The Mini-14 suffers from having a super-thin barrel that is flexed upward by pressure from the recoil spring pressing the slide against the piston.
Before firing, the barrel is "flexed up"...but as the bullet passes the gas port the barrel "whips" down with all associated oscillations.
THIS is why the Mini-14 has a reputation for throwing bullets all over the place.
The solution?
Squirt some RTV Silicone Sealant into the cam-groove of the operating slide...where it presses up against the bolt's cam lug...BEHIND it. What this does is shift all pressure from the barrel piston to the bolt cam lug. NOW the barrel is completely untensioned before and after the bullet passes the gas port. PLUS, the pressure of the RTV Sealant insures maximum bolt locking force prior to the shot.
The result? Your groups will suddenly shrink without an expensive barrel replacement solution.
Before firing, the barrel is "flexed up"...but as the bullet passes the gas port the barrel "whips" down with all associated oscillations.
THIS is why the Mini-14 has a reputation for throwing bullets all over the place.
The solution?
Squirt some RTV Silicone Sealant into the cam-groove of the operating slide...where it presses up against the bolt's cam lug...BEHIND it. What this does is shift all pressure from the barrel piston to the bolt cam lug. NOW the barrel is completely untensioned before and after the bullet passes the gas port. PLUS, the pressure of the RTV Sealant insures maximum bolt locking force prior to the shot.
The result? Your groups will suddenly shrink without an expensive barrel replacement solution.