Hi there, my name's Jim. For my newbie introduction, I'll post about my range session today. My local range is the Bountiful Lion's Club range, up on the mountain by the B. I recently got a 2002 Ruger Mini-14 with a Choate folding stock(not a big fan of folding stocks, but it does pack nicely), and a cheapie Bushnell 3-9x38 scope. I traded my LCP and $49 for it(with cooler weather comes the ability to conceal my PT1911 under a jacket, son no need for the smaller gun until spring). The price was right, but it didn't include a magazine or the operating rod guide(forearm liner). I guess none of the aftermarket stocks come with them, and a lot of people don't realize how important it is. An order from Midway USA got me the liner, a factory Ruger 20rounder, and a John Masen flash-hider(bought bc many claim they enhance the older mini's accuracy, and I like the look
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Anyway, at the range I loaded up and proceeded to sight in at 50yds. I moved the scope when I tore down and inspected the rifle, so it was way off. I had also set it back as far as possible in the mounts, which wasn't far enough for proper eye relief(and they folding stock doesn't help eye-alignment and cheek weld). I was shooting from the bench, with the forearm resting on a home-made rest(two wood blocks nailed together with a V cut in the vertical one). After I got it sighted, I had no problem shooting a sub 2" group. At 100yds, with a little elevation adjustment, I shot 4" five shot groups as fast as I could acquire the target(about 1-sec between shots). I shot 40rds, and the barrel was nice and hot, but the gun held POA and had no fliers or malfunctions. This made me very happy, as I've read a lot about the Mini's rep for fliers and changing POA with a hot barrel. Right after I finished the rangemaster came out a said, gruffly, "Ten rounds per magazine, with a FULL three seconds between shots." I thanked him for informing me of that rule and apologized for my ignorance of it.
I then moved onto my Taurus PT1911, which I haven't shot since I repaired the rear sight set screw. I refinished the gun last spring(it was a Duo-tone, which is basically parkerized but has brushed sides on the stainless slide). I fully disassemble it, stripped the finish with vinegar, and sanded/polished the entire gun. The slide is mirror polished, and the frame I reblued. During that time I also added an EGW angle-bored barrel bushing and modified the stock ambi safety by grinding off the left-hand safety lever(it always caught on clothing while cc'ing and clicked off). The bushing, which required minor fitting, really helped the accuracy, which was the only thing I disliked about the gun. Anyway, I start firing three shot groups, trying to sight in. It was all over the place at 25yds. I was like, ***? So I inspect the sights, and sure enough, the rear was already loose. Guess I'll have to Loctite it after all. After tightening it, I got a 4" group, standing at 25yds. I then shot a couple 1.5" groups at 15 yards. For me, that's damn good. I've never shot for groups with this gun, I've just shot probably a little over 1000 rounds through it plinking. More practice, and maybe I can improve that 25yd group.
After that, I shot my sister's G19. I like the gun(for concealability, and comfort), but man, its accuracy isn't great. At 15yds the best I could get was a 4" three-shot group. The POI was just all over the place. It works great for shooting cans, but she won't be doing any target competition with it. And, I don't like the trigger, at all.
All in all, it was a nice hour and a half of shooting. I'm happy with the Mini-14, although I'm hoping a Glass-bedding will improve the accuracy even more, so I can really reach those 'yotes. It's nice to be a member of the site finally, after reading many, many posts over the last few months. Jim
