07-03-2021, 02:04 AM
tdbru Wrote: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.