Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Mini-14 Accuracy?

Accuracy from a Mini? Didn't you ever watch the A-Team? They fired hundreds of rounds every show from Mini's and never hit anyone.

Seriously, you might look here for help:

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86

On a good day, my Mini 14 will hold 4-5 inches with good ammo. Ruger really blew the fairy with this one, although they've apparently corrected the problems with recent Mini's.

Like mentioned earlier the newer ones have a heavier barrel and appear to be much better shooters than the old ones.

I shot one about a month ago that came off the rack, was scoped, and walked out the door to the range and it did about 1-1/2" at 100 yards. But the guy only shot 20 rounds so take it for whatever.

Casey:

No. Thankfully that's not what I did. I did finally sell the Rem 700CDL 30-06 and bought a T/C Icon Weathershield 30-06. It's guaranteed to shoot at least MOA but I've been able to get 1/2 MOA groups pretty reliably using Federal Premium 150 grain Sierra Game Kings. The Remington was pretty but it never performed like I hoped it would. The T/C is ugly and heavy but it performs great and I don't have to worry about dings on the stock or rust on the barrel.

I've had the Mini-14 for 15 years or so. I bought it when the Clinton-Gore Admin was making noise about prohibiting "assault rifles". It has never shot tight groups. I'll take the scope off and see how it shoots with iron sights. Maybe I'll hide it with a bunch of ammo and just leave it there.

KC

My Liberty model has held 2MOA or better over the years. Alas, the extractor broke after about 7500 rounds. Ruger has no parts for the early ones, so I'm searching for one. Hopefully, I can get it back up and running soon.

Thread title is an oxymoron.

Go to
perfectunion.com and get all your questions answered.

The heavier barrel Mini's are shooting much better than the old ones. I'm talking the 580 and 581 series Mini's. I have a 580 Mini with the skinny barrel (early 580 rifle) and it outshoots my older Mini's by far and the newer heavier profile barrels are supposed to be much better yet. It seems they need 200 rounds or better to break in the rifle, (both the barrel and mechanism) but the guys who shoot on a regular basis seem to be happy with what they have.

It does seem the AR 15's are coming down in price almost to the Mini level. But, if you look around you can find the new 581 series for around $620. Ruger is also making and selling high capacity magazines again. Check out perfectunion.com

kwg

Wonder what prompted the [bleep] to go back into high cap mags again.

I paid 275 for a new one of the early stainless models and added one of those bulky ugly bolt on scope mounts. After I improved the trigger it would shoot 1.5" groups at 100 yds with Black Hills ammo. I sold it because I thought it was too heavy for a calling rifle and wasn't accurate enough for yotes that wouldn't come close when calling. I went back to my tang safety Ruger 77 in 22-250 and never looked back. :>)

John

Mini-14 is my "Ranch" rifle, it rides in the rack of the ATV. I can easily hit an eight inch target at 200 yards with El Cheapo Russian ammo. Certainly no bench machine but it does it's job. Killed a bear with it, and it doesn't complain when I neglect it.

I my case very poor. In fact, my smooth bore slug gun was more accurate. I still have the shotgun.

I'm starting to see a pattern here!

With the doors closed?

Two day shoot with average ordinary guys, IIRC as it was about 30 years ago, 120 rounds a day, somewhere around 50 guys. I had the highest score with the most X's, using a Mini 14 and home made open sights. Some of em shoot.

Wish I could still see that good.

Kinda like mine for what it is. Goes bang, bang everytime.
For 50yds. I can put 30 rounds into a nice group of Zombies.
With the folding stock it's pretty handy.

I was trying to cut him some slack.....

The mini-14 I had shot like [bleep], but was otherwise a stellar firearm.

YMMV. Good-shooting Mini's are reputed to exist.

In my opinion, a guy is well-served to spend a bit more and get an AR.

With that said, Mini's are undeniably FUN. At least until the barrel heats up and they start spraying 5 MOA... <grin>....

a laughably incorrect statement.

I see you kept the wood hand guard on. I had the stainless Mini-14 back in the late 1970s. First thing I did was replace it with the black synthetic heat shield version. I also had an M-14 style flash suppressor installed, and eventually a folding stock. Looked exactly like the ones they were making for sale to police agencies at the time. Always regret selling that rifle.

At night at the cabin it lives next to the bed.

I stumbled onto a cheap accurizing deal. I wanted to mount a green laser on my stainless mini so I bought one of those barrel clamp mounts at a gun show for appx. $10. I put it around 2" ahead of the gas piston thing. It cut my group size by about 1/2. I'm thinking it works like one of those rubber barrel vibration dampeners that you slide on the barrel and cut your group size. It started moving a little after I shot it, so I took it off and reinstalled it with a little super glue between it and the barrel. It hasn't moved in around 200 shots.