Make the mini14 suck less or making the mini14 great again

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4v50 Gary said:
When compared to the AR platform, the Mini-14 has several disadvantages:

Based on WW II design (but made with modern technology)
Less modular. Can't swap out things like barrels or uppers like you can on the AR.
Very specialized tools required to work on Mini-14 (and sold by Ruger only to Ruger trained armorers)

That said, it's a fun light little gun. Accuracy has improved with heavier barrel (or barrel shortened to 16") and twist or addition of the Accustrut. It's also available in Californiastan where EBRs have been illegal since 1989.

I would love to get a Grenada police (or is it military) marked one or one purchased by the French Government.
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I think I have the tools to do it, none made by ruger.
Still need special tools to replace a barrel on an AR15. At least an AR15 barrel nut wrench, upper receiver clam shell, should use a torque wrench and go and no-go gauges to check head space.
Is an AR15 upper clam shell and AR15 barrel nut wrench not special tools?
 
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There're all different.
Some like full power ammo, a lot like faster burning start loads, but that isn't how factory ammo is loaded.
Mine shoots M193 bullets loaded with the start load of H322 very well.
 
Something I have never done before is go lighter.....
The other day I shot some Winchester 45gr .223 varmint ammo I've had for years.
It shot better 100yd groups than anything I have shot through my 182-series 1/10 twist.
Like half the size of M193 groups.

Then I remembered I have a box of 50gr Varmint Grenades that I grabbed years ago in a Cabelas Bargain Cave.
Gonna have to load some up and see how they do.
 
BudrowBob said:
Something I have never done before is go lighter.....
The other day I shot some Winchester 45gr .223 varmint ammo I've had for years.
It shot better 100yd groups than anything I have shot through my 182-series 1/10 twist.
Like half the size of M193 groups.

Then I remembered I have a box of 50gr Varmint Grenades that I grabbed years ago in a Cabelas Bargain Cave.
Gonna have to load some up and see how they do.
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The rumor was that the mini14 didn't stabilize heavier bullets because they shot all over the place. Heavier bullets do fly on a ballistic trajectory, but they tend to go all over the place.
 
N555 said:
The rumor was that the mini14 didn't stabilize heavier bullets because they shot all over the place. Heavier bullets do fly on a ballistic trajectory, but they tend to go all over the place.
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It really depends on the twist rate. Mine is the original 1/10, around 1986 they changed to 1/7 and in 1997 they changed to 1/9.

What is strange to me is that my 1/10 is still faster than the 1/12 in the original M16 which fires M193 well.

But it is what it is.
 
BudrowBob said:
It really depends on the twist rate. Mine is the original 1/10, around 1986 they changed to 1/7 and in 1997 they changed to 1/9.

What is strange to me is that my 1/10 is still faster than the 1/12 in the original M16 which fires M193 well.

But it is what it is.
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I have one of those 1:12 uppers. Shoots 55g and under really well but keyholes badly with 62g.
 
Mine is a 183- Ranch Rifle. Recently installed a wood handguard and a flash hider/front sight combo. Looking for one of the wooden stocks with the folding butt to come along.

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4v50 Gary said:
Based on WW II design (but made with modern technology)
Less modular. Can't swap out things like barrels or uppers like you can on the AR.
Very specialized tools required to work on Mini-14 (and sold by Ruger only to Ruger trained armorers)
Click to expand...
The 9x19 is a pre-WW1 stopgap cartridge and most pistols today use an operating mechanism that is just as old. Just because the base design is old means nothing.

The AR is a textbook example of "Illusion of choice". Everyone builds the exact same handful of configuration. You could take the entire AR market down to around a dozen factory configurations and hardly anyone would notice the difference.

It's not that the AR is "modular". It's that the lower is the serial numbered component. Stoner could have easily put the serial number on the upper, like the FAL.

The AR requires equally specialized tools. They're just more available. Because people treat ARs like Honda Civics, spending big money to get something that does what it already did in the first place.
 
Crosshair said:
The 9x19 is a pre-WW1 stopgap cartridge and most pistols today use an operating mechanism that is just as old. Just because the base design is old means nothing.

The AR is a textbook example of "Illusion of choice". Everyone builds the exact same handful of configuration. You could take the entire AR market down to around a dozen factory configurations and hardly anyone would notice the difference.

It's not that the AR is "modular". It's that the lower is the serial numbered component. Stoner could have easily put the serial number on the upper, like the FAL.

The AR requires equally specialized tools. They're just more available. Because people treat ARs like Honda Civics, spending big money to get something that does what it already did in the first place.
Click to expand...
Yeah I got both my upper clam shell and AR multi wrench for like $40 shipped.
The mini14 receiver support vise by its self was $50 in 2018. The barrel wrench attachment is another $50, but I think I have something that will work that isn't a pipe wrench.
 
N555 said:
Yeah I got both my upper clam shell and AR multi wrench for like $40 shipped.
The mini14 receiver support vise by its self was $50 in 2018. The barrel wrench attachment is another $50, but I think I have something that will work that isn't a pipe wrench.
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With greater availability comes lower prices and improved versions of tools. That's hardly surprising. You can say the same about .223 reloading dies vs 220 Swift dies.
 
N555 said:
The gas port plug is usually 0.085'' what's the normal hole diameter in the barrel supposed to be?
I can throw a buffer on there, I have heard of people using 1911 buffers and I know I have some, if can't find my stash I will find something to toss on there, some sort of o-ring or something.
Ultimately it will have some sort of adjustable gas system.
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I got the new 580 barrel in, it appears to have approximately a 0.050'' hole just like the original pencil barrel.
 
Well I'm having trouble getting the barrel to unscrew. No surprise there. I used my induction heater and made a custom coil with over 5 feet of 12 gauge wire to heat up the receiver.
Maybe I can hit it with the induction heater a few times and try to work some oil into the threads.
I'm just going to buy the 0.900'' barrel wrench attachments, it's only $42. I don't have the Power Custom wrench but I have some nice 1x1.25 inch solid steel bar I could use to make one. Just drill some holes, get bolts long enough and Mmmmm.

While I'm trying to figure out the barrel problem I'll send off the trigger for a trigger job. Was going to do it at some point.

Holy cow the Power Custom wrench handle and vise adaptor are a $100.
Each.
Yeah I can make my own.

Incase it's not glaringly apparent I'm not a trained ruger armorer.
 
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You can definitely make the mini14 trigger at least suck less or even make it great. There's no excuse for that cheap military knockoff.
You got 3 options.
1 take it to a gun smith, send it to some one on here, send it to one of the online gun smith stores. But that will cost money.
2 if you can watch YouTube videos, sharpen a knife, can figure out how mechanical things work by operating them by hand and watching them closely you may be able to do your own trigger job. Remember if you ruin it a new mini trigger is about $250 and a gunsmith will charge more to fix it if you messed it up assuming it can be saved.
3 I don't know, someone has another option I'm sure.

I have found milltastic triggers which are that 5+ lb and have a lot of creep throws my shots off by around an inch at 100 yards. Or maybe I just suck, don't practice enough, ect. That's definitely a possibility. But if I can substitute some amount range time, a pile of expended ammo and gun wear and tear with a trigger job then I'm all in.

My mini14 trigger now reminds me of a good bolt action trigger. No take up, a tiny bit of creep, breaks at about 2lb.
If it was a really good bolt action trigger with no creep at about 2lb, that would be scarry on a semi automatic rifle.
A 2lb trigger is probably a bad idea possibly dangerous but I can always add back some trigger force. I'll be doing quite a bit of testing without live ammo, trying to cause it to fire without pulling the trigger with this light trigger, slamming the bolt forward on an empty chamber, banging the rifle with a rubber mallet as if dropped, tipping it over on the floor, probably actually dropping it on the floor with out the scope of course.
 
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N555 said:
You can definitely make the mini14 trigger at least suck less or even make it great. There's no excuse for that cheap military knockoff.
You got 3 options.
1 take it to a gun smith, send it to some one on here, send it to one of the online gun smith stores. But that will cost money.
2 if you can watch YouTube videos, sharpen a knife, can figure out how mechanical things work by operating them by hand and watching them closely you may be able to do your own trigger job. Remember if you ruin it a new mini trigger is about $250 and a gunsmith will charge more to fix it if you messed it up assuming it can be saved.
3 I don't know, someone has another option I'm sure.

I have found milltastic triggers which are that 5+ lb and have a lot of creep throws my shots off by around an inch at 100 yards. Or maybe I just suck, don't practice enough, ect. That's definitely a possibility. But if I can substitute some amount range time, a pile of expended ammo and gun wear and tear with a trigger job then I'm all in.

My mini14 trigger now reminds me of a good bolt action trigger. No take up, a tiny bit of creep, breaks at about 2lb.
If it was a really good bolt action trigger with no creep at about 2lb, that would be scarry on a semi automatic rifle.
A 2lb trigger is probably a bad idea possibly dangerous but I can always add back some trigger force. I'll be doing quite a bit of testing without live ammo, trying to cause it to fire without pulling the trigger with this light trigger, slamming the bolt forward on an empty chamber, banging the rifle with a rubber mallet as if dropped, tipping it over on the floor, probably actually dropping it on the floor with out the scope of course.
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Please tell us more about working on Mini 14 triggers? :rofl:

Im just kidding ya. Glad to see knowledge being passed on. :)
 
If I didn't have my old beat down mini14 I would have probably bought a new one recently.
I think I can make it better than new for a lot less than a new one.

A new 580 series stainless barrel.
$130 shipped.

Back yard trigger job, might have to replace a seer spring I cut.
$10 maybe

Total $140 so far.

Power Custom barrel and receiver blocks with home made wrench and vise holder for said blocks.
$100

Total $240

Thread the barrel, up to $100.

Total $340.

Add the accuracy systems adjustable gas block $230.

Total $570.

I might need to buy a finishing ream if head spacing is too tight.
$125

I'll just round it to $700

Hopefully I can resell the 1x slightly used reamer for up to $100.
-$100

Total $600

Sell my pencil barrel gas block, I see them listed for up to $200 but I want to sell it quick.
-$150

Total $450

Sell my Power custom blocks with my home made extreme heavy duty wrench/vise set for $200 when I'm done with them.
-$200

Total $250

I found a guy who used to do a lot of M14, M1A, ruger mini, M1 garand, M1 and M2 carbine work in the 1990s I'm going to go talk to. I'll bring him the trigger for better or worse see what he thinks.
 
I do. And I do them at No Cost for members on different Forums. I’m actually doing one for another member who saw my response in your thread. But I also teach people how & encourage other DIY’ers to try it themselves.

That was not my video. Just one of the many I’ve come by over the years. But yes, that person did a good job in his 3-part tutorial. Anyone with a bit of mechanical aptitude can recreate his results. Yes, it was Mini 14 specific, but the rules apply to any trigger really. I’ve perform trigger jobs on hundreds of different platforms. Any trigger is simply understanding they have 2 separate horizontal opposing, rotational planes, & understanding the relationship they have. Been doing them for over 20 years and have a pretty good handle on ‘em.

And yes.. I do it for fun.
 
N555 said:
Just cut 1/2 to 1 coil off the spring.
Or trade with me.
My seer spring is too light because I cut it, then ground the seer. I should have did the grinding first and I probably would have cut half a coil or cut nothing from spring.
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Yes..always do material removal & polishing before doing any spring work. I generally do not like cutting coils. I prefer using the same length spring in lighter wire diameter to achieve the same preload.
 
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