Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Howa Mini vs CZ 527

The Howa uses 700 bases. Another reason they are wonderous.





Dave

Yes, I know.

Thankfully, that's the only 700 thing it uses.

You'll not find nirvana in a CZ.



Dave

Don't forget the set trigger in the CZ.Not to useful hunting,but nice from the bench.

Do they still have those?




Clark

Set trigger?
Mine has it.

We'll see. I like a little blued steel and walnut once in a while. Goes well with my Filson, Bean boots, and Stormy Kromer.

The more I look into the Grendel, the better it seems. Trajectory out to 300 is about the same as my .308, energy about like a .243, and it burns maybe 30gr of powder.

[quote=deflave]Do they still have those?




Clark[/quoute
Standard issue as far as I know.

I actually started another thread about bases for the mini, then saw this. I know the Howa 1500 uses the same base as the M700 Rem, is this true for the Howa Mini as well? I cannot find bases listed for the mini.

I dang near bought a Howa Grendel when they were first released, but something else came along. From what I've read since on the Grendel website between the two the CZ will out shoot the Howa, but it takes several rds before the bbl settles down and shoots nice groups. You know the internet, but most guys I saw post reviews said the Howa shot around MOA. That won't cut the mustard for what I'd want one for. That case should print tiny groups. Is either rifle mag length challenged for this cartridge?

Howa if you are looking for synthetic and blued rifle...

CZ if you are looking for tradition Wood and Blued...

Okay, got a couple of points to make about the CZ, now that I have one:

Fit and finish are very good, altough the stock could have had its pores filled a tiny bit better. Still, it's at least as well done overall as my new Number 1, the last blue and walnut rifle I bought new. The wood's not fancy, but is nice, and the checkering doesn't have any flaws as far as I can see. The sculpted receiver looks very classy, and the safety and bolt release are nice machined steel parts, not bent sheet metal. If there's any al-U-minny-um or plastic anywhere, I've not found it.

As expected, the magazine's a pain. I'd much rather stuff them in from the top. It's not likely to fall out by accident, though as the release isn't sticking out and is pretty tight. Being true CRF, it only feeds from the mag, and the old trick of pressing in on the extractor so it will close on a round in the chamber doesn't work, on mine anyway.

The factory rings (Warne) are a bit high for an ordinary scope, but a good fit for the Tract I mounted. Lower rings combined with some scopes might require a different bolt handle. Modified bolt handles can be had from Jim Calhoun and maybe elsewhere. Changing one takes seconds.

Bolt take-down is similar to Howa's, except the bolt handle comes loose and compared to a full-sized Howa anyway, it requires less effort.

The set trigger came adjusted for about the same weight as the unset. There's a bit of creep unset, but not too much. Set, the trigger has a lot of after-travel. I think I'll follow Mule Deer's example and adjust the set function out. I'd prefer the Howa two-stage, no doubt.

I still might pick up a Howa at some point, especially the 5-shot, but now that Ruger has Americans that use Mini14 mags, that's an option too for some cartridges, anyway.

Every rifle is a rule unto itself. Just because one is accurate with a given ammo doesn't mean the next will shoot it well. You can take rifles with consecutive serial #s -- made in the same plant and on the very same day -- and it's likely they'll show individual and distinctly different preferences for ammo.

How are the CZ's shooting ?

Anybody shooting the 6.5 grendel Howa ?

My CZ didn't care much for the Hornady SST factory stuff, but handloads with 129gr ABLRs seated out as far as the mag allows were much better. Even with the factory stuff, smacking my plastic flipper at 300 was easy, though. Only mod I did was to increase the float just a bit. Once I decided on my load, I swapped out the Tekoa for a Mark AR Mod1 1.5-4 with the green dot. Lost about half a pound and improved handling. Been carrying it around in the woods and it's dandy for that. Only quibble is the need to feed all rounds from the magazine.

Found a guy online that will cut the trigger guard and the magazines to make them fit flush. Costs about a C-note. He paints the guard instead of blueing it though. Much cheaper than trying to use CZ parts on your own.

Next year I want to try the 100gr TTSXs, which can be pushed pretty fast, and maybe the 95gr Vmaxes, but this is primarily a woods gun, so I don't plan to use it like a .223.

Thanks !

I wish CZ would offer a heavy barrel .

I put together a nice little Howa Mini in 6.5 Grendel for off season coyotes and possibly deer. It has turned out to be quite accurate shooting near 1" groups at 200 yards. I thinkl it will do betteras the trigger was pretty heavy out of the box and my trigger finger got bit by the saw a few weeks ago and it still in bandages.



I dislike the long mag hanging down but that is an easy fix, directions are over at 6.5Grendel.com and will shorten or make a new mag release.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?15155-Modified-4-round-flush-mag

erich ,

Nice rifle , I'm debating whether to build a6br and single load it or 6x47 or 6.5x47 Lapua on a 700 adl or just buy a Grendel .
I want something with very low recoil and blast accurate on steel out to 600-700 yards so I'm liking the little Grendel . Plus still be able to send a 120-140gr. bullet through a pigs shoulder .

Nice looking rifle you built - did you start from a bare action ?

Are the howa actions known for being straight with no smith work ?

No I bought a barreled action from Brownell. They had a sale on them a while back

K