A 581 series Mini 14 Ranch followed me home from Christmas shopping ...

[gsbuickman]

Hiya Guys ... as luck would have it it looks like an "all weather" Mini Ranch followed me home while last minute Christmas shopping with my girlfriend for $625 and I think it'll go nicely with my series 182 Mini 14 from 1982' .



This may not be as sexy as my series 182 thanks in part to the Tupperware furniture that the action is setting in but it shouldn't be too hard to track down some nice Factory wooden furniture to replace it. I might just get froggy and get a power ball & some Mother's mag and aluminum polish and see just how shiny this receiver and Barrel will polish out because it's just a little too flat for my liking. I think Ruger calls it a brushed stainless all-weather finish but I think it's more of the a brushed aluminum or flat matte brushed nickel . Other than that I like it and it'll make a nice addition to my collection and this one has the upgrades that Ruger made to their tooling to improve accuracy and I think this one also has a 1:9 twist barrel where my 182 has the original 1:8. Even though I know I don't need it for this model because of the tapered heavy bull barrel I'm thinking of ordering an inexpensive strut for the barrel just for looks ...

 

[Lucky Derby]

Nice

 

[LoonWulf]

Only gun I miss is my mini like that.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Shoot it first before you put a strut on it. I just bought a ranch model. I switched out the gas bushing and had Accuracy Systems tune the trigger. Nothing else needed. All rifles are different so I can't say what you will find in the accuracy dept. Mine shoots right up there with my buddies two AR-15's, ones high end expensive. Of course I reload and he doesn't so I may have a bit of an advantage there. I've found a very good 62 grain load for 1/9.

 

[LoonWulf]

Shoot it first before you put a strut on it. I just bought a ranch model. I switched out the gas bushing and had Accuracy Systems tune the trigger. Nothing else needed. All rifles are different so I can't say what you will find in the accuracy dept. Mine shoots right up there with my buddies two AR-15's, ones high end expensive. Of course I reload and he doesn't so I may have a bit of an advantage there. I've found a very good 62 grain load for 1/9.

That's about what mine had, and holding 1.25-1.5" at 100yds with garbage ammo was easy, handloads cut that by 1/2" or so.
The new ones are no slouches. Dump 10-20rnds and try shoot a group and it will still be 2-3", but instead of walking they will usually be pretty close.

 

[DPris]

I brought that gun home last week.
Have a Choate side-folder waiting to go on it.

Haven't done a Mini for several years, looking forward to it.
Denis

 

[Mosin Bubba]

Nice! I really like the synthetic stock for Minis, it cuts down the weight by a few oz and shortens the LOP from too long to just about perfect.

I'd also get a 5 rd magazine for that sucker, Minis just look better with flush mags IMO.

 

[LoonWulf]

Nice! I really like the synthetic stock for Minis, it cuts down the weight by a few oz and shortens the LOP from too long to just about perfect.

I'd also get a 5 rd magazine for that sucker, Minis just look better with flush mags IMO.

Agreed, tho when scoped I like the look of 10s. I generally ran 5s for mine since I used it for hunting mostly.

 

[bluzman]

Bought my 581 Series Ranch back in 2012. It currently has a 3-9x32mm AO scope on it. The bipod was only installed for the pix.

 

[flashhole]

Nice score. Mine is a little newer but the same gun.

 

[lionking]

Ready through this thread reading the small size groups being said, makes my groups which are HUGE with my 90's standard Ruger just makes me go dang. Although you have said you hand load and maybe using a scope which I'm sure makes a difference.

Nice looking rifle, they improved the sights and barrel compared to my 90's one.

 

[kwg020]

That's about what mine had, and holding 1.25-1.5" at 100yds with garbage ammo was easy, handloads cut that by 1/2" or so.
The new ones are no slouches. Dump 10-20rnds and try shoot a group and it will still be 2-3", but instead of walking they will usually be pretty close.

I took the time to remove a skinny barrel (.562) from an early 580 series Mini and replaced it with a factory heavier barrel (.625) this last summer. What I really like is switching ammo and NOT having the POI (point of impact) move with the switch. In other words, no matter what brand of ammo or reload I shoot with the same weight bullet, I get the same POI. With the skinny barrel my POI changed, sometimes by several inches, with different ammo. Going from a slow burning powder to a fast powder could change the POI by 4 inches or more at 50 yards.

I got tighter groups using the faster burning powders and I suspect more velocity with the slower powders, but with every change from one powder to another I got a new POI. The heavier barrel reduced this dramatic change to almost nothing. The new Mini's with the factory .625 diameter barrels have changed the Mini 14 accuracy game. This time, for the better.

kwg

 

[SwampWolf]

Nice! I really like the synthetic stock for Minis, it cuts down the weight by a few oz and shortens the LOP from too long to just about perfect.

Other than aesthetics, what I like most about a wood stock vs a synthetic one is that it appears less "threatening" (i.e., "Deer Rifle" vs "Evil Black Rifle") to the ignorant. Shouldn't be that way but it is.

 

[kwg020]

Other than aesthetics, what I like most about a wood stock vs a synthetic one is that it appears less "threatening" (i.e., "Deer Rifle" vs "Evil Black Rifle") to the ignorant. Shouldn't be that way but it is.

Unfortunately aesthetics does play a part in public opinion. You rarely hear negative comments about that brown and blue rifle. But, make it black and it's just another "evil black rifle". (EBR)
kwg

 

[ThomasT]

I took the time to remove a skinny barrel (.562) from an early 580 series Mini and replaced it with a factory heavier barrel (.625) this last summer. What I really like is switching ammo and NOT having the POI (point of impact) move with the switch. In other words, no matter what brand of ammo or reload I shoot with the same weight bullet, I get the same POI. With the skinny barrel my POI changed, sometimes by several inches, with different ammo. Going from a slow burning powder to a fast powder could change the POI by 4 inches or more at 50 yards.

My first mini was a 580 series with the skinny barrel. I liked it so much I bought a secnd 580 with the tapered barrel. I got to thinking and decided I didn't need two Mini-14's so I sold the skinny barrel gun. And I regret it to this day. I didn't notice any real barrel walking. But I didn't blast mag after mag through it either. And it weighed 3/4 of a pound less than the tapered barrel model. That taper barrel has a lot of steel in it. But its a shooter no doubt. I love my Mini. What a great rifle.

 

[Ignition Override]

Excellent. All Minis are so much fun to shoot, with the appeal of the M-14 and Garand.

The thicker post sight on my (prev.) 90's Mini 14 never had the advantage of the more modern sights.

 

[DeeTV]

I've found a very good 62 grain load for 1/9.

Care to share?

 

[kwg020]

My first mini was a 580 series with the skinny barrel. I liked it so much I bought a secnd 580 with the tapered barrel. I got to thinking and decided I didn't need two Mini-14's so I sold the skinny barrel gun. And I regret it to this day. I didn't notice any real barrel walking. But I didn't blast mag after mag through it either. And it weighed 3/4 of a pound less than the tapered barrel model. That taper barrel has a lot of steel in it. But its a shooter no doubt. I love my Mini. What a great rifle.

If a guy picked one brand and one load of ammo you can get buy with a skinny barrel Mini. Put a strut or brace on it and you will probably tighten up the groups. But, once you go to a different brand of ammo or switch powder from a slow to a fast burning powder, you have a whole new rifle that needs to be sighted back in. The skinny barrel was a nice light weight gun but it was a love/hate relationship for me.

If I had to do it over again and I had access to a lathe again and all the tools I would trim some of the weight off of the new style barrel back at the flare where it comes out of the gas block. I don't believe it would save much weight because the real weight is at the action end of the barrel where Ruger put some more steal. Of course the .625" barrel is going to be heavier than the .562". All in all, the Mini is a much better gun with the new .625 barrel.

kwg

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I went out and shot my skinny barrel Mini this weekend. Bought it from a friend for $450 for the rifle + Hogue synthetic stock + 2x7 scope + fake silencer flash hider, so it was kind of dressed up as a sniper rifle. And let me tell you, there is nothing more ironically mall-ninja on this earth than a 180 series Mini pretending to be a sniper rifle.

I knew the 180 Minis were way less accurate than the newer ones, but a Mini had long been one of my irrational-want guns, and I knew I would probably never find one cheaper. Plus it was helping out a friend. Plus it made me look like a mall ninja.

So anyway, I went plinking for kicks. Set up some 2 liters at about 200 yards and tried to shoot them from a sitting position, because mall ninjas don't need benchrests. The first two shots were dead on, and after that, I don't think I hit a bottle with my next 10. I lucked into a couple of hits at the end of my magazine, but it was still like 5/20.

 

[Garandimal]

My only gripe w/ the 582-Series Mini-14 was the long and toe-pointed stock.

Easily remedied.

​

GR