The Howa Mini Action
Howa has been making the Model 1500 action for decades, with popular models in nearly every common caliber. A more recent introduction is the Model 1500 Mini, a scaled-down version of the action made specifically for smaller cartridges. The Howa Mini is currently available with chamberings in .223 Rem, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, .350 Legend, 7.62x39, and now the .22 ARC.
Related Review: Happy Hunting with Howa’s Mini Action in 6mm ARC
The Mini action uses a two-stage match trigger and a three-position thumb safety. It is a push-feed action with a one-piece, two-lug bolt. The bolt head houses an M16-style claw extractor and a single plunger-style ejector – popular features that have become the standard for quality rifle actions.
The Mini feeds from a detachable polymer box magazine. The trigger guard and floor plate are composed of a single piece of polymer, with a magazine release at the front of the magwell. The magazine holds five rounds of .22 ARC.
Adding to the quality feel of this rifle by housing it all in the H-S Precision fiberglass stock was a nice touch. The lightweight stock has a beautiful finish and an aluminum bedding block built into it for rigid support and accurate shooting.
Range Prep
With its 20-inch barrel, the Howa Mini in .22 ARC would be an excellent varmint rifle. I do quite a bit of varmint hunting here in the intermountain West, mainly hunting marmots and prairie dogs, with the occasional coyote or badger tossed in.
So, I set the rifle up for that purpose, starting with a good riflescope. I’ve used the Lucid Optics MLX 4.5-18x44 on a variety of rifles and knew it would work well on the Mini. The rifle came with a 30mm set of Nikko Stirling scope rings that bolt directly to the receiver, and I torqued them down with a touch of thread-locker. After setting the eye relief and level, I torqued down the ring caps. Lastly, I boresighted the combo on my kitchen table using my toolless boresighting method.
I also wanted to take advantage of the Mini’s threaded muzzle. The petite thread protector, which is barely noticeable, comes off easily. I threaded on my Yankee Hill Machine Turbo T3 after installing a 1/2x28 direct thread at the breech of the can for a simple connection.
On the Range
Thanks to Hornady providing ammunition for this review, I headed to the range with a variety of .22 ARC from the company’s three different ammo lines. The Hornady Match line features the new 88-grain ELDM bullet, the Hornady Black line uses a 75-grain ELDM, and the V-Match line uses the 62-grain ELD-VT.
I’ve had great experiences with my Howa Mini in 6mm ARC, so I expected this rifle to perform just as well. Running the short cartridges through the rifle felt fantastic, and watching the bullets impact on target was satisfying.
We shot the rifle in various situations, like my favorite marmot burrows high in the Rockies and in the sagebrush-covered flats of the Western deserts. The fast twist of the .22 ARC matched with the highly efficient Hornady bullets made for flat shooting and excellent downrange performance.
One of the great benefits of the .22 ARC cartridge is its barrel twist. The aggressive twist rate allows you to use larger and longer bullets, which are ideal at longer distances. Heavy bullets like those featured in the Hornady ammunition have better ballistic coefficients and hold onto their energy for longer. This rifle can hit targets at distances well beyond 500 yards.
Shooting Notes
The H-S Precision stock is definitely an upgrade over the less expensive polymer option. The texture makes it easy to hold, and the grip feels natural for my shooting style. A 90-degree bolt throw is familiar and easily executed, and the short stroke of the bolt makes for quick reloading.
I love the two-stage trigger, and the thumb safety is easily operated from most any position. The magazine is also easy to access from the shooting position, with a release in front of the magwell. It’s surprisingly easy to actuate the mag release, but since it is protected by the structure, it's hard to hit by accident.
The Mini has no issues cycling cartridges with the reliable design of the M1500 action. They feed well from the polymer magazine, aided by the slippery polymer feed lips. The M16-style extractor is particularly firm in its purchase on the spent cases as they are pulled from the chamber.
The short, light .22 ARC cartridge cases don’t take much force to expel from the action. The single plunger ejector does a great job of spitting the cases clear from the rifle, and the rifle functioned flawlessly during testing.
Modern bolt-action rifles don’t need much to shoot well. Mostly, all it takes is trying a variety of ammunition types to see what the barrel shoots best. Of course, with newer cartridges like the .22 ARC there are fewer options to test, but we had some great results with the three Hornady options.
Pros & Cons
This rifle is outstanding. It functions flawlessly as a hunting and varmint rifle. It is very light and has a fantastic balance, making it easy to maneuver for both young and old. It shoots incredibly well, making it a great choice for shooting tiny varmints or bigger targets. Plus, it’s a handsome little rifle, matching performance with great looks. The added value of the threaded muzzle, scope rings, etc. makes it an easy choice, in my estimation.
Since .22 ARC is a fairly new cartridge, it might be harder to find than other ammunition. Thus, I expect anyone who would buy this rifle is looking specifically for its performance. The .223 would be an easy alternative, as there are arguably fewer cartridges with more options.
I have mentioned before that the only thing I dislike about this rifle is the magazine situation. The magazine works flawlessly; my complaints stem more from its design. I wish it was built a little more robustly, and I wish there were a flush option to the bottom of the stock, even if it reduced capacity from five to three. The mags are quite affordable, which is a plus.
Value Proposition
Buying a Howa Mini is more about finding the model you want versus finding a good deal. With many options at Guns.com well under $600 and some below $500, the Howa Mini is affordable. With such a variety of caliber options and other configurations it can often be a challenge to decide on which model best fits your needs.
