Ruger mini 14

[Big_Saw]

How's the accuracy of the newer Minis? My brother had a older one that would never group well enough for him. He sold it. I owned a 1970's model and never shot it before selling it.

They still need to be accurized, like any weapon, really....but they shoot very well stock....the whippy barrels are a thing of the past, I hear...

[kenno]

Stocks?

BS keep me posted on the stocks and accuracy upgrades.

[greenmountainboy]

If you don't mind me asking, are you happy with that stock. Was it easy to swap over or did you need to have a gun smith do it. Also, how much was that magazine, and have you used it much, does it work well etc. As you can guess, I also have a ruger mini 14 ranch all weather.

[Big_Saw]

I'll post pics of the entire process when the new stuff comes in.....should be this weekend.....

[kenno]

Warning!

I recently installed the above scope base on my ranch rifle and discovered that the allen head screws are JUNK! The recess for the allen wrench was off-center on each screw and the screw is very soft metal resulting in stripped heads! Replace the screws BEFORE you install the base.

[Big_Saw]

Progress....

Got the stock in...it came in two pieces (top forestock and main stock), plus a small bag with various phillips head machine bolts, nuts and 4 picatinny rails (1 seven inch and 3 two inch)....it also comes with 5 (yes, 5) swivel mount bolts...a 1/4" shim for raising the butt, accommodating higher scopes...




Removing the rifle from the original stock is so easy a caveman can do it....just insert a screwdriver into the hole at the rear of the trigger guard and pry it out from the rifle...then the trigger assy should just pop right out of the stock and the main body will also pull out....then just follow the easy-cheezy instructions in the box all the way to victory....




I left the 7" top rail off the forestock because, c'mon, it's plastic....you gonna mount an optic on a plastic rail?.....plus it gives the rifle an unbalanced, "busy" appearance and adds yet one more snag-o-matic to your rig....

In order to install the scope rail I have, I had to remove the rear ghost ring sight....notice I set the keeper screw back into it's home....the sight body will be stored in my armorer's kit I keep in my tac vest, in case I should ever need to revert to iron sights (scope failure, etc.)....some scope rails do not require removal of the rear sight, but I've used this model before and approve of it, so your mileage may vary...not sure what kind of rail you used, Kenno, but this baby's all solid aluminum and has worked well for me in the past....when my scope comes in, I'm considering sawing off the rear portion of the rail to reinstall my rear sight, if possible...



Still waiting on the scope and foregrip, but I'm sure they'll be here before the wrinkles.....

Add a good sling (removed the ridiculous front sling ring and redrilled hole to accept quick-release sling pin), and shove a bore snake and small bottle of oil into the butt, and she's almost ready to hump... :D



Leave a little bit of your snake to hang out for easy removal of your cleaning kit...





To be continued.....

[kenno]

My scope base is a NcStar

[Big_Saw]

My scope base is a NcStar

Mine, too......never had the issue with the soft bolts, though, and I've had maybe a dozen NcS rails.....maybe you got a lemon? I cranked this one down HARD without slippage......were you using the cheezy allen wrench provided or your own tool? Point of advice: Always avoid allen wrenches included in kits........I use only jointed, ball-end allens....they never strip in a decent head.....

[kenno]

I'll have to buy some ball ends. my metric allen wrenches probably come from china

[Big_Saw]

I'll have to buy some ball ends. my metric allen wrenches probably come from china

cool thing about ball-ends is if you don't have the wrench seated fully, or if it's not perfectly straight, it'll still either bite fully into the slot edges or slip out without chewing up the slot walls... ;) I think I picked up my last set at Lowe's for around $29....

Here's a decent set fur under 10 bucks: http://www.google.com/product_url?q=...hl=en&sa=title

[Big_Saw]

Took it w?me to the range today and popped a coupla hundred whilst the last set of pistol quals were goin'on.....used one of my old Tasco High Counrty scopes, 'cuz I'm STILL WAITING for my new tac scope... :rolleyes: ...NEwayz, after a boresight and a few zero shots at 100, my tightest 5 shot groups were around 2 MOA, and my loosest was a whopping 4......I consider this waaaay accurate enough for MBR, and that's without a recoil buffer, accu-rod, harmonic dampener, muzzle brake, flash suppressor....should I go on? I'll end up throwing a buffer in anyway, just because it cuts down on rod wear and extends weapon life expectancy....I think Ruger's done enough to fix the problems of old with the mini......

[Big_Saw]

Oh, yeah....BTW, for those of you wanting a rating on the stock: no complaints...I like the feel of this platform WAY better than the Tapco Fusion rig I was using aboard ship...can't tell you what a difference it makes to go from an M249-style grip to a nice, finger-molded one...The stock is rear-heavy, which balances the front-heavy rifle well...The stock pivot feels so tight in the traditional position, you'd swear it was a milled, rather than molded, joint....while this stock allows firing while folded, I'd recommend against using the forward-folded butt as a foregrip....I tried it, and it's not quite tight in this position ('bout a 1/4" play)...get a fixed foregrip, for sure....

The butt extension release is very smooth and easy to operate, and it stays where you put it...I'm rather long-armed, so I have mine fully extended, which is nice because it allows for ample storage in the butt tube....the cheek rest also adjusts up or down 1/2" with the turn of four phillips screws....

The weight of the weapon is not readily distinguishable from the weight before the conversion, though I suspect a few ounces have been added....just not enough to realistically notice....or care, for that matter...

All in all, I'm 100% satisfied and would recommend the ATI to anyone wanting a solid, rattle-free folder at a very good price....I paid $99 at Cheaper Than Dirt......If it was a $200 stock, I'd say it was worth it....

[Big_Saw]

My lucky day....I picked up a Tang Down vertical foregrip today fer $9.....not bad....and my scope & laser came in, so as soon as my foregrip and 90 rnd snail mag arrive, she'll be complete.....yeehaw....

[Big_Saw]

Jam check at the hill....

Will it jam? Only one way to find out.....put a full mag of the cheapest ammo on earth through, as fast as you can.......

http://www.youtube.com/user/schzoidm.../1/nYq9VE-mQ-E

...nope.....not one jam in 500rnds......... :D

[Pioneer]

I'm sure I'm not the first one to think about this, but I find it quite difficult to let anyone know what guns I have. I figure the Government knows, with all my background checks but to publicly announce what I have just doesn't seem all that reasonable. :confused: