Howa Mini or CZ 527 ?

[tophet1]

Looking at dropping some retirement coin on either of the two rifles above in 6.5 Grendel.
I'd appreciate any comments or input on the quality of each of them.

[SCJ429]

The Howa is a good action with a trigger you can work with but the barrels can be rough. Check out the muzzle end for tooling chatter marks.

Great choice of caliber, you will have fun with it.

[JimTom]

Don’t know anything about the Howa but can say with certainty that the CZ 527 Varmint in 6.5 Grendel is a great bit of kit. Shot three rounds into 0.3” group at 100m. I rate it highly. Let us know what you decide.

[tophet1]

Don’t know anything about the Howa but can say with certainty that the CZ 527 Varmint in 6.5 Grendel is a great bit of kit. Shot three rounds into 0.3” group at 100m. I rate it highly. Let us know what you decide.

Will do.

[Cooper]

I have both. I prefer the CZ mine is the MTR version. I really like Howa Mini actions I have 3 of them. My 6.5 Grendel mini action just has the sporter barrel. I probably would have preferred the varmint barrel. But I took what I could get at the time. There is a fair difference $$ wise and Howa isn’t really a bad thing. Depends what you want?

[solarpak]

For me - Howa Mini.
I have used both the Mini and CZ527 - brand new rifles out of the box and the CZ was really let down (on more than one occasion) where the ammo feeding and bolt travel were quite ordinary - the bolt needed to be either polished up or it cycled a couple hundred times for it to ease up. Feeding of the ammo from the steel mag into the controlled round feed bolt was the same.

All Howa Minis in the other hand have worked flawlessly out of the box - only one rifle in a 223 with the 9 twist was a bit of a head scratcher?? - wouldn't shoot factory ammo for anything - the culprit was a slightly oversize chamber. Handloaded - no problems whatsoever.

The CZ527 is built like a tank (CZ know-how) but a little more finishing in the CZ factory and it would be perfect. I recall owning a CZ550 in 270 and that was the biz!!! - perfect in every sense

C.

[Bill]

double post

[Bill]

Ive got the Howa mini Grendel in sporter and HB and both shoot like the stink, $22 trigger spring kits turn em into an easy shooting outfit. 5 shot mags easily converted to 7 shots, only down side is the lack of bottom metal thou you can almost convert the mag to close to flush fitting. I couldnt justify spending spending and Extra $300 on a CZ when it has a worse potruding mag set up, Walnut is nice thou. hard to justify an extra $600 on the CZ varmit

[Shootermick]

I’ve just got a Howa mini in Grendel, sporter barrel. Only put 20 rounds through it last weekend, but so far so good. Can’t comment on the CZ, but I doubt you could go wrong with either, personal choice.

[Diamond Jim]

I have CZ in .223 and brother has Howa in .223 both are Varmint style.
Howa is much heavier. Neither is a carry rifle. Howa outshoots my CZ but he has put a lot of effort into load development and I'm lazy.
Howa was 1/2 the cost of the CZ.
Heart says CZ, brain says Howa.
YMMV

[in2anity]

I have a howa 1500 SA, and a cz527 American, both in walnut and both chambered in 204.

Generally speaking, when it comes to price and build quality, CZ and howa occupy that middle territory. Better than say a ruger or savage, but not as nice as a tikka or sauer. So indeed, it's a valid comparison to make.

As you are by now probably well aware, the fundemental difference between the howa and cz is a push-feed action vs a mauser-style, controlled round feed. These two actions are polarising, and ultimately it boils down to personal preference. PF is smoother and simpler, but can sometimes be prone to jamming. CRF is well, more controlled. But CRF also has a more "gritty" feel to it. Also PF will generally single feed easier that CRF.

The triggers on these two rifles are quite different. The howa has a sort of 2-stage trigger; a bit of a mushy take-up before a farily clean (but moderate) break. The cz527 on the other hand has the double set trigger; firing it unset is mushy and heavy, whereas from the set position it is VERY light (yet still not quite as crisp as a high-end single stage trigger).

The barrels are both sporter contour and TBH shoot pretty similarly. With both guns, groups start nice and tight, but then tend to open up and wander for those longer shot strings. Hard to say which one is "better". With the right ammo, I daresay both guns will give you excellent practical accuracy.

I would say howas are generally heavier than CZs; the howa 1500 reciever is a comparitively chunky unit. Althought I can't speak for a "mini" receiver + short barrel + synthetic stock (I've never held one). I'd imagine they'd be pretty handy and point well (being so compact).

With respect to which one is better; if possible I'd try and have a feel of both of them before buying. Use some snap-caps to cycle the actions and dry fire to get a feel for the triggers.

One thing I will say, howas are immensly popular down here in Australia. For this reason, there is a lot of aftermarket support for the howa. Conversion kits, triggers, compatible stocks/chassis', etc, are all prevelant and competatively priced. This is not quite the case for the CZ, although to be fair, upgrades are out there for the CZ (if you go looking and excersise a little patience) .

I run the lucky13 10 shot mag and a nice aftermarket single-stage adjustable trigger in my howa, and it's (now) a better gun than the stock-standard cz527.

Hope this helps.
In2.

[InisBineest]

I've owned two CZ 527s (still have one) and played with several Howa's. I am totally bias to to CZ's as their quality is superb for what you pay. Howa's to me feel a little like a cheaper Remington 700 with most of a the good aspects of a solid rifle. There is a lot of aftermarket kit for them if you want to mess around in that way too. CZ's I think are fairly neat as bought, and the set trigger, while no Jard, is above excellent for a hunting rifle. I also prefer the finish of CZ rifles, very well refined; no, they are no Sako, but your pay less than 1.5k, so excellent for the price. In the end both rifles shoot well, and both have their merits. If you can, see if anyone you know owns them and have a hold/shoot. That is the best way to go if you want to make comparisions. Good luck mate!

[jovialjosie2002]

[quote="solarpak"]For me - Howa Mini.
I have used both the Mini and CZ527 - brand new rifles out of the box and the CZ was really let down (on more than one occasion) where the ammo feeding and bolt travel were quite ordinary - the bolt needed to be either polished up or it cycled a couple hundred times for it to ease up. Feeding of the ammo from the steel mag into the controlled round feed bolt was the same.

All Howa Minis in the other hand have worked flawlessly out of the box

I have to second this comment.....I have a cz527 in 7.62x39 and it wont feed properly....I have tried everything to fix it.....been back to winchester more times than I can count.....finally a toolmaker worked on the magazine and polished everything and added a wedge in the magazine. ....now its "ok"....but down to a 4 capacity magazine....WHAT A HEADACHE.....
I have a Howa in 204 and it's great.....never a problem and it was less than half the price of the cz.....
IN MY OPINION CZ ARE OVERPRICED, UNRELIABLE & POOR RESALE VALUE ...LIKE A SKODA...HOWA'S ARE THE DUCKS GUTS...CHEAP, RELIABLE AND EASY TO SELL....LIKE A TOYOTA COROLLA.

[Bill]

have to agree with the you jovialjosie2002, both my Howa's are slick as , almost Tikka like. $22 Trigger spring kit transforms them in tack drivers and bluing is very deep, definitely as good as a CZ which i have 1 of.

A mates newish 527 in 22 hornet has had loads of issues and has take alot of reloading to get it to even group close to moa, something the Howa mini's do with ease. The CZ's are an absolute rip off.

[SCJ429]

Why did you start shouting there Josie?

I am not sure I would described a Toyota Corolla or a Howa as the ducks guts.

[Bill]

so what would you say about CZ 527s then SCJ429 ??

[SCJ429]

My experience with CZ is limited to Rimfires. The machining is a bit rough and crude. I do not own any but some people love them. I would be very annoyed if my rifle would not feed from the magizene.

I would choose a Howa over a CZ but I don't own either.

[Member-Deleted]

I have a Howa 223 [not mini] and a CZ 550 in .308. The Howa was $569 with a 24" varmint barrel and a Hogue rubber stock. Looks wise, more anonymous than a wrong number and no ones idea of desirable but it shot sub MOA straight out of the box with factory ammo and even better with my reloads. The bolt is "ratttly" when cycling but locks up tight. The triggers are easy to adjust. It does everything you could reasonably expect of it for an accurate workhorse. It is probably not a long term keeper or a family heirloom.

The CZ 550 was $829 new as a runout model, I understand the 527s are maybe $300 more. Mine has a beautiful walnut stock, 24" sporter barrel and shoots MOA. I have never experienced feeding issues but mine is not a box magazine version. Others have had feeding issues and that would be huge turn-off. Having said that, Ozzie Reviews reviewed a Howa mini and had feed problems, later acknowledged to be a faulty magazine - when replaced with a new mag, it was fixed. The bolt and action on the CZ are bomb-proof and also lock up tight. You do have to run the bolt like you mean it though. I believe the same could be said for many Mauser actions. The set trigger is a bonus and the trigger is fully adjustable. I had a Howa 308 and traded it for this CZ. I will never trade or sell this CZ.

If it is any consolation, you literally... wait.... yes literally cannot make a wrong decision with this one. Both brands are excellent value and quality, especially for the price point and will allow you to shoot as well as you can. Handle both in store and go from there. Let us know how you get on

[jovialjosie2002]

have to agree with the you jovialjosie2002, both my Howa's are slick as , almost Tikka like. $22 Trigger spring kit transforms them in tack drivers and bluing is very deep, definitely as good as a CZ which i have 1 of.

A mates newish 527 in 22 hornet has had loads of issues and has take alot of reloading to get it to even group close to moa, something the Howa mini's do with ease. The CZ's are an absolute rip off.

Absolute ripoff here in oz....they are sooooooo much cheaper in USA & Canada. Even in Europe the cz is much cheaper than here. I may be able to "fix" the feeding problems in my cz527 by purchasing a new magazine....but I just refuse to give Cz and wincheater australia another centavo of my money. Besides the heap of junk should have worked from the start....and it never did. So I now have a 4 round magazine that works most of the time....provided I use Hornady steel case.....it just wont feed any brass cased ammo at all. I don't see that many Howa's on the second hand market.....however, I see a heap of cz527's....and cz don't sell anywhere near as many rifles as Howa in oz.

[Member-Deleted]

I don't see that many Howa's on the second hand market.....however, I see a heap of cz527's....and cz don't sell anywhere near as many rifles as Howa in oz.

Good point Josie. They say no one ever sells a shooter, and Howas come right, straight of the box. I wonder with the Howas though whether the relatively few on the second hand market isn't also partly the economics of it. When you can get a brand new Howa for $569, how much would someone pay for a second hand Howa .223 that has had 1500 rounds through it and a few scratches on the blueing from the paddock? $200? $300 if you're lucky. Might as well hang on to it.
The CZs start at a higher price so there's more invested so to speak, and more $ to try to recover.

Your experience with the 527 would have turned me off CZs too. Why they ever discontinued the 550 is a mystery.

[in2anity]

One could say the quality of the howa action is actually better than the new era Remington 700s. That and they have a better extractor on them.

[Bill]

Ask any gun smith who mills bolt handles or threads barrels for muzzle brakes who makes the hardest forged action, he'll most likely say Ruger or Howa. Remington bolts are soft.

Howa bolts and actions are forged along with the hammer forged barrels, receiver takes Rem 700 base so easier to set up that the CZ dovetail. Cheek weld on Howa's so much better than the CZ. Probably the main reason I wont touch one.

Howa Varmint barrel is only 20inch so is more a Bull barrel and why it's 2lbs lighter than the CZ Varmint, it still cracks 3000fps with 90gr Speer TNT and 2920fps with the 100gr AMAX, when the barrel has a few more rounds down Id expect to get close to 3000fps with 100gr.

Obviously the Howa plastic bottom and mag contributes to the weight advantage, I have had zero issues with over 700 rounds down range in my 2 Howa mini's.

[in2anity]

The way I see things, Howa are a bit of a “sleeper”, where you’re paying more for the brand with CZs. The finishes on the CZs ARE generally very nice though...

[InisBineest]

For what its worth, i'd be mad too if any of My CZs were duds, but in my experiance of using 10 or so CZ rifles, none of them were. I've only used two Howa's, and as i said before, the were good for the money. One of them had a bit of an extraction issue, but it was managable. But that was just one of the two I have used myself.

As a side not, i have sold a few CZs as well, each time i get 80-90% return on their purchase value. I keep them in good nick, but they resold fine for me. (Why did i sell them then, calibre change for one, shooting style for another, and a wacky as trade in where i ended up crazy on top for the third:)

[wannabustbunnies]

I have been looking at getting a 6.5 Grendel as well. I have a mini action in .204 already as well as a couple of regular Howa 1500's.
I have the mini action in a Bell and Carlson stock with DIP bottom metal as I wasn't a fan of the standard stock. The B&C is much stiffer but the stock and bottom metal was $$$

I discovered the Ruger Predator model in 6.5 Grendel recently, they are around the same price as a mini action, come with a rail already and run AR style 10 round mags which are less than half the price of a spare mini action magazine. I haven't handled one yet but I am tossing up between the two if I end up gets Grendel.

Just another option to keep in mind