[LoneWolf]

Sorry for the late reply I've been out of town on and off all week.
My own personal reason for adding the QD was in case of a failure. Whether it be the battery dies and I don't have a spare battery or the unit itself dies and I don't have the allen wrench to remove it. My reasoning is in seconds I can have it off and I'm good to go with my fiber optic front and rear peep sight.
This also goes for my coyote rifle. It's the Henry Long Ranger in 223/556 and I have the same set up. It has the AT3, rear peep and fiber optic front sight.
Also in my case this QD weighs about the same as the original set up.

 

[LoneWolf]

Looks like a great little red dot! Fantastic reviews online and youtube, and it seems it should stand up to the Mini's violence for a long while.

I saw one video on youtube where a guy literally beat the red dot with a water bottle and submerged it in water to see if the lenses fogged or if the poi went off. Near the end he even beat it on the tail gate of his truck.
Now I don't abuse my equipment but things happen. I figure if it survives that guy it should last with me !

 

[sandog]

Well yeah, an Allen wrench is kind of a specialized tool.
If my dot mounts had an Allen to secure them, I'd toss it and get one with a slotted thumbscrew.
I could loosen mine if needed with the rim of a cartridge, coin, back of a knife blade, even the sharp edge of a rock.
I've tried it, and it's pretty darn fast, not that I'd ever need to remove the dot because of failure.
If need be I can center a target in the dead screen and do pretty well at closer range, I've tried that too.
Never hurts to be prepared for everything.

 

[LoneWolf]

Never hurts to be prepared for everything.

Words of wisdom .. and the Boy Scouts !

 

[LoneWolf]

I took apart the mini this morning. I removed the front buffer. I gave it a thorough cleaning with gun scrubber even through bushing tube. I did some more light filing on the forward face of the rod again. I was overly cautious last time and apparently left some sharp edges. It feels perfect now. I installed a new WC shock buffer. I cleaned and oiled the barrel. I'll try to hit the range over the weekend for round 2. :sniper:

 

[Mr.T.]

Nice! I may need to revisit wearing a front buffer... and perhaps do RJF's oprod mod too.

 

[RJF]

Mr. T.: it really isn't my mod, but called (more or less) a "Harris Mod". Look it up!

Let me emphasize that it is a pretty radical mod: metal you remove cannot be easily replaced without chunking down some big bucks for a replacement op-rod. It worked for me, and I had a flat-faced op-rod from my 181GB Mini to bolster my decision.

You will likely be forever stuck with running a front buffer should you do so. Not a problem for me at all and I am pleased, but this mod is not for everyone!

 

[LoneWolf]

Last night I used RJ's idea of using the silver sharpie instead of the painters tape and it worked great .. thanks RJ.
This morning I hit the range for round 2. I wanted to test the forward buffer after I did some more light filing .. I had installed a new buffer. I also wanted to test some magazines. Last week I tested the 6 twenty rounders that I have blocked to 10. Today I wanted to test 7 ten rounders I have. I also wanted to test shooting the red dot with both eyes open vs one eye open .. a comparison. I tested again at 50 yards with 100 rounds.

First the magazines. 1,2,4,6 and 7 were great. Magazines 3 and 5 would not feed the first round. I did notice that putting the tenth round in was much more difficult than the others. They worked great with 9 rounds. I believe the spring is too strong on them. I think by loading them both up with 10 rounds and letting them sit for a week will cure the problem.
Second was the functioning of the mini. No malfunctions to report. It is quieter as far as metal "clanking" and the recoil might be slightly softer. One oddity that I've noticed from day one though is the ejection. All the brass have a dent in the side. Also I'll have several eject at 3 o'clock and then a couple eject at 2 o'clock. I would assume it is the pressure in the cartridges are different and not the mini.
Third I noticed last week that if I shot with one eye open vs two eyes open it appeared I had different points of impact. Today while I was shooting another gentlemen was kind enough to watch through my spotting scope to verify what I thought. I shot several rounds one eye open and then several two eyes open. He verified it. I was dead center with one eye and about 2" high and 1" right with both eyes open. I'll assume it's because I'm right eye dominant.
Fourth is the front buffer. I took down the rifle and it appears it has the same impression but I see no tearing or crack. I left it in to try it again next week and see what happens. I left it dirty and only cleaned the barrel.

Here are some pictures.

 

[RJF]

Lone, I am also left-handed and right-eye dominant. I just close my right eye when aiming...

For reasons I'm not sure about, mags seem to feed/load better with the top round on the right side. For five rounders, they start out better with four: even numbers. Same with questionable 10 and 20 rounders. Not acceptable, but handy to check for function. All of mine are inserted with the bolt forward for the first batch; bolt to the rear afterward...

 

[Mr.T.]

The dented brass is normal too, especially if it's the mouth of the case. It's due to the Mini's rather violent ejection process, and I believe some of the brass smack into the oprod (you'll also notice brass "kisses" on your oprod over time).

I think some people put in really reduced bushings to try to not only get the brass to drop closer to their feet, but to also reduce case damage to make reloading easier.

Overall, looks like a nice outing with the Mini! I'll be interested in your next range visit and how that front buffer is doing. Already it looks a ton better than before!

Nice shooting!

 

[LoneWolf]

I loaded 10 rounds in mags 3 and 5 and I'll let them sit for a week.

RJ thank you once again for the tips. You said bolt forward on the first batch and bolt rear after. On my mini I can't insert a magazine with 10 round bolt forward. If the mag is empty it locks in.

Mr. T. after much research (search function) I found many threads on it over the past several months. After examining mine it is the operating rod .. just forward of the pull handle. I saw a mod where the member shaved this area (about 2 years ago) and I PM'd him asking a few questions - pro's and con's. I'm waiting to hear back.
As far as the smaller bushing I started with that. I started with .040 and it was hit or miss on cycling .. mostly miss ! On the .045 it functioned and dropped brass about 6-8 feet away. My concern was reliability especially if it were cold outside, etc.. I opted for the .050 and brass 10-15 feet.

 

[RJF]

Lone, not sure why you can't insert a loaded mag with the bolt forward. I've been doing that since 1980 without problem. It is my normal technique: loaded 20-round mag inserted with the bolt forward: all that is required for a quick response is "racking" the op-rod once and get the safety off. It is a combo of safety versus quick availability. Works on both my 181 and 583 and they are both stored that way.

During times of increased threat (haven't had any of that yet - and hope never to), I'd charge a round with the safety on and store it that way - within arms reach. Only had one occasion to go that route, and it was because of 'yotes that sounded like they might bug our horses - in the middle of the night. Felt kinda stupid patrolling in my black bathrobe and slippers...

 

[LoneWolf]

Yeah bolt closed I can't insert a loaded mag. I don't know if it's just mine .. maybe others will chime in.

Felt kinda stupid patrolling in my black bathrobe and slippers...

h34r: be wery, wery quiet ! :lol:

 

[Mr.T.]

@RJF the 10 round magazines are pretty tight fits... especially if fully loaded up. I can't get any of my 10 rounders to insert with bolt forward unless I really smack them hard.

My 5 rounders seem to be a bit better, and I'll have to test with my new 20-pinned-to-10 rounders.

 

[LoneWolf]

I guess it's a common problem. I found this with a quick search.

https://www.perfectunion.com/vb/ruger-mini-14-mini-30/92991-cant-close-bolt-load-mini.html

Maybe I need to break them in for a while.

 

[Mr.T.]

I think the 10 rounders in particular are problematic. I've read quite a bit of folks having all sorts of issues with them, including the bolt closed problem. Seems they're just too tight in clearance or something. It's the reason I went out to ebay to get some pinned 20's... plus they look better than a 10 rounder lol

 

[LoneWolf]

RJ you were right again.

I just went back and grabbed 2 random magazines. One 10 round and one 20 round (blocked to 10). I loaded them with 10 rounds. All the force I was willing to put on them couldn't get either of them in with a closed bolt.
I removed one round (total of 9 now) and the 20 round magazine went in fairly easily .. a little force. The 10 round magazine took a good amount of force but it went in.
One thing I noticed about the blocked 20 round is it had a slight amount of give when pushing down on the top round vs the 10 round magazine which had almost none.
I'm thinking if the 2 others I loaded with 10 rounds, and I'm letting sit for a week, work out I may do the same to the rest. Relax the springs a bit.

 

[LoneWolf]

I hit the range this morning. I shot another 100 rounds through the mini. When I got home I opened her up to check the bushings and to clean.
What I found was the forward bushing which now has 200 rounds on it was torn. The tear was on the right side and center and about 1/2 way through the bushing .. width and thickness.
Would it have fell apart in 10 more rounds, 500 more rounds I don't know. I just cleaned, greased, oiled and left the forward bushing out. I want reliability more than anything and if the bushing falls apart I'm concerned it may cause functioning problems.

Here are the pictures.

 

[RJF]

Lone, can't comment, other than to say the first 90 rounds through my 583 Mini (with the slicer/dicer still on) chewed up the toilet-tank washer I tried. It was in pieces/bits, but the Mini still functioned well. After that is when I milled off that offensive lip. After a fashion, the ejects increased from about 10-12' to close to 20-25', with a thin buffer. Have since put in a thicker buffer but haven't tried. It has been flawless since round-zero.

There would seem to be a markey out there for a dual-thickness buffer (thicker on the top, thinner where the lip hits) so that equal force is expended on both the top and bottom side, perhaps lengthening the buffer's life. I must say, though, my 181's front buffer has well over 1K rounds with zero damage/stress to the same buffer: a piece of garage door gasket. But that is with a flat face (no slicer/dicer).

Sadly haven't had much of a chance to fully break-in my 583. Barn chores and such...

 

[Mr.T.]

Yep, mine slices through in pretty much a similar fashion. It eventually ate the front buffer and started to not close fully.

Was a mystery until I finally noticed the front buffer was missing! Found it crammed into the oprod's front hole that the gas port fits into when closed... kept the assembly from closing fully, leading to no-bang when pulling the trigger!

Right now I'm running no buffers, but that's only because I'm still testing out my other issues - want fewer ingredients in the mix, if you know what I mean.

RJF, I know you make some of your own buffers - but have you tried the purpose-built Mini-14 buffers? They're grey and more rectangular? Maybe someone knows if those work better on the front than the 1911's do...?