The best no-buck mod

[dave_in_GA]

I know the mini 14 is not considered a 'tack driver', but I will settle for a quarter size group....

I have been reading the accurizing forum for the last 2 months, and have picked up some great tips.. THANKS to ALL!!!

This is from a bone-stock 580 with no bedding, no rails, no trigger work, just an ol' blue gun with a wood stock.

The only money I have spent on my 580 is for a set of allen wrenches to retorque the gas block, and floating the gas block from the forestock. (Thanks for the write-up cajungeo)

This pic is from 100 yards, 3-9x40 tru-glo scope. 55gr FMJBT bulk Winchester bullet with 2230 powder.

Oh,yeah... that is 3 holes touching.:D

LOVE that MINI

( I'm going for the quarter next, If I hit it I will definetly post a pic....)

[hylander]

Nice Shootin'
The Mini gets way to bad a rap.
I have done a few low buck Mods and mine is an MOA shooter.
You bed that puppy and add a Muzzle brake and you'll hit that quater no Problem. Also get a recoil buffer, your mini will love you for it.

[tri70]

That is awesome for a bonestock mini!!

[gunrun45]

Holly matchsticks batman!!
Looks like you got a winner there. Good shooting.

[guncats]

Retorquing the gas block is indeed the #1 thing to do:) . make sure you check the screw tension once in a while, they can get shot loose......

Have fun

[P-Shooter]

dave, good shooting. I notice that you have a wood stock. I have a synthetic stock and I am beginning to think that wood is probably the best choice. I have been studying my synthetic stock and it seems to have too much flex in my humble opinion. I found that mine would let the action move back and forth which changes the pressure against the gas block, so I have been working to correct that movement. Mine shot fine for about a hundred rounds. How many round approximately do you have through yours so far?

[dave_in_GA]

I have about 1,000 rounds through it. Started off using new commercial ammo, but never found any consistency.

I decided to start reloading, and it took me about a month of tuning the bullet and powder setups to find the combination for MY rifle. The discussions here about barrel whip and struts and other barrel tuning devices in my opinion, are "reverse engineering" the rifle to fit the load. These devices are designed to change the harmonics of the barrel. Tuning the powder charge and bullet weight in effect, does the same thing.

I have always been a fan of the wooden stock. Not for the mechanical properties of hardwood, but for the timeless good looks, even with aging and wear spots. I don't go shooting in the rain, and I don't live near the ocean, so I did not feel the need for a stainless/weatherproof Mini.

No offence to anyone out there, but I never hear anyone talk about the ageless beauty of plastic.

[rugmar]

If you want to continue down the road of free mods, why don't you try some shims between the magazine well supports and the stock to try and tighten up the fit between the receiver and the stock. I have not tried this yet but have read where several people have with impressive results. Just curious how this might affect your already amazingly accurate rifle.

[Rmitch223]

Some just prefer the stainless/synthetic setup for looks as well as its durability. I for one am one of those.
If the wooden stock does promote better accuracy at all it is minimal, maybe gundoc can chime in on this one and give his opinion of whether the wooden stock is more accurate over the synthetic.

But for me Stainless and Sythetic all the WAY!!

[P-Shooter]

Rmitch 223, I have a Stainless and Synthetic myself. I am one of the guys adding shims and getting better results. I have .060" thick Aluminum shims on both sides of the rear recoil spring mounting. I also have .011 thick Aluminum sheet shims under both of the receiver "pillars" that the trigger group locks into. I found that I needed to bend the front of .011 Aluminum shim to fit around the front of the receiver "pillars" to keep the action from moving back and forth. This front lip on the .011 shims is only .010 to .012 wide, so they don't intrude into the mag well. I used the full depth of the stock recesses and glued in the shims with Locktite Stick n Seal. I have removed the action several times without loosing the shims. It all fits tight enough that the action and barrel will not drop out when held upside down without the trigger group installed. I could have glass bedded my Mini-14, I have glass bedded other rifles, but now I don't think it is necessary. I couldn't resize my photos small enough to post yet, but will keep trying. I still think a laminated wood stock could be a good option and there are some availiable but they are not cheap, so if I have the problem solved, that is how it will stay. I need a few serious shooting sessions now to test and also sight in my new scope.

[Rmitch223]

I sent my mini off to gundoc yesterday for his B package. So I shouldnt have any probs with the receiver moving within the stock.

Whats the benefit of the laminated stocks? Do they hold the reciever tighter?

[markw76]

Lamination mostly eliminates the wood changing dimension with changes in moisture content. It's infused with resin and cured under pressure and heat. Darn near as good as a synthetic and a lot nicer looking IMHO. I'd like to put one on my stainless, but factory laminates are scarce. Maybe someone makes one with a matching handguard...?

[dave_in_GA]

If you want to continue down the road of free mods, why don't you try some shims between the magazine well supports and the stock to try and tighten up the fit between the receiver and the stock.


I shimmed both sides with .020 copper sheet last night. There was about
.060 side play in the receiver bay with the trigger block removed. The trigger block was a little snug going back in, but the copper is malleable enough to set into position after a few rounds.

Out to the range this morning, going to "give it a shot"