When it comes to really accurate out-of-the-box rifles there are brands such as Savage that have earned a reputation for offering accuracy above and beyond what their retail price suggest is capable. Another one of those brands that punches above its weight is Howa from Legacy Sports International. I’m personally so impressed with Howa that when I married my wife and she took up deer hunting, I bought her a Howa 1500 in .243 Winchester to use.
In addition to incredible accuracy, Howa actions are fast and effortless to operate, they’re nimble and lightweight—almost dainty—and now Howa is offering a Mini action in .204 Ruger, .223 Rem. or .222 Rem. chamberings. The bolt travel on the Mini is only 6 inches compared to 7.4 inches for the full-size gun, so this one’s bolt is even slicker and faster. Without scope it weighs just over 5.5 lbs. and comes with 20” drawn barrel, three-position safety and HACT two-stage trigger.
I’m undecided, but some believe a drawn barrel produces better accuracy than a forged barrel because they are not extruded and stretched, and do not begin with billet stock. Rather, they begin as extrusion tubes that are swaged, drawn and then roll leveled before cutting. Drawn barrels are also heat treated, which produces less stress on the metallurgy and leads to a straighter barrel, producing better accuracy.
The Howa Mini Action Rifles are factory equipped with ten round, synthetic, detachable magazines and utilize a lightweight composition stock. Scope packages are also available with the Howa Mini Action rifles using the new Nikko Stirling Panamax rifle scope. The Nikko Stirling Panamax scopes offer 20% greater field-of-view than average 1 inch scopes, and come with a half Mil Dot reticle with dual color red/green illuminated reticle and a lifetime warranty, among other great features.
Scott Mayer
www.tacticaltshirts.com
www.john1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
In 2008, Mayer returned to the editorial side of publishing, this time in the digital field, as Editorial Director for Guns & Ammo, Shooting Times, Handguns and Rifleshooter online magazines. After a brief stint in 2011 as the Digital Media Director for an ABC TV affiliate, Mayer returned to the outdoors industry and Safari Club International where he is currently Assistant Publisher and Multi-Media Communications Editor.
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