I knew better nd still did it.

[krag35]

In honor of the recent election, I bought a new rifle. I bought a Ruger "Tactical" Mini 14. I can throw rocks better than this thing shoots. Today I shot $19.97 A box Hornaday "Match" ammo through it, at 50 yds it grouped 3+ inches. My Remington bolt gun (1-14 twist) shot 1 1/2" including the one that hit almost sideways This is my 4th Mini, guess I have a slow learning curve, but this will be the LAST Ruger rifle I own.

[BruceB]

I'm sorry to hear this. NVCurmudgeon and myself each bought new Minis in 2010, and we are quite content with their performance The rifles have never seen a factory load, but with V-Max 55s both rifles run VERY close to 1"/5rounds/100 yds, and sometimes under that magical figure with TEN rounds. I once watched NVC fire several CONSECUTIVE 5-round groups that were right around the 1" figure....a couple groups just under, and a couple just over that dimension. I was impressed.

As for the general subject of Ruger rifles, we have had at least decent results with a whole string of them, dating back to the '70s. Never a really bad one, including several tang-safety 77s and some #1 rifles as well.

My current #1s will easily beat the 1" mark, and my .416 #1 puts TEN cast loads inside 1"/100 yards.

I suppose I'm a satisfied consumer, when it comes to my Rugers.

[I'll Make Mine]

Krag, it sounds like you need to stop dropping a dollar a round on commercial ammo and find a handload that Mini likes. It clearly doesn't like the Hornady Match (though I bet it'd shoot fine with those bullets over a different powder load).

[JHeath]

I don't know Mini 14s but in addition to the load I'd check the bedding and forearm tension, make sure the sights aren't loose, etc. Almost any rifle can be made to shoot well with the proper load, and maybe a little tinkering. I know you shouldn't have to tinker with a new rifle but sometimes it's worth putting a little effort in them. Ruger No. 1s have a reputation for being either accurate or not, the reason being that some need the forearm tension adjusted.

[Bullwolf]

I know it's unpleasant when you need to work on a brand new rifle to get it to shoot the way you were expecting.

But if you are the type to do so, there is a bunch of good information over on the Perfect Union forums on how to improve the accuracy of Ruger Mini rifles. Most of it written by people who really appreciate the design, and the gun.

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/ruger-mini-14-mini-30/

No, I am not a member there. However, I did find all the tips to be extremely helpful.



- Bullwolf

[xacex]

I don't blame you for swearing off Ruger. It took me a few guns before I said no more. The only thing I like anymore are the 10/22's. Even those I will only buy old ones with the metal trigger guards. There revolvers may be good, but I don't own one so I wouldn't know. A friend of mine out here still swears by his mini even after I shot a hole in the center of his group with my AR in 5.56 with a 16 inch barrel.

[MBTcustom]

Even though I grit my teeth when I hear folks say that Ruger is the best firearms dealer on the planet, and even though I can say that your story is all too familiar, and even though I firmly believe that Ruger won't straiten up until they start losing their position in gunowners wallets, I will say that I have heard stories of Ruger customer service that surpass the horrible reviews I have read by a small margin. Therefore, I would suggest that before you sell this piece, you send it back to Ruger with a hand written letter explaining your thoughts and what exactly they can do to make things right with you.
Then, post back here with your results or lack thereof.
I think it is very possible that you may get back the best mini 14 in a 100 mile radius. Either that, or they will send it back to you with a letter explaining that the rifle is in spec, in which case, I want to know.
Irregardless, you should give them the chance to make it right before you swear off of them permanently.

[JLDickmon]

what weight bullet are you shooting with it?
I ask this because they're twisted 1:9 for the military ammo
50 grain stuff uses a 1:12 or 1:14

[Hickory]

A guy told me once that the Mini14 is the only gun Ruger
makes that comes from the factory already wore-out.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Semi autos have been banned for many years here, but I owned a few Mini14s before and used them at work for over 20 years. Most were ok, a few were pretty ordinary. They were all minute of bad guy performers. My Tikka 223 sprays 50 grain factory loads, but loves heavier bullets. Might be worth a try for you.

I currently have two 77s, three No1s and six single action Ruger Revolvers. All work fine. Never had a problem that needed warranty work with them, so can't comment on that. The are as good as most and better than some.

My 416Rigby No1 is a tack driver and the 338WM is no slouch either.

Mini14s as they come don't allow that sort of precision, but for self defence are plenty good enough in my experience. Shame you are having trouble.

[JLDickmon]

A guy told me once that the Mini14 is the only gun Ruger
makes that comes from the factory already wore-out.

I heard that about the Mini-Thirty

[MBTcustom]

The A team never had any luck with them either. In five seasons and 98 episodes, they never once connected a hit with the bad guys they were shooting at.

[Jack Stanley]

A guy told me once that the Mini14 is the only gun Ruger
makes that comes from the factory already wore-out.

Now that one sort of fits with another one I heard ; "Rugers are the best factory assembled do-it-yourself parts kits" .

Yesterday I resisted the urge to buy a Ruger 77/22 chambered in 22 magnum because of past experience with Ruger products . With the experience of a number three , two mini-14s , and a half dozen 10/22 rifles . The one 10/22 sporter that does work well was outnumbered in the decision .

Don't feel bad Krag , somebody will buy it from ya .

Jack

[Three44s]

The A team never had any luck with them either. In five seasons and 98 episodes, they never once connected a hit with the bad guys they were shooting at.

LOL!!!!

Well, IF the A TEAM can't get it done ..... there is no use in any of us fooling with it ..... LOL!!!

Seriously though .......... Tim's other post hits the nail on the head:

Take the time and send it back to Ruger ........ point out that this model was SUPPOSED to REDEEM the Mini ....... so tell them in no uncertain terms that WE are watching ......... give them the link, if you don't belong to one or both of the Ruger forums and post there as well about your experience.

Keep Ruger's feet to the fire and see what you get back!!

I would try a couple more brands of ammo before you send it in and then try some different stuff after you get it back.

Then post those results as well.

Bad publicity gets gun companies attention if it gets hot enough!!

It can't hurt and it could help!!

BTW, my Ruger 77 experience was 50%, one great and one pretty lame. My 10-22 is great. My revolvers are all great from them!

Three 44s

[Jailer]

If it shoots 3 inch groups at 100 yards, you need to send it back to the factory. The acceptable standard for the new 510 series mini's is 2 inches at 100 yards. The old pencil barrel models is 4 inches at 100 yards. If it shoots over the standard then Ruger will re barrel the gun.

Give em a call, they'll take care of it. The new minis shoot very well and are a fair bit better than the old ones. I prefer my AR's but the simplicity of a mini 14 is hard to beat.

[DeanWinchester]

Other than their revolvers, I steer clear of Ruger. I've owned a sackful of various turd-gers and all have been great disappointments with the exception of their revolvers. Even their revolvers need work but at least there's something to work with. It took me several rugers to accept that I was not being a snob, just realistic.

[krag35]

I will be making arraignments to send this rifle back to Ruger as suggested.

I know this rifle can probably do better with handloads. IF handloading cut group size in half, it still would not shoot acceptable groups, and I could live with 2" at 100.

I took it out wed. and shot it with 5 different brands of ammo. I started with a clean, cold barrel for each brand. I fired 2 -5 shots to make sight adjustments to get it on paper, then fired a 5 shot group for record. All shots were spaced 5 min apart ( I took an egg timer so I would not rush) I saved the left over ammo so I can shoot the same test when it gets back.
All groups were fired at 100 yds (measured with a laser rangefinder) from a lead sled rest. I used a 2-7X fine crosshair scope for sighting.

When it gets back, and I rerun the test, I will post results.

[MBTcustom]

You aught to post or save the groups you shot today so that we have a before and after.
You might also send this link to Ruger along with the package so that they know that many people will be watching to see how this is handled.

[krag35]

That is my intention. For better or worse, I intend to post the results. I have the targets and made photocopies for Ruger, I will send them along with the rifle. I don't expect a "tack driver" I expect a useable rifle. 2" @ 100 with factory ammo would suit me and my intended use of this rifle fine.

[krag35]

I spoke to a Ruger Rep. this morning. He issued me an RMA (return merchandise authorization) and a prepaid UPS label. He was friendly and professional. I asked what their standard of accuracy for the Mini-14 was. He told me "1 1/2" at 50 yards 3" at 100 yards" I told him mine averaged 5 1/4" at 100 yards with six different brands of ammunition. He said send it back.
I'm feeling like some kind of *** for going off on my first post.

"Irregardless, you should give them the chance to make it right before you swear off of them permanently. " Good advise Goodsteel.

I will update when I get it back.

[MBTcustom]

Well, like they say, "it aint over till the fat lady sings". I had no doubt that you would get friendly customer service, Ruger is famous for it, but I have heard of folks that got their gun back and nothing had been changed, or not enough to say its a shooter (this information was heard third hand by a very good friend's ex room mate, so I don't put a whole lot of stock in it). After all, the guy you spoke to is not the one who will be working on your gun. Two totally separate departments. They obviously talk a good fight, but talk doesn't fix rifles. Lets see some groups when it comes back.
I'll bet it will be just fine.

[Jim]

.....I'm feeling like some kind of *** for going off on my first post.....


It's very understandable to get bent out of shape when you drop good money on a product and it doesn't function as expected. Especially when it comes from a manufacturer you trust. It makes you feel like they have taken advantage of you and it also makes you wonder about your judgement of products.

But, when you hang around with the likes of the people on this forum, somebody will come along, put their hand on your shoulder and tell you "I would be upset too, but this fire can be put out."

[krag35]

I need to update this. The Mini went back to Ruger. Their customer service is great, helpful and knowledgeable.
The invoice included with the rifle when returned said "replaced bolt" "repaired barrel" The bolt was new, and the only repair I could find on the barrel, was the flash hider had been unscrewed about 1/16".
The range was mudded out, so I could only fire at 50 yds. I fired the same factory ammo, in the same manner only at 50 yds instead of 100. five shot groups were never better than 2". So much for 1 1/2" at 50 yard standard.
I tried handloads using AAC2015 and Benchmark. 55 gr V-max and 69gr Sierra HP. CCI 400 and 450 primers. I fired 2 five shot groups with each combination. One load (I don't have it on hand) shot under 1 1/2" at 50 yds. The rest went from 1 3/4" to 5 inches.
The first round (manually cycling the rifle) was always the farthest round out of the group, usually low left. Sometimes 3 shot would be real close (never the first round) with a flyer that would blow the group.
This does have a happy ending though. I paid $800.00 for the thing, and sold it for $1100.00, with full disclosure to the new owner. If I EVER consider a Mini-14 for anything other than a Tomato stake, I asked my Bride to please remind me with a swift kick.
In all the shooting I did, it never once failed to feed or fire (except for a dud factory round) Ejection was positive and I got some exercise walking 20 - 30 feet each time to pick up my brass. Human sized targets at >150 yds would be no problem if all you wanted to do was hit them (Somewhere..... Maybe)
Those of you with accurate Mini's I'm happy for you, I'm sticking with my Remington 700 in 223.

[MBTcustom]

Ruger rifles. Living proof that you can polish a turd.
Thanks for updating. That's about what I expected based on others experience and my own. Seems Ruger still doesn't know how to build or service a long gun.
I would never hesitate to buy a pistol with their name on it though. From everything I have heard and experienced, they are a class act.
However, Ruger rifles will never again be listed on my personal firearms record, with the possible exception of a Ruger #1 what had the polished jack handle removed and replaced with a real barrel.

[waksupi]

I have a buddy who really loves Ruger rifles. I always be sure to compliment him on the nice relaxed fit of all of the parts of his rifle.

:kidding:

[BruceB]

My goodness.

It's passing strange, to me, how I never encounter these abortion-class Ruger rifles.

ITEM: My #1, .416 Rigby, which ROUTINELY place TEN RCBS 416-350s in a one-inch group at 100 yards....and looking gorgeous while doing so.

ITEM: My Mini-14 'Deluxe', in Circassian walnut, which ROUTINELY groups 5 V-Max 55s inside 1.25" at 100 yards, and often betters that figure.

ITEM: My new Gunsite Scout, which ROUTINELY groups five Hornady 150 spirepoints under 1.5", even with my deteriorating eyesight

ITEM: Our 200th-year M77 in .220 Swift, which STILL gives sub-MOA performance after several thousand rounds

There are others here, but I wanted to show that not all of us have the abysmal results reported by some users. We are happy and contented shooters of Ruger rifles, and have been for about forty years.

[Sweetpea]

Hmmm... I have a model 77 in -06 that will routinely do an inch with a good load.

I had a m77 mkii in 22-250 that would do 3/4 inch with boring regularity.

I guess I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Ruger rifle... one could do a lot worse!

[scb]

To add to BruceB list,
I own 1 and have fired many other 44 Deerslayers that will shoot clover leaf groups at 50 yards.
The last 44 carbine is an abortion, I bought one for the wife, but she loves it and has killed a bunch of deer with it. Much prefers the "clip" to the tube fed mag.
M77 in .358 that shoot 2" 100yd groups.
Both my #3's will shoot less than 1.5" at 100 yds.
BUT
I have owned 2 mini 14's never another one.
Have also seen numerous m77's that were "sub standard" in the accuracy dept.
Have a friend that had a M77 6MM Remington varmint rifle. It would shoot one specific bullet weight of Remington factory ammo into sub MOA groups. Every thing else the targets looked like a shotgun pattern. He worked with that rifle for 3 years before it went down the road.

[MBTcustom]

Hey, if you like your Rugers, then more power to ya. All I know is that with a properly built rifle, 1" at 100 yards is what you will get with darn near any factory ammo, and if you load for it, you should be able to fly them all through the same hole.
Personally, if I'm going to drop $600+ on a shootin iron, I'm either going to build it from the ground up, or it's going to say CZ, Savage, Sako, on the side of it. Savage is the only American company that still respects accuracy above all else. I'm not saying they are in the same class as the others, but they don't charge for it either do they?
Remington is a joke. So is Winchester, and don't get me started on Marlin. American gun quality has been spiraling downward for years. Right now, its so far down the crapper that the bowl is filling back up.
Sure you can make any of them shoot, but they are just not right.
I have had opportunity to get into the inner workings of quite a few rifles that were made before 1960, and the quality is satisfactory to superb. Seems like in the 60's every American gun manufacturer threw all that was good and holy right out the window, and made up for it by polishing a little more on their finished product.
Pitiful.
I'm not just down on Ruger. I just pick on them more because if they put half the time they spend on the finish, towards making sure their parts are clean and tight, and their barrels are strait, they would be the best in the world. As it is, they are certainly one of the best looking, but I just can't get past the fact that they are shoving their barrels through that forge like toilet paper, and the fit of the parts makes a sack full of wet mice look "tidy".
I just wish they would get their act together, and focus more on principles rather than profit, and good looks.

And Bruce, you are a blessed man because your good deeds come back to you in firearms. A big part of the reason I am in the business I am, is because I'm like a junk gun magnet! I have an absolute knack for finding the crummy ones! What am I to do? I can either quit shooting, or learn to fix the BS that I have been cursed with LOL!

My first encounter with a M77 was at the range one day. This guy had his brand spanking new 77 with a Leupold scope mounted on it, and a couple brands of ammo. Caliber was 30-06 IIRC. Anyway, this feller was trying to get his rifle dialed in and was having a time of it. Looked like he was getting about 4" groups at 100yrds. We struck up a conversation, and he saw that I knew my way around a gun. He asked me to shoot it, and see if it was just him or the gun. Now I was about 20 back then, and thought I was Gods gift and all. This had happened once before, and I had cloverleafed three shots with the other guys gun, which caused him to pack his stuff and leave in a huff, and I fully expected this to be a repeat of that scenario.
Well, I settled in behind the guys m77 and fully expected to fly 'em all through the same hole, what with my perfect breathing, and trigger technique and all :roll:. Well, I couldn't do it. 4" groups at 100yrds no matter which ammo I used. Brand new gun. Shiny as a new penny. A real sight to behold. It made the letdown ten times worse.

[Ragnarok]

The newer series Ruger Mini 14 rifles should shoot acceptably from what I hear from owners....The older versions can be excellent shooters...or horrible shooters.

I've owned two older versions..a ranch rifle mini that was pretty poor as far as accuracy...and a police trade older stainless Mini 14(not a GB) that shoots great.

From my experiencess...seems you have a 50/50 chance of getting a good shooter!

[BruceB]

Just for the record, I literally cannot remember buying ANY commercial "hunting" ammunition in about the last forty years. EVERYTHING is handloaded.

The last commercial hunting ammo I fired was the 14 rounds of WW .338 that came with an almost-new Savage 116 back in 2005....the previous owner fired the missing 6 rounds and decided he wanted something less energetic. That rifle groups 3 TSX 225s around 1/2 to 3/4 inches at 100 and does it reliably.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Just for the record, I literally cannot remember buying ANY commercial "hunting" ammunition in about the last forty years. EVERYTHING is handloaded.

The last commercial hunting ammo I fired was the 14 rounds of WW .338 that came with an almost-new Savage 116 back in 2005....the previous owner fired the missing 6 rounds and decided he wanted something less energetic. That rifle groups 3 TSX 225s around 1/2 to 3/4 inches at 100 and does it reliably.

Those guys that prefer 'less energetic' rifles, sure make for a few good deals for us who areless likely to discriminate. I have picked up a 458WM with thre pascks of ammo and five rounds missing, a 308W with one round missing out of the hundred the guy bought with it, a 444Marlin with three rounds used. I even got a 222 Anchutz deluxe that some 22LR shooting farmer who had been shooting mice, rats, feral cats and foxes on his dairy small since a boy, decided to get a 'real' rifle and got rid of it with one shot fired as he found the noise incredibly unpleasant after probably 40 years shooting his 22LR Anchutz single shot!

I never bought factory centrefire ammo for my first 58 years of shooting but when I started nursing my late wife in 2006, I barely had enough time to shoot let alone reload, I bought a bunch of it. I now have a collection of brass an outlaw bikie gang would be proud of, haha!

[TheGrimReaper]

Mini-14....yea I HAD one. Never again. Things are too inaccurate.

[PULSARNC]

Several years ago my first cousin died unexpectedly. He had collected guns all his life .His widow gave each of us cousins our pick of 1 rifle or shotgun and 1 pistol a piece .having always lusted after a mini 14 it was my first pick .Worse mistake of my life can't hit the broad side of the barn with it .Oh it is fun to play with and might be useful for close in zombie work but other than that worthless IMHO .Because of the circumstances I would feel really bad about trading it off but the thought has sure crossed my mind a bunch/

[uscra112]

Yeah, my experience w/a Mini-14 is about like the O.P.s, but since it wasn't a new purchase I didn't explore sending it back. It's for sale locally. And I too will double my money on it !

Replacement is a used Savage-Stevens 200, the cheapest el-cheapo of the Savage line, and it shoots close to 1" with everything I've fed it. AND it doesn't throw it's brass into the dumpster off to the right of the range at the 30 yard line. (Although I did cure the Ruger of that by adding buffers. Now it only throws it 15 feet.)

[nhrifle]

Those are pretty neat guns and alot of fun to shoot. They suffer from barrel whip, which will play hell with groupings and there isn't much you can do about it.

One trick that I can attest to that actually works, is to add a barrel strut. It clamps onto the barrel ahead of the gas block and is kind of like touching a ringing tuning fork. Stops the resonance and shrinks groups dramatically. Plus it looks like the gas system of an M14 which is cool too.

[scb]

Savage is the only American company that still respects accuracy above all else.

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/funny/1/vomit.gif (http://www.sherv.net/vomit-emoticon-389.html) http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing024.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

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[Lloyd Smale]

Im not a mini fan either. Ive had a half a dozen of them through the years and none stayed in the house long. I guess though i look at it a bit differnt. A guy shouldnt go out and buy a mini even thinking its going to be anywhere close to accurate. What they do well is go bang every time you pull the trigger. I consider them a self defense gun for shooting a man sized target at a 100 yards or less. For that they git it done!

[fouronesix]

Ruger has been well aware of the tack driving abilities of the mini 14 since it was introduced 39 years ago. But, hope springs eternal.

[Jack Stanley]

Bless Ruger for making the Mini anyway :-) I had two and I'm not likely going to try another even though a fella I know insists that the new ones are much better . Still I'm not going to buy one unless I can shoot it first .

Jack

[Bullwolf]

Those are pretty neat guns and alot of fun to shoot. They suffer from barrel whip, which will play hell with groupings and there isn't much you can do about it.

One trick that I can attest to that actually works, is to add a barrel strut. It clamps onto the barrel ahead of the gas block and is kind of like touching a ringing tuning fork. Stops the resonance and shrinks groups dramatically. Plus it looks like the gas system of an M14 which is cool too.

I added a barrel strut to my older 2002-2003 series Ruger Mini-30. While it won't ever be a sub MOA rifle, adding the strut to my Mini-30 did tighten things up considerably for me.

Here's my first sight in target that I used to dial the scope in with my Mini-30 at 50 yards. It was fired using Winchester White box ammo just to test functionality, and because I wanted some re-loadable 7.62x39 brass. Took me 4 shots to center the scope. (covered with the black target dots) I was pleased with the remaining group.
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I'm not the most accurate long range target shooter, and this is no cherry picked target group. This was just the only target I had a picture of. I think it shows the rifle is capable of shooting somewhat decently.

I decided to go with the Accu-strut, rather than a Har-Bar, a Mo-rod, or even trying to fabricate some kind of barrel strut myself.
http://www.accu-strut.com/

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- Bullwolf

[cat223]

My son wants a Mini-14 really bad. I'll have him check out this thread before making his final decision. Thanks for all the good input.

[TCLouis]

A fellow Range Contol person bought one of the mini 14s of some ilk.

He was asking me for help since he could not get it sighted in (scoped gun).

No wonder I typically use one shot groups for adjustment (if it is good ammo for the gun)

After several attempts, I went for groups to adjust from and he asked why i was quitting, was it sighted in and i eplsined I was just quitting, there was no predictable location for the next shot and I was wasting time and ammo.

Some seem to shoot really well.

[EMC45]

A fellow Range Contol person bought one of the mini 14s of some ilk.

He was asking me for help since he could not get it sighted in (scoped gun).

No wonder I typically use one shot groups for adjustment (if it is good ammo for the gun)

After several attempts, I went for groups to adjust from and he asked why i was quitting, was it sighted in and i eplsined I was just quitting, there was no predictable location for the next shot and I was wasting time and ammo.

Some seem to shoot really well.



I had a SS Ranch rifle years back. Scope or irons with multiple types of ammo it shot like lightning. NEVER HIT THE SAME PLACE TWICE!!!! Or even close! I would shoot, it would go high, or low, or left or right. etc etc. Got rid of it quick.

[KinkBreaker]

i like my mini-14, i have owned 4 of them and sold 2 of them
still have one of the new models and one of the old models that i have passed on to my son that has truly dismal accuracy. havent shot my new model for groups yet even though its been around for a few years
i really like them and i know the accuracy will probably never even be average for any of them without extensive work

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