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Bought My First Mini-14! Question

3K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  jor-el 
#1 ·
I just bought a #5801 Carbine, blued steel with wood stock and tapered 580x series barrel.

I also just found this forum, so this is my first post.

I'm noticing discussions about even the newer 580x series barrels over-heating with as little as 10-20 rounds and using Accu-Struts or Mo-Rods to compensate. I don't understand why that happens. Please enlighten me and suggest ways to head that off, eg Choate hand guard, Accu-Strut, etc.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Ruger Mini-14 Ranchrifle! Just my two cents...I have not experienced this problem nor needed these modifications to get my Mini to do what I need it to do. My advice is enjoy your new rifle just as it is and don't worry about or start fixing problems until you are fully convinced you really have a problem that needs fixing.

My suspicion is that most of those who report experiencing the "problem" you mention may be largely the ones that stand there and do several 20 or 30 round mag dumps and then wonder why the barrel is so hot and they are experiencing heat related variation in point of impact. :rolleyes:

YMMV
 
#4 ·
Well...about that....you see Mini-14s are lot like Lays Potato Chips...you can't have just one. :oops:

So...I have a couple...but the one I was referencing in my earlier post is a 5801 like yours and I don't have it with me at the moment to run the SN but it is about 5 years old. For that matter however, I have not experienced the "problem" you describe with any of my menagerie which includes both SS and blued models with both the 18.5 and 16.12 inch barrels and synthetic stocks as well as wood stocks all of which are sans struts and with the factory handguard.

BUT...I am too poor to sit and dump a box of cartridges in 60 seconds and then rinse and repeat. So...with "normal" aimed fire I have had no troublesome issues with overheating and stringing shots. But again....this is just my experience with my collection over the last 20+ years or or so. I am not saying this has never happened to anyone...just that it has not been an issue in my experience.

Hopefully it will not prove to be an issue for you and if you are a reasonably proficient marksman I have found the Ruger advertised 2 moa at 100 yards is achievable with a factory stock rifle. That is good enough for my purposes. I personally have never found the need to shoot the testicles off a fly at 500 meters. :ROFLMAO:

YMMV
 
#5 ·
I've owned both an older "thin" barrel model and recently got a 584 series rifle with the heavier tapered barrel. IMO they don't heat up any faster than the average sporter rifle barrel. All of them will heat up pretty quick on a hot day or if you put a lot of rounds through them fast, which is easy to do.

Good luck with your rifle. From my limited experience and everthing I've seen and read. Most of them aren't going to be minute of angle target rifles but they are handy, tough, reliable shooters that are accurate enough for what most people want them for.
 
#6 ·
Have both new and very old Mini-14s. Even with a few 20 or 30 round mag dumps (which I don't typically do but did as an experiment), things didn't get bad, just hot. Much like any semi-auto firearm to include pistols.

One thing you should check is the gap between the upper and lower gas-block parts. It should be even fore-and-aft and port-and-starboard, with a consistent torque of somewhere between 25-30 INCH-pounds. If it is off, you will have problems in accuracy. Both of my NIB Mini-14 583-series were visibly off from the factory, so be sure to check! If you have ancient gap gauges for spark plugs when one could get to them, they'll come handy. Otherwise, perhaps coins of various denomination will work - as long as the gap is equal all around.

Personally, I think the Choate hand guard is a wonderful improvement, for very little coin. But it is all a personal preference. Same with the UltiMak.

Enjoy your Mini. If the eject distance bugs you, there are reasonable fixes for that.

If you are happy with the rear sight, great. There are also fixes for that if you are not (Tech Sights).
 
#7 ·
Suggest you give it a thorough cleaning and lubing, then shoot it quite a bit, taking careful notes on what ammo is seems to "like". This way you are doing some preliminary ammo "testing", making sure the thing does not need any factory warranty work (unlikely), testing all the magazines, and "wearing-in" the Mini. Also suggest making NO irreversible changes to the Mini till it's verified to be 100% trouble-free.

Just shoot it, clean it, lube it, adjust the sights, and let us know how you make out. We'll be here.
 
#8 ·
RIBob, thanks!
I found the on-line owner's manual and it's completely silent on the issue of lubrication. gunblue490 says only to add grease and only the the bolt knob/operating rod interface. It's beyond my pay grade why contact surfaces should not be lubricated on the Mini-14. Please advise as to what I should lube and with what.
 
#9 ·
I know that your inquiry was directed at RIBob...but I will also mention that you might find the videos from Ruger at the bottom of the page on this link useful in terms of answering your questions....4 short Ruger Tech Tip videos focusing on the Mini-14

Ruger® Mini-14® Ranch Rifle Autoloading Rifle Models
 
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#12 ·
As a general rule: "if it slides - grease; if it rotates - oil". For the Mini, though, DO NOT oil the firing pin.

I lube the things that slide with grease. For oiling, I prefer Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) but Mobile-1 is a very fine alternative. CLP is a great all-around lube/oiler. Better than nothing, depending on your operating environment. In dusty conditions, consider a dry lube for things like the trigger housing.
 
#13 ·
I finally took delivery of it the other day and finished cleaning and lubricating it. Before going to the range, I practiced high-ready, aiming, and dry-firing. I'm noticing that my arms are hurting after practicing for only a few minutes. Other than lifting weights (I've been laxed the past week with my 15 lb dumb bells) and using my Varigrip hand exerciser, can you recommend exercises to strengthen my arms?
 
#14 · (Edited)
Since you will want to shoot the Mini a lot in order to break it in and verify 100% reliability, I reckon that between that and some careful dry-firing exercises, things will take care of themselves.

One possibility is to practice shooting your mini "weak-side". IOW, shoot it left-handed if you normally shoot right-handed, or vice versa. Some folks find this more easily done than others, but it's still a good skill to acquire. You might find, as others have done, that the Mini is almost perfectly set up for a left-handed shooter.

Another possibility is to change the point of balance of your Mini. If you have a synthetic stock, with a hollow buttstock, it is usually possible to remove the butt plate, and insert some weight/mass into the hollow buttstock. While doing so makes the Mini heavier overall, it shifts the rifle's center of balance to the rifle's rear, making the muzzle seem more "lively" in the hands. If the added weight is something useful, such as an emergency cleaning kit, spare parts, or even some spare ammo, the added weight serves a dual function. Package the added stuff (inside baggies) with some bubble wrap so there are no rattles. Mentioning this in the event you switch over to a synthetic stock, which is lighter than the wooden equivalent, so partially negating some weight gain fom "stuffing" the buttstock..

I'm sure some will come along with some specific exercises for you. Best of luck!
 
#15 ·
Since you will want to shoot the Mini a lot in order to break it in and verify 100% reliability, I reckon that between that and some careful dry-firing exercises, things will take care of themselves.

One possibility is to practice shooting your mini "weak-side". IOW, shoot it left-handed if you normally shoot right-handed, or vice versa. Some folks find this more easily done than others, but it's still a good skill to acquire. You might find, as others have done, that the Mini is almost perfectly set up for a left-handed shooter.

Another possibility is to change the point of balance of your Mini. If you have a synthetic stock, with a hollow buttstock, it is usually possible to remove the butt plate, and insert some weight/mass into the hollow buttstock. While doing so makes the Mini heavier overall, it shifts the rifle's center of balance to the rifle's rear, making the muzzle seem more "lively" in the hands. If the added weight is something useful, such as an emergency cleaning kit, spare parts, or even some spare ammo, the added weight serves a dual function. Package the added stuff (inside baggies) with some bubble wrap so there are no rattles.

I'm sure some will come along with some specific exercises for you. Best of luck!
Thanks. Fortunately (or unfortunately in the case of bolt-action rifles), I'm left-eyed, so shooting left-handed is easier for me. Will try your suggestions.

oh, and how many rounds would it take to break it in?

Finally, the nipple on the gas tube, which points toward the action, is loose, but doesn't fall out. Is that normal?
 
#18 ·
Dry fire ammo, my solution load cases with lead bullets of your choice (NO POWDER).
Find O-Ring slight larger then primer and insert in primer pocket.
I paint orange ring on bullet for identification.
Cheaper then buying real snap caps. Change O-Ring when damage shows.
 
#19 ·
Take it with a grain of salt, but look at the first M1 Garand guide, usually the first result in DuckDuckGo. It has pics of where and when to use grease or oil. I've used white lithium grease and WD-40, but I used a stainless Mini for work and did daily maintenance.
 
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