Howa Miniaction rebarrel advice needed

[jasper2408]

I talked to McGowen today and am looking into getting my Howa Miniaction Chassis rebarreled (not the Howage version). They would be doing all of the work. I am debating on whether to get the barrel cut rifled or button rifled. They claim that the button rifled barrel is just as accurate as the cut rifled barrel and that the stainless throat is better at standing up to heat erosion than their 4140 steel barrel. They also stress relieve and hand lap each barrel. From reading on here I always thought that the cut rifled barrels were more accurate. The expense difference is about 100.00. They say that the turnaround time either way is between 12-15 weeks.

I went to the Patriot Valley Arms web page and they claim that button rifling is the way to go and that a 4140 steel blank that has the proper Rockwell hardness is a better barrel than a stainless barrel. I was looking at the 4140 barrel of McGowens but I am uncertain of the hardness of their 4140 barrels.

I don't mind spending the money but I want to get this right the first time and not regret my purchase. Any advice would be welcomed. I would also like your opinion on the McGowen barrels quality.

TIA

[grayfox]

Before you spend $450-600 on a new barrel, you need to ask/describe what you want the rifle to do.
Also, why not do the howage setup? Makes rebarreling much easier, you can still have them do it, or do it yourself.

But please elaborate on what your goals are for this rig.
What chamber? You're on here so do we assume 6.5 Grendel?
What length, shooting for what purposes, do you handload or just shoot factory... etc, etc.
Are you good enough of a marksman to be able to tell the difference in cut/buttoned.

There are some other players in the howa re-barrel game, have you talked with them too? I like to have 3 "bids" in front of me so as to judge which way to go.
Preferred barrels.
I think Criterion has some too.
Craddock maybe?
Maybe some other mbrs will chime in on options.
Nothing really wrong with McGowen imo, I have had a barrel from them and it shot well.
They are what I would call a good, mid-grade dealer, better than rack grade but not in the league of Lilja, Krieger, etc.

As to cut rifled vs button, if it's in the hands of skilled workers and all else being equal, the cut rifled will typically be better, that's what Krieger and Bartlein and those top-level guys do with their barrels. But button rifling can be very good as well. Depends on the status of the tool and the skill of the barrel-makers.
The best barrel I've got is a lilja. Some of the more serious shooters have bartlein, krieger, etc and they will be better positioned to talk about them.

[jasper2408]

I am in the early stages of finding out what my options are.

McGowen is just the first one that I have talked to. That is why I am asking about them to see what kind of quality their barrels are. I want to have it chambered in 6.5 Grendel, 22", and I want the barrel contour to fit in my existing miniaction chassis without modifying the chassis. I would really prefer to have a Lilja, Bartlein, or a Krieger barrel and I was hoping someone could steer me to a gunsmithing house that is able to install one of those brands on my Howa miniaction and do it right.

I do 100% my own handloads.

I read all of the advice on the forum that states "get a better barrel" and I now have the opportunity to be able to do that so that is what I am attempting to do. Maybe some days I will get the accuracy and some days I won't be able to but I am willing to spend some money to find out.

As far as the Howage nut goes I would rather have a standard mounted barrel.

Thanks for your input.

[ricsmall]

https://www.hartbarrels.com/product-p/STRIPEDSKIRT.htm

[Oso Polaris]

Jasper,

You're headed in the right direction for improving accuracy, barrel and trigger. Any quality gunsmith should be able to chamber and mount a barrel. The first step is determining what profile of barrel will fit your chassis. All things being equal a heavier profile barrel is going to remain more accurate... it can handle a more shots over a shorter period of time before it heats up (as barrels get hot the groups tend to open wider). That said, the Howa Mini isn't a large rear shank so a "heavy barrel" is relative.

As Grey Fox stated, "What do you want to do with this gun?" If you are going to do a lot of field hunting, walking and stalking then weight becomes critical so want a lighter weight barrel. Otherwise, lean toward heavier barrel for more stability and ability to handle higher round counts while shooting. If you plan to use a suppressor then you may want to go shorter than 22" to make the gun easier to handle in a blind... If you want to push max distance (1000 yards) then you need +24" to get every ounce of FPS that you can squeeze out of cartridge.

Its a decision matrix. What do you want to do with this gun??? I can tell you that my "heavy" barrel is at best comparable to a medium weight sporter contour. My Rem 700 wearing a Sendero/Varmint contour barrel looks like a bull barrel compared to Howa Mini's "Heavy" Barrel. Unless you are climbing or packing mountains, I would at least go as heavy as the factory "Heavy".

[jasper2408]

https://www.hartbarrels.com/product-p/STRIPEDSKIRT.htm

I did see Hart barrels on a search but I had forgot about them. I will definitely contact them tomorrow to see what they have to say. Thanks for the info.

Edit: Mcgowen was going to be around 765.00 (520.00/barrel and 245.00/installation) for the cut rifled barrel and the lead time was going to be 12-15 weeks

What do you want to do with this gun?

I do not hunt anymore so it would mainly be for shooting paper and steel. I am 69 so it is just me wanting a better shooting rifle. I like to mess with different loads and see what they will do. I only shoot it off of a bench with either a bipod or a benchrest. I have upgraded all of my reloading equipment so it is time to upgrade my favorite rifle.

I am going to try and get a little heavier contour than the Howa heavy 20" that will fit on my chassis without modifying the chassis. I want to up the barrel length to 22" from the stock 20" so that it will still be as compact as possible but get a little more velocity. I think 24" would be too long for this gun.


thank you for both of your suggestions.

[jasper2408]

I went to the Hart website and read their info and it looks like they do high quality work. It doesn't say whether they do Howa rebarreling but they do square up the action as part of their rebarreling operation. I contacted them last night and am waiting for them to get back to me so I will see whether they will do the work that I am wanting and an idea of what the cost would be and the turnaround time.

[Dinny]

Oregunsmithing is the way to go, IMHO. Wayne knows how to make a rifle sing! http://www.oregunsmithingllc.com/

Thanks, Dinny

[jasper2408]

Oregunsmithing is the way to go, IMHO. Wayne knows how to make a rifle sing! http://www.oregunsmithingllc.com/

Thanks, Dinny

I will contact him tomorrow and get some info from him.

Thanks for your input.

[jasper2408]

I contacted Mark at PF and he said he would do the job for me. I am waiting on him to get back to me once he contacts Krieger about the barrel contour so he can set a final price.

The wait is gonna be 10 months, and it will probably be longer but I know that going in and am willing to wait. I know that he puts out quality stuff so to me it will be worth the wait. I have other rifles that I can shoot this summer so I can keep myself busy.

Just thought I would let you all know what I decided to do. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

[Ruwhitsum]

[tdbru]

Brux barrels. there CM steel is 4150. this is what the USGI M16/M4 barrels require. a bit more carbon than 4140 barrels so it is even more resistant to erosion and wear. also Brux cut rifle lapped barrels are very accurate.
-tdbru

[Ruwhitsum]

Jasper,

You're headed in the right direction for improving accuracy, barrel and trigger. Any quality gunsmith should be able to chamber and mount a barrel. The first step is determining what profile of barrel will fit your chassis. All things being equal a heavier profile barrel is going to remain more accurate... it can handle a more shots over a shorter period of time before it heats up (as barrels get hot the groups tend to open wider). That said, the Howa Mini isn't a large rear shank so a "heavy barrel" is relative.

As Grey Fox stated, "What do you want to do with this gun?" If you are going to do a lot of field hunting, walking and stalking then weight becomes critical so want a lighter weight barrel. Otherwise, lean toward heavier barrel for more stability and ability to handle higher round counts while shooting. If you plan to use a suppressor then you may want to go shorter than 22" to make the gun easier to handle in a blind... If you want to push max distance (1000 yards) then you need +24" to get every ounce of FPS that you can squeeze out of cartridge.

Its a decision matrix. What do you want to do with this gun??? I can tell you that my "heavy" barrel is at best comparable to a medium weight sporter contour. My Rem 700 wearing a Sendero/Varmint contour barrel looks like a bull barrel compared to Howa Mini's "Heavy" Barrel. Unless you are climbing or packing mountains, I would at least go as heavy as the factory "Heavy".

[jasper2408]

Sorry guys, I somehow missed your posts.

What I decided on was to have them copy the original barrel contour until it reached .800" then continue at that slightly larger size for the rest of the length of the barrel. I did not want to have to modify the chassis in any way. My plan was that I could still buy a Howa 20" HB barreled action and mount it to the same chassis.

I decided to go with a SS 22" Kreiger 1:8 twist 5R rifling and threaded 5/8-24. At the time of the order Kreiger was at 6 months delivery (now at 9-12 months) so it is still going to be awhile before I get it back. I hope to be able to shoot it next summer sometime.

When I talked to Mark originally he said that Kreiger was good about doing custom contours. I told him when I settled with him that he would not hear from me again unless he contacted me. I knew how slammed he was then when I ordered and that I would have to wait whatever time it took.