Howa build

806 guns

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2024
Messages
223
Location
Texas
Afternoon everyone. I'm doing a howa mini build in 20 grendel and curious on your thoughts on hanging a 26" remington varmint contoured barrel on the mini ? Is it too much stress on the action with weight etc
 
I have the Howa mini rifle in a heavy-barrel 7.62x39 0.311 barrel ID, magazine-fed. I had some long-left-over Lapua 185 bullets that I originally used for a game ranch cow elk meat hunt in a 300 Winchester in 0.308 barrel ID. "Because I could", I loaded them with 27.0 grains of Varget over a large magnum primer, and seated them long to 2.4 COL. They flew just fine to 1-MOA at 100-yards with easy bolt lift and primer not indicating over-pressure. Velocity was 2035 fps with 15.5 SD. As hoped-for, the long under-diameter bullets "kissed" the rifling sufficiently to stabilize without grabbing it and over-pressuring. Per the Ballistic Application, the 100-yard velocity is 1831 fps and the energy is 1351 ft-lbs, which is supposedly the deer-killing equivalent to that of a 30-30. I did finally find a 20-round box of Hornady Black, expanding bullets that I could theoretically used to deer hunt.

Please note, that I have not indicated that I intend to use it for deer. I use a light skinny-barreled, short 6.5 Creedmoor as my carry-in rifle (with 37 grains of Varget under a 135-grain bullet; having an alleged 1972 ft-lbs at 100-yards) whenever I am toting my blind and chair to the woods to set-up - just to make sure that it never happens again that I have happy deer cavorting around when setting up my blind, rifle-less.

Why then did I get the Howa which I technically have zero use for - the answer was again, "because I could". I rationalize that it is my ultimate SHTF EOTWAWKI (hopefully I have the acronyms correct) for use with a can of steel-cased 7.62x39 ammunition that bought. But, then again, 7.62x51's and 5.56x45's fill that category, so now I have fully diversified to cover all possibilities!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3758.jpeg
    IMG_3758.jpeg
    368.1 KB · Views: 11
Last edited:
That's cooking for sure.

I have a Howa mini, but can't really comment on the action strength with such a large barrel.. I'd imagine it'd be ok?
 
What stock is that and how do you like it? Is that the rem varmint contour you were asking about?
So that is not my build but the guy who had the reamer made. That's the Stocky's vg carbon stock with a 26" 1-8 carbon barrel.

Guessing 1500 rounds barrel life. I'm ordering a few 55gr to have for a while. Thinking of just doing a boyds pro varmint because I will need to inlet for the heavy barrel.
 
Top