Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Howa mini-action rifles/1500

Does anyone have any experience with these rifles? Are they built cheaply like the ruger american/savage axis/etc? I haven't held one personally, but I'm looking at one online chambered in a 222 and it looks budget friendly.

Metal is Skookum,mags suck ass...............

How about the triggers and stocks?

Triggers are better than most of their stocks...............

So I'm assuming the stocks are cheaply made and on par with all the "budget" rifles currently in production?

They make alotta stocks. I'll greedily take Laminate over Living Wood or Milk Jugs...but that ain't always an option.

Hint................

The stocks are not nearly as cheap feeling as an axis or American. Not even close. I’d take a Howa over most budget guns.

Also if you do the mag and release fix that’s found here it makes it pretty much a non issue.

Howa is a buncha bang for the buck,as metal goes. The dropped the fhuqking ball with Mini's,due the proprietary mag bullschit.

If you are gonna suffer small platform AR mag confines,you had better feeding the fhuqking thing with AR mags.

Hint...............(grin)

I have a Mini in 223. The trigger is a 2 stage pull and it was 2 lb 12 oz on my rifle. I changed the springs in the trigger and now I have a 1 lb 3 oz pull.

The stocks are not as stiff as a Tikka synthetic, but comparable to the Ruger American IMHO. My stock has aluminum pillars installed from the factory. I had to relieve some material to get a true free floated barrel.

If you don't like the plastic bottom metal there is a company who makes an aluminum replacement.

CDI and then you've AM steel 5-rounder or MDT poly 10-rounder options.

Pass the Laminate and hold the fluff.............

The stocks are fat as hell but they are stiff, albeit unrefined in form they do function. Way better structurally than Ruger American IMO. Have bottom metal for real.

Or you can do as I did and take a wood rasp and belt sander to it, cut a few inches off the end, then full length bed it and get a well shaped and stiff stock.

Hummm, that's an idea....

Is McMillan offering a stock option yet?

Here's hoping either Legacy or Weatherby offer the SS models they get overseas, along with a blind mag or hinged floorplate. The crappo plastic ones do work, if you can keep them in the gun. The DIP bottom metal is supposed to help with that.

Not as interested in another since the Fieldcraft got here.

Boyd's has options

Laminate is the way.

Hint................

To OP and subsequent responders besides Big Schit....


The Mini HB 6.5 Grendel looks rather interesting. Anyone?

Interesting for what? It won't shoot any good bullets.

Hint............