hoss
.327 Meteor
Posts: 716
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Post by hoss on Aug 18, 2012 0:33:16 GMT -5
My future son in law is an AR guy, and I... I can't abide 'em. I know plenty of folks love 'em, but... doin my pawn shop stroll and spotted a ranch rifle with a junk scope, 3 mags and the prettiest wood I've ever seen on a mini. First range trip demonstrated the gun does not like steel cased ammo... any notions on bullet weight for best overall accuracy and function?
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Post by AxeHandle on Aug 18, 2012 6:39:24 GMT -5
You've run off down a thorny path here... While I am sure that there are Mini 14s that will shoot there are many that won't. My buddy's refer to their accuracy potential as "Minute of Convict" referring to their role as prison guard guns. The AR on the other hand is quite a different matter. Long before they became the darlings of the semi auto varmint set I had no use for them. In the early 90s I went to a few training camps with a military International Combat Team.. Got to spend a little quality time on 2 mile runs and 500 yard run downs. Shot at stationary targets at 500, 400, 300 and 200 yards, man size walking targets at 100 yards, and flipping man heads at 50 yards.. I developed a new appreciation of what the AR was and what it would do..
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Post by agrizz on Aug 18, 2012 9:37:42 GMT -5
When the Mini 14 first came on the market they were as accurate as any other rifle. I had one that would shoot matchbook size groups at 100 with iron's. The drawback at the time was simply that there was no way to attach and upgrade the sight system. Since then we are able to upgrade however the accuracy is hit and miss.
I had disliked the AR since my introduction to it in the Army. At that time I was issued an M14 and refused to turn it in for an AR due to its failures in the field at the time. Until about 8 years ago I had no intention of ever having one in my battery. I have reexamined my position on the rifle for its qualities rather than its failures. Today I have a number of them with different barrels, sights and miscellaneous other gadgets. I respect this rifle in the form it is presently in because 99% of its issues have been resolved over the past 45 years.
I had to swallow a lot of prejudice that I had in my own mind about the black rifle and learned that it is a very effective weapon. I have fired it in semi auto untill the barrels are hot enough that you are unable to touch the front grip. In the full auto form I have fired it untill the silencer glows red and the barrel is smoking and changing colors. This without one failure in any form.
It is a great platform at this time. I have a hunt for deer in Nebraska scheduled for October 10 and I will be taking an AR and a Flattop 44 special Bisley.
The ranch rifle may have to be re-barreled in order to get any type of accuracy. Normally they function very well it is in the chamber and barrel groove diameter where the problems are. With the mini 14 you will need a gunsmith. With an AR you need a barrel wrench and a little time to change the barrel yourself at home.
Why dont you try a 55 grain bullet and a bunch of brass cases, federal primers and H335 for a powder.
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Post by larryfrommt on Aug 18, 2012 13:43:25 GMT -5
My newer Mini is the updated model and is more accurate than my first one. They changed in about 2006-07.
This one is a 2 MOA shooter with 55 grain Black Hills SP ammo. I intend to try some heavier bullets in it; as others have had good results with 60-70 grainers.
I'm sure I fired a thousand rounds at Jack Rabbits in the sage brush with the first one --- never a failure of any kind.
Although I now use a much-more accurate bolt gun for Coyotes, I still believe I killed more Coyotes more easily with the Mini than any other rifle I've used.
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dmize
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,834
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Post by dmize on Aug 18, 2012 19:40:49 GMT -5
From my experiences the Mini 14,at least older ones are a LOT like some other guns Ruger makes,might not be the most accurate gun made but if will go bang every time you pull the trigger
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Post by boxhead on Aug 19, 2012 11:36:50 GMT -5
I have been around a handful of Mini's and none would shoot near as well as the owner hoped. These were older guns, hopefully the new one's are better.
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hoss
.327 Meteor
Posts: 716
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Post by hoss on Aug 19, 2012 15:41:21 GMT -5
This is the latest iteration of the ranch rifle, with the rubber butt pad and decent rear sight. At 25 yards, although the steel cased Tula 55 grain ammo wasn't ejecting worth a damn, it was still shooting tight little groups. I bought some brass cased stuff to try this week. I'm not a benchrest kinda guy: at most the gun might be called on for a 100-150 yards tops.
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Post by greengunner on Aug 20, 2012 9:30:56 GMT -5
The word is the accuracy problems with the Mini was worn tooling at the factory. Your serial # will tell you when your rifle was made. I believe the 579 serial #'s were the first batch with new tooling. I won a 581 #'d one at a gun raffle and it shoots very well. There is alot of discusion about this on the perfectunion site.
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Post by greengunner on Aug 20, 2012 9:32:39 GMT -5
Thanks agrizz for the suggestion on the scope, was unaware Leupold made this.
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Post by Markbo on Aug 21, 2012 12:16:22 GMT -5
The Mark AR line covers a whole lot of Product lines! It is not "A" scope. www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-mark-ar-riflescopes.html?ph=%2B18669591740&gclid=CLme3L6b-bECFchgTAodvFQAqgSam FWIW the AR platform has it all over the Mini design. They just do. Don't let the looks of something turn you away. These things are the s!)3$!! From shorty M4 types to long barrel varmint snipers to alternate calibers, it is a great platform. Call me one day and we'll get together with a few different ones and you can wring them out. I promise you, you will change your mind! |
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Post by dlhredfoxx on Aug 21, 2012 19:51:46 GMT -5
I like the mini's. For a ranch tool or truck gun, minute of coyote at reasonable ranges is "good enough"... they were never intended to be long range pokers with high powered optics like an AR is capable of doing. Where the AR platform is by far a superior repeating rifle, it also comes at a far higher price... the mini is a simple tool for a simple job... don't expect it to do more than it was intended for, IMO. AR's and Mini 14's are apples and oranges...
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hoss
.327 Meteor
Posts: 716
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Post by hoss on Aug 21, 2012 21:06:33 GMT -5
I must confess I'm sort of surprised: I thought most of us were steel and walnut guys at heart. I like the mini. I am happy to see so many of us like the AR, and I myself have an affinity for the AK and Cetme... I like simple and dependable. I understand the attraction to the AR, but... in a John Deere world I'm a FarmAll kinda guy.
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Post by oldschool on Aug 29, 2012 13:03:36 GMT -5
My future son in law is an AR guy, and I... I can't abide 'em. I know plenty of folks love 'em, but... doin my pawn shop stroll and spotted a ranch rifle with a junk scope, 3 mags and the prettiest wood I've ever seen on a mini. First range trip demonstrated the gun does not like steel cased ammo... any notions on bullet weight for best overall accuracy and function? I have a Mini made in 1981 that has the 1 in 10" twist. When I traded for it, it was rusty and the muzzle & front sight had been beat on severely, damaging the crown (I assume they had placed the muzzle on concrete while they tried to beat the front sight off). I got a new sight from Ruger & cut off the bbl to 16.25" with a hacksaw, filed it flat, & recrowned it with a borrowed hand tool. Also installed a pinned-on flash hider. It will shoot 55 gr. M193 under 2 MOA with irons (my personal limit). After the fact, I've learned that shortening the bbl & adding weight (flash hider) is a common method of accurizing these older Minis. I've found that Black Hills reloads with 69 gr HPs shoot similarly in this gun, although every rifle is a law unto itself. As for the steel cased ammo, you can make or buy gas port bushings to improve functioning in these rifles. The Minis tend to be overgassed. My shortened bbl does best with a .055" bushing (the factory bushing was .088"), shooting the underpowered Wolf & Tula flawlessly, and ejecting the cases in a neat pile about 3' to my right. With NATO spec ammo, it ejects about 7' away. Before I rebushed it, it was kicking M193 about 30-35' away. I've found that the key to shooting steel-cased ammo reliably in the Mini or the AR is the timing of the action. In my AR, it took a heavier buffer to slow down the unlocking of the bolt and allowing pressure to subside a bit before trying to extract the round. I believe the reduced gas bushing did the same in my Mini. |
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Post by oldschool on Aug 29, 2012 13:04:42 GMT -5
Today there are very few pieces of wood anywhere other than the shotgun area. Even these are a combination of composition pressed wood with a coating over the top. The handguns have very little wood. Depressing, isn't it? |
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Post by lightningii on Sept 5, 2012 17:41:32 GMT -5
Hoss,
I'm betting Ranch rifle has more than a 1 in9" twist to the rifling, so stick with 55 grain bullets. It's actually a .223 Remington, right? That steel case ammo you shot is probably 5.56mm; not necessarily a problem, but check the cases for signs of excessive pressure.
Steel case ammo isn't your match-grade stuff, either. Try a couple of boxes of quality brass ammo from Federal, Black hills, or any of the bigger name makers.
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