Swampghost
New member
I love mine for what they are (kinda like my wife most of the time) but it's never going to be a tack driver.
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Bedding Mini-14
- Thread starter hillbillyshooter
- Start date
hillbillyshooter
New member
Scope Mount
Harry,
I do have a scope mount for it. Not sure if you have never seen them or you just think they are junk, but they do exist. I'm just going to play with it for now, nothing to serious, I'll see what happens and will post if there are any notable improvements. I have read some accounts of impressive improvements (sub MOA) on another forum. Can't attest to the truth of it but thats was someone wrote. It may never shoot as good as an AR, but why shouldn't I look for a cheap/free way to make it shoot better?
Harry,
I do have a scope mount for it. Not sure if you have never seen them or you just think they are junk, but they do exist. I'm just going to play with it for now, nothing to serious, I'll see what happens and will post if there are any notable improvements. I have read some accounts of impressive improvements (sub MOA) on another forum. Can't attest to the truth of it but thats was someone wrote. It may never shoot as good as an AR, but why shouldn't I look for a cheap/free way to make it shoot better?
HBS,
The Mini, even Ranches, usually eject brass right into the scope and beat the hell out of them.
To bed it right you should use a mill to create channels in the stock for the bedding compound.
One of the other Top 10 accuracy killers with the Mini is the slide. You have to keep it from touching the gas block.
It is a waste of time trying to develop special loads for them.
Good luck.
The Mini, even Ranches, usually eject brass right into the scope and beat the hell out of them.
To bed it right you should use a mill to create channels in the stock for the bedding compound.
One of the other Top 10 accuracy killers with the Mini is the slide. You have to keep it from touching the gas block.
It is a waste of time trying to develop special loads for them.
Good luck.
Hillbillyshooter,
Using my instructions you will be able to do the crowning yourself. However, you want the barrel cut to be as perfectly square as possible before you start. That guarantees crown concentricity at the edge of the grooves, which is what affects accuracy. You can cut the barrel off roughly square with a hack saw, but to get it truly perpendicular with the bore you need a 90° cutter with a bore pilot, like the one Brownells sells. If you have a lathe, you can square it on that machine, obviously, but I'm guessing you don't have one or you would already have figured to crown with it. M.L. McPherson square cuts with a small try-square and a file, and comments that people watching him cut and file muzzles at the range think he has a screw loose. But if you have some experience with working metal and know how to draw file and how to smoke and mark a surface, this will actually do an excellent job.
A number of years ago a couple of friends of mine went through the Carbine class at Gunsite with Mini-14's. They commented that with the volume of ammunition fired, the AR platform owners (most of the class) were all stripping and cleaning their guns at lunch and again at night to keep them from malfunctioning during firing exercises. Their Mini's, on the other hand, kept running like Energizer bunnies: non-detail evenening cleanings and not a malfunction all week. Great accuracy was not required for the class, with 8" at 100 yards being up to the targets. In that particular context they felt the minis were actually at an advantage over the AR's in terms of reliability.
Using my instructions you will be able to do the crowning yourself. However, you want the barrel cut to be as perfectly square as possible before you start. That guarantees crown concentricity at the edge of the grooves, which is what affects accuracy. You can cut the barrel off roughly square with a hack saw, but to get it truly perpendicular with the bore you need a 90° cutter with a bore pilot, like the one Brownells sells. If you have a lathe, you can square it on that machine, obviously, but I'm guessing you don't have one or you would already have figured to crown with it. M.L. McPherson square cuts with a small try-square and a file, and comments that people watching him cut and file muzzles at the range think he has a screw loose. But if you have some experience with working metal and know how to draw file and how to smoke and mark a surface, this will actually do an excellent job.
A number of years ago a couple of friends of mine went through the Carbine class at Gunsite with Mini-14's. They commented that with the volume of ammunition fired, the AR platform owners (most of the class) were all stripping and cleaning their guns at lunch and again at night to keep them from malfunctioning during firing exercises. Their Mini's, on the other hand, kept running like Energizer bunnies: non-detail evenening cleanings and not a malfunction all week. Great accuracy was not required for the class, with 8" at 100 yards being up to the targets. In that particular context they felt the minis were actually at an advantage over the AR's in terms of reliability.
ActivShootr
New member
hillbilly, Go for it man! If you want to experement with your rifle and learn some gunsmithing, go right ahead. If you screw up, so what! I read somewhere that a guy cut and recrowned his own barrel with a few handtools. And it worked! Every gunsmith on here and elsewhere has screwed something up at one time or another. Knowing how to fix your screwups makes you a good gunsmith.
Read as much as you can and talk to people who have done it before you tackle a project. I don't know what your abilities are but it wouldn't hurt to practice cutting and filing on a piece of roundstock before you hack on your barrel.
As far as making a super-accurate rifle out of a mini, these guys are right. You may want to look at another platform. But I say customize your mini all you want. You may not have a sub-moa or even 1moa rifle, but you will have the satisfaction of shooting a gun you built.
Read as much as you can and talk to people who have done it before you tackle a project. I don't know what your abilities are but it wouldn't hurt to practice cutting and filing on a piece of roundstock before you hack on your barrel.
As far as making a super-accurate rifle out of a mini, these guys are right. You may want to look at another platform. But I say customize your mini all you want. You may not have a sub-moa or even 1moa rifle, but you will have the satisfaction of shooting a gun you built.
hillbillyshooter
New member
Thanks
ActivShootr and UncleNick,
Thanks for the information and support in this little project that i am about to undertake. I think that i will get something to practice on for a bit. I asked the owner of a local gun store about chopping and he discouraged me by telling me that i would just screw up my gun. i really want to do this, even if it destroys the resale value, because the gun will be personalized. I need to go ahead and order the muzzle brake and once it comes in i will begin. do you think i should use silver solder or JB weld for permently attaching the brake if i decide (or have) to go under 16"? I have a SS model and plan on polishing all of the metal after i bed and chop, along with redoing the stock (even though it is near perfect) because i want to change the color. this will a scope and bipod should look very nice. I also heard a trick about doing a fast trigger job by heating up the trigger spring with a small torch until it barely turns red. this is supposed to drop the pull to approx 4lbs for the people who have tried it.
ActivShootr and UncleNick,
Thanks for the information and support in this little project that i am about to undertake. I think that i will get something to practice on for a bit. I asked the owner of a local gun store about chopping and he discouraged me by telling me that i would just screw up my gun. i really want to do this, even if it destroys the resale value, because the gun will be personalized. I need to go ahead and order the muzzle brake and once it comes in i will begin. do you think i should use silver solder or JB weld for permently attaching the brake if i decide (or have) to go under 16"? I have a SS model and plan on polishing all of the metal after i bed and chop, along with redoing the stock (even though it is near perfect) because i want to change the color. this will a scope and bipod should look very nice. I also heard a trick about doing a fast trigger job by heating up the trigger spring with a small torch until it barely turns red. this is supposed to drop the pull to approx 4lbs for the people who have tried it.
ActivShootr
New member
I need to go ahead and order the muzzle brake and once it comes in i will begin. do you think i should use silver solder or JB weld for permently attaching the brake if i decide (or have) to go under 16"?
I would take it and have it tig welded just to be safe.
I also heard a trick about doing a fast trigger job by heating up the trigger spring with a small torch until it barely turns red.
I wouldn't.
I would avoid heating the barrel unless you know it has been stress relieved (probably not). Heating will at least partially relieve stresses left by button rifling and that can change the diameter of the bore locally, usually making it bigger, which is undesirable for accuracy. Instead, I would use Loctite 271, the permanent red stuff. If you get the barrel warm enough it will be possible to remove it, but I've not seen that actually happen.
Heating the trigger will soften it, ruining its ability to keep its shape. The result will be a trigger that wears relatively rapidly. Not sure what you'd end up with in the long run?
Heating the trigger will soften it, ruining its ability to keep its shape. The result will be a trigger that wears relatively rapidly. Not sure what you'd end up with in the long run?
ActivShootr
New member
Instead, I would use Loctite 271, the permanent red stuff.
Would that still be considered permenantly attached?
The Loctite bottle says it's permanent, but who knows how seriously the law would take that? Soft soldering can be done without hitting stress relief temperature for a barrel (usually around 1050-1100°F).
On further reflection, I'm guessing that trigger heating technique was intended to get rid of heat treatment distortion in the trigger so the parts will mate more exactly, but there is no guarantee it will return exactly to its original machined shape. If the shape was imperfect to start with, softening should actually increase the trigger pull weight. Check this thread on trigger work that was done for another mini owner.
On further reflection, I'm guessing that trigger heating technique was intended to get rid of heat treatment distortion in the trigger so the parts will mate more exactly, but there is no guarantee it will return exactly to its original machined shape. If the shape was imperfect to start with, softening should actually increase the trigger pull weight. Check this thread on trigger work that was done for another mini owner.
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I was afraid that might be the case. Another approach would be to first remove and stress-relieve the entire barrel (always a good idea before messing with the contour), then cut it, leaving an extra half an inch of length, then counterboring it that half inch to get the rifling and crown recessed enough not to be right at the heat application point. Then a chill could be applied to protect that area as it is heated. It's a lot of bother.
The easiest way to attach the muzzle device is to thread it on normally and drill a blind pin hole through the device into the barrel. A pin is then pressed into the hole and welded flush with the outside surface. TIG is best but MIG can be used. It is best to leave evidence of the weld showing if the surface is cleaned up.
Some of the muzzle devices are made from "free machining" steel which does not weld very well. TIG has the best chance of not cracking. This process does not subject the barrel to any meaningful amount of heat.
Some of the muzzle devices are made from "free machining" steel which does not weld very well. TIG has the best chance of not cracking. This process does not subject the barrel to any meaningful amount of heat.