Meet the Mini
The Howa Mini is an extra-short action, shorter still than other short-action rifles. By limiting the rifle to chamberings no longer than a .223-sized cartridge, Howa was able to make the action shorter and more petite than usual. The short barrel and rigid synthetic stock help keep the overall size of this rifle down. The purpose I had in mind for the rifle was to give my wife something more pleasant to carry for hunting season, as she is a little bit shorter and petite.
The Mini action looks like a Winchester Model 70 action that has been reduced by 25 percent. It is fed from a 5- or 10-round detachable box magazine, and though there are several chamberings, the one I have is in 6mm ARC.
The Mini action is a push-feed design and uses a two-lug bolt and an M16-style extractor. It has a two-stage trigger and a three-position safety that locks the bolt when fully engaged. It is mounted in the stock using steel pillars to increase strength and uniform tension.
Unboxing
The Mini I had ordered came with a Nikko Stirling 4-12x40 scope already mounted. I typically don’t care for the cheap giveaway-type scopes that often come packaged with rifles, but I figured I’d give this one a try as it appeared to have more useful features.
I lifted the rifle from the box and was immediately pleased with the weight – 7.4 pounds in its shooting configuration. I was also quite impressed with the stock, as most rifles at this price point come with a floppy plastic stock that is easily flexed. The stock on the Mini was quite rigid. It’s not like a fiberglass or carbon stock, but much better quality than I anticipated.
I felt the bolt and trigger functions and again was pleased with what I felt. I think I’ll lighten up the trigger a bit to fit my taste.
The magazine, on the other hand, was where I was first let down. While I can’t complain about its function, it seems a bit weak and flimsy, like it would snap if it smacked hard enough. It was time to get this thing to the range, so I bore-sighted the scope, grabbed some Hornady ammo, and headed out the door.
Specs
- Caliber: 6mm ARC
- Weight: 7.4 pounds
- Barrel length: 20 inches
- Trigger: Two-stage
- Safety: Three-position
- Capacity: 5 or 10 rounds
- Optic: Nikko Stirling 4-12x40 scope
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Detachable magazine
From the Bench…
Shooting the Mini 6mm ARC from the bench went great, and after just a couple shots I had a good zero. I’d brought three different Hornady loads to try in the rifle. To my surprise, they all shot about the same. They averaged right around 1 MOA, which was ok, but I wanted better.
I spent a few hours enjoying the rifle and running the short little bolt. It was very fun and pleasant to shoot, especially when I installed my Yankee Hill Machine Nitro N20 suppressor. The bolt was smooth and ran flawlessly, both feeding and ejecting rounds with a pretty stout ejection throw.
I was hoping for more, so I decided to try to see if I could improve the capabilities of the Mini. I started by swapping out the scope and the mounting system. The Howa Mini is compatible with Remington 700 two-piece scope bases, so I swapped those out and installed my US Optics TS25x in a set of rings on top of the little action. It felt like a better system, and I think I’ll continue to tinker with it to see if I can milk more accuracy out of it still.
…Into the Rockies
Since this rifle was destined to chase mule deer in these Rocky Mountains, I figured there was no better place to put it to the test. After my optics swap and some additional testing, the rifle seemed to be performing even better still. Whether it was me, or perhaps a little bit of a break-in I wasn’t sure.
My daughter and I hiked into the spring covered mountains, working our way up into deer country. Hiking with the Howa Mini was very pleasant compared to the typical 12-plus-pound rifles that I usually carry. It fit easily over my shoulder and stayed there, to my surprise.
Once we’d found a good spot, several targets were identified across the deep canyon. The still-melting snow left us a variety of tiny snow patches fading into the soft soil beneath. We would pick out a small patch, typically a few inches across, and after making a range and wind evaluation, we’d fire a shot as though it were a big buck standing there.
We continued this process several times and enjoyed the better part of the afternoon making our simulated shots on as many big bucks. The distance, angle, and wind for each shot would change, making it more challenging. The little Mini kept up with it all. The farthest shot we took was about 620 yards. That may have been a bit far of a shot to take on a deer with the little 6 ARC, but we sure would have hit it.
Pros & Cons
