Mini 14 brass launching device with rifle accessory

Yep, the mini-14 is famous for the high-velocity brass ejection....people sometimes joke that it is the only rifle that shoots in two directions at once.

You can actually tone that down with a smaller gas bushing, if you ever choose to. There was a guy on the Mini-14 Forums who used to sell a kit of various sized bushings; the factory ones, especially the pre-580 series, were often quite large and rather overgassed.

Ruger changed from the plunger in bolt to a stud type ejector built into the bolt hold open device some time ago. The gun went from spitting the brass six feet to launching it into the next county. thirty feet is not uncommon. Mine throws them all over the landscape. I don't reload 5.56 anyway, so I can live with it.

Need a contest between the Mini14 and the RPK...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN9SlirD2a8

That is the best description of a Mini that I have read!! I alway love how those things fling brass!

Buddy of mine and I were shooting my sks. I was standing on the other side of his 10ft dog pen, catching brass as it rained down on me.

Ah, the memory of the day my cousin brought his Mini14 to the mountain for a plinking session. ¡Eyeccion con vigor extremo!

If you are defending a position with a Mini14, your front and right flank are covered!

They're definitely notorious for it.

Shortening the barrel tones it down quite a bit. Mine went from launching cases 30+ feet to having them land about 12-15 feet away after I cut it to 14.6" and welded a FH.

Another rifle that is possibly even worse is the CETME/G3.

My Witness Compact 10mm also has a habit of depositing empties a good 10+ yards to the right when using full power loads.

Yes they launch brass into he next county. The polar opposite is the FN F2000, get done shooting one of them and the brass is in a little pile at your feet.

As I hate chasing brass I use a brass catcher set up on the bench. It's a large nylon net with a frame. Works great.

Yup, got a buddy that has a mini 14 that is a slinger.
Sometimes he like to be on my left as I shoot so I can share his brass pile but I get him back with my ole Colt M1911A1 that'll sling brass to the side & behind the shooter, even had some casings land in his shirt pocket when he was behind me.

voodoo.. thats why I hate shooting my garand.. brass slinger. It, unfortunately does it at about 1-2 oclock, to the front of the firing line. I dont have private land to shoot so I loose all my 06 brass

Accuracy Systems sells a replacement adjustable gas block that tames the ejection beast and just might also improve your accuracy a bit. You can get it direct from them or Brownells.

boom boom.. I'm looking into a schuster for that same purpose.. but I'm loath to modify her.. a proper classic and all.

Several years ago my adult son and I were shooting a new Mini. As I was getting ready to shoot the first shot off the bench on my home range, he stood a "safe" distance to my right and rear (more than a dozen feet away). He as looking downrange as I fired. As I fired, I heard a 'yelp' of pain and looked over to see him flat on his back. The casing had hit him in the forehead and he honestly thought he had been shot in the head with a ricochet and was most likely dead! He never saw the empty coming at him. It was good for a laugh, and he might have just moved a little before the next shot.

I have an AK that will do that for about 20-25 feet.

I also have a CZ 452 in 22 bolt that goes high and wide. But, then again, I have another CZ that ejects like a very old man.

Mine sure did. It was one reason I got rid of it. I literally could not shoot it at a range without hitting people 3 or 4 lanes over. If I couldn't get the rightmost lane, I couldn't shoot it. It was fine for shooting out on the farm but completely unusable at the range.

Accuracy Systems sells a replacement adjustable gas block that tames the ejection beast and just might also improve your accuracy a bit. You can get it direct from them or Brownells.

Click to expand...

Best thing I ever did for my Mini14. I can shoot at the range and adjust the knob to drop the brass right beside me with whatever load I choose. You can close it and make a single shot to save your brass if you like as well. I highly recommend it.

I'm lucky I guess, mine has a plunger in the bolt face

benEzra said:

Yep, the mini-14 is famous for the high-velocity brass ejection....people sometimes joke that it is the only rifle that shoots in two directions at once.

You can actually tone that down with a smaller gas bushing, if you ever choose to. There was a guy on the Mini-14 Forums who used to sell a kit of various sized bushings; the factory ones, especially the pre-580 series, were often quite large and rather overgassed.

Click to expand...

Go visit the Gun Doc here:
http://www.greatwestgunsmithing.com/mini14.htm
Info on gas port bushings is about half way down the page.

I use an umbrella when shooting from the bench, puts all the cases at my right elbow.
Hey I'm tight!
Catpop

Mine does the same. There is nothing wrong with that and I've never felt the need to make any modifications to a perfectly functioning rifle. At the various ranges I go to you can put up netting to prevent the brass from bothering your fellow shooters. Just about all semi autos sling hot brass onto someone else. Yours happens to be five lanes down instead of bothering the person next to you.

I put an 0.042" replacement bushing along with a 1911 buffer in mine to tame the extreme ejection.

Originally Posted by benEzra
You can actually tone that down with a smaller gas bushing, if you ever choose to. There was a guy on the Mini-14 Forums who used to sell a kit of various sized bushings;

Click to expand...

That just might be me

I will agree with Sheepdog1968 ...I've never felt the need to make any modifications to a perfectly functioning rifle, to a point. I will modify it to make it a better functioning rifle, as long a reliability isn't compromised.
The first mini I made gas bushings for had a 1/7 twist barrel and when shooting NATO XM193 from a standing position the ejection distance seemed rather extreme, so I got out the 100' tape measure and measured the distance. Empties were flying 55'-60'. Why so far? Well the XM193 is a hotter load than most .223's and the 1/7 twist barrel builds a bit more pressure due to the extra resistance to the faster barrel twist on the bullet. Think 60', 20 yards, is a little extreme for ejection? I did, I made a .043" gas bushing and that brought it down to @ 12'-15' with perfect reliability with different types of ammo and different capacity mags.
What I didn't expect was the change in performance in the mini. While the 223/5.56 is not a hard recoiling round the thrashing back and forth of the op rod, which weighs in at @ 1 LB, has a lot more effect on the mini than I realized. With the smaller gas bushing it reduced the excessive impact significantly resulting in the mini becoming a smoother functioning rifle. Because of the reduced velocity of the op-rod and impact the mini was easier to keep on target, follow up target acquisition was faster allowing faster follow up shots. I think the smaller gas bushing brought the mini back to a state where it was designed to be, I cannot think of a manufacturer that would design a rifle to eject 60'. The mini evolved into the 1/7 twist barrel over time. The gas bushing has remained the same size as when the original mini's first came out when it had a 1/10 twist barrel.
As a bonus the brass was no longer being mangled and dented from hitting the op-rod on ejection.

All in all a definite improvement.

Always take it with you to the range. That way when the guy with the compensated .300 magnum sets up right next to you even though there are plenty of open bays, you can convince him to move.