Ruger Mini-14 Tactical

BB57 said:

I posted a comparison of the Mini 14 180 series with the 181 and later series a year or so ago, and discussed the difference in accuracy on the box stock rifles. The 181 and later rifles gained a lot of reciprocating mass in the slide and that along with being badly over gassed (.080” gas bushing rather than .045”) really aggravated the barrel harmonics and killed the accuracy.


I’ve also posted about the changes made to my 184 and 187 series to improve accuracy (SOCOM length AccuStrut, Browning style Choate flash hider and front sight, .045” gas port bushing, Tech Sights rear sight, and a shock buffer) from 4-5 MOA to 1.5” 5 shot groups at 100 yards.

I’ve also covered the changes Ruger made in barrel twist starting with the original 1-10” twist, switching to the way over hyped and over rated 1-7 twist and finally switching back to the 1-9 twist.

The 1-7 twist barrels didn’t help accuracy at all. The 1-9 twist was actually idea, for the military M855 ball round and the 1-7 twist was only adopted for the M-16A2 and later M16 and M4 variants as it was needed to stabilize the much longer M856 tracer round. Do you shoot much M856 in your AR-15 or Mini 14? Neither do I or 99.9% of the other civilian shooters out there. However civilian shooters are more likely to shoot fairly low quality 55 and 62 gr FMJ bullets.

That’s a problem as most of the bulk FMJ bullets in that low cost category are not precisely made and as such the center of form and the center of gravity are not on the same axis. That means the bullet rotates around the center of form in the bore and then transitions to rotating around the center of gravity after it exits. That causes the bullet to wobble and the resulting yaw creates precession, and the faster the bullet is spinning the worse that precession will be. That causes the bullet to travel in a spiral pattern before settling down in some random and slightly different direction. Consequently accuracy with those bullets is worse in a 1-7 twist barrel than it is in a 1-12, 1-10 or 1-9 twist barrel. More twist isn’t better unless you are shooting very long match bullets.

One of the accuracy problems when with the Mini 14 is that it’s often unclear what barrel twist is used and shooters with the 1-7” barrels often shoot low cost low quality 55 gr FMJ in them with worse than average results.

This site is useful in terms in more or less what twist a given Mini 14 or Ranch rifle may have. It’s not exact as Ruger didn’t do clean transitions at a specific serial number, and Ruger had a very good policy of completely rebuilding law enforcement Mini 14s returned to the factory, and they used the barrels that were being put on new mini 14s at the time. But it’s a good general reference.

Sunflower Ammo.com: Ruger Mini-14/30 Barrel Twist Rates

As noted above in a prior post, the 580 and later series came off new tooling and not long after the retooling, Ruger started using a heavier tapered barrel. The two changes together improved accuracy and Ruger now expects 2 MOA accuracy on its new Mini 14s.

Click to expand...

Good and useful response. 2 MOA is fine for anything I'd use a Mini-14 for. I wouldn't use a scope except for load development and never shoot past 200 yards.

As for cheap ammo... when I became interested in ARs several years ago, I bought three Colts and put scopes on two. The two with scopes were capable of 1" and smaller five-shot 100 yard groups straight out-of-the-box, unmolested and not modified, but only with expensive Federal or Winchester match ammo or handloads using Sierra bullets which actually did a little better than the factory match stuff.

For comparison, I bought eight or ten cheap commercial ammos. Functioning and reliability were fine, but accuracy was not. Complete waste of money, but apparently many are satisfied with this second-rate stuff. However, it's always best to try a few accurate ammos, commercial or handloads before pronouncing a gun as inaccurate.

mrmike7189 said:

If you live in a ban state, like me, the Mini 14 is the only 5.56 rifle NOT on the assault weapons list. Thats why Ruger can sell so many. I happen to like mine

Click to expand...

I don't live in a restricted state but I know which way the wind blows. I'll be swimming upstream soon enough.

rockquarry said:

Good and useful response. 2 MOA is fine for anything I'd use a Mini-14 for. I wouldn't use a scope except for load development and never shoot past 200 yards.

As for cheap ammo... when I became interested in ARs several years ago, I bought three Colts and put scopes on two. The two with scopes were capable of 1" and smaller five-shot 100 yard groups straight out-of-the-box, unmolested and not modified, but only with expensive Federal or Winchester match ammo or handloads using Sierra bullets which actually did a little better than the factory match stuff.

For comparison, I bought eight or ten cheap commercial ammos. Functioning and reliability were fine, but accuracy was not. Complete waste of money, but apparently many are satisfied with this second-rate stuff. However, it's always best to try a few accurate ammos, commercial or handloads before pronouncing a gun as inaccurate.

Click to expand...

I agree. People buy some very crappy ammo and then blame the rifle.

I like apples to apples testing. I buy Hornady 55 gr FMJ bullets in bulk 6000 at a time and then load them to 3250 fps with BLC(2). That’s about 30 fps less than M193 velocity, but the BC is better on the Hornady bullet and the 400 yard trajectory is identical with the same 300 yard zero. They are also well made and are 1 MOA capable in my Varmint AR.


It makes a good load for comparative testing with the AR-15 and Mini 14. Both my Colt SP1 and my Colt manufactured M16A1 upper on an NDS 601 lower will shoot 1.5 MOA 5 shot groups with that ammo. So will my AccuStrut, Choate flash hider, .045” gas port equipped Mini 14s.



With the same reasonable quality but still inexpensive ammo in a similar configuration, they have near identical accuracy.

I am a hand gunner at heart, but I like the Ruger Mini-14 for casual shooting. Just an enjoyable gun to shoot.

When I went to Germany in '69, a newly minted 2nd LT out of ROTC at Nebraska, to the 3d ID as a mech platoon leader, my issue weapon was an M14. We had two E2 versions per squad. Thinking back now, I wonder why as an officer, I wasn't issued the usual 1911. I don't know, all I recall was that I liked my wooden stocked M14. We shot a lot at the ranges.

To this day, I still think about acquiring a M1A, the civilian version of my M14. Just something I haven't done yet. A year ago, was with a shooting buddy when he bought a used Mini14, I don't know which version, and I know he likes shooting it. A Mini14 would be a reasonable substitute for an M14, at least in appearance and "action."

But there is another alternative.. About five or six years ago, bought this '44 Inland at a gun show, $600. I think it was a DCM rifle from long ago, bought by some Vet, because I don't think it had been shot since its post war rebuild. Although mine doesn't have a bayonet lug, nor the switch safety, mine has the push button safety. I like it a lot, I reload for it, and it is just a svelte gun to shoot. I don't shoot it for accuracy, just for fun.

By the way Bugsy Segal, the Vegas mobster, was killed with a M1 Carbine, sitting in his chair.

So if one is considering a Mini14, but for some reason just can't make that jump, a M1 carbine might just be the ticket. Besides, I had an M2 full auto version in Vietnam.

All the best... SF VET

With regard to 5.56 ammo and accuracy, there is a very instructive test on the Box o' Truth website. Even in a match grade AR the standard military surplus fodder was 3-4 MOA at best.

I bought a used mini 14 years ago, it shoots bug holes as good as any AR-15.
however it has a lot of work done to it, new Krieger barrel new gas port ect, so I guess this one don't count as it cost the original owner about $600 when he bought it and had over $600 worth of work done to it.
The sweet part is I paid $600 for it.

LVSteve said:

With regard to 5.56 ammo and accuracy, there is a very instructive test on the Box o' Truth website. Even in a match grade AR the standard military surplus fodder was 3-4 MOA at best.

Click to expand...

True, the military issue grade ammo is made to go "bang" when the trigger is pulled, but it is produced in massive quantities, so its quality control is not up to that of target or hunting grade ammo.

LVSteve said:

With regard to 5.56 ammo and accuracy, there is a very instructive test on the Box o' Truth website. Even in a match grade AR the standard military surplus fodder was 3-4 MOA at best.

Click to expand...

The accuracy requirements for M193 in MIL-C-9963F required an average mean radius of not greater than 2.0” at 200 yards. That doesn’t mean a 4” group at 200 yards, it just means the average distance from the mean point of impact must be 2.0” or less. Accuracy testing normally involved two 30 round groups, with a third group allowed if one of the two groups failed (essentially the best 2 out of 3 counted). The “average” meant you could have fliers outside that 4” group, they just had to be made up for with other rounds proportionately closer to center. Realistically a 6” to 8” (roughly 3-4 MOA) center to center measured 200 yard 30 round group can easily still meet the 2” mean radius standard.

——

M855 ball ammo is even worse. M855 had different requirements specified in MIL-C-63989A. It included both accuracy and matching requirements at 600 yards. The accuracy requirement specified that the standard deviation at 600 yards could not exceed 7.8”. Again that isn’t a 7.8” diameter circle (1.24 MOA) or even a 7.8” radius circle (2.48 MOA). Instead it uses a normal distribution curve where 67% of the rounds must fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean point of impact, where 1 SD is no more than 7.8”.

In other words, 68% of the rounds must fall within 7.8” of the mean point of impact, and it also means that on average 27% of the rounds will fall between 7.8” and 15.6” of the mean point of impact and 5% of the rounds will fall between 15.6” and 23.4” of the mean point of impact.

From a center to center group perspective, it means 68% of the rounds will fall within a 15.6” circle (2.48 MOA), 27% of the rounds will fall within a 23.4” circle (3.72 MOA) and 5% will fall within a 31.2” circle (4.97 MOA).

In other words, you’ll only get 2.48 MOA accuracy if you are lucky enough to have each shot in a five round group be one of those 68% 1 SD rounds. That will only happen about 15% of the time. You’ll get 3.72 MOA accuracy if each of the five rounds fired is a 1st or 2nd SD round. That will happen about 77% of the time, so it’s reasonable for all of just a few groups fired to reflect that level of accuracy. But if you shoot a lot groups you’ll need to expect about 8% of those groups to be on the order of 5 MOA.

Once again the testing of each ammunition lot is normally two 30 round groups, with the same best 2 out of 3 loophole if one of the first two groups fails.

The accuracy matching requirement just means the mean point of impact can’t be more than 7.8” horizontally or 10.8” vertically from the point of impact of a reference cartridge.

——

The mediocre 3-4 MOA accuracy with M193 in the box of truth article isn’t a surprise. That’s an artifact of using mass produced FMJ projectiles that have an exploded lead base. Base consistency is critical to accuracy as any inconsistency shows up as either:
- gas exiting asymmetrically around the base of the bullet at the muzzle, causing the bullet to yaw and precess on exit; and or
- a difference between the center of form and center of gravity that causes the bullet to wobble and precess after it leaves the muzzle and transitions from rotation around one axis to the other until it settles down a 100 or so yards down range.

The old .30 caliber 173 gr match bullet used in M72 and M110 match and special ball ammo was also an FMJ. It was however made with much greater care and was 1 MOA capable in match ammo. That was the case until the tooling got old and the bullets started to vary a lot. Then it was more often 2-3 MOA ammo.

The roughly 5 MOA accuracy with M855 ammo is also not a surprise. Its SS109 projectile suffers not only from an exposed lead base, but also a steel penetrator. Consequently, with another component in the mix, you have issues with making the heavy gilding metal jacket concentric as well as the steel penetrator and the lead core under the penetrator. It’s very difficult to get all of them to line up perfectly when the bullet is swaged, so the SS109 suffers from differences between the respective axis of the center of form and center of gravity to a much greater degree than just a plain FMJ bullet.

When you add in the excessive spin rate and chrome lining of a current 1-7” twist mil spec barrel, rather than a carbon steel or stainless 1-9” twist barrel with the imperfections in the projectiles used in M193 or M855 ball ammo, the accuracy gets even worse.

——

All of that is why I make my “inexpensive” M193 clone ammo using Hornady 55 gr FMJs as they not only have a better BC than the Remington designed military Type A projectile in M193 ball, but are also 1 MOA capable in a 1-12 twist heavy varmint barrel and 1.5 MOA accurate in a Colt 1-12” M16A1 barrel or a good quality 1-10 or 1-9” barrel.

All that stats is giving me flashbacks to my days in high end metrology.

HOUSTON RICK said:

I am a hand gunner at heart, but I like the Ruger Mini-14 for casual shooting. Just an enjoyable gun to shoot.

Click to expand...

Took the words right outta my mouth! Couldn’t agree more!

I bought this one in december 2019
(just a few months before covid hit the US) $889

I've admired the Mini 14 for at least 30 years. I've shot two owned by friends, but always talked myself out of buying one because I had no use for it. Last year, with civil unrest spreading, I decided to buy one. "Get an AR", said my shooting buddy repeatedly. I don't want an AR. I bought a new Ruger stainless ranch rifle at my LGS for $930. Bought 4 Ruger magazines, 2 20's and 2 30's. "Ought to put a scope on it", said the same buddy. Don't want a scope. It hits the center of torso targets from 100 yards. That's what I wanted. I tested all four mags, and the mags and guns had zero malfunctions. The gun will rarely be shot, but it's here if needed. And....I just always liked them.