What kind of accuracy do you guys get with factory standard Mini-14s?

I own a Ruger Mini-14. It carries a Leupold Vari-X II 3x9x40 scope. Yes, it's an old Vari-X II, not a VX-II.

I've been told by several people that Mini-14s are not very accurate and OK I believe it. I don't expect to shoot MOA groups with this rifle, but this is ridiculous. It shoots patterns that are 12" or larger at 100 yards.

Don't blame it on the shooter. I can shoot MOA groups with several other rifles that I own.

I have checked the rings and they are tight. If it was a lesser scope, I would guess that the reticle is loose, but it's a Leupy. I suppose that even a good scope could get damaged, so my next test will be to remove the scope and see how it shoots with iron sights.

What do you guys think?

KC

5 inch groups at 100 yards was typical with mine with surplus 55 grain ammo. I was able to get 3 MOA out of it by using premium 55 grain bullets and loading them down to around 2700 fps,..but 12" groups sound excessive.

I'd suspect the scope.

they'll hold minute of barn. never shot one that was what I'd consider real accurate

Dittos on the scope/mount. I'm not a fan, but as it's what we're issued I use one.

Head shots on the new, smaller, "Q" target are a non-issue with any of the ones we have with irons.

George

Mine did some better than a foot with a scope on it. About four five inches best I remember. Haven't had it for several years now as I gave it to one of my kids who wanted it.

BCR

I got rid of the one I had for that reason.

I'd like to hear some reports on the new version with the heavier, short barrel.

I'd buy one if it would consistently group into 2.5 MOA with surplus ammo.

Has anyone tried the newer, alledely more accurate series of mini - 14s. Ruger stopped prodcution awhile back, and changed the barrel, gas system, and now says it is much impored. Experiences?

1B

I was going to say minute of pie plate.Accuracy is not their selling point.They are dependable,though. Lightman

Had an early one, 181 series, that would shoot 50 gr. Speer bullets three under a inch over the hood of my pickup. Would shoot inch and a half or real close, with every thing I tried in it. Long story short, I sold it and am now sorry. Some of em will shoot right out of the box.

It's a fairly proven design. Wonder why so inaccurate? Barrel? lock up, bedding? Looks like they could and should be more accurate. Should shoot with an AR. Why not?

The new ones have heavier barrels, and are said to produce greater accuracy.

mini 14..and accuracy?....hope you weren't hopin for them being in the same conversation....

Always liked the look, concept and feel -- but never bought one due to the accuracy issue.

there is something wrong with your scope or mounts.

My mini shoots 2 MOA groups all day long with a Vortex Strikefire red dot sight, and equally as well with the factory irons.

I have owned probably 6 Mini-14's over the years, plus a Ranch Rifle in .222 and a Mini-30. Although I did scope several of them, none of them were accurate enough to justify keeping a scope on it. Basically they could be relied upon to hit a man-size target out to about 150 yards or so. The best one shot groups of about 5" at 100 yards and the worst one was about 10" at 100. The good thing about them was that I can not recall ONE malfunction of any kind with ANY of them in maybe a total of 8,000 rounds or more (using 5, 20 and 30 rd. Ruger magazines..most aftermarket mags are crap), even with ammo that gave trouble in AR-15's. They always go bang.

The accuracy problems are usually identified as a barrel that is too light, and that also is of poor quality. The light barrel flexes at its mid point upon firing, due to the influence of the heavy reciprocating operating rod assembly against the gas block. The barrels supposedly are turned down to the light profile too fast during manufacture and tend to warp when they get hot. That's the conventional wisdom, anyway.

The new Mini's have much better barrels that are heavier in profile, especially near the gas block. I have examined them in gun stores and they are indeed stiffer looking than the earlier models were. Also, I understand they are manufactured a bit more carefully. The reports I have seen claim decent accuracy...maybe 2 MOA or better with an exceptional specimen. Haven't shot one myself.

There are things you can do to an older Mini to make it shoot better. For example, there are struts that can be attached to the barrel and gas block that limit the barrel flex problem. The 3 struts I am aware of are the Accu-Strut, Mo-Rod and the Har-Bar. Also, you can install a smaller bushing in the gas block to soften the operation of the action.

I have a Mini that I carried for years as a patrol rifle. I was always underwhelmed by its accuracy, but impressed by its reliability. I eventually put on a Hogue stock, a set of Millet sights, had the barrel recrowned and still suffered with accuracy of about 6 to 8 inch groups at 100 yards.

I put an Accu-Strut on it and the accuracy improved to about 2 1/2 to 3 MOA with iron sights. It would certainly do a little better with a scope.

The first group I shot with it after installing the strut was 2.79":



I don't have a photo handy of the complete strut, but here is a partial look at it:



I am planning to sell it because my eyes are getting bad for use with iron sights. If anyone is interested, we could work out a fair deal.

Trade it in on a Decent Heavy barreled AR-15 with a good trigger. Been down your road and it is not a good one. Fixing up a mini 14 is akin to putting lipstick on a pig.

Tell me you didn't trade that 06 CDL for a mini-14......





Casey

And that would be from the inside?

I have a 183 series GB Mini-14 that with PMC FMJ, Win. FMJ, and Win. PSP, shoots 1 1/2" at 100 yards, when I do my part.

I've killed coyotes out at 200 yards and ground squirrels at farther distance than that, using a K4x Weaver 'scope.

Works for me.

L.W.

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.

Instead of calling it a laughably incorrect statement, I'd call it very good advice. I owned two mini's years ago, loved the reliablity and look but hated the accuracy. Considered sending them off for the accurazing treatments but decided instead just to sell them and get an AR. Very good decision!

+1. Check this site out. Lots of interesting things here such as tweaking the 4 gas block screws and watching for group size to improve/fall off.

I had a stainless ranch Mini 14 that I bought in '96. It was one of the mythical accurate ones. Well, sometimes. I noticed that putting a Harris bi-pod on it using the Harris gas block adapter did some crazy things to group size.

Like I said, mine had potential. I once shot 2, 3 shot groups at 100m, with 2 different loads. One load was Federal Gold Medal Match with a 69gr hpbt. The other was a handload with Win brass, 40gr V-max and 27grs Win 748 powder. These 2 loads each produced one honest 1/2" group on the same day, same target, but POI for these 2 loads was about 14" apart. 2, 1/2" groups! If I'm lyin' I'm dyin' as the saying goes. Never managed to do it again though.

Check out perfectunion.com. Lots of ideas, thoughts and interesting Mini stuff.

I work for the largest police force in the nation. We use Mini-14's and they are not accurate nor are they completely reliable. People love them for their ergonomics. And, they are accurate enough for riot control, our primary use.

We use them because they don't offend jurors as much as AR's. I pray for the day we switch them out for Kel-Tecs. I think AR's are too awkward as far as the controls for a big agency to train with.

I owned a Liberty Model for some time. I never bench tested it, but it was good on jack rabbit out to 75 yards or so. It never failed to feed, and I put about 3000 rounds through it. I still have the dealer poster for it: "The World's Most Expensive Plinker", and that about sums up its real niche.

But, when I was offered 50% more for it than new ones cost, I sold it and it is not missed.

We use them because they're accurate enough. Our guys can hold them to a K-5 area on a silhoutte target easily at 75 yards with the peep sights that come on them. That's about 16" or so, I guess.

They're also about 1/3 the price of an AR (or were when we bought them.) I can't image their use for riot control, unless you've got one hellavu innsurection. We've had them since before 9/11 2001, actually were qualifying with them on that day. Ours are the basic unit, can't mount a scope on one and don't really need one for a patrol rifle, IMO.

Getting spare magazines is an issue. Ruger holds on to them as if they were made of gold. Given my druthers and if cost wasn't an object, the AR is far more desirable, more reliable, and has more affordable and useful optioins. Ammo can be an issue. Wolf ammo, being dirty and somewhat hypersolic, would rust the piston, or what passes for a piston, to the operating rod, and you MUST put a drop of oil on the inside of the piston after each range use, especially with Wolf ammo. I've seen them freeze so hard you have to kick open the charging handle.

Try one of these:
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/su16b.htm

Mine is accurate as all get out.

I've got an old, original (180 prefix) Mini-14. It shoots 2 or 3 MOA, usually. It'a always been dead-nuts reliable with any kind of ammo.

As others have advised, go to perfect union, there are a lot of guys into Mini-14's there. Be advised, however, that the Mini-14 accuracy and customization crowd share a lot of traits with the UFO and paranormal crowds...

I have owned 3 Mini 14's so far. This one is my last and it is for sale. As much as I like Ruger firearms, the Mini is absolutly the worst shooting gun I have EVER had. I kept on hoping I had just bought a "lemon" but 3 lemons in a row ?, doubtful.
The Mini 14 is absolutly dependable, I never ever had a problem with dependability, I had a problem getting groups under 3 inches at 100 yards. For a gun that retails "MSRP" of almost $900 the accuracy is inexcusable. I have cheap 22 rimfires that will group far better than any of my Mini's. Ruger should be ashamed of themselves for ever putting it on the market knowing its accuracy is barely lousy at best.

We use them in California Prisons to quell riots on a regular basis. Just because the riots don't make the news doesn't make them less real.

Hows the trigger on it?

+1

On a good day I get 2 MOA with most commercial ammo. Mine is an older SS Ranch Rifle with a Bushnell Banner 3-9. I use it as a 'yote rifle out here at my farm, and I seldom shoot over 200-250 yards.

I had one that would do an inch with handloads. It had been worked over, and had a decent trigger. I was moving to CA, thought it was illegal here (they never were) and so sold it. Dumb move, it was plenty accurate enough for yotes. The one I have now is a 180 series, and it's hard to find stocks to fit it. IIRC it did about 3-4 inches at 100 yards with 55 Win white box ammo. I haven't tried handloads yet.

edit to add, the accurate one I had, was in slow fire only, letting the barrel cool between shots. I never tried either one with a hot barrel. Given how skinny the barrels are, I doubt they'd be terribly accurate.

One thing I have noticed about any of the Rugers with the slick plastic buttplates - they all seem to slip around on your shoulder during recoil, with the old .44 carbine being the worst. Hard to have any kind of accuracy in that situation. I think a few folks sell replacement steel buttplates - I'm tempted to get one myself and glue some rubber to it, to make the gun sit tighter on the shoulder.

I bought one about 8 years ago. Grouped about 4 to 6 moa, and couldn't get it any better. Then I found the perfectunion.com website. A trigger job, bedding the action, chopping the barrel a bit, and a gas block torque job, and it now shoots right at moa or a touch over with Winchester white box 45 gr. jhp's.

No, it's not AR15 accuracy. It is also not AR15 price. Hell of a lot of fun to shoot, and coyotes don't dare come closer than 300 yards to the call. All that have, have suffered an unfortunate fate. Jacks out to 200 yards? Same fate. I've made some amazing shots with that rifle that had my buddy picking his bottom jaw up off the ground. Nah, won't be picking prairie dogs off at 300 yards, but wasn't what I bought the rifle for anyway.