Out of the Other Safe

"I pity da fool when a plan comes together!"

Yeah, I'm always the first to make an "A-Team" joke whenever someone brings a Ruger Mini-14 to a match...but I do it with a smile on my face and genuine concern for the shooter's progress in the game. My gun collecting started long before my gun-game shooting habit did, so when I first started to compete, I already had an AR in the safe...and a Mini-14 that got less and less range time thanks to the EBR that was so much more fun (and accurate). I haven't even been tempted to compete with it once, since I have only a 5-rounder and a 20-rounder for magazines.

I'm always curious when I see a Mini-gunner show up at a match...don't they know how cheap AKs are now? Chances are they have the Mini because it's always been in the family or it was all they find/afford when they decided to get into practical shooting. Okay, maybe they hero-worship Face and B.A. These are the shooters you need to pay attention to; not because they're likely to beat you -- they're likely to beat themselves, get discouraged, and maybe quit the sport. I have fun even when I do badly, because I know it's only me holding me back. I'm not sure I would enjoy it so much if my noodle-thin barrel started warping out of true from the heat of rapid fire (at least, that's the reason I heard for the 14 being only marginally accurate). So, I watch the rare Mini-gunner, offer encouragement, maybe advice, and maybe humor: "What do you mean, you suck? A-Team guns are designed to miss! I'm shooting a precision military weapon...I suck!"

Update: I've been edumicated by commenters! I wonder if the new barrels can be fitted to the old rifles? Not that I would bother....

Fits sez:

Ruger at long last addressed the accuracy issue, and all new 14's with serial numbers 580XXX and above have the new barrel that early word says is a tack driver.

Greg sez:

Indeed. Owners of the new 580 series are reporting about 2 -2.5 MOA, some even less, out of the box.

The older Minis are more variable. They can be made reasonably accurate for very little expense.

The Perfect Union BBS is probably the best site out there for Mini-14 tips, mods and discussion.

BTW, the barrel doesn't really warp out of true from normal rapid fire, it is so thin that it has a rather high amplitude. This results in poor groups and expansion from heating causes your POI to rise, worsening the problem.