[LoneWolf]

First I'd like to say hello as I'm new here. Hello !

I purchased my mini about 1 1/2 years ago and had some basic ideas in mind as to what I wanted out of it. I wanted it to be somewhat light weight so I went with the synthetic stock. I wanted it to be accurate and not "scary" looking to all the liberals here in the NE. Here's my list :
The first thing was the trigger pull was horrible. I took the trigger from 6 lb 10 oz down to 5 lb 2 oz with a trigger spring kit.
The second was the brass being thrown 25-30 feet. I replaced the gas block bushing with a .050 from Lee and now it's reliable and it throws about 10 feet.
The third was the rear sight. I replaced it with a Tech Sight.
The fourth was the short mag release. I replaced with an extended mag release.
The fifth was I didn't like the supplied rail which I had my red dot mounted. I installed the Ultimak.
The sixth and the one that bugged me from day one was the front sight. I like quick target acquisition and I like fiber optics. So I made a home made fiber optic sight for my mini using the original sight. It came out slightly canted.
Oh another thing that's a must for me are slings. Not only for carrying but but also for steadying a shot.
Sorry for long winded list.

 

[RJF]

Lone, no apologies required or accepted!

Nice looking rig: you've done the right things!

Consider the credit-card shim if your receiver is wiggly in the synthetic stock. Fairly simple...

For my 583 Tactical, I just used some modeler's day-glow orange paint on the front sight. In fact, I use it on most of my front sights. Applied with a Q-Tip or even a small piece of cardboard. Glitter finger-nail polish also seems to be popular.

I'm getting ready to get the Ultimak. Still have the original trigger group and am happy with it (the tyranny of low expectations, perhaps). Don't shoot paper (except for sighting/zeroing) and don't hunt at all - unless one considers shooting coffee-creamer bottles "hunting") and am a somewhat impatient shooter, so for me - so far - the trigger group is fine and will only improve over time.

Thanks for the update!

 

[LoneWolf]

Thank you RJ. Also thanks for the tips !
The trigger spring kit was extremely reasonable and literally took me about 20 minutes. While I was in there I added a couple of dabs of grease where needed.
I'll send you a PM with the item if you're interested. I thought it was well worth it.

 

[LoneWolf]

One thing I left out was the shock buffers. I installed them last week but haven't had a chance to see how they work yet. The nice part about that is I had them already for my 1911.

 

[Hellgate]

For trigger work all I did was apply a dab of oiled lapping compound to the hammer/trigger sear and rub it around about 15 times to polish it. Then I thoroughly cleaned it off and applied some moly grease. It is the smoothest trigger of any of my rifles. I also oiled or greased the rest of the trigger assembly.

 

[RJF]

Thank you RJ. Also thanks for the tips !
The trigger spring kit was extremely reasonable and literally took me about 20 minutes. While I was in there I added a couple of dabs of grease where needed.
I'll send you a PM with the item if you're interested. I thought it was well worth it.

Lone, should my patience improve and a smoother trigger is appropriate for me, I'll keep your tip in mind. Thanks!

When I got my Savage bolt gun (Axis XP II in .223), it came with their AccuTrigger. I went with that upgrade (over the standard Axis) not for me, but for my nephew - who will inherit all my firearms. While he is much like me, he also likes to practice his long-range target shooting. If I upgrade the 583's trigger, it would be for him. My 181, after 38 years of use, is pretty smooth, with no mods. So maybe I just need to put a few thousand rounds through my 583 to smooth things out....

 

[LoneWolf]

Here's to a few thousand more rounds RJ ! :beer:

 

[RJF]

Thanks, Lone! And may they all be free of 'jammin'.

 

[Mr.T.]

Any updates on how your buffers turned out? Which ones did you go with?

My Mini eats them rather quickly (the WC 1911's), with the front buffer on the gas block disappearing into the piston block within 50 rounds or less (had to dig a few out with a punch tool). The rear stays put, but eventually cuts into pieces after a few hundred shots.

 

[RJF]

Mr.T: That protruding lip on the front of the op-rod does tend to chew things up. If you have the tools, some gentle filing of the edges of that lip to smooth them out a bit will help extend the life of the front buffers. COSteve has some great experience with that.

Not a recommendation, but I just filed the entire lip off so that the front face of the op-rod is smooth, then put in a buffer up front. They'll last forever then, but you'll pretty much be stuck with using a buffer no less than the thickness of the (former) front lip. My old 181 Mini-14 never had that front lip, so I was a bit emboldened when toying with my 583. I used a knife-sharpening wheel to do the deed - a little bit at a time. Shoots fine but ejects a bit further (likely because it is breaking in). I may try a bit thicker front buffer and see if the ejects get back to a reasonable distance. For rolling your own, a 9mm casing works well as the center punch for the gas pipe.

Last thing I want to do is break the 100% reliable rate for both - even if it is something stupid id did.

I also toy with rolling my own front buffers using material around the farm. Vinyl baseboard works well and holds up, garage door gaskets do well in my 181 but are probably too thin for my 583. Some folks experiment with certain vacuum cleaner belts, and toilet-tank gaskets. I tried a toilet-tank gasket with my 583 for its first 90 rounds. That lip pretty much chewed it up like a Ronco Slicer/Dicer. Haven't tried them after filing off the lip, but just use cheap 1911 buffers through Amazon.

Both Minis are 100% reliable: never had a single failure. Have had my 181 since 1980 with countless thousands of rounds through it. Adding the buffers fore-and-aft certainly changed the whole nature of the cycling - for the better. I'm a fan of buffers!

 

[Mr.T.]

Hmm, I may have to give that a try, although I'll hold off on any permanent modifications until I'm confident I have my mini in 100% reliable working order... if I do have to send it into Ruger, I don't want to give them a reason to not service my rifle!

I love how the action feels with the buffers installed, both front and back. I had suspected it was the heat coming out of the gas pipe that was causing the front to be eaten so quickly, but what you said makes a lot of sense!

 

[LoneWolf]

Any updates on how your buffers turned out? Which ones did you go with?

My Mini eats them rather quickly (the WC 1911's), with the front buffer on the gas block disappearing into the piston block within 50 rounds or less (had to dig a few out with a punch tool). The rear stays put, but eventually cuts into pieces after a few hundred shots.

No I haven't had a chance to hit the range yet. I will have to look at the rod lip RJF was referring to though. I had never noticed it and it sounds easy enough to remedy. If it needs it I'm thinking the Dremel with a stone and then a felt wheel with polishing compound .. maybe 10 minutes.

 

[RJF]

No I haven't had a chance to hit the range yet. I will have to look at the rod lip RJF was referring to though. I had never noticed it and it sounds easy enough to remedy. If it needs it I'm thinking the Dremel with a stone and then a felt wheel with polishing compound .. maybe 10 minutes.

Lone, put the Dremel away. Unless you're going to remove the lip. A fine file and some emery cloth (or 1500-grit sandpaper) is all you'll need to smooth out the sharp edges a bit. Polishing compound when done if you'd like.

If you do choose to use a Dremel, use a wire wheel on the sharp points. I used a brass wire wheel on my bench grinder when I started out, then got carried away with the motorized knife sharpener...

 

[LoneWolf]

Lone, put the Dremel away. Unless you're going to remove the lip. A fine file and some emery cloth (or 1500-grit sandpaper) is all you'll need to smooth out the sharp edges a bit. Polishing compound when done if you'd like.

If you do choose to use a Dremel, use a wire wheel on the sharp points. I used a brass wire wheel on my bench grinder when I started out, then got carried away with the motorized knife sharpener...

Thanks once again RJ !
Dremels staying in its case. I'll get the file out over the weekend. Hopefully I'll have time to hit the range next week to see how the buffers work out.

 

[Mr.T.]

RJF knows a lot more about the mini and shooting in general than I do, but I'd recommend testing it out first before deciding to go with a permanent modification. You never know, your mini might like having both buffers on and give you no trouble!

 

[LoneWolf]

I would only do any filing if I find sharp edges. If it's good how it is I would leave it alone.
I'm of the philosophy KISS (keep it simple stupid) ! :lol: If it doesn't need it I don't do it.
Thanks for the advise as I plan on using both buffers but my concern would be , as RJF stated, a sharp edge would prematurely mess up the buffer.

 

[RJF]

Mr. T; Lone, look up posts by COSteve on this. He had great success in smoothing out the lip's sharp edges and his buffers do well after 500 rounds or so. I'm not a big proponent of shaving off the whole lip, but it worked for me. I wouldn't have been so bold if I didn't have a 181 that came with a smooth face, with such great success and reliability.

If you're interested, removing the lip is pretty much called the "Harris Mod". Wasn't aware of it at the time, and there are a few technical distinctions, but the concept is the same.

The challenge is, once the metal is removed, you can't pt it back on. A replacement op-rod isn't cheap, but at least it is reversible.

If you ship your Mini off to Ruger, they'll return it in factory-original condition, which would mean a new op-rod with its Ronco Slicer/Dicer appendage. Can't blame them as they have an army of lawyers looking over their shoulders: just the nature of today's world/reality.

 

[LoneWolf]

I took apart the mini this morning and checked the forward face of the rod. It was relatively smooth .. just a slight edge. I did as RJF suggested and just lightly filed with a fine file. It took a couple of minutes and now I run my finger over it and I cannot feel any sharp edges. It wasn't bad to begin with but now it should be better.
While I was in there I placed a light coating of TW25B on the concave part of the rod and on contact points in the trigger assembly. I've been using TW25B for over a decade and I really like it.
Anyway thanks again and I'm hoping to hit the range Monday.

 

[Mr.T.]

Meant to ask you LoneWolf, is that the TRS-25 red dot? How are you liking it? Sturdy enough to survive on the mini for long?

Hows the Ultimak too? I'm thinking of getting one soon.

 

[LoneWolf]

The Ultimak was a great investment. I really like low profile, it's functional and looks good as well.
You're close but it's not the TRS-25. It's the AT3 RD-50 Tactical. It's basically a clone of the TRS-25 but on steroids. The lens area was redesigned to be stronger. Instead of a glob of glue holding the emitter it appears to be pressed in and it gives it a lower profile in the sight picture. It is a 2 MOA dot vs the TRS-25 3 MOA dot. It's in the same price range as the 25 also .. list is $85.00. Battery life is supposedly a little better as well.
Anyway when I first tried my buddies TRS-25 I noticed it had what I'd call a Y shape to the dot. Like a small tail from top left, top right and out the bottom. After researching this I have eye astigmatism. Supposedly it's quite common. In my case I found by locating the sight further down the rifle and keeping the dot at the minimum intensity needed it works really well.
Overall I only have a few hundred rounds with the Ultimak and AT3 installed but so far so good. I can honestly say I really like this set up. Target acquisition is fast and by being able to have both eyes open you gain a larger field of view. These are just my observations but again I like it.