Mini14 advice

[Triathloncoach]

I'm a big fan of the Mini-14's. I've got an older stainless Ranch folder model. It serves as a truck gun. I can get 1" to 2" groups out to 50-yards using the cheapest ammo available. Never had a jam.

[7[/IMG]

The folder? Thats a nice truck gun

 

[Tadeus67]

I love mine!

 

[Bill Lear]

I don’t own an AR few long guns I do have are principally hunting guns Savage 22mag and Savage 243 throw in few shotguns handguns always kept my attention that being said I just like the looks of the mini14 I’ve had some say it’s fantastic and then others say opposite so looking for owners to let me know experience with them. Thanks not looking to trick out just want a dependable semi rifle not for hunting not allowed in state. Yes I looked not easy task to find anything currently.

Only reason the Mini 14 "lost" the "AR wars" is because it's not modular like the AR! It is absolutely a FINE rifle fully capable, and in some ways, the BETTER choice over the AR pattern rifle!

The all-steel construction is certainly durable yet not overly heavy. The Garand style action is easy to understand and simple, as is the reverse gas piston design. I personally LIKE the slender profile of the Mini 14, and since it can accept 40 round mags, it's still on par with the AR for "that day."

The big knock on the Mini 14 is accuracy. Everyone THINKS this is due to the slender barrel...but of course, when "everyone" thinks a thing is true, they're wrong.

The issue contributing to inaccuracy is the way the slide is tensioned against the gas block by the recoil spring. When fully closed, the slide bears against the gas block directly. Thus the barrel is "tensioned up" when the gun is in battery. When the gun fires, the bullet passes the gas port and suddenly, the slide's mass+spring force is relieved as the reciprocating assembly moves backward. This causes the relatively slender barrel to "whip" downward in a non-predictable manner, causing the rifle to throw shots all over the place...the proverbial "pattern" of a Mini 14!

Over the years many solutions have been tried. The use of a cantilever brace bolted to the barrel is a good one, as is Ruger making the barrel thicker out beyond the gas port to increase static stiffness. Aftermarket solutions have been things as nifty as screw-adjustable barrel dampeners to find the right harmonic for the barrel.

Now I will tell you the $3 solution I invented 20 years ago: You layer RTV high-temp silicone sealant into the cam slot on the slide to create a cushioned thickness that causes the slide to apply recoil spring force to the BOLT's cam lug! What this does is OFF-LOAD the barrel since all recoil spring force is now on the BOLT which is a GOOD thing since it ensures the action is locked up tight!

Now the barrel is neutral...zero pre-tension "up". Thus, when fired and the bullet passes the gas port, there is no sudden downward "whip" of the barrel and suddenly what was "patterns" becomes "groups" of amazingly small proportions!

WhatEVER model Mini 14 you buy, start out by squirting RTV sealant into the slide groove at the rear, to build up enough thickness so when fully forward with the bolt locked, the slide is ever so slightly held back, thus placing ALL recoil spring force into the bolt - a GOOD THING, and none on the barrel.

 

[Univibe]

Took Mini outback for round two after work ran 24 rounds of same PMC ammo through 6 factory magazines two in each mag twice had a failure to feed out of a 30 round magazine. Called Ruger said send it in so away it goes.

Should have gotten a Smith Sport II. Same money, much better rifle. Mil spec enough to use all AR accessories. Better trigger than my 6920 and smooths out even more with use. You could get these for $499 before the Panic; best value out there in an AR.

Note that the factory mini 14 30s are hit or miss; I bought 4 after the AWB expired and all four had feeding issues. If I recall correctly they failed when only a couple of rounds remained. Ruger took them back and traded me five 20s which worked perfectly.

 

[cjcutter1]

Mini came back in twelve days door to door. Ruger replaced the ejector and adjusted the bolt and charging handle. Safety and function tested as well as cleaned also fired 40 rounds of American Eagle 55gr 223 and 20 rounds of ICC 45gr green tip elite. Hopefully this does the trick.

 

[Gene L]

Mine is a fairly early rifle, I think. The trigger is heavy but fairly clean. I just took it out from under my bed. For the money I have in it, it's excellent. Black plastic stock and all.

I didn't know until I read this thread that Ruger apparently made 30 round mags and even 40(?). I'll stick with 20. Can't get in a rifleman's position with all that steel hanging down.

Before we got them, I had a much lower opinion of the Mini 14s because they were dismissed as inaccurate in the gun press. While they aren't varmint-accurate, they're accurate enough.

I read here about 3 MOA from Minis. I'd call that exceptional accuracy, even with a scope.