Range Report - Mini-14

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Lance0812

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
87
Location
St. Louis, MO
I finally had a chance to get to the range with my new mini-14 yesterday and, except for the stiffness of the magazine springs, was pleasantly surprised.
About the first set of shots, I have no idea. I was firing at fifty yards and unable to see small white holes in a beige target at that range. When a cease fire was called, my daughter and I walked out to the targets and I was mortified to see no holes in my target. (Hers, shooting with her new Marlin 795, had a very good grouping.)
So I pasted an Orange peel target over the pristine one and an Arab type to my right started yelling at me in fractured English. Seems he had been shooting at the same target and had just posted the new one.
Long story short, one of his buddies - who spoke somewhat better English - settled things in my favor and the Orange Peel target stayed and was mine.
I fired twenty more shots, using the 5 round mag to avoid overheating, and saw only one burst of color on the target. However, when I collected the target, I saw I had done quite well: the twenty shots were low and to the right, but the group was consistent. (The one burst I was able to see from 50 yards was irordinately large.)
Now, all of this was with the mini-14 right out of the box - except that I had used CLP on the bore a week or so earlier - and with no adjustments to the sights.
In all, I'm very pleased with the mini-14: handles good, recoil very managable and it put all my shots in the same area. Granted that the area was not as close to the center bull as I would have liked, but I put that down to the distraction of four Arabs next to me and firing an assault rifle - anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
And I may have had the last laugh after all: the Arabs were to my right and I understand the mini-14 flings brass about 15 feet...
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,430
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
reminds me of a couple of months ago I was at my club's rifle range and a couple guys showed up with M1 Garrands, nearest guy was about that distance to the left of me and I ended up having to move over behind a post that supports the roof until he was done shooting.
 

Lance0812

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
87
Location
St. Louis, MO
Plinker MKII":j5sy06ot said:
Why didn't you adjust the sights?

I bet some wiseguy shot your orange target with a different caliber rifle.

Because I wanted to know what it was like "out of the box".
And every hole in my target measured exactly .2235.
 

wixedmords

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
903
Location
Wixed - Lakes Region of NH
A tough time for the first time out Lance. But, you got some things accomplished.

Next time out it should be more fun. It's a great rifle.

Collect that brass. Good man. ;)

Any outside places to shoot in your area?
 

Lance0812

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
87
Location
St. Louis, MO
wixedmords":100mvdg9 said:
A tough time for the first time out Lance. But, you got some things accomplished.

Next time out it should be more fun. It's a great rifle.

Collect that brass. Good man. ;)

Any outside places to shoot in your area?
Not sure whether or not you're joking.
Yes, I was outside at the Missouri Bottoms Range. We have others nearby (within 40 miles) but several require that you become a dues-paying member.
 

wixedmords

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
903
Location
Wixed - Lakes Region of NH
Lance0812":2jyu1cn9 said:
wixedmords":2jyu1cn9 said:
A tough time for the first time out Lance. But, you got some things accomplished.

Next time out it should be more fun. It's a great rifle.

Collect that brass. Good man. ;)

Any outside places to shoot in your area?
Not sure whether or not you're joking.
Yes, I was outside at the Missouri Bottoms Range. We have others nearby (within 40 miles) but several require that you become a dues-paying member.


Nope, I wasn't pulling your leg Lance. It looked as though you were bothered by those next to you, at least you were able to concentrate and get a grouping.

I think it is just so much better to shoot high-capacity semi's outside.

Hopefully the next timeout will be a bit more pleasing. ;)
 

Lance0812

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
87
Location
St. Louis, MO
No offense taken. I do sometimes take pistols to my local Bullseye range (indoor) but have no idea whether they'd allow a rifle.
The only bad part of the day was that the guy claimed ownership of my target - which had been given to me by the previous user of my bench.
 
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