Ruger Mini 14

[4ked Horn]

I have a pre ban mini 14 and I am getting about 2" groups with it.

The twist needs to be high with the heavy bullets. My twist is 1 rotation in 7 inches so I can easily stabilize even the 75 grain Hornady Amax bullets. They wont fit in the mag though so I dont use them often. If you have a 1 in 9 or slower twist then you will want to stay with 55 grain and less for best stabilization.

I love my ruger for the up close coyote hunting and it makes a wreck out of running jack rabits using plain ol' 55 grain pointed soft points.

Keep in mind that this gun was never designed to be a long range gun so it takes some work ($$$) to get it there. It was meant to be a utility gun specificly designed to handle farm and ranch work. i.e. coyotes, jackrabits, bobcats, some of our feathered friends and the occasional rustler

.

Other variations of the mini serve a better police/military/guard type function than the off the shelf mini but you should have lots of fun with it and messing with the loads a little will help your accuracy.

BTW My mini didn't seem to shoot consistently untill I had put about 2000 rounds through the barrel. Maybe I should have run some JB Bore scrub through the barrel.

 

[DixieFreedom]

Rem 25/06

Check out the mini 14 forum on the web site, Perfect Union powered by BBS.

Lots of good info on tuning up the mini as much as it can be tuned.

On average most folks report 4 inch groups from the mini 14 at 100 yards, but infallible feeding and ejection. That is what mine does. The cheapest quickest fix is to cut the barrel back to about 17.25 inches and put on a brake. The brake seems to dampen whip. If you get a 2" out of the box you are ahead of the game.

For 800 clams or so Accuracy systems will trick it out nice with a heavey barrel, modified gas block, trigger job etc. but by then you could of had a Rock River or a Bushmaster...

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Got to thinking the other day about possibly owning one of these in the near future with a 30 round clip mainly for running coyotes or the occasional standing few. Have heard a lot of mixed results reguarding accuracy. The twist is slow so it would be best used with heavier bullets I would think. I saw a test in a magazine once and they were reloading for it with the lighter 40, 50, and 55g bullets, but the average groups were running around 2 inches at 100 yards. I dont really like that, but I am hoping thats due to the twist. What if you were to put the 69g SMK in it?? It would just be nice to have a real cheap gun to shoot at them running coyotes with a lot of shells.

 

[4ked Horn]

I agree strongly with dixie on the flawless function of the mini.

I have fired over 4000 rounds out of mine and had only 1 single falure to eject. It was from a dented case that fed and fired but wedged its self in the chamber as the dent flattened out from the chamber pressure.

Quick fix though, I took carefull aim and did a forward thrust move that caused the bolt handle to stop abruptly against an 8"x8" post holding up the roof covering the shooting range we were at. No more jam.

I could have beat on the handle with a hammer or stepped on the handle with the butt on the ground but the "technique" I used kept the muzzle down range and all people around just where they should have been incase of some accidental discharge.

I would have brought any other semi auto to the gunsmith for a chamberectomy.

 

[Exhaust3]

For the money, an AR is by far more accurate and you could have your 30rd magazine to boot. My stock pre-ban AR will shoot 3/4 MOA all day. I have shot 1/2 moa. The AR comes with a 1 in 8 twist to handle the heavier pills. My friend has a stock post ban AR and shot 1 and 1/2" group at 300 yards!! I was there and can verify the inherent accuracy they posess. I wouldn't touch a mini-14, for a couple of hundred more you would have a very accurate semi for shooting 'em yotes!!!

 

[4ked Horn]

Hi Exhaust. Is yours a heavy barrel? Do you have a flat top w/scope or do you mount a scope on the handle? What brand AR? I have had my eye on a bushmaster but it has the handle top reciever. I was kind of hoping for a flattop.

 

[H-BAR]

4ked Horn- I have a 1:9 twist Colt AR15
and it will stabilize bullets up to 75gr no problem!!!! 1:12 is for 55gr or smaller!!!

 

[Exhaust3]

4kedHorn,
Mine is a Colt Pre-ban A2 (handle top), my father purchased it in 1984 for $289, and it was shot for the first time in 1988 on a deer hunt. We didn't shoot it much until he gave it to me in 1994. It's scoped with a Simmons Whitetail Classic 3-9x42. It's probably got 1500 rounds through it now, but shoots like a champ. The 1 in 8" twist is for the .223 tracer, pretty long bullet for the 223. I want another AR in a Rock River Varminter with a 20" tube, but as with all things, I gotta wait

But I have consistently hit PD's at 300 yards with Nosler's 77 gr. Competition bullets. Lotta fun

 

[Matt Regalia]

I have a Heavy Barrel AR-15. Its a Rock River arms with 1 in 8 twist and flat top receiver. She will hold 1.5 inches at 300 meters all day long with 75 gr MK's. Killed many foxes, coyotes, and groundhogs. The ocasional sqirrel head shot at 100yds

She is heavy though.... 12 pounds with 24" barrel and full mag.

Matt

[ 01-26-2004: Message edited by: Matt Regalia ]

 

[4ked Horn]

H-BAR.
My misunderstanding then. I always thought that the 1-7 or 1-8 was for anything over the 64 gr winchester psp loading like the tracers and the 75 gr A Max stuff. I thought that was why winchester chose the 64 gr as their lightest "deer" rated load because it was about the largest thing that would stabilize in a 1-10 1-12 twist gun should someone choose to grab a .223 bolt gun and go deer hunting.

I suppose I learn something every day.

[ 01-26-2004: Message edited by: 4ked Horn ]

 

[ryan m]

everybody makes fun of the mini's but they shoot great PATTERNS, and they won't fail doing it. I second the AR reccommendation if you want a decent group.

 

[Roadrunner]

The Mini-14 is indeed a very poor choice from many standpoints. The factory cost for the barrels is about $15.00. The factory accuracy requirement is 6" groups at 100 yrds. There are NO spare parts available (unlike the AR-15). If your Mini-14 breaks for any reason you have too return it to the factory for God only knows how long. The last American Rifleman I read listed the "suggested retail price" at $725.00. For that kind of money you can get way more rifle by getting an AR-15. I was at a gun show today and they were selling NIB Bushmasters for $750. The AR-15 is a VASTLY superior weapon system then the Mini-14. Accuracy is 1 to 1.5 MOA. Spare parts are everywhere. Mil-Spec mags are everywhere. I just don't see any reason on God's green earth to ever have a Mini-14.