Thread: Opinions on Howa Mini in .223

Just get the regular Howa 1500 SA, preferably blued not 'stainless' as the latter are prone to rust more!

Do a bit of digging and find a lightweight one like the picture below (the receiver has cutouts, same action used on the Howa Apline Rifles)



Try and get the 1:8 twist barrel, but a 1:9 barrel will probably work OK with bullets up to 60-70 odd grains, a 1:12 won't be the end of the world either, my old Sako L461 has a 1:14 barrel and shoots lights out with flat base bullets.

Might be able to get a nice stock for the Howa 1500 S/A easier than the Howa Mini, also the Timney trigger bolts straight in vs. the Mini which needs modification.

Most of all, the Mini has a terrible detachable magazine. No one who uses it for anything other than a range toy thinks the execution is good. You can pop it off by accident very easily.

If you have your heart set on detachable magazines, the longer 1500 SA action can accept AICS magazines either through a chassis (KRG/MDT) or detachable magazine system from Atlasworks.

With a Howa Mini, you are stuck with their magazines. Some USA vendors make 'proper' floorplates for the Mini but they are both expensive and sub-optimal (double stack, single feed, require inletting the stock to fit).

Good luck!