Mini-14 upgrades!

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danko

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1
Hi everyone. I purchased a Mini-14 5802 ranch rifle a few months ago and have enjoyed shooting it. But now I'd like to do some upgrades.

In particular, I want the following:
-Muzzle break (NOT flash hider as I am in California)
-Accuracy strut
-Red dot sight

I was thinking of using the Mo-Reaper/Mo-Rod combination. And the Burris FF3 red dot with the GGG mount. Does anyone know if this combination will work or if the front sight will get in the way of the red dot?

I don't want the blind mo-reaper since I also want the option to remove the red dot and use it on my revolver so I do need working iron sights.

Any suggestions welcome :D
 

dfletcher

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
921
Location
Leaving California .....
I'm in CA also. If your Mini 14 has a threaded barrel there are alot of options for a brake. I like the AAC single chamber. Also, a fellow on EBay sells brakes that look like the AR Birdcage but have the "closed muzzle" we need in CA. Neither is particularly expensive. If your Mini isn't threaded and you want a brake I'd get it threaded. Every bolt or pin on type I've seen looks like an afterthought.

I put a plain old Burris Timberland 4X on mine and attached direct to the rifle using Ruger rings. Adding a Weaver base put the scope up too high for my liking.

Check out "Accuracy Systems" website. Lots of neat stuff. I bought their gas port bushing package - the rest of the shooters at my club were about to form a blanket party using a towel stuffed with my empty brass tossed 50 ft whizzing by their benches. :)
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
Just to continue along blume357's line of thinking, it's been my long-held belief that "upgrading" a Mini-14 should first start by addressing it's basic problems.
What I mean by that is that as a group, almost-all Mini's (regardless of era) display some rather significant short comings relative to both design and execution which could/should have been addressed by Ruger eons ago, but have not been.
The biggest offenders are sloppy stock bedding, poorly executed barrel crowns, rinky-dink sighting arrangements, and (to blume's point) poorly-finished trigger assembly's...all of which have a direct bearing on accuracy/precision. With the exception of buying a better set of sights AND doing something to improve Ruger's crappy rear sight-mounting system(s), exactly none of those other things can be fixed by simply throwing after market do-dads on the gun.

I'm not sayin' that some of those do-dads are not useful, because some of them clearly are. I'm just simply sayin' if you do "first things first", you may find that all you really need to buy afterwards is more (or better) practice ammo.

DGW
 

Larry from Bend

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
259
Location
NC Montana
DGW1949 said:
Just to continue along blume357's line of thinking, it's been my long-held belief that "upgrading" a Mini-14 should first start by addressing it's basic problems.
What I mean by that is that as a group, almost-all Mini's (regardless of era) display some rather significant short comings relative to both design and execution which could/should have been addressed by Ruger eons ago, but have not been.
The biggest offenders are sloppy stock bedding, poorly executed barrel crowns, rinky-dink sighting arrangements, and (to blume's point) poorly-finished trigger assembly's...all of which have a direct bearing on accuracy/precision. With the exception of buying a better set of sights AND doing something to improve Ruger's crappy rear sight-mounting system(s), exactly none of those other things can be fixed by simply throwing after market do-dads on the gun.
I'm not sayin' that some of those do-dads are not useful, because some of them clearly are. I'm just simply sayin' if you do "first things first", you may find that all you really need to buy afterwards is more (or better) practice ammo.

DGW


Not true at all. My Mini threw the first shot out of a cold, clean/dirty barrel 4-5" out of the group (which without the first shot was 3+") making it useless for my purposes. After installing an AccuStrut it's an honest 2" (3 shots @ 100 yards) shooter. The first shot goes in the group. That do-dad made what I'd call a vast improvement...
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
Larry from Bend said:
DGW1949 said:
Just to continue along blume357's line of thinking, it's been my long-held belief that "upgrading" a Mini-14 should first start by addressing it's basic problems.
What I mean by that is that as a group, almost-all Mini's (regardless of era) display some rather significant short comings relative to both design and execution which could/should have been addressed by Ruger eons ago, but have not been.
The biggest offenders are sloppy stock bedding, poorly executed barrel crowns, rinky-dink sighting arrangements, and (to blume's point) poorly-finished trigger assembly's...all of which have a direct bearing on accuracy/precision. With the exception of buying a better set of sights AND doing something to improve Ruger's crappy rear sight-mounting system(s), exactly none of those other things can be fixed by simply throwing after market do-dads on the gun.
I'm not sayin' that some of those do-dads are not useful, because some of them clearly are. I'm just simply sayin' if you do "first things first", you may find that all you really need to buy afterwards is more (or better) practice ammo.

DGW


Not true at all. My Mini threw the first shot out of a cold, clean/dirty barrel 4-5" out of the group (which without the first shot was 3+") making it useless for my purposes. After installing an AccuStrut it's an honest 2" (3 shots @ 100 yards) shooter. The first shot goes in the group. That do-dad made what I'd call a vast improvement...

First off, please allow me to repeat myself...
"I'm not sayin' that some of those do-dads are not useful, because some of them clearly are. I'm just simply sayin' if you do "first things first", you may find that all you really need to buy afterwards is more (or better) practice ammo."

Now, with that established....Yes, I agree that adding a proper "strut" can (and often does) make quite a difference in how well any certain Mini shoots.

On the other hand, what simply adding a strut can't/doesn't do though, is address any of the other issues which I articulated as being rather-common amongst Mini's regardless of the specific era in which they may have been produced.

In other words, no rifle which exhibits sloppy bedding, or an out of square muzzle, or a poor crown, or has had it's barrel unevenly-stressed while pressing-on it's front sight, or has poor and/or ill-fitted sights, and/or an ill-fitted trigger Ass'y, and/or any combination of those things is going to be capable of delivering the amount of accuracy/precision which it would otherwise have...and the Mini platform is no exception....That was my point.

Purty-basic stuff really.

DGW
 

Marksj

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 2, 2017
Messages
2
Was looking at a mini14 for coyote hunting. I realize all rifles have there pluses. I was hoping for a good accurate rifle out of the box. Is this possible without these things being done? It is not cheap to begin with and what would some of the thing to improve accuracy cost?
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
I'm a big fan of the Mini platform in so far as my own uses go.
That said though, if I was strictly looking for "cost VS results" relative to hunting coyotes, I'd probably look elsewhere.

DGW
 

Marksj

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 2, 2017
Messages
2
DGW1949 said:
I'm a big fan of the Mini platform in so far as my own uses go.
That said though, if I was strictly looking for "cost VS results" relative to hunting coyotes, I'd probably look elsewhere.

DGW
I had the notion that a semi auto would give me 2 or 3 quick shots as compared to bolt action,and still be accurate any recommendations?
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
Marksj said:
DGW1949 said:
I'm a big fan of the Mini platform in so far as my own uses go.
That said though, if I was strictly looking for "cost VS results" relative to hunting coyotes, I'd probably look elsewhere.

DGW

I had the notion that a semi auto would give me 2 or 3 quick shots as compared to bolt action,and still be accurate any recommendations?

I haven't often hunted with a semi-auto, and haven't hunted coyotes at all...so I'm simply not qualified to make a recommendation.
Perhaps someone with experience will see this and chime in. If not, you'll probably get some good answers if you pose the question in the "hunting" section of the Forum.

Hope this helped.

DGW
 

rimmer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
246
I had done nothing to my 581 and I loaded some cartridges with different amounts of powder and I shot 3/4" groups at 100 yds. The trigger was crappy so I sent it to be cleaned up. Now the trigger is sharp and a crisp 2&1/2#s. I have not had time to shoot it yet.
 
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