Oldbloke wrote:Go the 20". The 20" barrel will give higher velocity.
bigpete wrote:Oldbloke wrote:Go the 20". The 20" barrel will give higher velocity.
And be better on the ears
bigpete wrote:Funny,I'm not having any problem whatsoever getting through scrub you can't see 20m in and using rifles with 24" barrels....would hate to try and hunt in scrub thick enough to actually warrant a 16" barrel....
Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Funny,I'm not having any problem whatsoever getting through scrub you can't see 20m in and using rifles with 24" barrels....would hate to try and hunt in scrub thick enough to actually warrant a 16" barrel....
I just wouldn't bother.
bladeracer wrote:The Mini is AR15 length, to feed 2.260" cartridges, the short-action feeds 2.800". Not an issue if you only ever intend to feed it factory ammo.
But you also mentioned target shooting, and if you want to start loading long VLD and ELD bullets, without being limited to standard cartridge length, then you'll want a bigger magazine and action. Loading a 1.254" 90gn Berger at 2.260" leaves little room in the case for powder. The Howa Mini will apparently feed ammo up to about 2.330" according to what I've seen on forums. I don't know if it has a longer throat to allow even longer cartridges single-loading.
If the twist rate is slower than 8" though, you can't run the longer target bullets anyway.
A standard short-action allows feeding .223 cartridges up to 2.800", leaving the full case capacity for powder, maximising potential velocity, assuming the chamber is throated long enough - my rifle lets me load 80gn ELDM at 2.450" as the throat is around 1.925" (where the rifling starts to impinge on the bullet). One day I need to try loading these long bullets at 2.260" just to see how much velocity is lost.
Barrel length is not relevant to accuracy, but barrel length can effect harmonics. A load that shoots well in a 22" barrel may shoot poorly in a 16", and vice versa.
bigpete wrote:Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Funny,I'm not having any problem whatsoever getting through scrub you can't see 20m in and using rifles with 24" barrels....would hate to try and hunt in scrub thick enough to actually warrant a 16" barrel....
I just wouldn't bother.
How do you think I got this guy ?
Tubs wrote:bladeracer wrote:The Mini is AR15 length, to feed 2.260" cartridges, the short-action feeds 2.800". Not an issue if you only ever intend to feed it factory ammo.
But you also mentioned target shooting, and if you want to start loading long VLD and ELD bullets, without being limited to standard cartridge length, then you'll want a bigger magazine and action. Loading a 1.254" 90gn Berger at 2.260" leaves little room in the case for powder. The Howa Mini will apparently feed ammo up to about 2.330" according to what I've seen on forums. I don't know if it has a longer throat to allow even longer cartridges single-loading.
If the twist rate is slower than 8" though, you can't run the longer target bullets anyway.
A standard short-action allows feeding .223 cartridges up to 2.800", leaving the full case capacity for powder, maximising potential velocity, assuming the chamber is throated long enough - my rifle lets me load 80gn ELDM at 2.450" as the throat is around 1.925" (where the rifling starts to impinge on the bullet). One day I need to try loading these long bullets at 2.260" just to see how much velocity is lost.
Barrel length is not relevant to accuracy, but barrel length can effect harmonics. A load that shoots well in a 22" barrel may shoot poorly in a 16", and vice versa.
Hey mate, what is the maximum length of 223 bullet (grains better) that the mini will shoot?
Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Funny,I'm not having any problem whatsoever getting through scrub you can't see 20m in and using rifles with 24" barrels....would hate to try and hunt in scrub thick enough to actually warrant a 16" barrel....
I just wouldn't bother.
How do you think I got this guy ?
Unusual for a farm to have scrub that thick
Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Oldbloke wrote:bigpete wrote:Funny,I'm not having any problem whatsoever getting through scrub you can't see 20m in and using rifles with 24" barrels....would hate to try and hunt in scrub thick enough to actually warrant a 16" barrel....
I just wouldn't bother.
How do you think I got this guy ?
Unusual for a farm to have scrub that thick
jwai86 wrote:The Mini Action has a shorter chamber and bolt than the Short Action. This theoretically makes the bolt quicker to cycle, but you might not notice a huge difference in practice.
I've seen various reports that the Mini Action is prone to unexpectedly dropping the magazine if you're not careful with keeping your hands or other objects clear of the sensitive magazine release.
bladeracer wrote:jwai86 wrote:The Mini Action has a shorter chamber and bolt than the Short Action. This theoretically makes the bolt quicker to cycle, but you might not notice a huge difference in practice.
I've seen various reports that the Mini Action is prone to unexpectedly dropping the magazine if you're not careful with keeping your hands or other objects clear of the sensitive magazine release.
Chamber is the same, the chamber is where the cartridge goes to be fired. The action length (Mini, short, long and magnum) is the opening between the bolt face and the breech face of the barrel. A cartridge held against the bolt by the extractor needs that distance for the live round to be ejected.
You could hand feed longer cartridges into a shorter action, but if you need to extract a live round, you might have to remove the bolt to get enough room for the cartridge to be ejected.
jwai86 wrote:bladeracer wrote:jwai86 wrote:The Mini Action has a shorter chamber and bolt than the Short Action. This theoretically makes the bolt quicker to cycle, but you might not notice a huge difference in practice.
I've seen various reports that the Mini Action is prone to unexpectedly dropping the magazine if you're not careful with keeping your hands or other objects clear of the sensitive magazine release.
Chamber is the same, the chamber is where the cartridge goes to be fired. The action length (Mini, short, long and magnum) is the opening between the bolt face and the breech face of the barrel. A cartridge held against the bolt by the extractor needs that distance for the live round to be ejected.
You could hand feed longer cartridges into a shorter action, but if you need to extract a live round, you might have to remove the bolt to get enough room for the cartridge to be ejected.
I quoted what was on the OSA website, but OK.
https://www.osaaustralia.com.au/product ... n-sporter/
jwai86 wrote:The Mini Action has a shorter chamber and bolt than the Short Action. This theoretically makes the bolt quicker to cycle, but you might not notice a huge difference in practice.
I've seen various reports that the Mini Action is prone to unexpectedly dropping the magazine if you're not careful with keeping your hands or other objects clear of the sensitive magazine release.
Bill wrote:jwai86 wrote:The Mini Action has a shorter chamber and bolt than the Short Action. This theoretically makes the bolt quicker to cycle, but you might not notice a huge difference in practice.
I've seen various reports that the Mini Action is prone to unexpectedly dropping the magazine if you're not careful with keeping your hands or other objects clear of the sensitive magazine release.
jwai86 you will love the short throw on a Howa mini, makes it really easy to handle and cycle. Its a superior action to the old Sako L46 & L461 and with drop-in trigger springs available for only $22 no other mods are necessary. You get use to the magazine set up and but you need to be firm and feel for the positive click for the engagement with the latch, when I'm at the range I tap it up with my hand and I can hear it. You can also trim the magazine latch so there is less protrusion so that its impossible to bump and release your magazine. I've trimmed the latch on all 3 mini's I've owned
Another positive of the Mini mags is they feed everything without issue, super short or long projectiles. The 223, 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC all feed like butter, thou I tend to single feed when at the range.
Talley alloy rings are the best for the Mini, not only do they keep weight down but they will never lever ring marks unlike many of the steel rings out there
https://www.talleymanufacturing.com/pro ... pe-mounts/
Bill wrote:No idea on throat length blade racer for the 6mm ARC as it's rather generous, it's been optimised for the long 105, 108gr high BC pills.
I'm favouring the shorter 90gr BT and 90gr Lapua scenar and using hornady factory oal settings with good accuracy.