mini 14
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Bearcat
I absolutely love mine... http://www.ruger.com/products/mini14Tac ... index.html
It's not a tack driver, it does fit my need/want/budget...The factory trigger is, imo and a few others, less than desirable...I just got the trigger back from some work and i have yet to live fire it...The dry work is what i would expect a trigger to do...
Mark
It's not a tack driver, it does fit my need/want/budget...The factory trigger is, imo and a few others, less than desirable...I just got the trigger back from some work and i have yet to live fire it...The dry work is what i would expect a trigger to do...
Mark
It all depends on what you're expecting in the end.
If you want a real "one hole" rifle, save your money until you can afford an AR and fit it with a target upper and match trigger.... or give up the idea of a semi-auto and get yourself a Savage heavy barrel bolt action like a 12FV. There may be exceptions, but I have yet to see one of the supposedly accurate new Mini 14s do better than a 1-1/2" group, and in the world of accurate rifles, that just don't cut it.
If you're looking for "reasonable" accuracy in a tough, reliable knockabout rifle, then the Mini is your best bet.
If you want a real "one hole" rifle, save your money until you can afford an AR and fit it with a target upper and match trigger.... or give up the idea of a semi-auto and get yourself a Savage heavy barrel bolt action like a 12FV. There may be exceptions, but I have yet to see one of the supposedly accurate new Mini 14s do better than a 1-1/2" group, and in the world of accurate rifles, that just don't cut it.
If you're looking for "reasonable" accuracy in a tough, reliable knockabout rifle, then the Mini is your best bet.
slippingaway
Blackhawk
Yeah, if you are looking for a durable, reliable semi-auto that is accurate enough for coyotes or two-legged "varmints" then the 14 is a good rifle. If you want to blow nothing but the bullseye out of targets at 100yds you'll need to find something else.
slippingaway
Blackhawk
If you want half inch groups at 100yds then you need something other than a Mini. If you need to shoot half inch groups at 100 yds to kill coyotes, you must live somewhere with pretty small coyotes :wink:
The mini 14 is perfect for what I (and my father in law) bought them for, to throw in the pickup at the ranch in case we see a coyote or some other varmint, or to throw behind the door in case some two-legged critters show up at the ranch uninvited. They'll get knocked around, scratched, scuffed, and dinged up, but they'll sure as hell shoot every time you pull the trigger, and eat any kind of .223 you can find whether it's clean or not. For that kind of ruggedness and reliability, you trade off some accuracy.
The mini 14 is perfect for what I (and my father in law) bought them for, to throw in the pickup at the ranch in case we see a coyote or some other varmint, or to throw behind the door in case some two-legged critters show up at the ranch uninvited. They'll get knocked around, scratched, scuffed, and dinged up, but they'll sure as hell shoot every time you pull the trigger, and eat any kind of .223 you can find whether it's clean or not. For that kind of ruggedness and reliability, you trade off some accuracy.
sniper81":26zrg330 said:
As I stated in an earlier post, the best of the new "accurate" Mini 14s I've seen is about 1-1/2" groups. 3" groups are more common, and with the old Minis, 4" or larger groups are what you can expect. Might be some folks who claim they can do 1/2" with a Mini, but they're just blowin' smoke up your skirt.
If you want 1/2" groups, you're lookin at almost a benchrest quality rifle..... and NONE of them are semi autos - and they ain't in the price range of a Mini, either.
well i figured if i reload i could shrink the groups but if i can hit a coyote where the crosshair meet in the middle every time im sold also one more q how far do they throw the brass i hear they throw them far also what kind of scope u guys have on them i have a new bushnell trophy 3-9x40 mill dot got it a couple weeks ago for my new savage 93fv 22 mag and doesnt fit well figured i dont need a huge scope for a 100yd gun also what grain shoots the best in ur mini
slippingaway
Blackhawk
Think of it this way, if your scope is zeroed correctly, even a 4" group at 100 yards means your shot will be within 2" any direction from the point of aim. The new minis will put you within less than 1" in any direction. That's plenty good for coyotes.
They don't drop the brass at your feet, but even when I'm using the cab of my pickup as a bipod rest, it doesn't fly more than 10 feet or so.
I think my scope is a 3-9x32
They don't drop the brass at your feet, but even when I'm using the cab of my pickup as a bipod rest, it doesn't fly more than 10 feet or so.
I think my scope is a 3-9x32
slippingaway
Blackhawk
The newer minis are designed to send the brass out to the side so it won't hit a scope. Some guns still do, a couple strategically placed strips of electrical tape are a simple fix, but rarely needed.
I don't use a buffer, not sure about anyone else.
I don't use a buffer, not sure about anyone else.
slippingaway
Blackhawk
Nope. If you don't want to dig through grass, you need either a tarp or bedsheet, or you can make a frame out of PVC and get some netting, and set it beside you.
Well gents, I had 2 of the older mini-14's in stainless and they shot on average around 5 inch groups with several brands of factory ammo. I did try reloading for them but NO Dice! I still ended up with 2 Ruger's that shot 4 & 1/4 inch groups. They got traded away quick.
Now about 3 months ago, I purchased for the wife another Ruger mini-14, this all came about from reading an article on the Army Special Forces trying out the new Ruger mini' caliber in the 6.8 and tests were also run on the mini-14 in cal .223. Artical stated they shot under 3 inch groups. So I brought one home for my honey of 35 years!
Now this rifle shot 2.75 inch groups at 100 yds off the bench, with a Leupold 3 x 9 power scope mounted on top. I later tried some other brands or ammo and cut that down to 2.25 inch groups. I do believe I can reload for this rifle and drop it another 1/2 inch or more in the group size.
Now about 3 months ago, I purchased for the wife another Ruger mini-14, this all came about from reading an article on the Army Special Forces trying out the new Ruger mini' caliber in the 6.8 and tests were also run on the mini-14 in cal .223. Artical stated they shot under 3 inch groups. So I brought one home for my honey of 35 years!
Now this rifle shot 2.75 inch groups at 100 yds off the bench, with a Leupold 3 x 9 power scope mounted on top. I later tried some other brands or ammo and cut that down to 2.25 inch groups. I do believe I can reload for this rifle and drop it another 1/2 inch or more in the group size.
There are some passionate mini owners over at www.perfectunion.com.sniper81":3spzpcdc said:
Great place to ask mini-14 questions.
One of, if not the best, mini forums around. Ck'em out.
Guppy
Bearcat
The new minis are 2-3 inch guns out of the box.
Old minis are 5 inch guns out of the box.
Tuned old minis are 2 inch or less guns.
Tuning.
-Add heavy muzzle break / flash suppressor /sight assembly the weight helps stabilize the whippy barrel.
-Trigger job, very easy to do
-Even up the pressures the gas block exerts on the barrel. Tune the gas block / forend to ensure that the mating of the gas block and fore end are not exerting pressure on the barrel.
-Bed the action.
-Optional shorten barrel to 16" to further reduce barrel whip.
My favorite Mini is non ranch and with ammo it likes will shoot less than 2 moa all day with iron sights. My stainless ranch will shoot 1-2 moa with a scope and ammo it likes.
I have run into mini's that cannot be made to shoot decently or string shots like wild. This is usually due to the gas port being slightly off and inducing pressure at the fore end by placing twist on the whole assembly.
Old minis are 5 inch guns out of the box.
Tuned old minis are 2 inch or less guns.
Tuning.
-Add heavy muzzle break / flash suppressor /sight assembly the weight helps stabilize the whippy barrel.
-Trigger job, very easy to do
-Even up the pressures the gas block exerts on the barrel. Tune the gas block / forend to ensure that the mating of the gas block and fore end are not exerting pressure on the barrel.
-Bed the action.
-Optional shorten barrel to 16" to further reduce barrel whip.
My favorite Mini is non ranch and with ammo it likes will shoot less than 2 moa all day with iron sights. My stainless ranch will shoot 1-2 moa with a scope and ammo it likes.
I have run into mini's that cannot be made to shoot decently or string shots like wild. This is usually due to the gas port being slightly off and inducing pressure at the fore end by placing twist on the whole assembly.
txpete
Bearcat
I have a older mini 14 ranch and love it.mine has a 1-9 twist and shoots 62-64 gr bullets just fine.now with ruger selling quality 20 & 30 round mags is a big plus.
target using my handloads with PULLED 62 gr military fmjbt's.iron sights & if its bigger than a coke can at 100 yards its in trouble.
have fun
pete
target using my handloads with PULLED 62 gr military fmjbt's.iron sights & if its bigger than a coke can at 100 yards its in trouble.
have fun
pete
