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Ed Harris Friday: My Observations on the Ruger Mini-14
Also I find it interesting that Ruger test fires their rifles at 50 yards before sending them back to the owner. I have read various reports here by owners who have sent their rifle in only to have it returned less accurate than before. I am by no means bashing Ruger, and I am a loyal customer. I personally have never had any problems with either of my Ruger rifles. But it is interesting to note that they have semi accepted this wide tolerance of accuracy in the rifle. So it seems that most Mini 14 owners have played the "slide block weld" lottery, and will have to live with their results or fight the uphill battle of making their rifle more accurate. I thought this info would be valuable or interesting to some of you guys...
This article was obviously written by a former Ruger employee (engineer) who offers his insight into the Mini 14's inaccuracy. It was already apparent here on this forum that there are some aberrations on both sides of the stick, depending upon the owners definition of accurate. I seem to have received one of the better 580 tactical series rifles, and it shoots near as accurate as my new AR. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe my tolerance for accuracy is different that other members here.When I was at Ruger I tested hundreds of Mini 14 rifles of all configurations, conducting audit shoots of normal production...
To be COMPLETELY honest I was disappointed with its accuracy when compared to the M16A1 and A2 rifles, with which I am very familiar. The Mini 14 gives reasonable performance for an American-made rifle in its price range, and is safe, serviceable and reliable. It just isn't all that accurate. You can find individual rifles which shoot well, but these are statistical aberrations.
We tried to test a large enough sample of rifles to pick "good" ones, then painstakingly took them apart and gaged every part to see if we could tweak tolerances or make design changes which would significantly improve accuracy without increasing production cost. It couldn't be done. We did learn a few things, however.
Also I find it interesting that Ruger test fires their rifles at 50 yards before sending them back to the owner. I have read various reports here by owners who have sent their rifle in only to have it returned less accurate than before. I am by no means bashing Ruger, and I am a loyal customer. I personally have never had any problems with either of my Ruger rifles. But it is interesting to note that they have semi accepted this wide tolerance of accuracy in the rifle. So it seems that most Mini 14 owners have played the "slide block weld" lottery, and will have to live with their results or fight the uphill battle of making their rifle more accurate. I thought this info would be valuable or interesting to some of you guys...