There have been LOTS of suggestions on things that LSI should be doing differently with their Mini action Howa to improve upon it. Offering a floorplate or a blind magazine, especially with a longer COAL capability, seems pretty popular. Those detachable magazines are "ok" when they hold 10 rounds of .223, but pretty silly for 5 rounds of Grendel. It seems obvious that they were designed for the .223 and the Grendel was an afterthought. I get that, but even then I don't understand who in the world thought that building an action/magazine from scratch with no constraints would decide that 2.335" max COAL would be ideal, though. Probably someone who has no inderstanding of throat configuration, handloading, OR downrange ballistics. I also think it would be great if they were to have a version with a stock that was worth a damn, like their Alpine Hunter on the regular short action. Why in the world would anyone design and market a short, slim, lightweight action and then drop it in the clubbiest, overbuilt, ugly stock I've ever owned?
But if I'm being totally honest, the biggest improvement on the Howa Mini line would be to make the .223 in 1:8" twist instead of that compromise 1:9" version. The Hornady 75 grain ELD is truly a bullet worth building a rifle around. It can easily be pushed to 2900 fps in a 22" .223, costs $20/100, and makes the 6.5 Grendel 100% superfluous. The only reason the Grendel has for existing is because that bullet can't fit in a .223 at AR magazine lengths. Why in the world would a company build another new action around the .223 and not optimize it to harness all the potential in a .223 case? My .223 can shoot the 75 ELD. But with a 9" twist, I'm sacrificing BC which takes away the point of shooting the bullet in the first place, and I can't get anywhere near the lands in that silly, ugly, overpriced, not-thought-out, plastic detachable magazine.
But if I'm being totally honest, the biggest improvement on the Howa Mini line would be to make the .223 in 1:8" twist instead of that compromise 1:9" version. The Hornady 75 grain ELD is truly a bullet worth building a rifle around. It can easily be pushed to 2900 fps in a 22" .223, costs $20/100, and makes the 6.5 Grendel 100% superfluous. The only reason the Grendel has for existing is because that bullet can't fit in a .223 at AR magazine lengths. Why in the world would a company build another new action around the .223 and not optimize it to harness all the potential in a .223 case? My .223 can shoot the 75 ELD. But with a 9" twist, I'm sacrificing BC which takes away the point of shooting the bullet in the first place, and I can't get anywhere near the lands in that silly, ugly, overpriced, not-thought-out, plastic detachable magazine.
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