Who's done mods to their mini 14's?
I am only interested in action mod's not stocks or tacticool, just action mods
Have you changed the gas block bushing and if so what size are you running?
Is anyone using a shock buffer or/and extra power guide spring?
any other action Mod's
Thanks in advance
Anyone asking legitimate questions about the Mini will have to endure many replies telling you how they couldn't hit a 55 gallon drum at 100 yards, jam-o-matic etc. and how they were so glad to get rid of it.
Instead of being respectful and trying to answer the OP's question.
Like some here, I had a couple Minis (late 70's and late 80's) I wasn't thrilled with. Reliable with good mags but 3 MOA was about the best I could do.
I really liked the Garand action and about 2010 I decided to try one again. What made a difference this time was reading on perfectunion's Mini section.
Several guys with more Mini experience than I were doing a few simple mods and seeing improvements.
I then got into the Mini-30 and forgot all about my Mini-14 and sold it.
Mods for both the 14 and 30 are the same, except the 30 will need a larger gas bushing size, and some 30's will need a longer firing pin if a steady diet of steel case is anticipated.
cracker, it might help to know the series of your Mini.
How far does it eject ? If it is 20 feet or more, a smaller gas bushing will help.
If your brass is ejecting 8 to 15 feet or so, I'd leave the bushing alone.
Even one that throws the brass 6-8 feet is enough, giving you a margin for a dirtier gun, weaker ammo, etc.
What you don't want is such a small gas bushing that the brass "falls at your feet", that is not far from being a magazine fed single shot.
For years the Mini-14 came with a .060" bushing and the Mini -30 came with a .100".
Both were too big, and ejection could be up to 45 feet, way over gassed.
Most guys would throw in a .040" to .050" bushing into the Mini-14 (and a .065"-.070" into the Mini-30).
Now Ruger ships both the 14 and 30 with an .080" bushing, to simplify and save costs.
.080" isn't bad for the 30, but is WAY over size for the Mini-14.
You might want to get a set of 3 different bushings to try in your Mini, say .040", .045" and .050".
I believe Accuracy Systems Inc. sells a 3 bushing set like that.
Buffers are a good thing, provided you use a tough material.
Wilson Shok Buffs for the 1911 are very tough and long lasting, and fit around the Mini's gas pipe and recoil spring guide rod like they were made for the Mini and not the 1911.
I am a big believer in running a front buffer as well as the back one.
The rear buffer is nice, it prevents the rear of the op-rod from contacting the front of receiver, but the recoil spring being compressed slows the rear ward travel of the rod.
On the front there is nothing slowing down the op-rod from slamming into the gas block, save a bit of friction from rubbing the sides of the heat liner.
A buffer around the gas pipe will cushion the impact and prevent metal to metal contact between the front of the op-rod and gas block.
A buffer here is especially important if you are running an optic, as the forward slamming is akin to a Springer air rifle.
Most optics are built to withstand a rearward G force, a forward one sometimes shakes the reticle loose.
WR Moore, I don't doubt your experience with the wandering zero as you say it went away after buffer removal.
But there are many hundred Mini owners on the 2 forums that use buffers and optics together without issues, myself included.
Some don't want to use a front buffer as they think it will prevent the bolt from going fully into battery, but there is a quick test for that.
Hand cycle your action and watch the bolt as it locks up, the op-rod will go another 1/2" forward after the bolt is in battery.
No way is the buffer going to prevent the bolt from going into battery.
Some other mods I've done are a DIY trigger job (Gundoc video), Tech rear sight, Ultimak railed hand guard, and shortening the barrel and adding a flash hider.
All rifles have the barrel whipping around when firing but the Mini really whips around. Watch a slo-mo video and the barrel looks like a wet noodle.
Dampening those vibrations has accuracy benefits.
Shortening the 18.5" factory length to 16.25" helps, as a shorter barrel acts like a stiffer barrel.
Adding weight on the muzzle helps dampen the whip too.
Minis with buffers and a correct size bushing are softer shooting, no clankety-clack, and taming down the slamming will help accuracy.
Should we have to do any of this, like, if buffers are so good, why doesn't Ruger put them on a the factory ?
1) because Ruger doesn't want to add on an item that must be inspected, maintained and replaced periodically, they'd rather they carbines be "idiot proof" and over gassed enough to be reliable with even really weak ammo.
2) Because Ruger just doesn't care. They have no competition for the Mini and have never had any. It just took them 30 years to get around to addressing accuracy complaints and going to a heavier diameter barrel.
It is what it is, if we want an improved Mini, we have to do it ourselves.
Most of the mods I discussed are easy and cheap.
One last thing, there is a free mod that could cut your groups almost in half, no matter what series Mini you have.
All that is required is an inch pound torque driver, which every serious shooter should have anyway.
Most recommend keeping your 4 gas block screws torqued to 30-35 in. lbs.
I would wager that most here that stated their Mini was hopeless as to accuracy, never checked the torque with a in/ lb. driver, but just had them tightened down hard.
If you have your gas block screws Gorilla tight, or even at 30-35 in. lbs, you are NOT doing your groups any favors.
I tested 4 different loads out of both of my Minis. I started with one load in one gun and shot groups with the gas block screws set from 20 to 40 in lbs.
In every single case, the groups with the lighter torques, 20 to 25, were around half the size of groups shot with heavy torques, ie. 30 to 40 in. lbs.
For those of you with Minis (and a torque driver), try it.
Minis do NOT like having the gas block reefed down, a bit of knowledge that might have prevented a lot of frustrated owners over the years.
Adding pics or links to my old threads seemed to have messed up my previous two replies so I'll put them in a separate reply below.
