Howa M1500 Mini Action Walnut Hunter 22 ARC 20" 5rd Rifle

The Walnut Hunter puts the Howa 1500 Mini Action in a wood stock, a combination that has gotten rare on a rifle at this end of the catalog. The Mini Action is a receiver sized to the 223 family of cartridges rather than a short action cut down, so the bolt throw is shorter, the receiver is lighter, and the rifle handles like a smaller gun without giving up the stiffness the Howa action is known for. In 22 ARC it gets a cartridge built around long 22 caliber bullets, which carry downrange better than the 223 it shares an action length with.

The action is the one Howa has been building since 1979: a machined receiver, a forged bolt with two locking lugs and an M16 style extractor, tool free firing pin removal, a two stage match trigger and a three position safety that lets the rifle be unloaded with the safety on. Howa backs it with a sub MOA guarantee, three shots inside an inch at 100 yards with premium factory ammunition. The barrel is 20" and threaded at the muzzle, the magazine holds 5rd, and there are sling swivel studs front and rear. A walnut stock on a varmint rifle is a decision about how a gun feels in the hands, and this is one of the few places left to make it.