[Spinner]

I just traded a one of my AR15 for a 580 tactical mini 14 with 13 magazines ranging from 5 round to 40 rounds clips (all stamped with Ruger) plus an extra 200.00 cash in my pocket. I'm one of those guys that always wanted one and became a reality. Went through the manual (read it) and planning on going out shooting this coming weekend.

I was wondering if anyone can give me and insight/pointers? I've been shooting shotgun, pistols, rifles, even refurbished a Mosin Nagant M44 for a winter project for years. Retired from the military 2 years ago so I know there's someone out there that knows more than I do and still young enough to learn.

I'm new on here so please be patient!

 

[magnomark]

:lol:Read everything you can on this board about minis,when you can't get your questions answered by then-please step forward and we will lend you any amount of info that is possible-I think that we actually field test for ruger-so they can work out the bugs,and save testing fees!Get in some quality range time with the new shooter-if you have ammo.After all-you're retired you earned the free time!So sit down at the computor with your favorite beverage and absorb several hundred years of combined knowledge on minis.We'll strive to impress!

 

[mwood]

Welcome to the site and thank you for your service.

 

[Painfulitchingandswelling]

I have a few pointers

From my experience with minis

When at the range watch where your brass lands! Pick your spot to the right of everyone else if you can. Minis toss the brass far. My mini kicks the brass 20-30 feet away. Most fellow shooters will be patient to an extent but raining brass down on the guy two benches away is not the best way to make friends.

For accuracy my mini likes heavy bullets. 68 and 69 grain Sierra match king seems to do the best for me although I have not tried the 75 or 77 grain stuff but I am eager to. Some around here have said that the 1:9 twist rate of the barrel has something to do with it. 62 Grain also seem to do better than the 55 grain in my experience.

I like to use a tight sling for stability but I had to loosen my sling a bit because I had it way to tight and with the sling attaching at the gas block it throws the barrel off just enough to throw it way off down at the hundred yard target. Now when I say way off its just an inch or two. It was quite the revelation for me.

If you have the 580 with a straight barrel you would probably benefit from an Accu-strut for some improved accuracy. If you have the tapered barrel then the use of an Accu-strut might give you some improved accuracy but not as much as the improvement when used with the straight barrel. With that said the tapered barrel tends to be more accurate than the straight barrel which explains the difference in accuracy gains. It is not an essential mod but I like mine.

Finally, just enjoy the rifle. Don't worry about which rifle is better. You have a quality rifle and it will last you a life time with good, regular maintenance and care.

About that 40 round mag; I have never heard of Ruger making 40 round mags. I could be wrong though. If you do have a 40 round mag made by Ruger it might be quite the collector's item. I'll leave it to more experienced minds to give you more details.

It sounds like you got a pretty good deal. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

 

[dave_g]

Wilson 1911 Shok-Buf behind the guide rod will keep the brass a little closer and maybe reduce wear on the gun a little. Reduced size gas bushing will help more with flinging the brass. I put in a .045 from Accuracy Systems Inc. I'm pretty sure I could have gone with the .040, but I didn't want to take a chance on impacting reliability. With both mods, my Mini 14 still throws brass 10-15 feet. Gundoc (see vendor board) sells these too.

If you decide to replace the gas bushing, do a search here and read the comments. It's not hard to do at all, but if you don't reassemble and tighten the screws correctly you can really screw up your accuracy.

Don't shoot brass after steel without cleaning the chamber. Steel cruds it up. When brass expands, it can stick and cause FTE's.

Gundoc also has some good videos on trigger jobs and bedding if you're interested.

 

[Spinner]

Thank you gentlemen for taking time to give me some pointers, I honestly appreciate it. Reading through some of these threads I would really like to know the total years of experience. I beleive it would be astonishing and knowledge that you could never learn from reading a book!

Thank you for the warm reception to the Mini 14 and Mini 30 family! I do have some nice pictures of my Mini that I would like to post but like I said previous I'm new here at the site and working my way through it!

 

[Dacotua]

I just traded a one of my AR15 for a 580 tactical mini 14 with 13 magazines ranging from 5 round to 40 rounds clips (all stamped with Ruger) plus an extra 200.00 cash in my pocket. I'm one of those guys that always wanted one and became a reality. Went through the manual (read it) and planning on going out shooting this coming weekend.

I was wondering if anyone can give me and insight/pointers? I've been shooting shotgun, pistols, rifles, even refurbished a Mosin Nagant M44 for a winter project for years. Retired from the military 2 years ago so I know there's someone out there that knows more than I do and still young enough to learn.

I'm new on here so please be patient!

FYI : Ruger has never made a Factory 40rd Magazine. Most of the 40rd's I've tried in my gun has failed. Although your mileage may vary. (My gun is really tests magazines.)

 

[Spinner]

40 round magazines response:

I was incorrect when I stated the 40 mags were manufactured by Ruger. I was going through the box of goodies (magazines, extra site rails, etc.) the two forty round magazines are still sealed and seen the sticker on them as"U.S.A. Magazines" "quality American made handgun and rifle magazines". Sorry for this misgiven information. Should have paid better attention to detail instead of a kid in a candy store. I did verify that the 11 other magazines are Ruger M14 production.

Was planning on taking it to the range today but the range was still clearing snow out from the area. Gotta love Iowa springs, mow one day next day shovel the drive!

 

[AABEAR]

Good to have new blood on here. Thanks for serving your country.

 

[Painfulitchingandswelling]

+1 on the Shok-Buf. I have one on my target model. I need to get one on my Ranch.

I also want to give the gas bushing a try. I am ordering one today.

 

[Meeteetse]

Congratulations on joining the Mini crowd. Sounds like you have experience shooting so I won't make suggestions on that with the Mini, but what I will tell you is to shoot the heck out of your new rifle and then make the decision as to what you want to change or modify. I have two Mini's and they are very different. If I had immediately made changes to either gun it might not have been the correct thing to do. Shoot it and then adjust it, if necessary. Personally I have made no significant changes to mine and I am perfectly happy with both rifles. Perhaps others would do it differently, but mine shoot small enough groups to be well within "minute of bad guy" and that is what I think they were designed for. If I want to shoot dime sized groups, I have other rifles for that. Enjoy your new gun.

 

[Pet-Rock]

I think the spring weather here is finally letting up a bit!! This weekend should be pretty nice, at least here in the metro. Have fun and let us know how things go!

 

[Spinner]

Going out tomorrow shooting to sight in a couple of rifles. Just had back surgery (fused my L4, L5 and S1 vertibra) 26 days ago. I hope this will be good therapy, just going to take my time.

Any easy way to reinstall the recoil and not have a flighing projectile? Disassembled/assembled mini 14 just to make sure I have things down and not one of those head scratcher trying to remember where that one piece goes! Done that with my son once!

 

[GAMEOVER]

I just traded a one of my AR15 for a 580 tactical mini 14 with 13 magazines ranging from 5 round to 40 rounds clips (all stamped with Ruger) plus an extra 200.00 cash in my pocket. I'm one of those guys that always wanted one and became a reality. Went through the manual (read it) and planning on going out shooting this coming weekend.

I was wondering if anyone can give me and insight/pointers? I've been shooting shotgun, pistols, rifles, even refurbished a Mosin Nagant M44 for a winter project for years. Retired from the military 2 years ago so I know there's someone out there that knows more than I do and still young enough to learn.

I'm new on here so please be patient!

Welcome to the forum and hope you share your experience with the Mini 14.

Now, those are not clips, they are magazines. The attached video may help.

Magazine vs Clip - YouTube

Your credibility is backed up by your knowledge.

 

[Pet-Rock]

Ruger has a good video on their website about field stripping the mini, it should be fairly easy to find. It could be on YouTube as well. Watch it a couple times and disassemble along with the video a few times. After that everything becomes really easy!

 

[jor-el]

Before you do anything else

Definitely view that Youtube video on proper assembly and disassembly. Carefully check every part that its in the right place. Don't do what that other newbie did in his review of his Mini and apparently forget to install a part of his gas block, which should never have been removed in the first place.

Being a used rifle, give it a good cleaning, be careful with the cleaning rod (perhaps just use a pull through), and properly oil it. I would even go so far as to use white lithium grease at the op rod channel and the bolt interface. This was done with the Garand and M-14.

I'd go slow and careful with shooting it until you're comfortable with the controls and handling.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

Definitely view that Youtube video on proper assembly and disassembly. Carefully check every part that its in the right place. Don't do what that other newbie did in his review of his Mini and apparently forget to install a part of his gas block, which should never have been removed in the first place.

Being a used rifle, give it a good cleaning, be careful with the cleaning rod (perhaps just use a pull through), and properly oil it. I would even go so far as to use white lithium grease at the op rod channel and the bolt interface. This was done with the Garand and M-14.

I'd go slow and careful with shooting it until you're comfortable with the controls and handling.

+1 Clean and lube as an M14 and you'll be fine. Keep the chamber clean and watch the overheating.

If you want to accessorize, I would start with the rear sight - tech sights makes a terrific adjustable rear sight that is a big step up from the OEM unit. Next would come the front handguard - fed ord and choate both make good handguards that are better vented than the OEM, are less prone to cracking, and look better (Garand pattern rifles don't look right to me with the cover over the op-rod).

Odds are that you won't have any malfs or feeding issues, but if you do, don't panic. First off, keep track of your magazines - most FTE issues are magazine related. Second, keep 'er clean especially when new.

And don't feed it junk ammo, particularly not gun show reloads. You've got a quality rifle there, give it quality ammo. Best stuff I've found in this neck of the woods is at Academy - "Independence" brand ammo, which in 5.56x45 is Israeli army surplus M193 ball. Great stuff, clean, and consistent over here. I prefer it over Federal M193 ball personally.

If you're shooting with a sling wrap, careful about applying too much tension - the sling's tension will noticeably alter your POI.

Anyway, enjoy your new rifle and hope it gives you a lifetime of reliable service!

Best,
Grumpy