Bob La Londe
Bearcat
Many years ago I wanted to do some varmint calling. I saved up my nickels and dimes for an entire summer to buy a Mini-14. For me the cost of a box of catridges was a decent chunk of change so imagine how hard I worked to pay $349.95 plus tax for the rifle.
I don't want to upset any fans of the rifle, but I felt it was terrible. Well at first I thought it was me. I couldn't get it to group worth a darn. Not even at 100 yards. I even tried what I called cold grouping. I don't know. Is that a thing? I sat out at the shooting range all day waiting atleast 20 minutes between shots for it to cool down. I was hoping maybe I could get a cold bore group that was better. The first shot is generally the one that counts anyway. It was a little better, but not much. Not enough to give me confidence in the rifle. Now this is tainted by time so I might not recall correctly, but I seem to recall getting 6ish inch groups at 100 yards with little or no wind off the bench, and maybe 4 the day I cold bore grouped it. There were fliers that but the main groups were in memory about that size. They might have been better, but it wasn't what I would call good.
Now, don't get me wrong. It was 100% reliable. Never had an issue in that regard. I did take a chicken killing dog with it once. Sorta, kinda. The chicken coop owner asked me for help, and I talked to the dog's owner who said, "Do what you gotta do." I wound up tracking the wounded animal for about 3/4 mile and finishing it off at close range down a coyote den hole with a shotgun. I felt terrible about that. In my mind there was no reason that shot shouldn't have been right in the breadbasket, but it wasn't. I never used it again. I'm no marksman, but I was braced, the dog was standing broad side to me, and it was only about 80-90 yards.
I always felt like maybe there was something I wasn't doing right, but I never could pin it down. I asked people who had more knowledge than me, but never really got anywhere. One day in a busy (busyish) gun store I asked about it, and the guy behind the counter said, "Its an assault rifle. What do you expect. Spray and pray." There were other people standing around more knowledgeable than me, and nobody disagreed.
Until I had bought my rifle, I'd heard people say good things about them. The only blatant negative I'd heard in my hunt for a solution seemed to be more an insult in tone to me than the rifle. "You should have bought a ranch rifle."
A few years later I traded the rifle off for a SCSI II computer hard drive, which I traded for a high speed Practical Peripherals modem, which I trade for a motorcycle.
When I ran trap lines later, I really wanted a rifle for predator calling. When I was serious about trapping most days, I ran from dark to dark, but there were days once in a while when I was done running my lines and putting up fur with some daylight left, and I was out in the middle of the desert in some back canyon country with some time I could have called. I wanted a rifle for calling. I asked around, but most things were out of my budget. A few people suggest ARs, but that comment I'd heard in the gun store kept me from risking it. "It's an assault rifle. What do you expect. Spray and pray." I just couldn't afford to spend real money again on something that might not work out. For years I refused to own an AR because of it. Many years later I helped my dad build an AR with a target bull barrel. He hated the weight, and put a light weight upper on it, so I built a new lower, and put his target barrel upper on it. It is a tack driver. I would not hesitate to use it to predator call. Well from a stand with a bipod. It is freaking heavy. The darn barreled upper weighs more than two complete regular ARs or it feels like it. I'd tell you about my first groups with it, but it would sound like I was bragging or maybe I was lying. The thing is the light weight upper ain't bad either. It's not a target barrel, but I'd hunt with it.
In recent years I've told some form of this story a few times, and most folks don't contradict me. I suppose some of you got one that will shoot a ragged hole, but mine wouldn't, and I know enough now to know it wasn't just me. it was a brand new rifle I bought at my dad's hardware store. I was the one to sign in the order. So don't go thinking it was some clapped out wore out range gun. It was brand new. Most of the time the response I've gotten in more recent years is some form of, "well they're better now." Okay. How much better? I've got two ARs, an M16, and a spare AR upper in the safe that will all shoot groups inside the tightest three of any of the groups I shot with my old Mini-14. The target gun will almost shoot a single ragged hole at 100 yards. It does it with cheap ammo.
I'm not trying to start a fight and I recognize that maybe "I should have bought a ranch rifle," "possibly I shouldn't have expected any better," "well, your rifle might not have been like that," and maybe, "they are better now." I like the idea of a modest weight semi auto rifle with a wood stock that shoots a varmint cartridge, but I don't want to "risk it," again if its not much better. Well, that and they don't cost $349.95 at a country hardware store anymore.
I'm really not trying to tick off enthusiasts. I'm just telling my story.
I don't want to upset any fans of the rifle, but I felt it was terrible. Well at first I thought it was me. I couldn't get it to group worth a darn. Not even at 100 yards. I even tried what I called cold grouping. I don't know. Is that a thing? I sat out at the shooting range all day waiting atleast 20 minutes between shots for it to cool down. I was hoping maybe I could get a cold bore group that was better. The first shot is generally the one that counts anyway. It was a little better, but not much. Not enough to give me confidence in the rifle. Now this is tainted by time so I might not recall correctly, but I seem to recall getting 6ish inch groups at 100 yards with little or no wind off the bench, and maybe 4 the day I cold bore grouped it. There were fliers that but the main groups were in memory about that size. They might have been better, but it wasn't what I would call good.
Now, don't get me wrong. It was 100% reliable. Never had an issue in that regard. I did take a chicken killing dog with it once. Sorta, kinda. The chicken coop owner asked me for help, and I talked to the dog's owner who said, "Do what you gotta do." I wound up tracking the wounded animal for about 3/4 mile and finishing it off at close range down a coyote den hole with a shotgun. I felt terrible about that. In my mind there was no reason that shot shouldn't have been right in the breadbasket, but it wasn't. I never used it again. I'm no marksman, but I was braced, the dog was standing broad side to me, and it was only about 80-90 yards.
I always felt like maybe there was something I wasn't doing right, but I never could pin it down. I asked people who had more knowledge than me, but never really got anywhere. One day in a busy (busyish) gun store I asked about it, and the guy behind the counter said, "Its an assault rifle. What do you expect. Spray and pray." There were other people standing around more knowledgeable than me, and nobody disagreed.
Until I had bought my rifle, I'd heard people say good things about them. The only blatant negative I'd heard in my hunt for a solution seemed to be more an insult in tone to me than the rifle. "You should have bought a ranch rifle."
A few years later I traded the rifle off for a SCSI II computer hard drive, which I traded for a high speed Practical Peripherals modem, which I trade for a motorcycle.
When I ran trap lines later, I really wanted a rifle for predator calling. When I was serious about trapping most days, I ran from dark to dark, but there were days once in a while when I was done running my lines and putting up fur with some daylight left, and I was out in the middle of the desert in some back canyon country with some time I could have called. I wanted a rifle for calling. I asked around, but most things were out of my budget. A few people suggest ARs, but that comment I'd heard in the gun store kept me from risking it. "It's an assault rifle. What do you expect. Spray and pray." I just couldn't afford to spend real money again on something that might not work out. For years I refused to own an AR because of it. Many years later I helped my dad build an AR with a target bull barrel. He hated the weight, and put a light weight upper on it, so I built a new lower, and put his target barrel upper on it. It is a tack driver. I would not hesitate to use it to predator call. Well from a stand with a bipod. It is freaking heavy. The darn barreled upper weighs more than two complete regular ARs or it feels like it. I'd tell you about my first groups with it, but it would sound like I was bragging or maybe I was lying. The thing is the light weight upper ain't bad either. It's not a target barrel, but I'd hunt with it.
In recent years I've told some form of this story a few times, and most folks don't contradict me. I suppose some of you got one that will shoot a ragged hole, but mine wouldn't, and I know enough now to know it wasn't just me. it was a brand new rifle I bought at my dad's hardware store. I was the one to sign in the order. So don't go thinking it was some clapped out wore out range gun. It was brand new. Most of the time the response I've gotten in more recent years is some form of, "well they're better now." Okay. How much better? I've got two ARs, an M16, and a spare AR upper in the safe that will all shoot groups inside the tightest three of any of the groups I shot with my old Mini-14. The target gun will almost shoot a single ragged hole at 100 yards. It does it with cheap ammo.
I'm not trying to start a fight and I recognize that maybe "I should have bought a ranch rifle," "possibly I shouldn't have expected any better," "well, your rifle might not have been like that," and maybe, "they are better now." I like the idea of a modest weight semi auto rifle with a wood stock that shoots a varmint cartridge, but I don't want to "risk it," again if its not much better. Well, that and they don't cost $349.95 at a country hardware store anymore.
I'm really not trying to tick off enthusiasts. I'm just telling my story.
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