I doubt that you're "doing anything wrong", but that it might be more of a case of having unrealistic expectations relative to how you are comparing the Mini platform to the Stoner platform, meaning that they are two entirely different rifles which other than sharing a common cartridge, have almost nothing in common.
IMO, simply "bolting on stuff" won't get you to where you want to go. Yeah, adding a strut will certainly help...but there's more at play here relative to turning a Mini-14 into an honest 2-MOA carbine than just adding a strut can cure. "Honest" in that last sentance meaning that it's group size is repeatable on demand, time after time, and that the group comprizes 5 or more shots while the gun heats up from firing....NOT merely an occasional 3-shot group fired under closely controlled conditions, or from a sled, etc, etc.
Within those perimeters, I've never seen an honest 1-MOA Mini-14 that hadn't had major modifications done to the basic platform. And just as a side note, when one gets off into that sort of thing, he is also perty-much destroying the "utility carbine" aspect...meaning that it will no longer be the light, handy, well balanced carbine that it once was.
As for you question about servicing your bolt....if the gun in question happens to be a Ranch Rifle, I've found that removing the ejector first helps a lot when R&R-ing the bolt. Other than that, it's mostly a case of holding your mouth right. :lol: .
On the other hand, one realy shouldn't have to remove the bolt from their Mini-14 more than once in a blue moon anyhow, so I can't picture a single circumstance for having to do so "in the field". After all, this aint a stinkin', high-maintanance AR that we are talking about here. :wink: .
DGW