10-01-2020, 06:09 AM
i had the zastava mini action a.k.a. Rem 799 in 7.62x39. wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. throat mic'd out at 0.338". no kidding. pulled that tube off and had a pac-nor 1-8 5 groove #3 put on and chambered in 6.5 Grendel. trigger was adjustable and i set it light and crisp. bottom metal was great. all steel. push button release, steel follower. the reason it went down the road was the extractor was the worst excuse for an extractor i'd ever seen that was mated with a mauser ejector system. and with the true mauser ejector system, which the zastava m85 has, the extractor MUST hold the case head in tension against the side of the bolt face lips fairly strongly or the case will fall off the bolt face before the bolt face gets back to the ejector, and there you sit with a case sitting in the action. not a big deal on the bench target shooting, but it precluded me from hunting with it. i did the best i could to adjust it and make it work, but it was never 100%. a fatal flaw in an otherwise NEAT little action. the bolt face lips were not deep enough to hold the rim of the case so even if the extractor put enough tension on the side of the case, the bolt face lips across from the extractor were too shallow for the rim and the case would just drop into the action once it came out of the chamber a little ways. at least mine did that. if they'd built a true claw type mauser extractor, i'd still have it. one other thing, the recoil lug was broad, but short. not very ideal that's for sure.
the howa mini mauser barrel and action are 100% for hunting use. extractor and ejector ALWAYS work flawlessly. i used J.O. flush bottom metal and a B&C sporter stock. feeds flawlessly now too and no dropped magazines in the field. trigger is so-so. i'm not a fan of 2 stage triggers for bolt action hunting rifles. not as light and crisp as i would like, but useable. to get the pull as light as i'd like i'd have to order the spring from that guy in Australia and tear the trigger apart and install it. too much bother. i'll just use the trigger as is with it set as light as the internal spring will allow. still not really light, but as i said, useable.
another downside of the zastava was the bolt knob/handle was rather short and when turned up, the knob ended up being too close to the scope to keep a grip on the knob. due to the short lever arm the bolt was, therefore, a bit stiff to open. if the handle would have been maybe 1/2 inch to 1 inch longer it would have made opening the action a lot easier and the bolt knob wouldn't have come too close to the scope ocular lens.
again the howa is much better in that regard.
of the cz, the zastava, and the howa mini actions for the 6.5 Grendel, i prefer the action design and the barreled action execution of the howa to be top notch. the stock and bottom metal and magazine system left a LOT to be desired, in my opinion. i didn't care for how CZ does the bolt on their mini action with a detachable handle. and the zastava had a couple of dings on it too. the Ruger is not a true mini action. so there is no perfect mini bolt action in 6.5 Grendel in my opinion, as it comes out of the box. also with the available aftermarket support for the 3 mini bolt actions, the howa came closest to what i was looking for, albeit needing an aftermarket stock and bottom metal.
many folks, however, love their CZs and i am happy for them that they have a mini bolt action they really like.
it is obvious that there is just not enough market demand for a true mini bolt gun in 6.5 Grendel for the suppliers to deliver a top notch out of the box offering, yet. the Grendel main design goal was for an AR platform after all, and most folks out looking for a bolt platform in a 6.5 caliber usually opt for 6.5 Creedmoor or 260 Rem or 6.5x55 Swede before a 6.5 Grendel for the greater versatility of loading, and for the greater performance capability. for the person who might want to limit themselves to one light caliber rifle in 6.5 they will likely choose one of the previously mentioned 3 before the Grendel. but for the person that has a use case for a modest 6.5 with low recoil, very long barrel life, modest powder appetite, and adequate performance for light big game or larger pest removal (pigs, coyotes) the 6.5 Grendel sure has a lot to offer, and in a very light petite bolt gun if that is your passion.
-tdbru
the howa mini mauser barrel and action are 100% for hunting use. extractor and ejector ALWAYS work flawlessly. i used J.O. flush bottom metal and a B&C sporter stock. feeds flawlessly now too and no dropped magazines in the field. trigger is so-so. i'm not a fan of 2 stage triggers for bolt action hunting rifles. not as light and crisp as i would like, but useable. to get the pull as light as i'd like i'd have to order the spring from that guy in Australia and tear the trigger apart and install it. too much bother. i'll just use the trigger as is with it set as light as the internal spring will allow. still not really light, but as i said, useable.
another downside of the zastava was the bolt knob/handle was rather short and when turned up, the knob ended up being too close to the scope to keep a grip on the knob. due to the short lever arm the bolt was, therefore, a bit stiff to open. if the handle would have been maybe 1/2 inch to 1 inch longer it would have made opening the action a lot easier and the bolt knob wouldn't have come too close to the scope ocular lens.
again the howa is much better in that regard.
of the cz, the zastava, and the howa mini actions for the 6.5 Grendel, i prefer the action design and the barreled action execution of the howa to be top notch. the stock and bottom metal and magazine system left a LOT to be desired, in my opinion. i didn't care for how CZ does the bolt on their mini action with a detachable handle. and the zastava had a couple of dings on it too. the Ruger is not a true mini action. so there is no perfect mini bolt action in 6.5 Grendel in my opinion, as it comes out of the box. also with the available aftermarket support for the 3 mini bolt actions, the howa came closest to what i was looking for, albeit needing an aftermarket stock and bottom metal.
many folks, however, love their CZs and i am happy for them that they have a mini bolt action they really like.
it is obvious that there is just not enough market demand for a true mini bolt gun in 6.5 Grendel for the suppliers to deliver a top notch out of the box offering, yet. the Grendel main design goal was for an AR platform after all, and most folks out looking for a bolt platform in a 6.5 caliber usually opt for 6.5 Creedmoor or 260 Rem or 6.5x55 Swede before a 6.5 Grendel for the greater versatility of loading, and for the greater performance capability. for the person who might want to limit themselves to one light caliber rifle in 6.5 they will likely choose one of the previously mentioned 3 before the Grendel. but for the person that has a use case for a modest 6.5 with low recoil, very long barrel life, modest powder appetite, and adequate performance for light big game or larger pest removal (pigs, coyotes) the 6.5 Grendel sure has a lot to offer, and in a very light petite bolt gun if that is your passion.
-tdbru