My mini 14 experience….
- Thread starter Mr transformer
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Mr transformer
Member
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- Jun 21, 2011
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If you look at my first post.
At close range, I considered it pointless to do three shot groups because all the other rifles I own will make an overlapping hole. Once you get the adjustment to the point that you are close to center, then take a three shot group at a 100 yards where the pattern can spread out a bit.
That method has worked with everything else I have dealt with. 30-06 is about a dollar a shell and I can’t afford to blow off ammunition for the fun of it. That is what the 22 is for. 223 ammo is a bit cheaper but I still try to avoid expending it unless it’s needed.
And, in case people are wondering. It’s the older version with the thin barrel, and the single vertical fin on the front sight.
420Stainless
Member
That sucks. About the only thing I could think of that could cause that kind of inaccuracy would be a severe defect at the end of the barrel or a very wide variation in the ammo.
I love my 6.8SPC mini.
I love my 6.8SPC mini.
Waywatcher
Member
Don't worry about handloading for it; I tried it when I owned one.
Every firing would have an approximate 50% attrition rate for brass. Either for flying into the next county or for getting giant, humungous dents in the shoulder/case mouth area. (Often more than half closing the case mouth.)
Every firing would have an approximate 50% attrition rate for brass. Either for flying into the next county or for getting giant, humungous dents in the shoulder/case mouth area. (Often more than half closing the case mouth.)
Im sorry to hear youre another person with an inaccurate mini 
cant say that its a rare occurrence. I hope your friend has the time/patience to deal with it, or the awareness to move onto another rifle. The thing about the mini, is its generally not an out of the box accurate rifle. If your looking for something your going to go pdog hunting with strait out, then it isnt a good choice. If your willing to put time and energy into it, its a very good project gun, much more rewarding then just bolting on parts.
My own mini (newer 581) shoots well, and there are a few things that can be done to improve the accuracy of any mini. Bedding the action helps, as well as shortening the barrel and/or adding a strut. A trigger job is actually pretty easy to to on the mini, but takes care and patience to do right. Cryo treatment has its proponents but ive had a hard time believing in it myself (well see as the only gun ive seen it done on was garbage going in, garbage coming out). A muzzel weight (brake, flash hider, or boss system etc.) has been known to cause a serious improvement of the mini for some odd reason, again ive never heard a definitive answer as to why. Other bits that make living with a mini more enjoyable are either an adjustable gas block, or a set of ASI gas tubs, Im running a .040 on my mini and its now tossing brass in a 45* arc at 10ft or so. A buffer will help as well, keeps your scopes from dying an untimely death, and your action from getting beat too badly. Handloading has given me little real advantage in my own mini (unless i load out very long to touch riffling, then this gun will shoot right with my bolts), but in a friends rifle 70grn speer ssp over 4895 gave very very good results, this is a load im going to try next in my rifle.
If your interested in what ive done to mine i can tell you, and give you accuracy figures, but minis it seems are more individualistic then most rifles, so i dont think the info would really be of any benefit.
If your interested take a look at the perfectunion forums, pretty much everything to that ive found out (actual information, rather then people just upset because they got something they didnt want) about minis has come from there.
On a note, i just reread the original post and figgured out HOW inaccurate the rifle is being. It does sound like a odd problem, and i WOULD contact Ruger.
cant say that its a rare occurrence. I hope your friend has the time/patience to deal with it, or the awareness to move onto another rifle. The thing about the mini, is its generally not an out of the box accurate rifle. If your looking for something your going to go pdog hunting with strait out, then it isnt a good choice. If your willing to put time and energy into it, its a very good project gun, much more rewarding then just bolting on parts. My own mini (newer 581) shoots well, and there are a few things that can be done to improve the accuracy of any mini. Bedding the action helps, as well as shortening the barrel and/or adding a strut. A trigger job is actually pretty easy to to on the mini, but takes care and patience to do right. Cryo treatment has its proponents but ive had a hard time believing in it myself (well see as the only gun ive seen it done on was garbage going in, garbage coming out). A muzzel weight (brake, flash hider, or boss system etc.) has been known to cause a serious improvement of the mini for some odd reason, again ive never heard a definitive answer as to why. Other bits that make living with a mini more enjoyable are either an adjustable gas block, or a set of ASI gas tubs, Im running a .040 on my mini and its now tossing brass in a 45* arc at 10ft or so. A buffer will help as well, keeps your scopes from dying an untimely death, and your action from getting beat too badly. Handloading has given me little real advantage in my own mini (unless i load out very long to touch riffling, then this gun will shoot right with my bolts), but in a friends rifle 70grn speer ssp over 4895 gave very very good results, this is a load im going to try next in my rifle.
If your interested in what ive done to mine i can tell you, and give you accuracy figures, but minis it seems are more individualistic then most rifles, so i dont think the info would really be of any benefit.
If your interested take a look at the perfectunion forums, pretty much everything to that ive found out (actual information, rather then people just upset because they got something they didnt want) about minis has come from there.
On a note, i just reread the original post and figgured out HOW inaccurate the rifle is being. It does sound like a odd problem, and i WOULD contact Ruger.
Last edited:
Double Vision
Member
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Just off the cuff, the OP's story sounds like a Mini that's pretty much a unique lemon. Somehow or another...
I've had four of the early, skinny-barrelled models. Two blued; two stainless. I never did worse for the first three shots than two MOA with a Weaver K4 on top. I never kept a count of the shooting, but I know I used up some three thousand rounds among the four rifles.
I've had four of the early, skinny-barrelled models. Two blued; two stainless. I never did worse for the first three shots than two MOA with a Weaver K4 on top. I never kept a count of the shooting, but I know I used up some three thousand rounds among the four rifles.
when was with the .gov our LE guys were issued minis and kept a log book of all groups shot with different ammo. They were all about 1.5" at 50 yards. That would be about 3" at 100 yards. Scopes were leupold 4X. That old mini had a problem if it's shooting that bad. I would have a gunsmith check it out.
ZX10Aviator
Member
Ok, I have an older mini 14, it used to shoot 3"+ groups, until I spent some time with it and accurized it on the cheap. Here is its last 100yard group!
LEFT TARGET is the mini14 at 100yds
here is what you do, cheaper than dirt, get two of these barrel clamps, get a piece of aluminum rod and bolt all that onto the step in the barrel, and put a flash hider on it. I also put a smaller bushing for the gas as I used to chuck the brass 20' at least.. This brought me from 3"+ groups to 1/2"-1" at 100yds.
LEFT TARGET is the mini14 at 100yds
here is what you do, cheaper than dirt, get two of these barrel clamps, get a piece of aluminum rod and bolt all that onto the step in the barrel, and put a flash hider on it. I also put a smaller bushing for the gas as I used to chuck the brass 20' at least.. This brought me from 3"+ groups to 1/2"-1" at 100yds.
I second that.
It wasnt until I became more involved with the 2A and joined this site that I started hearing about the issues with the mini.
I've stated before in other mini threads that my early mini had no such issues.
Plus what I learned about the internet "reviews" since Al Gore invented it, satisfied customers tend to be quiet
everything, no matter what it is will have lemons. Many times the company will rectify that but the bad "reviews" live on until they become "facts". I have personal experience with one such issue (not gun related) where the "facts" is nothing more than a couple bad incidents were completely blown out of proportion and people, with zero personal experience add their $0.2 claiming it as gospel truth. see where I'm leading to? That still irks me so i'll get off my soapbox.
My new years resolution is to buy a semi 223 this year. since I live in the "wonderful and safe" state of california, my options are limited.
Take a guess what I'll be buying
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
MistWolf, "accuracy" can be different things for different people. Since my Minis always put the first shot where I wanted, I figure that means they were quite adequate for accuracy for my use in hunting.
A fairly rapid five-shot group on paper at some three or four MOA is certainly not adequate for accuracy as a target rifle.
In the FWIW department, I found that a flash-hider on my fourth and final Mini settled it down a bit. A couple of five-shot groups in testing were about two MOA, which was around the previous three-shot limit. Didn't affect the first-shot reliability, though, so it didn't really matter...
A fairly rapid five-shot group on paper at some three or four MOA is certainly not adequate for accuracy as a target rifle.
In the FWIW department, I found that a flash-hider on my fourth and final Mini settled it down a bit. A couple of five-shot groups in testing were about two MOA, which was around the previous three-shot limit. Didn't affect the first-shot reliability, though, so it didn't really matter...
Mr transformer
Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2011
- Messages
- 48
As of now… it’s NHP (Not His problem)
He showed up earlier yesterday to get his gun and said he would tell me what’s going on a little bit later next day. He had a few details but they were sketchy.
Stopped by later today and he told me he had ask around the neighborhood to see if anyone had a good rifle to sell. He told one of the neighbors he talked to that he had a mini that had accuracy problems and was looking for a better long range rifle on the cheap. The person had him come over and test out a lightly used weatherby vanguard in 270. It was a bolt action instead of a semi, but it had the accuracy he wanted. It has an old low end lupold scope. The person told him that he would do a straight trade for the mini if the mini was in good enough condition. He just wanted the mini for the sake of having it. He was going to do the full aftermarket outfit, so the messed up factory barrel was no concern to him. If he bought a new mini, it would cost him the same as the weatherby and old scope would cost if he bought them new today, so they considered it an even trade.
He gave the person the scope rings that go with the ruger, but he kept the Bushnell scope the person didn’t really want it. (Now if I can just talk him out of it…. I kind of liked the scope myself…)
The things he complimented about the weatherby was that with the full length barrel, it had a lot less muzzle blast than the mini 14, and it was a lot more pleasant to shoot. Your field of view was not obliterated with muzzle flash every time you pulled the trigger. You could actually see your target get hit. That may also be a result of the ammo he was using during the test, but he will have to try a few more brands to see what type he wants to settle on.
He only paid around $370 for the mini back many years ago, so he thinks he made a hell of a deal. And he has already gotten pretty good at taking out 2 liter bottles at a 1000 feet while shooting from a rest, so he is a happy camper.
The 270 ammo is a more expensive than the 223, but he considers it worth it if he can hit what he is aiming at.
Now if it was just warm enough outside to enjoy shooting right now. Some of the 2 liter bottles were showing signs of freezing by the time we got around to shooting them. I didn’t know what was going to freeze solid first. Us or the bottles of water!!
I guess all is well that end well….
He showed up earlier yesterday to get his gun and said he would tell me what’s going on a little bit later next day. He had a few details but they were sketchy.
Stopped by later today and he told me he had ask around the neighborhood to see if anyone had a good rifle to sell. He told one of the neighbors he talked to that he had a mini that had accuracy problems and was looking for a better long range rifle on the cheap. The person had him come over and test out a lightly used weatherby vanguard in 270. It was a bolt action instead of a semi, but it had the accuracy he wanted. It has an old low end lupold scope. The person told him that he would do a straight trade for the mini if the mini was in good enough condition. He just wanted the mini for the sake of having it. He was going to do the full aftermarket outfit, so the messed up factory barrel was no concern to him. If he bought a new mini, it would cost him the same as the weatherby and old scope would cost if he bought them new today, so they considered it an even trade.
He gave the person the scope rings that go with the ruger, but he kept the Bushnell scope the person didn’t really want it. (Now if I can just talk him out of it…. I kind of liked the scope myself…
)The things he complimented about the weatherby was that with the full length barrel, it had a lot less muzzle blast than the mini 14, and it was a lot more pleasant to shoot. Your field of view was not obliterated with muzzle flash every time you pulled the trigger. You could actually see your target get hit. That may also be a result of the ammo he was using during the test, but he will have to try a few more brands to see what type he wants to settle on.
He only paid around $370 for the mini back many years ago, so he thinks he made a hell of a deal. And he has already gotten pretty good at taking out 2 liter bottles at a 1000 feet while shooting from a rest, so he is a happy camper.
The 270 ammo is a more expensive than the 223, but he considers it worth it if he can hit what he is aiming at.
Now if it was just warm enough outside to enjoy shooting right now. Some of the 2 liter bottles were showing signs of freezing by the time we got around to shooting them. I didn’t know what was going to freeze solid first. Us or the bottles of water!!
I guess all is well that end well….
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Whatever works!
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