[GramatonCleric]

plus 1000 on this thread!

[tab15233]

This is my Mini Ranch last time at the range. It is good enough for me.

[trip286]

Originally Posted by tab15233

This is my Mini Ranch last time at the range. It is good enough for me.

At'll do, tab... At'll do...
Nice shooting.

[Dragonheart]

I had a Mini-14 several years ago and couldn't get it to group much under 4 inches with my best effort at handloads. And yes, I am very experienced at handloading and I have a Masters NRA Certification in rifle. After about a year I gave up and sold it telling the kid who bought it that it was not what I would call an accurate rifle, but he wanted it for the looks and the good price I made him. I put the money on a Colt Competition AR, which I have down to 1/2 MOA groups. One other thing that is common with the Mini-14 and that is when it gets dirty it locks up so tight that the operating handle won't move. If you have one that will group great, but I have heard far more reports from others that echoed my experience with the Mini. I personally think if you are looking for a 223 there are far better choices.

[tab15233]

Yes there other 223 rifles out there. I bought mine when Cabrla's had them on sale and I could afford it. The sales man told me that the Mini's werw not known for accuracy but I wanted it anyway. I could not really afford an AR, but wanted a simi auto rifle. With in the next 2 years I made several improvements to get it to shoot pretty darn good and I never plan to sell it. I don't shoot a lot so it has never jammed on me. I only use the Ruger mags.

[Shoobee]

When I had my Ruger Mini-14, I regularly shot with iron sights. I never put a scope on it.

I was getting 1 to 2 MOAs in the bench rest position with it that way, and 2 to 3 MOAs off-hand, at 100 yds.

The ammo was surplus military. During the last few months of my tour of duty, I was a range officer.

So I ended up with lots of surplus ammo. Cans and cans of it, mixed lots.

I never had to buy 5.56 mm ever in my life.

So lets say 2 MOAs is a fact. That equals 2 inches at 100 yds, 4 inches at 200 yds, and 8 inches at 400 yds.

This is plenty of accuracy in a CQB weapon with iron sights. Recall that CQB is 1 to 50 yards in most cases.

Therefore at 50 yards your groups are 1 inch.

I concluded that the Ruger Mini-14 is the ideal military assault rifle, a hybridized M-1 and AR-15/M-16.

With an open bolt that you can easily clear if it ever jams. Mine never jammed.

If I had to go into combat with a 5.56 mm calibre, I would want a Ruger Mini-14 with me, with a folding metal stock.

I would imagine that with a low power scope on it, you could get 1 degree MOA with it, easily. It would all depend on your ammo.

But I can't say that for a fact nor from experience.

In California the prison guards use Mini-14s.

And that's the closest to civilian combat that you can get, standing on the wall at a state maximum security prison.

So they trust it. I have come to trust it too, for that application.

The only thing I would trust more for CQB would be a short barrel shotgun.

And that's why I have a Mossberg 590 now, for CQB at home, in the 'hood.

I sold the Mini to a friend who was just getting into semi-auto rifles, and it was perfect for him.

I gave him what was left of my 5.56 mm ammo too.

I think everyone probably goes thru a semi-auto rifle phase. I went through mine, and now I am over it.

If you love semi-auto rifles, the Ruger Mini-14 is one of the best, if not the best, for CQB,
and also for fairly accurate fire further down range.

As the old military proverb goes, you always need to keep your primary objective in mind.

And with these 5.56 mm semi-auto rifles, the primary objective is CQB.

For anything further out, you would need a scoped high power rifle instead.

That's why a modern military sniper rifle is .40 or .50 calibre, and scoped.

And as Clint Eastwood would say, in addition, you always need to know your own limitations.

[Shoobee]

So, TAB, you resurrected this, because you finally got a chance to get out to the range with your own Mini-14 huh?

Nice shooting, friend.

[tab15233]

Thanks shoobee. I don't go to tha range as much as I want. Work gets in the way.

[Shoobee]

Originally Posted by tab15233

Thanks shoobee. I don't go to tha range as much as I want. Work gets in the way.

You're still more dedicated than I am.

My goal during the year is never to go to the rifle range at all.

I spend all my free time at the archery range instead.

When I do go to the rifle range, it is because I did not bag anything with my bow.

Then I will go to the range, and fire 3 rounds thru my Remington .300 RUM.

If they are not touching and centered at 100 yds, then I adjust the scope, and fire 3 more.

Last time I shot it was about 3 years ago, and then it took 9 rounds.

[scottybaccus]

I pulled out the targets from my last three at bats. It does vary, mostly on tuning up my optics (I've been chasing scope ring troubles) and on inconsistent ammunition. My best group is 1.3", the worst 2.25". My average from my last trip, to check out my new trigger job, was 1.6" with a new scope mount, new Sparta stock (which I believe is more rigid than the factory stock) and using a couple of different ammunitions. My rifle is a 580 series stainless with pencil thin barrel. I do not have a barrel stabilizer, so I think I have a good example. By comparison, I had shot two 10 round groups on one of these sheets with my buddy's Colt AR15 Match Target. I put up one messy group with it, then a nice clean 1.3" group. He can do better with this rifle, so I presume he could do better with mine. If that means my gun is near 1 moa, I am pleased. We'll have to see how I do with practice, or get him to sit down and show me up with my own gun.