Howa Micro Mini project.

[weagle]

After a good bit of research and shooting a couple of Howa mini bolt action rifles I've decided that what I really want is a Micro Mini. My goal is to have the smallest, shortest, handiest, bolt action 6.5 Grendel while sacrificing little to none of the cartridges inherent effectiveness.

I purchased one of the 6.5 Grendel Howa Mini's that Whittakers had on sale that came with the Youth and adult size stock. Using the youth stock the length of pull is 12 3/4" which is a very usable length for a scoped hunting rifle, it will be very handy both for still hunting and hunting from a stand. The only real change to get it to the micro size will be to cut the sporter weight barrel back to 16". Ballistics from the Grendel are very impressive from a 16" barrel. The rifle in the youth stock is 6.1 lbs and cutting off almost 6" of barrel will make it lighter by a few ounces. I'll also be shortening the forend and modifying the mag to the flush fit design that's been shown on this forum many times.

I'll scope it with a 2-7 variable.

I'm just waiting on a 6.5mm crowning tool pilot to get started.

It should be the handiest Grendel in the woods. Overall length will be right at 34"

If anyone has done a similar modification, I'd like to know how it turned out.

I'll post pics and results as I get this done.

[Frontier Gear]

My Howa has the lightweight sporter barrel that I had cut down to 16". Before putting it in the Boyd's At-One stock it was in the LSI factory plastic stock. It was very nice and "handy". The At-One stock adds a fair amount of weight, but it collapses to about the same length as the factory stock. The Boyd's stock just really helped with my accuracy, so it was worth the trade off for me. Another advantage to having such a sort overall length is that a suppressor doesn't make it a real pain to pack in the field. The rifle does not suffer from cutting it the barrel down in my opinion. It is still good out to 300 yards for anything that I hunt.

[weagle]

My Howa has the lightweight sporter barrel that I had cut down to 16". Before putting it in the Boyd's At-One stock it was in the LSI factory plastic stock. It was very nice and "handy". The At-One stock adds a fair amount of weight, but it collapses to about the same length as the factory stock. The Boyd's stock just really helped with my accuracy, so it was worth the trade off for me. Another advantage to having such a sort overall length is that a suppressor doesn't make it a real pain to pack in the field. The rifle does not suffer from cutting it the barrel down in my opinion. It is still good out to 300 yards for anything that I hunt.

Glad to hear yours worked out well. This will be purely a hunting rifle, so I think I should get acceptable accuracy from the factory stock. I just got my reloading dies in the mail, so I'll be looking for a good consistent load that works well in the 16" barrel.

[weagle]

Got it roughed it. Put a conduit clamp on the barrel for a rough guide and cut the barrel with a medium tooth hacksaw. I try to get it roughly square, but it will be squared off with a file and the piloted crowning tool will cut the crown square to the bore. I cut it to about 16 3/8" to leave plenty of room work with the crown if needed. The section of barrel I removed weighed 5oz. I also cut the forend back 3". That piece weighed 3 oz. The rest of the stock will be slimmed up so the contours look right. I also cut down the magazine for more of a flush fit to the bottom of the stock. As it stands it weighs 5lb 7oz.

Sorry for the poor quality cell phone pics


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[s3silver]

Looks good so far!

[klr]

Replace that 3 ounce recoil pad with a thin piece of plastic and you can save more weight.

[CJW]

Weagle,

What a great idea.......The gun looks great..,

Do you ever shoot out at Wolf Creek???

Chuck

[weagle]

Weagle,

What a great idea.......The gun looks great..,

Do you ever shoot out at Wolf Creek???

Chuck

Hey Chuck,

Yep. Not as much as I'd like though,

Don.

[Laman]

May I ask how will you slim down the stock? I would like to re-contour the wrist area and forearm but although have have worked on many wood stocks this is actually my first synthetic to try surgery on. Any help would be appreciated.

[CJW]

Don,

I looked at that gun and knew it was you.

I haven?t shot in competition( read cancer) in
4 years. Still going to Africa every year , Steve R.
killed the biggest elephant I have ever seen, that?s
#4 for him. This one is huge.

Let?s try to get together more.
Our league is still shooting 2,3,4 & 500 meter
Plates every Thursday & movers out to 800 yards.

Thinking of selling 2 of my BAT MB, 1000 yard guns.
I have 4 fresh pipes, 2 fire forming pipes, both Fag-Mags.

Call me, shoot with me. Just put in s new sporting clays course
this year, adding two more stations to it after the first
Of the year.


Sorry we kicked your a... a couple of weeks ago.

I?m afraid of LSU.....
Come By The Club
Chuck

[klr]

May I ask how will you slim down the stock? I would like to re-contour the wrist area and forearm but although have have worked on many wood stocks this is actually my first synthetic to try surgery on. Any help would be appreciated.

Sanding mostly. Coarse grit in a belt sander to rough it in and then use a palm sander. Here's a couple of examples:

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?17322-Howa-20-quot-Lightweight-Weight-Reduction

[Laman]

Thanks klr, that's exactly the info. I needed.

I have already done the the trigger adjustment and the magazine reduction so this stock work will complete what I want to do to this rifle. I got interested in the Grendel due to my years of competing with the 6ppc, figuring that any cartridge based on it would be probably be accurate and this rifle is with almost no load development which I plan on doing extensively after the deer season. I don't want a new stock as this is to be my lost cost knock around walking deer rifle for woods hunting in Georgia, as opposed to a safe full of many dollar more wood stocked pretty rifles lol.

BTW Geaux Tigers !!! LSU alumnus '73

[CJW]

Ga 73

[weagle]

Chuck. I'm jealous of those Africa trips. I have the yips too bad to do any credible long range target shooting, but I'm good to put one in the boiler room on game animals. I stick to busting clay birds as far as competition, because I can get away with slapping the trigger.

I've killed one deer so far with the Grendel. 123 SST put the deer down like you flipped a switch. If I can get this little 16" Howa to shoot decent I'm going to be a happy camper.

[CJW]

Big win for your Tigers today.......

Flew in to Souix Falls tonight........nasty up here.

14 inches of snow just south of Kennebec..,.,,,

You boys took Alabama to the woodshed tonight.

Shooting pheasants with the regulars this week.

Stay in touch....,,

Live Big Every Day!!!!

Chuck