What's the cheapest way to accurize my MINI 14? I know about shorter, heavier, or stabilized barrels, etc., but i'm looking for accuracy enhancers on a budget. Also, to anyone that says mini 14s are NOT accurate at all, i submit to you that it's the shooter , not the weapon. Lastly, no "get an AR" comments, i'm in the Marine Corps, I'm a rifle/pistol coach, i know the stoner platform inside and out. it's a very accurate rifle, i don't have the money for it. i do have a decently well off step-father-in-law who bought me a mini 14, so again, please keep the "get an AR" comments to yourself.
What's the cheapest way to accurize my mini 14?
- Thread starter bcavin
- Start date
i'm not trying to make the mini a .25" at 300 yd gun, i understand that it's not. i'm just trying to see if there are effective and fairly inexpensive ways to enhance the accuracy of the rifle itself. i do agree with you, though, i see too many people trying to make a sniper rifle out of a gun that was designed to keep behing the seat of a pickup truck, dropped in the mud, dropped again on a rock because it was still slick from the mud, and still fire a decent group (useable anyway) without a hitch. i dont intend on shooting at anything past 500 yds when i'm done. and that's probably as far as i'd push a 5.56 at anything of importance. except a deer. a man if i had to, but not a deer. of course if i have to use one of my personal weapons to engage a human target that far, something is horribly awry.
Try this link for Perfect Union: http://perfectunion.com
What kind of groups are you shooting right now?
Have you tried different ammo? Maybe bed the rifle with some cheap compound. Even though you cant make this a sub-moa'er You still might still be able to make it more accurate. Try the bedding. If its still bad, change the barrel. Youll still have bedded the action. Try the 10 shot 10 cleans break in and see if its more accurate then. Let me know : D
Have you tried different ammo? Maybe bed the rifle with some cheap compound. Even though you cant make this a sub-moa'er You still might still be able to make it more accurate. Try the bedding. If its still bad, change the barrel. Youll still have bedded the action. Try the 10 shot 10 cleans break in and see if its more accurate then. Let me know : D
CPTMurdoc30
New member
sell it and buy an AR.
Harry Bonar
New member
mini 14
Sir
I have a mini 14 and have never shot it enough to see how accurate it is.
I think I would inquire into glass bedding the various recoil points and possibly a little pressure up on the barrel. I do not know if this would help but it might - also check the crown on the muzzle.
Harry B.
Sir
I have a mini 14 and have never shot it enough to see how accurate it is.
I think I would inquire into glass bedding the various recoil points and possibly a little pressure up on the barrel. I do not know if this would help but it might - also check the crown on the muzzle.
Harry B.
i'm shooting about 2-2 1/2 in a 100 yds standing. haven't benched it yet, but i've heard alot from people i trust about the ruger factory barrel being a POS. Will probably try the bedding idea, sounds pretty good. gonna try to take it to the range and bench it next week.
to answer the other question, at the moment im just using m855 ball 62gr penetrators. i don't want to hear anyone badmouth those rounds, either. i've done and seen them do great things for being cheap. but i figure i'll get it close with those, then by a nice box of ammo to fine tune it with.
Semper Fi
to answer the other question, at the moment im just using m855 ball 62gr penetrators. i don't want to hear anyone badmouth those rounds, either. i've done and seen them do great things for being cheap. but i figure i'll get it close with those, then by a nice box of ammo to fine tune it with.
Semper Fi
There's always one...
to the "sell it and buy an AR" commenteer
read my previous posts, particularly the first one.
i'm not trying to drive tacks at 500 yds, i just want to improve what i can afford accuracy wise. If i wanted a tack driver, i would sell it and buy and ar, but i wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it in my pickup. hell, if i really want a tack driver, i'll just use my remington .243 bolt action.
to all others,
thank you for your advise, keep it coming
to the "sell it and buy an AR" commenteer
read my previous posts, particularly the first one.
i'm not trying to drive tacks at 500 yds, i just want to improve what i can afford accuracy wise. If i wanted a tack driver, i would sell it and buy and ar, but i wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it in my pickup. hell, if i really want a tack driver, i'll just use my remington .243 bolt action.
to all others,
thank you for your advise, keep it coming
Swampghost
New member
I bought one of the very first ones, we were hoping that it would be a good deer/hog rifle in the swamps. We were wrong.
The Mini-14 is what it is, pretty much useless for anything that I do. I could run down the list of why it's not that accurate but you probably know all of that. If you want an accurate .223/5.65 there are plenty of them out there. Don't waste a lot of time trying to put lipstick on a pig.
The Mini-14 is what it is, pretty much useless for anything that I do. I could run down the list of why it's not that accurate but you probably know all of that. If you want an accurate .223/5.65 there are plenty of them out there. Don't waste a lot of time trying to put lipstick on a pig.
???
2" groups standing at 100 yards? What do you have to complain about. Leave it alone. If you can hit anything 2" at 100 yards with iron sights, OFFHAND leave the friggin thing alone, by the time you reach the Max effective range of the .223 youll still be in the kill zone. Just bed it if you want to.
It is a cheap rifle, trying to accurize a cheap rifle is senceless. Are you not trying to hurt your fathers feelings by accurizing the thing? I heard you were on a budget, just leave it and spend more $$ on ammo.
2" groups standing at 100 yards? What do you have to complain about. Leave it alone. If you can hit anything 2" at 100 yards with iron sights, OFFHAND leave the friggin thing alone, by the time you reach the Max effective range of the .223 youll still be in the kill zone. Just bed it if you want to.
It is a cheap rifle, trying to accurize a cheap rifle is senceless. Are you not trying to hurt your fathers feelings by accurizing the thing? I heard you were on a budget, just leave it and spend more $$ on ammo.
more $$ on ammo sounds like a good plan. the only reason i wanted to tighten the groups, if possible, is my nagging perfectionist nature. i figured sinking $100-$200 max into making it better couldn't hurt. and you're right about the max range, still hit it comment. again, the german side of my family comes out.
p.s. keep enjoying your insanity
p.s. keep enjoying your insanity
You might want to try lighter weight bullets in the Mini-14. I don't recall exactly what the rifling twist rate is, but I recall it's something like 1:10 or 1:12. This works fine for lightweight bullets but a slower rate is better for the longer/heavier bullets like the 62gr SS109.
So, how many of the "don't bother with it" experts have done anything with theirs, or have even owned one? 
The PerfectUnion Forum site was "off" for a few hours recently, but it should be accessible now. The first link given above should work just fine.
Re the "POS" barrel: the earlier models had a barrel known for being rather "whippy," particularly as sustained fire heated up the barrel. Even something as low-budget/low-tech as a good flash hider/muzzle brake can start to correct that situation. As you already noted, a shorter barrel (brought back to legal length with a permanent FH/MB) will make a difference, too.
Cryo-treatment of the barrel (and receiver) might run about $35 plus shipping, and can make a nice reduction in group size.
A trigger job is not a lot of bucks, either, and often turns out to surprise even those who were already expecting an improvement from it. Stock bedding is also a Good Thing™, and for maybe the same price as the trigger job, at least from the one 'smith I'm most familiar with. You might be more adventurous about a DIY project for that than I would be.
The ammo advice above is good. The Mini started out with a 1:10 twist rate, went to a 1:7 for a few years, and has been a 1:9 since 1995. I think I've seen at least one post where somebody said their Mini seemed to like 40 gr. and 62 gr. (or heavier) okay, but not so much the most common 55 gr. stuff.
The PerfectUnion Forum site was "off" for a few hours recently, but it should be accessible now. The first link given above should work just fine.
Re the "POS" barrel: the earlier models had a barrel known for being rather "whippy," particularly as sustained fire heated up the barrel. Even something as low-budget/low-tech as a good flash hider/muzzle brake can start to correct that situation. As you already noted, a shorter barrel (brought back to legal length with a permanent FH/MB) will make a difference, too.
Cryo-treatment of the barrel (and receiver) might run about $35 plus shipping, and can make a nice reduction in group size.
A trigger job is not a lot of bucks, either, and often turns out to surprise even those who were already expecting an improvement from it. Stock bedding is also a Good Thing™, and for maybe the same price as the trigger job, at least from the one 'smith I'm most familiar with. You might be more adventurous about a DIY project for that than I would be.
The ammo advice above is good. The Mini started out with a 1:10 twist rate, went to a 1:7 for a few years, and has been a 1:9 since 1995. I think I've seen at least one post where somebody said their Mini seemed to like 40 gr. and 62 gr. (or heavier) okay, but not so much the most common 55 gr. stuff.
Swampghost
New member
I started with the muzzle brake, did my own trigger work and bedding. I'm not a newbie at this.
You're still dealing with a short, light, rifle with a short barrel and asking for -MOA performance. Want mine? It's been sitting in the rack for 15 yrs.
You're still dealing with a short, light, rifle with a short barrel and asking for -MOA performance. Want mine? It's been sitting in the rack for 15 yrs.
Sorry if my "ex-spurts" comment seemed a little broad, Swampghost, but I was taking a jab at those who haven't owned one, let alone modded one. If you did some work to yours and still feel it ought to be better, then you at least gave it a shot. (Pardon the pun.)
I need another Mini like a moose needs a hat rack, but if you really want to sell yours . . .
I'd use OnThe Fly's "mid-life crisis" trick, but I think my wife would rather I bought a Harley.
I need another Mini like a moose needs a hat rack, but if you really want to sell yours . . .
I'd use OnThe Fly's "mid-life crisis" trick, but I think my wife would rather I bought a Harley.
totalloser
New member
I have done some of the basics to improve accuracy, and found little results in actual accuracy. I shortened the barrel, and did a trigger job (both myself) I shot about the same groups before and after. Though softening up the trigger and taking out the creep made it much more fun to shoot.
Regarding the AR thing, the mini is a better rifle with a worse barrel, but that has changed as all minis now are being manufactured with a heavy barrel. Many bolt rifles don't shoot 2", and I was happy when I found mine shooting 2" at 100 yds. I wouldn't fool with it if you are seeing that kind of accuracy unless you are seriously considering a barrel change. That's pretty good. Keep in mind, you could consistently pop milk jugs at 400 yards with the kind of accuracy you are currently seeing.
If it likes ss109's you have a 1 in 9 barrel. I have a 1 in 10 and it can't shoot 'em worth a darned. I also have a 1 in 9 mini, and it does like them. The 1 in 10 likes 55's and I've heard it's just fast enough to stabilize 60 grain bullets, but I know mine slings buckshot patterns out of the 1 in 10 barrel with ss 109's.
The best thing to do for accuracy in my opinion, is to keep the area where the op rod smacks up to the gas port clear of carbon buildup. It seriously hurts my accuracy. I also put on Butler Creek full stocks on both my mini's for accuracy and length of pull. I wish I had shot groups before and after, but it was noticeable.
Once again, 2.5" groups standing is pretty good. I would leave it alone. Just my take on it.
www.perfectunion.com/forums Try that. I think the http thing makes it not work.
Regarding the AR thing, the mini is a better rifle with a worse barrel, but that has changed as all minis now are being manufactured with a heavy barrel. Many bolt rifles don't shoot 2", and I was happy when I found mine shooting 2" at 100 yds. I wouldn't fool with it if you are seeing that kind of accuracy unless you are seriously considering a barrel change. That's pretty good. Keep in mind, you could consistently pop milk jugs at 400 yards with the kind of accuracy you are currently seeing.
If it likes ss109's you have a 1 in 9 barrel. I have a 1 in 10 and it can't shoot 'em worth a darned. I also have a 1 in 9 mini, and it does like them. The 1 in 10 likes 55's and I've heard it's just fast enough to stabilize 60 grain bullets, but I know mine slings buckshot patterns out of the 1 in 10 barrel with ss 109's.
The best thing to do for accuracy in my opinion, is to keep the area where the op rod smacks up to the gas port clear of carbon buildup. It seriously hurts my accuracy. I also put on Butler Creek full stocks on both my mini's for accuracy and length of pull. I wish I had shot groups before and after, but it was noticeable.
Once again, 2.5" groups standing is pretty good. I would leave it alone. Just my take on it.
www.perfectunion.com/forums Try that. I think the http thing makes it not work.