[noah class]

hello to all. i'm new to the board so if i bring up topics already "done to death" forgive me. i have a standard mini-14 & want to increase the rifles accuracy. when i 1st fired the rifle, 6 inch groups @ 100yds was the best she would do. i bedded the action & with hornady 60gr sp bullets pushed by 25grs of varget powder she prints 2&1/2 inches now. i noticed reading here something about tuning the gas system to improve accuracy. will this affect the rifles reliabilty in any way? thanks for your time in answering my question & for letting me join your fine group. please forgive my poor grammer but i'm only the 2nd generation in my family to walk uprigth.

 

[gutpile]

2.5" aint bad. i think the best thing you can do for a mini-14 is install a muzzle brake or a flash hider, your choice. i too was plagued by 6 inch groups and was scratching my head about what to do with it, i didnt want to go through the mess of doing a bedding job and i knew the biggest problem with the mini-14 was its skinny barrel, which is prone to a certain amount of vibration which HAS to be a contributing factor to poor accuracy. after shooting a friends browning equiped with the boss systom, i had a wild idea that maybe some weight on the end of the mini barrel might dampen some vibration and help with the poor accuracy, so i installed a choate flash hider, and it worked--groups were cut from more than 6 inches at 100 yards to 2 and 3 inch groups. i shared this finding with the folks here and almost every one has experianced the same thing. the brakes are simple to install, all ya gotta do is tap out the old sight pin and the brake or flash hider slips over the sight and installs with a new pin, price is anywhere from 20 bucks up to about 40. as far as the gas system goes, i think that is mainly for the ranch models to keep them from flinging brass into the next county.

 

[noah class]

thanks for the fast replie gutpile. i do have a choate flash hider on the rifle[also a choate plastic stock]. maybe that is another reason that my rifle's groups shrank. my rifle will as the barrel heats up throws a flyer every 5th or 6th shot. the 1st 20 or so are fine but then the problem with flyers pops up. i think it is due to the uneven way the barrel connects to the gas block. as the barrel heats up the gas block changes stress points on it resulting in flyers. i know the mini-14 has a rep for thin barrels but no more so than the sks or ak rifles i own. the over all diameter of the mini's barrel is smaller than the ak or sks but so is the bore. i measured the thickness of the barrels from bore to the edge of the barrel & found the mini's barrrel to be thicker than both commie rifles. a smaller thicker tube is stiffer than a larger more hollow tube so i think the trouble lies in the gas block where it connects to the barrel.

 

[gutpile]

the gas block is another area that can be looked at. you can do a search on gas block tips on this site, that is an issue that has been covered pretty well. basically what you need on your gas block is an even torque all around it, if your top gas block is touching the bottom gas block you need to relieve both surfaces, lap them with sand paper or emory cloth to give them a gap, if there is allready a gap just loosen them and use a feeler gauge to give the same amount of clearance on all sides and retighten with around 25 INCH pounds....i think that is the correct amount, someone jump in and give the proper amount, its been awhile since i did mine.....

 

[cajungeo]

Welcome to the forum Noah. What you said about walking upright, cracked me up. I try to keep from dragging my knuckles myself.

If you are getting 2 1/2" Average groups with no scope, thats not bad, with a scope I believe we can do a little better.

Ok now lets see if we can tweek your mini a little more, so just gonna throw some stuff at ya, as I don't know what you know, you know?
1. Are your reloads you are shooting the best of many you tried? I have experimented with, many bullet types, weights, and powder types, and quantities, Grouped brass by weight to the nearest .1 grains etc. Some loads shoot twice as tight a groups, as others. Each mini is different so a good load for mine may not be for yours.
2. Have ya removed copper build up from the bore, with a good copper solvent?
3. Is your mini older, if so maby the crown is worn a little from improper cleaning?
4. When you bedded the stock, did you also bed the Stock Reinforcement to the Receiver?
5. Have ya had a trigger job? I haven't seen anyone that is very accurate with a 7 lb trigger pull.
6. As gutpile suguested, gapped, and retorqued the gas blocks
7. Are you shooting with a good scope? A scope will beat a peep.
8. Your shooting technique? using a sandbag, bipod or shooting rest? Same cheek to stock spot weld, and pressure, stock to shoulder pressure, breath control, forestock nested in same spot each shot.

The smaller gas port bushing, or shock buffer, dosen't contribute to accuracy directly, except it reduces recoil so rapid fire is faster, as it allows you to stay on the bull. The reduced recoil also is easier on a scope. The only down side is if you switch ammo with the smaller gas bushing, it may become a bolt gun, untill you adjust gas with a larger one.

Finally barrel heat, when shooting for accuracy, I let the barrel cool when I can't stand to touch it for 30 seconds.

See if any of the above helps.

 

[noah class]

i'm glad to have brougth a smile to your face cajungeo. i have tried different powders & so far varget gives the best results but have only used the 60gr sp bullets. i was taugth to clean my rifles at a very young age by a bench rest shooter, no copper & the crowns fine. i did bed the stock's reinforcement. if the time ever comes when i need to use a firearm to defend my home, the mini is my 1st string choice. i have seen combat in in the early 70's & know that a ligth trigger does not belong on a combat rifle except for sniper rifles. with your heart beating out of your cheast its to easy for an accidental discharge. i'm going to do the gas block job thanks to the excellent advice given here. no scope, again i want a stone axe simple rifle for defence. i'm a pretty fair shot as i'm retired & shoot about 150 rds a week through my 10/22 & between 50 & 75 from my mini-14, sks or ruger#1. for testing new guns or loads i use a sandbag. thanks for your suggestions & time. i hope i don't drive u all crazy with all my up coming questions.

 

[cajungeo]

i hope i don't drive u all crazy with all my up coming questions.

CRAZY? Who you callen CRAZY?

No problem noah, thats what we members all have in common is we are here to help each other. We all ask questions, and the rest of us try to help. We also have a lot of fun.

There is also a search button, in the upper right, just click on it, and enter keywords, many posts will come up.