Howa 6.5G 20" heavy barrel in BRN-1 chassis: how to shoot slower

[m796rider]

I could not resist Brownell's pricing on the Howa mini actions -- that and the dwindling stock of discontinued BRN-1 chassis finally got me to buy a 6.5G bolt gun.

Putting the action in the chassis, I discovered that I had to hold the barrel centered in the hand guard while tightening the action screws, otherwise the action could sit slightly angled in the chassis. I screwed in an Odin Works Zulu 2.0 stock, which seems to work perfectly; I appreciate the chassis set screw that keeps the stock from rotating out. I modded a MFT pistol grip to fit the not-quite AR15 dimensions of the chassis and shortened it up just a bit to fit how I hold my trigger hand.

Scope is an Athlon Helos BTR Gen 2 2-12x42 FFP mil/mil, which I think is perfect for the ranges I'll be shooting (600yds max).

The mag feeds all 5 rounds just fine, although you do have to be snappy with the bolt manipulation for 100% feed on the final round. Not a big deal, that's how I shoot bolt guns anyway. I see now what everyone means about the Howa mags... Ugh.

Weight is just under 10lbs with an empty mag. That is just fine with me because the chassis feels super solid.

I threw a pic rail on the bottom of the hand guard to interface with my old-school shooting tripod. I'm not a huge fan of bipods so it'll either be mounted on the tripod or shot off a bag.

Anyway, here it is:

[shooter545]

That is a good looking rifle and I am not really a bolt gun guy anymore. In for the range report.

[Rosecrans1]

That looks great!! There are a few rifles out there that you have to hold the barrel centered as you tighten the action screw(s) to free-float.

[m796rider]

I have to admit I was a little surprised that the action had to be aligned by hand. I'm not sure I've experienced this with the other chassis' I've used in the past. Anyway, no big deal if the rifle shoots!

[tdbru]

m796rider,
that's a pretty cool looking rig for sure. at 10lbs. i assume this is not a primary hunting rifle, but more of a bench rifle? how would you compare handling and ergos between the normal howa mini 1500 (or any sporter in a tradiional shaped stock) and the mini in a chassis style stock. similarities? differences? are chassis stocks essentially range/bench setups? they look ungainly and clumsy to hunt with, but not having a rifle with a chassis stock, i don't know that for sure. so i am curious.
regards,
tdbru

[m796rider]

m796rider,
that's a pretty cool looking rig for sure. at 10lbs. i assume this is not a primary hunting rifle, but more of a bench rifle? how would you compare handling and ergos between the normal howa mini 1500 (or any sporter in a tradiional shaped stock) and the mini in a chassis style stock. similarities? differences? are chassis stocks essentially range/bench setups? they look ungainly and clumsy to hunt with, but not having a rifle with a chassis stock, i don't know that for sure. so i am curious.
regards,
tdbru

Bench/positional/prone shooting on a range. MDT makes a carbon fiber chassis for hunting, but I didn't want to pay over $1k for it (actually not even sure they have one for a mini action).

As chassis' go, this one is pretty light. Under 10lbs is pretty darned good for a full-up rifle with scope (scope by itself is 1.5 lbs). I've had chassis and stocked rifles in larger calibers that came in over 13 lbs so I appreciate how light this one is.

As for feel, I like how slim and dehorned the hand guard is, and the built in barricade stops are a bonus for positional shooting. The flat bottom on the hand guard also makes it easy to stabilize on hard surfaces. It's just nice not to have a light stock that flexes -- I've had plenty of those.

For sure, a chassis with a target stock is going to catch on stuff way more than a traditional stock, so probably not the greatest setup for moving through heavy brush or wooded areas. But again, that isn't the plan with this rifle.

[m796rider]

I did a tiny bit of modifying around the magazine latch to limit its range of motion so it holds the magazine a tiny bit higher. This in turn provides 100% reliable feeding, whereas before I'd get the bolt overriding the last round every now and then.

[m796rider]

This setup shoots Hornady 123gr Amax factory ammo well enough... 1.12" at 100 yards, 5 shots, bipod on a bench. Forgot my rear bag so just loading the bipod, no hold on stock. No big surprise this is a 1MOA or so shooter right now, as quite a few of the Howa Mini's seem to be.



As others have reported, Berger 130gr Hybrids don't appreciate a large jump, so my AR mag length loads were a no-go. I have another batch loaded up at 2.328" COAL, 31gr CFE223, which is as long as the Howa mini mag will allow. We'll see!

[biodsl]

This is all looking promising. I couldn't shoot 1.12 inches without a rear bag! Interested in hearing the results with the Bergers.

[m796rider]

I ordered a 10rd .223 mini mag earlier this week. It just arrived and I quickly modded the feed lips and follower with a Dremel tool - took about 5 minutes total. Sanded smooth, and boom! 6-round 6.5 Grendel mag, works perfectly with SAAMI length and max mag COAL rounds.

Stuff removed is in red in photo.

[m796rider]

Here is a pic of the mag catch mod I made to the BRN-1 chassis. It's basically a snipped length of AR mag spring press fit into a couple of notches I cut into the chassis.

Feeding is SO much smoother and more reliable with the mag sitting up higher with this mod.

[raamaudio]

I wish I had paid more attention to this great thread as I am looking into the shorter version of this stock.

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I was looking into the 5-7 round mag mods, then hoping the 10 round .223 would be able to hold even more, looks like 6 or 7 is it for now.

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Rick

[m796rider]

I was looking into the 5-7 round mag mods, then hoping the 10 round .223 would be able to hold even more, looks like 6 or 7 is it for now.

I'm fine with 5-6 rounds per mag. I managed to scrounge 3 extra Grendel mags and the one .223 mag so I'm happy with the number of mags I have. I would still like to try 3D printing an extended basepad to see if that does anything for mag capacity (if the spring even works).

With the mag catch mod my rifle feeds super smoothly using all the mags I have now.

ETA: Configuration changes, including an AR-style stock so I can get farther back from the scope and a MDT bolt knob cover -- which I had to mod to clear the scope throw lever. No biggie. The stock is SUPER tight on the receiver extension so it is rock solid.

[raamaudio]

I like the idea of the 3D base plate printing, very much so, best I have seen posted so far.
And of course the mag catch mod, I will have to look into that if I get one of these chassis!

On hold for now, wildfire is coming our way so getting ready to load up all I can and make a run for it later today or hopefully not have to.
CA politics and wildfires invading NV, wish they would stay home...

(no offense meant to all that live there, just the ones without common sense and the many that flee then bring the BS they fled from with them)

Rick

[m796rider]

I like the idea of the 3D base plate printing, very much so, best I have seen posted so far.
And of course the mag catch mod, I will have to look into that if I get one of these chassis!

On hold for now, wildfire is coming our way so getting ready to load up all I can and make a run for it later today or hopefully not have to.
CA politics and wildfires invading NV, wish they would stay home...

(no offense meant to all that live there, just the ones without common sense and the many that flee then bring the BS they fled from with them)

Rick

I get ya, 100%.

I'm messing around with an Amend 5.56 +5 basepad I had sitting around and I can *almost* get 9 rounds in using the modified Howa .223 follower. The spring is getting forced into the follower and sticking so the last round won't feed, but it's so darned close!