why are mini 14's inaccurate?

[Tokugawa]

Just wondering about the reputation the mini 14 has for mediocre accuracy. I have had one, a folder with flash hider, it was not accurate- about 8" groups at 75 yds. I always thought maybe the flash hider was aligned incorrectly.

Many comments here also refer to the accuracy problem. Is this a universal complaint? What should one expect from the rifle? And why are they so bad? Isn't it basicly a garand type action?

On a positive note, the one I owned never skipped a beat function wise.

 

[benEzra]

The best mine has ever done is 5.5" at 100 yards, from a rest.

I'd say the causes are (1) a long, thin barrel that is very susceptible to large bending moments, particularly when hot, and (2) a gas block cantilevered off the barrel that produces a huge bending moment when it blasts the heavy op rod rearward as the bullet passes by.

Word on the mini-14 forum is that shortening the barrel to 16", fitting a less aggressive gas bushing, and adding muzzle weight in the form of a flash suppressor or brake helps matters considerably.

 

[bcbr]

mini

po sites a sucky trigger and a 7 $ barrel.
http://www.perfectunion.com/forums/index.php
Try this place for all yo fo teen needs.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Yep... reedy looking barrel... long thumping op-rod.

Still I can get one to shoot 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards. I have to use a scope and fire slowly, letting the barrel cool off after three or so shots.

Some of the simplest 'accurizers' out there are barrel wieghts, or simply a heavy wieght replacement barrel.

There is an ad in every issue of Varmint Hunter for 1moa Minis

 

[billwiese]

Why are Mini14s inaccurate?

'Cuz they ain't AR15s! ;-)

I've seen AR15s with thinner-profile barrels quite similar to those on Mini14s, and these ARs will shoot < 2MOA @ 100yds with Fed XM193. Some standard unmodified Colt AR15 "Sporters" w/1x7" twist bbl + flash hider, using Federal match ammo, can do under 1MOA @ 100yds provided the shooter does his part (scope helpful for those of us with tired eyes).

In fact the std M16A2 20" 'government profile' barrel has a lightweight profile under much of the handguard - just some 'swelling' in/near the chamber area and up at/beyond the gas block.

I suspect it's not just the Mini's barrel profile, but looser chambering and the bolt design. (ARs have many-lugged bolts and only have to rotate a bit to lock or unlock from the barrel extension lugs.)

I had a mid-80s preban S/S Mini14 factory folder - got it for around $250 then. It made me $700+ when I sold it on GunBroker 2+ years ago (w/hicap mags). That way I could buy more AR uppers


Bill Wiese
San Jose CA

 

[Drakejake]

There are many reports of stock Mini 14s with very good accuracy, 1-2 inch MOA, especially when the barrel is cold. There are many reports that barrel weights (industrial weights, which are inexpensive to buy and easy to install) , rigidity struts (can be home-made from ordered parts), flash hiders and muzzle breaks all improve accuracy significantly. People seem to think that one of the former changes will reduce barrel whip; there is no meaningful improvement from doing two or three of these things. Barrel bedding is another possibilty, along with adjustments to the gas mechanism and the operating rod.

It seems clear that Minis in general are not as accurate as some more expensive rifles. Apparently Ruger wanted to make a light, reliable, durable rifle for moderate use, not a target rifle. Many thousands of Minis have been sold, and continue to b e sold, so the rifle seems to meet a need. If price is a factor, or if you are willing to make some inexpensive modifications, you might still consider a Mini 14. I have one with a folding Butler Creek stock. I made a barrel rigidity strut for it and it does not seem to spray shots or have fliers even during rapid fire. I have never fired a rifle at 100 yards, however. I am new to rifles and still learning to shoot at 50 yards.

Drakejake

 

[mustanger98]

As a Mini-14 owner, I wind up being one of it's defenders too. Mine could use a trigger job, and maybe a recoil buffer. Other than that, it shoots just fine. Accuracy varies by load.

 

[tomhorn]

because they are rugers .
I went out and bought a 10/22 hornet piece of poop hand loads 3 inchs at 100 yards good scope (burris)tried so many hand loads different powders primmers ect 3 at a 100 called ruger 4 inchs at a 100 acceptable . dam near spotted my pants .
went to a gun show sold it at a small loss told the guy the truth said he could get it to shoot saw him 4 mouths later the hornet was for sell ......

 

[mustanger98]

Did you buy it to shoot it or cuss at it? That makes a big difference.

 

[Average Joe]

They are not target rifles. You can hit a man size target at 100 yards. They were designed to be light and dependable, which they are. Why people compare them to other rifles is beyond me.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

According to Ed Harris, who used to work for Ruger, the Mini-14s' barrels are turned down too fast and not properly stress relivied for maximum accuracy. This can be aleviated somewhat by chopping the barrel to 16", which makes it stiffer, or by putting a muzzlebrake or flash hider on it, for a dampening effect. Compounding this oftentimes is sloppy fitting of the gas block.

 

[blkbd]

What Dave said.
I believe it was G&A that did a write up on ARS out of Texas about 10 or 12 years back and the founder of ARS stated the same thing. And the ARS Mini 14 with heavy barrel and A2 flash hider was very sexy looking.

 

[Jim Watson]

I put a lot more stock in Ed Harris than I do G&A, but at least they agree. I sent mine to ARS and had them replace my barrel. New fairly heavy barrel and a trigger job and it is just over 1 MOA, usually 1 1/8" groups. I bet it would beat MOA if I had had them glass bed it.

 

[Father Knows Best]

Can the same work be done to an AC556?

 

[Crosshair]

Over at Perfectunion someone added a barrel stifining device to the barrel. I don't have a link for it, but it helps a lot and makes it look like an M-14.

 

[Sunray]

Bad triggers, bad bedding, bad sights, bad barrels, etc.
"...why are they so bad?...' Simple, because Ruger sells every one they make at excessively high prices. The MBA's and marketing wallahs own Ruger. When the demand for inaccurate junk dies off, Ruger's marketing types might wise up and let their firearms engineers fix it.

 

[MaceWindu]

There are many reports of stock Mini 14s with very good accuracy, 1-2 inch MOA

MW

 

[Sactown]

Bad triggers, bad bedding, bad sights, bad barrels, etc.

+1 Without mods, it's not too great, but you gotta realize it wasn't' meant to be a tack driver.

 

[3rdpig]

I've had 2 Mini14's in the past 20 years, both were great plinkers for 75 yards or less, but aggravating at 100 or farther. Putting a brake or hider on helps, but shortening the barrel, bedding and a trigger job is what it takes to get it to under 3" at 100.

I don't own Mini's any longer, now I own AR's. The Mini is a neat rifle, but since you can build an AR for about what you can build an accurized Mini for, have better ergonomics and way more options, it just doesn't make sense to have the Mini.

Too bad Ruger never did anything at the factory level to improve accuracy, but they seemed more intent to keep us limited to 10 rounds then they ever did accurizing the Mini.

 

[steve4102]

I have a Ruger Mini-30 that shoots pretty good (now). The way I see it the Ruger Mini should be treated like any other rifle. If it doesn't work fix it. Many shooters purchase a new bolt gun and make a bunch of changes to make it shoot, bed the stock, trigger job, free float the barrel, replace the barrel and of course do some serious load development. All of this can help with the Mini's as well. I hear so many complaints by Mini owners on how poor their Mini shoots right out of the box with cheap ammo. Treat it like you would a nice new bolt gun, give it a few mods, do some load development, throw that cheap ammo in the trash and you might be suprised how well your Mini will shoot.



Ruger Mini-30 at 100 yards

 

[mete]

The very newest apparently have been improved .They have a better rear sight and are more accurate.

 

[Byron]

I have two Minis with 1 in 9 twist. Both perform well at 100 yards. The Ranch w/a 2 1/2 power scope is a bit better. Both average under 3". Mini's are ammo sensitice. I have LC 74 that is superb. The Ranch will average 1 1/2 " easily. Winchester Q3131A is accurate. Try different brands of ammo. Byron

 

[dave3006]

Shortening the barrel to 16" and adding an ultimak rail will give you a solid 2-3 MOA gun with no POI drift.

End result - A gun that is stone cold reliable and accurate enough.

(This post will be invisible to all Mini haters. They can't see it due to the blindness of their hate)

 

[Art Eatman]

I've had four Minis; two blued and two stainless. I installed a K4 on each. I always got three-shot groups around 2 MOA. As near as I could tell, the first shot would always be within one MOA of a previous first shot from a cold barrel--which is a priority for any hunting rifle.

This always seemed plenty good for my use, which was casual plinking where long-string tight groups weren't important, or killing a coyote or jackrabbit. The Minis certainly were more than adequate for these efforts.

From the posts about the Mini that I've read over the last seven years, I think too many people would try to use an axe for a screwdriver...

, Art

 

[student]

Mine is fine for me. Do I have more accurate? Yes, but it ALWAYS goes BOOM when I pull the trigger (when using the new 20rnd Promags or factory Ruger's, not junk mags). It has an older stainless 1:7 barrel with Choate flash suppressor. It it lightweight, low profile for prone, and very similar to my SA SG M1. I can get 3" groups at 100 from the bench cold with irons. I usually consider myself the limiting factor on real world accuracy and not the gun. I see it as a good multi purpose weapon.
In an ideal world I would like it to take AR mags (price and availability), have a slightly thicker barrel, a good rail system like Amega or Ultimak, and a M1 like rear site all out of the box from the factory.