Thread: 223 Howa 1500 vs Mini Action

I have had both and I preferred the standard with the hogue stock. Some people don't like the hogue stocks but I am a fan. Also I found that two mini actions I had in stainless would rust when I looked at them. Like bad. I have Remington, Marlin and kimber stainless rifles all in the same safe and they are spotless so its definitely the steel in the howa not my damp storage conditions lol. The standard I had which was also stainless was much more rust resistant. However that could have been the older vintage as it would not make sense that they would be using different steels for the two different models currently. Maybe someone else could chime in with the "staining of the current standard 1500 stainless". As others have said the magazines on the mini are a pain in the ass, the standard comes with nice bottom metal. Yes the mini is a little more compact but overall I felt the standard handled better. I would handle both and see what you like personally. Both models shot very well.