mini 30 accuracy

[caesar 73]

just purchased a used mini 30, was a little disappointed at the range. only got 3 to 3.5 inches at 100 yds.does . is this typical? are these rifles sensitive to ammo? is there a remedy or did i get a hoopdy [hope not] really like the heft and feel of the gun. any help will be appreciated.

 

[Sharps40]

That'd be about average. Its a small light barrel. Even the new series, touted as somewhat more accurate, ain't really bench rest guns. Combine that with run of the mill 7.62 ammo and 3 to 4 inches.

Look at it this way, you own a small, light, tight carbine that is dead reliable and actually looks good (compared to the horrifically ugly in any form AK/SKSs and the ARs which look fine till they get hung with 14 liner feet of pickaninny rail/flashlights/grips/spring loaded bayonet launchers and GPS range finding electro-dot laser sights with Domino's pizza ordering capability)....carries well and won't be breaking down every third shot because it only works with 4 oz of gun frog pee grease on the bolt receiver group (ala AR!).

3 to 4 inches....that's a dead deer every shot out past 150 yards. That's rolled soda cans all day long in off hand plinking practice. That's a reliable and reasonably accurate starting point.

Practice and good ammo and perhaps a scope might tighten it up a bit.

Beware of the man with one gun, even if it "only" shoots 3" groups, because he likely knows how to use it.

Luck.

 

[DGW1949]

Sharps is right.
One doesn't buy a Ruger Mini for gaining bragging rights with the bench rest crowd. Mini's are for usin'....meaning that if it's after ya get up off the bench and out into the field that they start to shine.
As for your ammo question....yeah, some 7.62X39 works better in a Mini-30 than others, but not even the rather expensive brass-cased ammo is what I'd call "match quality".

In my experience (and assuming your's has the wood stock), a proper bedding job helps accuracy quite a bit. How much it helps depends on how sloppy it was to start with.
Crafting your own ammo will certainly help too, but first ya gotta determine the bore size of your particular rifle because the earlier Mini-30's used a .308 bore size.

DGW

 

[caesar 73]

thanks for info i thought i got stuck witha clunker

That'd be about average. Its a small light barrel. Even the new series, touted as somewhat more accurate, ain't really bench rest guns. Combine that with run of the mill 7.62 ammo and 3 to 4 inches.

Look at it this way, you own a small, light, tight carbine that is dead reliable and actually looks good (compared to the horrifically ugly in any form AK/SKSs and the ARs which look fine till they get hung with 14 liner feet of pickaninny rail/flashlights/grips/spring loaded bayonet launchers and GPS range finding electro-dot laser sights with Domino's pizza ordering capability)....carries well and won't be breaking down every third shot because it only works with 4 oz of gun frog pee grease on the bolt receiver group (ala AR!).

3 to 4 inches....that's a dead deer every shot out past 150 yards. That's rolled soda cans all day long in off hand plinking practice. That's a reliable and reasonably accurate starting point.

Practice and good ammo and perhaps a scope might tighten it up a bit.

Beware of the man with one gun, even if it "only" shoots 3" groups, because he likely knows how to use it.

Luck.

 

[caesar 73]

thanks for info i thought i got stuck witha clunker

That'd be about average. Its a small light barrel. Even the new series, touted as somewhat more accurate, ain't really bench rest guns. Combine that with run of the mill 7.62 ammo and 3 to 4 inches.

Look at it this way, you own a small, light, tight carbine that is dead reliable and actually looks good (compared to the horrifically ugly in any form AK/SKSs and the ARs which look fine till they get hung with 14 liner feet of pickaninny rail/flashlights/grips/spring loaded bayonet launchers and GPS range finding electro-dot laser sights with Domino's pizza ordering capability)....carries well and won't be breaking down every third shot because it only works with 4 oz of gun frog pee grease on the bolt receiver group (ala AR!).

3 to 4 inches....that's a dead deer every shot out past 150 yards. That's rolled soda cans all day long in off hand plinking practice. That's a reliable and reasonably accurate starting point.

Practice and good ammo and perhaps a scope might tighten it up a bit.

Beware of the man with one gun, even if it "only" shoots 3" groups, because he likely knows how to use it.

Luck.

thanks for info i thought i got stuck witha clunker

That'd be about average. Its a small light barrel. Even the new series, touted as somewhat more accurate, ain't really bench rest guns. Combine that with run of the mill 7.62 ammo and 3 to 4 inches.

Look at it this way, you own a small, light, tight carbine that is dead reliable and actually looks good (compared to the horrifically ugly in any form AK/SKSs and the ARs which look fine till they get hung with 14 liner feet of pickaninny rail/flashlights/grips/spring loaded bayonet launchers and GPS range finding electro-dot laser sights with Domino's pizza ordering capability)....carries well and won't be breaking down every third shot because it only works with 4 oz of gun frog pee grease on the bolt receiver group (ala AR!).

3 to 4 inches....that's a dead deer every shot out past 150 yards. That's rolled soda cans all day long in off hand plinking practice. That's a reliable and reasonably accurate starting point.

Practice and good ammo and perhaps a scope might tighten it up a bit.

Beware of the man with one gun, even if it "only" shoots 3" groups, because he likely knows how to use it.

Luck.

thanks for info i thought i got stuck witha clunker

That'd be about average. Its a small light barrel. Even the new series, touted as somewhat more accurate, ain't really bench rest guns. Combine that with run of the mill 7.62 ammo and 3 to 4 inches.

Look at it this way, you own a small, light, tight carbine that is dead reliable and actually looks good (compared to the horrifically ugly in any form AK/SKSs and the ARs which look fine till they get hung with 14 liner feet of pickaninny rail/flashlights/grips/spring loaded bayonet launchers and GPS range finding electro-dot laser sights with Domino's pizza ordering capability)....carries well and won't be breaking down every third shot because it only works with 4 oz of gun frog pee grease on the bolt receiver group (ala AR!).

3 to 4 inches....that's a dead deer every shot out past 150 yards. That's rolled soda cans all day long in off hand plinking practice. That's a reliable and reasonably accurate starting point.

Practice and good ammo and perhaps a scope might tighten it up a bit.

Beware of the man with one gun, even if it "only" shoots 3" groups, because he likely knows how to use it.

Luck.

thats what i like about it small lite has a decedent punch

 

[Sharps40]

Please, Just don't runinate it with 16 lbs of everdeadbattery junk on 12 linear feet of pickadummy rail with desert moose crap colored tiger stripe camo paint glop.

 

[caesar 73]

what i like about the mini is it lite weight n handyness puting adons kills the hole concept of the rifle.

Please, Just don't runinate it with 16 lbs of everdeadbattery junk on 12 linear feet of pickadummy rail with desert moose crap colored tiger stripe camo paint glop.