Howa mini 223 Qns

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Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 28 Nov 2022, 9:19 am

A mate is new to shooting/hunting.
Thinking about buying Howa Mini in 223.
Use will be mainly foxes, perhaps goats, up to say 170 yards.
Most reports are very good main issue being a need to perhaps shorten the mag catch.

My Qns are:

Is the Hogue stock flexing going to significantly effect accuracy? Remember it's mostly hunting.

Any other issues he might need to know about?

Any recommended ammo?
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Pighunter » 28 Nov 2022, 10:41 am

Is there a reason he isn't considering a short action? Magazine issues are the most common issue.

Hogue stock flexing doesn't affect accuracy in my short action .223, it's an absolute nail driver in terms of accuracy, I only use it out hunting. I'm a massive fan of Howa and less of a fan of .223 I should have gotten a .308 for the pigs we've been seeing lately, but I generally have either my .44 magnum or my 30-30 rifles with me as a back up so it's not an issue.

I currently use 55gr PMC ammunition and it's very accurate, I'm looking to get some heavier ammunition this week so I'll let you know how accuracy is with something closer to 70gr.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Wyliecoyote » 28 Nov 2022, 11:40 am

The stocks on the mini actions are a little stiffer than the regular Hogue stock and they do not have the rubber outer skin. Shorten the mag release by 2/3s and you will have no issues with accidently dropping a magazine in the field. These are very accurate rifles for what they are and do not have POI shift issues with the stock. The only thing i have found is that when they went from the 9 twist to the 8 twist barrels in their 223s the 55 grain pills i was using were not shooting anywhere near as accurate in the faster twist barrels.
There are no magazine issues apart from the the overly long latch and their very quite feeding which often tricks you into thinking a round has not been chambered. The rifles feed, extract and eject flawlessly. I have 4 of these rifles in various calibers from 223, 6x45 and 30 Apache. Two set up with thermals and the other 2 set up for daylight shooting. Never had an issue with any of them.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 28 Nov 2022, 1:29 pm

Pighunter wrote:Is there a reason he isn't considering a short action? Magazine issues are the most common issue.

70gr.

Thx pighunter.
He has picked up a 1500 Howa in 223 and he said it was heavy. He is looking for light weight.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Pighunter » 28 Nov 2022, 2:47 pm

Oldbloke wrote:Thx pighunter.
He has picked up a 1500 Howa in 223 and he said it was heavy. He is looking for light weight.

Well he certainly isn't wrong. My short action howa is the heaviest gun I own. I don't have any slings on my rifles and I can carry the Citadel Levtac-92 around all day without getting tired the Marlin 336 is a bit heavier but not terrible. But the Howa feels like I'm carrying my anvil collection around (I usually just shoot off the top of the Land Cruiser with it).

I would say if he can sort out any magazine issues it might have (should it suffer from any) he will have an enjoyable rifle fit for hunting. At the price point Howa is phenomenal and I can't see any reason not to buy one. So my advice would be if he likes the fit and feel of the Mini action give it a go. Worst case is he resells it.
If he is after a bipod I can recommend the Magpul Polymer bipods they're light and sturdy that's what I use on my 1500.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 28 Nov 2022, 3:14 pm

Pighunter wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:Thx pighunter.
He has picked up a 1500 Howa in 223 and he said it was heavy. He is looking for light weight.

Well he certainly isn't wrong. My short action howa is the heaviest gun I own. I don't have any slings on my rifles and I can carry the Citadel Levtac-92 around all day without getting tired the Marlin 336 is a bit heavier but not terrible. But the Howa feels like I'm carrying my anvil collection around (I usually just shoot off the top of the Land Cruiser with it).

I would say if he can sort out any magazine issues it might have (should it suffer from any) he will have an enjoyable rifle fit for hunting. At the price point Howa is phenomenal and I can't see any reason not to buy one. So my advice would be if he likes the fit and feel of the Mini action give it a go. Worst case is he resells it.
If he is after a bipod I can recommend the Magpul Polymer bipods they're light and sturdy that's what I use on my 1500.



From what I gather the mags feed fine in the STD stock. Some have issues if you swap out the stock. It's just the latch is a bit long. He can live with that.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by albat » 02 Dec 2022, 6:36 am

Owned a mini .223 stainless varmint barrel, sold it because the stainless was woeful constant rust pitting, definitely file the mag release down day one lost a mag in the scrub first trip! However it was more accurate that the tikka I replaced it with using Hornady 60gr tap factory ammo, also bloody loud if you go the 20inch barrel
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by JohnV » 02 Dec 2022, 4:16 pm

In a 223 I would go the Weatherby in the longer action and longer barrel with hinged floor plate mag. It gives you more potential for later reloading .
For a walk about stalking rifle I would move up to some bigger caliber with a bit more range because .223 is marginal on goats and pigs and you never know when you run into a deer .
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 02 Dec 2022, 5:06 pm

JohnV wrote:In a 223 I would go the Weatherby in the longer action and longer barrel with hinged floor plate mag. It gives you more potential for later reloading .
For a walk about stalking rifle I would move up to some bigger caliber with a bit more range because .223 is marginal on goats and pigs and you never know when you run into a deer .


Primary target species will be foxes. I agree less than ideal for larger goats, pigs etc. But he has a 308 for those.
I picked one up yesterday, I think the weight will be a winner. Agree floor plate is better than the magazine but again the weight of the 1500 is a hell of a lot more.

If they came out with a floor plate or blind magazine I would buy one and sell my Marlin ASAP. About time someone made a light weight sporter.
Last edited by Oldbloke on 02 Dec 2022, 6:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Blr243 » 02 Dec 2022, 6:02 pm

My howa 243 sits inside original hogue stock 1/2 moa with ppu factory ammunition
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 02 Dec 2022, 6:21 pm

Blr243 wrote:My howa 243 sits inside original hogue stock 1/2 moa with ppu factory ammunition


Thx 243
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bigpete » 02 Dec 2022, 6:34 pm

Oldbloke wrote:
JohnV wrote:In a 223 I would go the Weatherby in the longer action and longer barrel with hinged floor plate mag. It gives you more potential for later reloading .
For a walk about stalking rifle I would move up to some bigger caliber with a bit more range because .223 is marginal on goats and pigs and you never know when you run into a deer .


Primary target species will be foxes. I agree less than ideal for larger goats, pigs etc. But he has a 308 for those.
I picked one up yesterday, I think the weight will be a winner. Agree floor plate is better than the magazine but again the weight of the 1500 is a hell of a lot more.

If they came out with a floor plate or blind magazine I would buy one and sell my Marlin ASAP. About time someone made a light weight sporter.


Whole heartedly agree
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by JohnV » 03 Dec 2022, 5:35 am

If someone is worried about the weight of a 223 then they must be intending to carry it about a lot stalking type hunting .
It sounded to me like his description was general hunting when including goats .
In the military we had to train carrying a heavy steel bar that was heavier than an M60 machinegun . Once you do that for a while your SLR or M16 gun feels like a feather . If a 223 is a dedicated pest gun and not a stalking rifle then a bit extra weight is no big deal in my book . Spotlighting out the window and whistling foxes even walking about spotlighting your not going to do the ks and hard yakka that you would do after goats in the hills or even pigs in bush and lignum . When I was younger I carried a heavy barrel Sako 22-250 everywhere including up and down mountains but now I would use my Sako 308 which is lighter and I even shoot rabbits or foxes whatever with it .
My Howa .223 is just a pest gun and only used for spotlighting . Get some weights and strengthen up your arms and back .
Many moons ago I could hold and fire an SLR in one hand like a pistol but those muscles are well gone now .
I will always remember what I saw one evening in Vietnam . A big Maori machine gunner carrying the gun and something on his back bigger than any pack . As they came closer through the wire in the fading light I could see he was carrying another soldier on his back and all his own gear and the M60 ! Maori's make awesome soldiers .
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bigpete » 03 Dec 2022, 6:01 am

Good for you John
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 03 Dec 2022, 6:19 am

It's expected the rifle will be carried a lot and no shooting from vehicles expected.

IMO carrying a lighter rifle:
Makes the hunt more enjoyable.
Less likely to agrivate an old injury
Allows you to travel greater distances
Helps if your fitness level is not great, eg age or office bound.
Few shots fired so have no effect of accuracy.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Lazarus » 07 Dec 2022, 3:19 pm

Pighunter wrote:Is there a reason he isn't considering a short action? Magazine issues are the most common issue.

Hogue stock flexing doesn't affect accuracy in my short action .223, it's an absolute nail driver in terms of accuracy, I only use it out hunting. I'm a massive fan of Howa and less of a fan of .223 I should have gotten a .308 for the pigs we've been seeing lately, but I generally have either my .44 magnum or my 30-30 rifles with me as a back up so it's not an issue.

I currently use 55gr PMC ammunition and it's very accurate, I'm looking to get some heavier ammunition this week so I'll let you know how accuracy is with something closer to 70gr.


I don't know if it's of any use to you pighunter, but during some recent ballistic gel testing I decided to compare the 62gn steel core SS109 with the 70gn Nosler RDF for penetration on something a bit tougher.
The Nosler blew a hole in some rail track plate I could poke my little finger through and the SS109 "penetrator" left a shallow crater.
The RDF also gives me 1.5 inch groups at 400m from my 24" 9 twist Howa varmint.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Pighunter » 08 Dec 2022, 10:32 am

Lazarus wrote:
Pighunter wrote:Is there a reason he isn't considering a short action? Magazine issues are the most common issue.

Hogue stock flexing doesn't affect accuracy in my short action .223, it's an absolute nail driver in terms of accuracy, I only use it out hunting. I'm a massive fan of Howa and less of a fan of .223 I should have gotten a .308 for the pigs we've been seeing lately, but I generally have either my .44 magnum or my 30-30 rifles with me as a back up so it's not an issue.

I currently use 55gr PMC ammunition and it's very accurate, I'm looking to get some heavier ammunition this week so I'll let you know how accuracy is with something closer to 70gr.


I don't know if it's of any use to you pighunter, but during some recent ballistic gel testing I decided to compare the 62gn steel core SS109 with the 70gn Nosler RDF for penetration on something a bit tougher.
The Nosler blew a hole in some rail track plate I could poke my little finger through and the SS109 "penetrator" left a shallow crater.
The RDF also gives me 1.5 inch groups at 400m from my 24" 9 twist Howa varmint.


Any information like this is helpful. I'm always open to learning more and these are the kind of tests I myself never get the time to do. So I appreciate it, So would you recommend the 70gn Nosler for larger hogs? I often have my 30-30 or 44 magnum with me for the bigger pigs so it's generally just an issue of grabbing the other gun but it would be nice to trust the .223 a bit more.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by northdude » 08 Dec 2022, 10:52 am

The stock on my one wasnt to bad but I filled it with epoxy and it stiffened it up quite well
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Oldbloke » 08 Dec 2022, 12:17 pm

northdude wrote:The stock on my one wasnt to bad but I filled it with epoxy and it stiffened it up quite well


Thx, I'll keep that in mind.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by JohnV » 08 Dec 2022, 3:24 pm

Double posting again .
Last edited by JohnV on 08 Dec 2022, 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by JohnV » 08 Dec 2022, 3:25 pm

Get a good bedding job done if there is no alloy bedding block in the stock . Stress " free " bedding is what you need , stress on the action that is , not you . I think the Howa's still have a solid recoil lug , flat bottom action . With the front action screw going into the recoil lug . So they bed like a Mauser , NOT like a Rem 700 or a Win Model 70 . Ask any prospective bedders to explain the difference in bedding jobs and if they can't or wont they are probably not experienced enough . I had to fix a friends Mauser at the range because someone bedded it like a Rem 700 with clearance under the lug . That causes the stock to warp and puts the action under stress as you tighten up the front screw . I packed it out with a piece of plastic just to prove to him it was wrong . Gun started shooter 400% better straight away and he owned a gunshop no less .
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by northdude » 08 Dec 2022, 6:31 pm

Howa minis are pillar beded. What i did with mine is take the bottom metal/plastic off it and find some steel tube that the action screws fit nicely through then drill the plastic so the tube is a nice fit in the plastic cut a couple of thin pieces and glue them into the bottom plastic then you can tighten action down without splitting plastic
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bladeracer » 08 Dec 2022, 7:00 pm

northdude wrote:Howa minis are pillar beded. What i did with mine is take the bottom metal/plastic off it and find some steel tube that the action screws fit nicely through then drill the plastic so the tube is a nice fit in the plastic cut a couple of thin pieces and glue them into the bottom plastic then you can tighten action down without splitting plastic


It's not pillar bedded if you had to install your own pillars.
My brother did the same with the Boyds he put on his Ruger American.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Wyliecoyote » 08 Dec 2022, 7:56 pm

Howa minis do have pillars installed from the factory. What northdude did is insert tubing into the poly floor plate to prevent it being split under torque.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by northdude » 09 Dec 2022, 3:15 am

bladeracer wrote:
northdude wrote:Howa minis are pillar beded. What i did with mine is take the bottom metal/plastic off it and find some steel tube that the action screws fit nicely through then drill the plastic so the tube is a nice fit in the plastic cut a couple of thin pieces and glue them into the bottom plastic then you can tighten action down without splitting plastic


It's not pillar bedded if you had to install your own pillars.
My brother did the same with the Boyds he put on his Ruger American.

Well they have tubes in the factory stock which I presume are pillars
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bladeracer » 09 Dec 2022, 12:09 pm

northdude wrote:
bladeracer wrote:
northdude wrote:Howa minis are pillar beded. What i did with mine is take the bottom metal/plastic off it and find some steel tube that the action screws fit nicely through then drill the plastic so the tube is a nice fit in the plastic cut a couple of thin pieces and glue them into the bottom plastic then you can tighten action down without splitting plastic


It's not pillar bedded if you had to install your own pillars.
My brother did the same with the Boyds he put on his Ruger American.


Well they have tubes in the factory stock which I presume are pillars


Then I don't understand what you were doing from your description as that is pillar bedding - putting a solid tube between the width of the stock material from the action to the bottom metal so the screw torque can't compress the stock material. Drilling the holes through the plastic to put the pillar tubes in. You are putting additional tubes in?
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bladeracer » 09 Dec 2022, 12:10 pm

Wyliecoyote wrote:Howa minis do have pillars installed from the factory. What northdude did is insert tubing into the poly floor plate to prevent it being split under torque.


Oh, I think I understand...the pillars don't go all the way to the screw head, the polymer bottom plate is crushed between the screw head and the stock at the bottom? That sounds like a crap setup to me.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by Wyliecoyote » 09 Dec 2022, 12:31 pm

[quote="bladeracer"

Then I don't understand what you were doing from your description as that is pillar bedding - putting a solid tube between the width of the stock material from the action to the bottom metal so the screw torque can't compress the stock material. Drilling the holes through the plastic to put the pillar tubes in. You are putting additional tubes in?[/quote]

How do you know it's a crap setup if you don't understand what was done? Tikka and Steyr does a similar thing where the tubes or washers if you want to call them that are molded into the floorplate. It is a good fix for Legacy magazine kits as their floor plates are very prone to splitting. The idea is to be able to put as much torque on the action screws without stressing the polymer of the floor plate. Is that still a crap setup?
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by bladeracer » 09 Dec 2022, 2:16 pm

Wyliecoyote wrote:How do you know it's a crap setup if you don't understand what was done? Tikka and Steyr does a similar thing where the tubes or washers if you want to call them that are molded into the floorplate. It is a good fix for Legacy magazine kits as their floor plates are very prone to splitting. The idea is to be able to put as much torque on the action screws without stressing the polymer of the floor plate. Is that still a crap setup?


I can only work with the information I'm being given...
If it's "very prone to splitting" then yes, it's a crap setup, in my opinion. There shouldn't be that amount of torque being transferred into the polymer.
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Re: Howa mini 223 Qns

Post by LawrenceA » 09 Dec 2022, 2:49 pm

I have a bog stock standard Mini action in 223 with hogue stock.
The trigger is awesome.
The weight is awesome in that it isn't there
The accuracy is more than adequate for hunting.
Yes occasionally I have bumped the mag latch and the mag fell out. Twice I think. Never lost it but it is something you have to remember or fix.
One well placed shot is all it takes.
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