Howa Mini Magazines

[Kswhitetails]

OHREALLY? Perhaps it's time I called AGAIN, and re-emailed, and asked for a source for two action screws.....

[Chipj4]

Well I don't know what to say now. I just got off the phone with LSI and have a new mag spring headed my way. Should be here by end of week or early next week.

Funny how just a few months back they didn't offer any replacements and now bam, new spring on its way, under warrenty even.

I would be interested in how the replacement springs work out for you. After I got my stock back from B&C two mags work fine and a third one flakes out on the last round. I feel like it has a weak spring and a better (in spec?) one would fix the problem.

[Matt @ LSI]

Sad for Howa, hope it's good for you! so where did you land if we might inquire??

I took an opportunity with an amazing and progressive company, Modular Driven Technologies. My job title is PR manager. I'll be changing my user name soon to reflect that.

[A5BLASTER]

OHREALLY? Perhaps it's time I called AGAIN, and re-emailed, and asked for a source for two action screws.....

Dang if I had known you need action screws you could have had the 2 off my first rifle that got destroyed.

[grayfox]

I took an opportunity with an amazing and progressive company, Modular Driven Technologies. My job title is PR manager. I'll be changing my user name soon to reflect that.

Cool! Congrats! MDT I know those guys; now to get them into the Grendel horde.....................

[grayfox]

On a side related note of mag issue's and fix's other then spring issue's.

So I got to playing. Took 2 small ring style lock washer's just big enough to fit around the action screws. Placed them on the inside between the bottom metal and action.

Torqued it back down to 40 inch pounds and every single mag I own works perfectly now.

So if your having feeding issues and the bolt seems to drag the top of the mag. Try adding a small ring style lock washer too the inside between the bottom metal and action. Might help you out..

So, A5, for those who need this, are these split-ring lock washers, or star-type lock? and star-inside, or star-outside? or something else... I'm guessing they are 6mm diameter ones...?

[hill37]

I ask MDT about making a mag for the Mini back in April. They said they had no plans for one. With Factory mags getting more complaints and Mark working there maybe they well show more interest.

[A5BLASTER]

So, A5, for those who need this, are these split-ring lock washers, or star-type lock? and star-inside, or star-outside? or something else... I'm guessing they are 6mm diameter ones...?

I will see if I can get a good pic of a couple, I'm sure I have a few more out in the shop.

It's a simple crush style lock washer, not the star type.

Let me try and get a good pic of some, they fit perfectly around the action screws.

[A5BLASTER]

Here is a pic of the type of lock washer I used to shim the action and bottom metal so the mags would feed correctly and the bolt wouldn't contact the top of the mag and drag.

OD size is-.411
I'D size is-.255
Thickness is-.057

Hope this helps someone.

[DDRanch]

MDT
Great customer service. Been dealing with Anthony B on a issue with my mags not inserting far enough into my Brownells chassis for my Howa Mini action Grendel. Lets hope the part he is sending will take care of problem.

[Chev2500]

I took an opportunity with an amazing and progressive company, Modular Driven Technologies. My job title is PR manager. I'll be changing my user name soon to reflect that.

Good Luck! The reason I bought 2 Mini's ( 6.5 GR & 222 Rem.) is because you were on this site and helpful to all. It is rare to have a manufacture rep so available to the customers.

[Kswhitetails]

Dang if I had known you need action screws you could have had the 2 off my first rifle that got destroyed.

I still need some. I wound up just buying a couple generic ones and filing the heads to fit into the stock. Work, but they’re not right.

[A5BLASTER]

I still need some. I wound up just buying a couple generic ones and filing the heads to fit into the stock. Work, but they’re not right.

If I still had them they would be yours buddy. Didn't think too keep them when I was stripping parts off the rifle when it got destroyed.

Safed some parts to reuse on the new one but trash canned most of it including the action screws.

[A5BLASTER]

Ok so a word on mag springs. Waiting on my new one to arrive from LSI now. Looking at my invoice it says 204-223 only wth.

So I call LSI and the woman said it is the correct spring that's coming, that it was a misprint on the invoice.

Now I'm wondering. Am I getting the correct spring? Or is that part of the mag problems. Did Howa cheap out and just use the 223 spring in all their other mags for the other calibers chambered in the mini?

[BIGHORN66]

Good Question.

My last 2 I bought from a different place are just as weak as the one that came with the rifle and the 1 I bought from LSI.

They suck.

[grayfox]

Would these weaker springs at least work if a spacer (of some thickness??) was put underneath them, at the bottom of the mag?

or maybe a piece of closed cell foam...

[A5BLASTER]

Would these weaker springs at least work if a spacer (of some thickness??) was put underneath them, at the bottom of the mag?

or maybe a piece of closed cell foam...

Not sure gray. Will do some tinkering when it gets here, if I have problems with it.

Hopefully it arrives tommorw but more likely next week sometime.

[A5BLASTER]

Ok so this may be a long post and I hope I state everything clearly, here we go get the pop corn out it's going to be a long movie lmao.

So I get my replacment spring in just an hour ago. And yep it's the wrong spring. I was sent a 204-223 flat wire spring they use in their full size 1500 action rifles.

So I call LSI and explain what the issue is. The nice woman on the phone does some work and yep total slip up they as in LSI do not sell the springs for the mini action mags.

For me too get a new spring for my mag isn't possible, they wanted to do a rma and send me a whole new mag and have me send in my mag that I didn't have a spring for.

So I said ok let's do this. I asked what she wanted me to do with the spring they did send. She said just go ahead and keep it.

So I'm sitting looking at the spring and my mags and my rifle. Waiting for the rma email to arrive and said well I have this spring might as well experiment with it.

So I tryed it first in my cut down flush fit mag. That was a no go for more then 2 rounds. It's too long and strong for the flush fit mag.

So I get my 5 round mag and try it in that mag. Well it would work fine as a 3+1 mag but if I tryed to do 4+1 it was a no go.

So I took the lil bottom plate that fits inside the mag. Bottom of spring, has the peg that goes throw the mag floor plate.

I took that one out my flush fit mag, it's cut down to allow a 4+1 round count in my flush fit mag.

Stick it with the flat wire spring in the 5 round mag and BAAAABBBBAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM. 4+1 round count and perfect feeding.

Tested it 20 times in this set up and it feed and ejected perfectly all 5 rounds for the 20 times I tryed it.

So this maybe anouther option for you guys with mag feeding issues.

I will take the mag apart and try too load up some good pics of how I made mine work.

[A5BLASTER]

Hope the pics show what I'm trying to say.

Also the spring works better when installed backwards in the mag body. As seen in the pic.

[A5BLASTER]

Also as you can see the lil plate has had its ears cut down. I cut it down when I flush fit the mag it was in.

Useing this cut down part was the only way I could get the flatware spring to work. And it works perfectly.

Hope this helps someone.