[slick]

Howdy Y'all,
I just made my latest investment in another one of Ruger's fine products, a stainless 186 series K-Mini-14. While waiting for a kitchen pass from the state to pick up my rifle I found your site while sufing on google. After reading some off the posts (lurking) this past week I have signed up as a member.
Being a novice with this rifle I had a few basic questions which have all been answered just by reading the posts. This impressed me a lot because the shop I bought the rifle from couldn't answer them all even though they tried.

So now, as a first time mullet with this rifle I'm taking the first steps to learn how to shoot it correctly. I'm sure I will get plenty of help here and am glad to have this site so handy. Almost as good as having a buddy who's an expert living next door.
I plan on shooting open sights at ranges beyond what a shotgun's effectiveness is. This seems to be the Mini's thing.
I've got the usual objective's to start from:
Ammo
Accuracy
Reliability
Max.range under shooting conditions using open sights.

After a good cleaning and partial disassembly to check out the inner workings, I'm ready to take my first shot's today. I expect to see 3" groups at 25 yds. mostly because of my offhand shooting. Then I'll start to work on ammo selection and go from there. Any advice from other members is welcome any time.

Thanks to all who post here, and the admin.man too.

Talk more later.

 

[cajungeo]

Welcome to the forum there Slick. I lived in SC for 6 months. I went to one of the top shooting schools in the country in a beautiful place called Paris Island. They taught me how to shoot 200 to 500 yds, with Peep sights. The school was called USMC. However the mini-14 isn't an M-14, but still we can shoot reasonably well with a little "tuning" on the mini, and a little "honing" on our shooting skills. We didn't have a bench rest, bipods, or even a sand bag, the Number 1 piece of accuracy equipment was a nylon sling, adjusted to hold our rifle, and arms tight in offhand, knealing, sitting, and prone positions. Now days my eyes arn't as good as they used to be so I use a scope, and steady, with a bench rest for accuracy work, or a bipod, or lean against a tree, for field use.

There is a handy "search" button in your upper right contorl panel. Just type in key words, click search or hit enter, and all related posts will come up with your key words in Red.

 

[slick]

Cajun,
Thanks for the welcome, good to be here.
Yup, PI. Know the place. Thats the method and discipline I'm gonna use with my Mini. Just gonna keep it to a closer range.
Probably inside 100 yds. I got a big-bore with scope for the long range stuff and it works pretty good. Pistol and shotgun for close in work and the Mini for everything in between. And it's a good gun to carry. Compact, lightweight but with plenty of punch and firepower. I like it.

I fired 13 rounds so far to check the sight adjustment. 11 hits in about a 3" spread at 25 and 50 yds. It's a start but even after adjusting the rear site to just about it's max. it still shooting 3-4" low. The first 2 rounds went under the target. Gonna tinker with the sight on the workbench and see whats what. I might need to allow for this in my holdover.

Advice and comments appreciated. Thanks again.

Talk more later.

 

[slick]

Got my sight straightened out. Just took it apart and put it back together again set to max. elevation. fired one shot and adjusted it down 4" to center. Moved the windage 1" to the left and its dead on at 50 yards.
Shot 3 four shot groups, first one was using a folding stool as a rest-2" center spread inside a 4" circle. Second one was sitting position-3" spread inside a 4" circle, 1st 2 in one hole in the center,2nd 2 in one hole down and right. Third one was standing position 3.5" spread inside a 4" circle, strung horizontally.
Sitting and standing shooting was done with a sling, military style.
Ammo was Q3131, seems like pretty good stuff. No misfeeds or other malfunctions.
After shooting this rifle I have no misgivings about its accuracy. Right now it will probably shoot better than I can hold. Thats what I'm gonna work on. Technique and control and lots of practice.
I wasn't sure about using peep sights till I bought this rifle, now I'm a believer. And yes, my eyes are getting pretty bad too but I only focus on the front sight and the target which is a 4" circle.
Next step is 100 yds....with a bigger target, maybe 8" circle.
Gotta get some surplus ammo and start shootin every chance I get.

Talk more later.