used Burris two piece pic scope bases with Warne mountain tech rings. Scope is an swfa 3-9 I snagged on Black Friday. My 7 year old son helped me paint it because it will likely be his in the future, so I thought it would be cool to involve him in the project. He did a good
job after I gave him some direction.

Should get to shoot it within a week or so. Thing feels like a toy how light it is. The LOP is definitely short for me.

I was thinking of installing a Spartan Precision gunsmith adapter in place of the front sling swivel n a Stocky's VG stock. Has anyone done this? I am concerned the forend might not be thick enough there.

I have the same question about mounting a flush cups to on the left side of the forend.

 

[Te Hopo]

I was thinking of installing a Spartan Precision gunsmith adapter in place of the front sling swivel n a Stocky's VG stock. Has anyone done this? I am concerned the forend might not be thick enough there.

I have the same question about mounting a flush cups to on the left side of the forend.

I've just done something like this with some MtnGear limited rotation cups and Hybrid ARCA/Pic rail.

The front is filled with a pretty solid material which worked great for a side sling cup glued in with JB Weld.


The butt is the issue for a sling cup, the carbon is extremely thin with a foam filler.
I removed some of the foam and installed the cup, then reinforced the area with a bunch of JB Weld

 

[JFK]

I was thinking of installing a Spartan Precision gunsmith adapter in place of the front sling swivel n a Stocky's VG stock. Has anyone done this? I am concerned the forend might not be thick enough there.

I have the same question about mounting a flush cups to on the left side of the forend.

The Spartan gunsmith adapters are meant to be set almost flush with the stock. I put one in front of the mag well, but used the UM Spartan/pic up front for a few reasons. It doesn’t recess all the way into the stock, so doesn’t protrude as far into the barrel channel. It also allows for a different bipod should i ever want one, and also allows a sling which I don’t use often but nice to have the option. After doing it I think you could use a gunsmith adapter in the forend so long as you didn’t put it at the very end where the stock gets pretty skinny. There is a bedded metal t nut under the sling stud, so I’d not drill there…go right in front of it.

Lastly, the fill of the stock is pretty stiff and might do fine without this step, but I drilled my 3/4” hole for the Spartan adapter, then dremeled out the back of the hole from the barrel channel side and created about a 1” wide reservoir and filled with JB weld to create some extra strength in that location.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I've just done something like this with some MtnGear limited rotation cups and Hybrid ARCA/Pic rail.

The front is filled with a pretty solid material which worked great for a side sling cup glued in with JB Weld.
View attachment 1049255

The butt is the issue for a sling cup, the carbon is extremely thin with a foam filler.
I removed some of the foam and installed the cup, then reinforced the area with a bunch of JB Weld
View attachment 1049256

View attachment 1049257

View attachment 1049258

I see a little slabby slab goin on there.

I had that done to a very early on grendel, fluted and bolt knob hollowed also, 2.5-3 oz deduct. Playing around with scopes and ring currently on my money pit as kids still like to kill stuff with it. Without scope and rings it’s 4 lb 13 oz, but includes the Burris steel bases, a sheet of talon grip, and a single slot alum weaver ahead of front sling stud you can slap a little o-light on for bedtime, oh forgot, the 22" is chopped to 18.5". It’s not bedded and touching the front stock it rattles off the barrel but doesn’t seem to stop it from shooting annoyingly tiny groups with factory 123 eldm black box. Jefferson hinged, feeds a little smoother than the cz 527 kit I have for it also, and is lighter but kids can't lose a magazine this way. Love to hate on this thing, and it has only stuck around because it shoots so good, it’s the first one to be offered to kids when they move out lol, fuggin howa, get it out of my house

 

[Te Hopo]

I see a little slabby slab goin on there.

I had that done to a very early on grendel, fluted and bolt knob hollowed also, 2.5-3 oz deduct. Playing around with scopes and ring currently on my money pit as kids still like to kill stuff with it. Without scope and rings it’s 4 lb 13 oz, but includes the Burris steel bases, a sheet of talon grip, and a single slot alum weaver ahead of front sling stud you can slap a little o-light on for bedtime, oh forgot, the 22" is chopped to 18.5". It’s not bedded and touching the front stock it rattles off the barrel but doesn’t seem to stop it from shooting annoyingly tiny groups with factory 123 eldm black box. Jefferson hinged, feeds a little smoother than the cz 527 kit I have for it also, and is lighter but kids can't lose a magazine this way. Love to hate on this thing, and it has only stuck around because it shoots so good, it’s the first one to be offered to kids when they move out lol, fuggin howa, get it out of my house

Ha I have some pics saved of your rifle as I love that bolt fluting.
Thats on the to do list for mine sometime.
Mines running a 17.5" barrel, thats a Sonic 35 reflex suppressor that comes back roughly 5" over the barrel

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Ha I have some pics saved of your rifle as I love that bolt fluting.
Thats on the to do list for mine sometime.
Mines running a 17.5" barrel, thats a Sonic 35 reflex suppressor that comes back roughly 5" over the barrel

sure hope we get suppressors one day! my rar grendel's would be sweet with something like that! this 51st state thing is taking forever, sigh

having done that, I'd say leave the bolt/handle alone, I think it runs nicer stock...so hopefully that saves you the trouble, I wouldn't do it again, I wouldn't slab it either haha...I'm over the ounce counting, friggin things are light enough

 

[KyleR1985]

Under 6lbs. Albeit with a shit scope.

2770fps 88tmk’s.

Just got the Nano out of jail yesterday. Will load up some more 88’s to see how it shoots with this suppressor (DD Wolfhunter previously).

Speaking of the Wolfhunter, it’ll live on the mini 6dasher now that the Nano made it home.

Speaking of the 6dasher, I can’t help but load up some 116’s to see what they do in the16” 1:7 barrel.

 

[shomi]

Nice build. How do the Wolfhunter and Nano compare, to your ear?

 

[KyleR1985]

Nice build. How do the Wolfhunter and Nano compare, to your ear?

Don’t know yet. Hopefully I’ll get to shootin the next week or so.

 

[Tanner]

How’s everyone with a Mini in 22 ARC liking them so far?

 

[shayes11]

Now that I see Rokstok Lites are shipping and inlet for minis, is anyone else planning on making the jump? I've handled them everytime I stop in the shop and I like the feel alot better than my VG.

 

[The Guide]

How’s everyone with a Mini in 22 ARC liking them so far?

Love mine. 22" sporter in a Bell and Carlson M40 stock. Shoots the 88 ELDM factory Hornady ammo (fast lot is @ 2790 fps/slow lot @ 2700 fps) great.

Jay

 

[The Guide]

Now that I see Rokstok Lites are shipping and inlet for minis, is anyone else planning on making the jump? I've handled them everytime I stop in the shop and I like the feel alot better than my VG.

Mine has been sent from Stockys to UM as of 4/16 so I expect to see it by mid May.

Jay

 

[surfr716]

How’s everyone with a Mini in 22 ARC liking them so far?

love mine. With a 16 inch tube im hitting 3150 with the 77 tmk and its shooting lights out, swapped the barrel to a PBB from lswild and the stock to a carbon blem from stockys. Little work on the action with a vice and a wrench and some paint and sanding for the stock and shes a hammer; rapidly becoming my favorite rig and all in for the rifle build was under a grand. wanted a light varminter that could pull double duty for deer and speed goat and she fits the role well, with a leupold vx2 ultralight shes right at 6 lbs.

 

[TitsMcGee]

Now that I see Rokstok Lites are shipping and inlet for minis, is anyone else planning on making the jump?

Probably so. I still haven't finished mine(only missing the barreled action and rings), I snagged a Stockys Hunter accublock blem because it was in stock, and on sale but I've been regretting in. Will probably get a rokstok lite when/if they're BIS. This will be my first bolt action and after having played around with it a bit the traditional hunter/non-vertical grip stock just feels off to me.

I'll probably just keep the stock I have now and at least try it out before deciding to pick up a rokstok or not.

 

[MCGHeel]

What I found with my trigger was the actuator was creating enough friction/pressure to keep the sear from positioning into the right spot/shelf. The “heavy trigger” side effect seems to be a safety feature where the sear interacts with the trigger directly, still accomplishing the same goal of dropping mg the hammer. Without this feature the gun would not cock at all.

How to tell if this is happening is, when it feels heavy, lift the bolt handle, engage the safety (it will be hard to engage it without lifting the bolt handle), drop the bolt handle, and disengage the safety. The safety will actually lift the sear into the correct position.

I just shot mine this afternoon and what I did seems to eliminate the issue. I took 1000 and1500 grit sand paper and smoothed up the face of the sear where it rides up the actuator. I also just barely did the same to the actuator but didn’t want to mess with the shelf. The trigger housing is really rough so I lightly sanded that and all the surfaces that engage with it, also rounding the edges. Greased everything and put it back together. I’ll attach some pictures (I thought I had more but my scope camera didn’t save the).

Do you feel like the Gunbloke trigger spring replacement kit would lighten the trigger without need to do the filing and fixing you did with the spring clipping method? Also, does it seem that they always do this when clipping the factory spring or just when a certain amount is clipped? Thanks


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[Chase4566]

For those with the Jefferson outdoors hinged bottom metal with a 6.5 grendel. What COAL are y’all able to load to and still fit in the mag? Just starting load workup, so will play with it as I go and find that failure point, but figured I’d ask as I’m sure someone already knows how long you can load and still fit in there.

 

[BBob]

Jefferson outdoors hinged bottom metal with a 6.5 grendel

The internal dimension of the box is 2.475”

 

[Chase4566]

The internal dimension of the box is 2.475”

Awesome. Thanks.