I recently purchased a NIB 580-series, 5.56mm Mini-14 Ranch Rifle w/Hardwood Stock. I attached the included Picatinny rail and put on a Romeo4S. During the process of zeroing the rifle, I noticed about 1 in 4 rounds were “fliers”, off the group by about 1-2 inches at 25 meters. This was slow fire, without the barrel heating up any significant amount; ammo was Lake City bulk M193.

My question concerns installing a device like an Accu-Strut. Do they really work? Does anyone have any concrete information that shows these devices really work, something more than just “works for me”?

Also, the trigger is a little rough. Has anyone ever had a gunsmith smooth out the trigger for them?

Had my Mini-14 trigger done by Accuracy Systems

Send in only the trigger group.

I'm sure member kkina, the maker of the Accu-Strut, will be along shortly with his data.

That flier is an artifact of the Mini's aggressive cycling system, which uses a heavy travelling cylinder and a stationary piston. While it makes the gun especially reliable, the trade-off can be accuracy issues.

Basically the cylinder reseats itself a little differently after each shot, which can then throw off the next shot. Typical is 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 are fliers.

Barrel stabilization *may* help the situation, though not directly cure it. It depends if the barrel is unstabilized in the first place. What kind of groups do you get? And is your barrel a straight or tapered profile?

As to the Accu-strut, yes I have substantial scientific evidence that the device works and works extremely well, on certain rifles. I admit to being somewhat biased, however.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
What kind of groups do you get? And is your barrel a straight or tapered profile?

The rifle is the 580-series, so it is the newer, tapered barrel. I am getting 1-1½ inch groups at 25 meters.

OK, that's 4-6 MOA, but that's with a flyer. What kind of groups if you eliminate the flyer?

(The early 580s still used the straight barrel. Ruger transitioned during the 580 run. Being new, I figured it must be the newer tapered bbl, but it doesn't hurt to be sure.)

I put a smaller gas bushing from Accuracy Systems in mine which tamed the cycling quite a bit. I think it is a bit more accurate, but more importantly it quit denting the cases and leaving brass kisses on the op rod.

If you get a stabilizer I suggest getting one that adjusts the gas system.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
OK, that's 4-6 MOA, but that's with a flyer. What kind of groups if you eliminate the flyer?

(The early 580s still used the straight barrel. Ruger transitioned during the 580 run. Being new, I figured it must be the newer tapered bbl, but it doesn't hurt to be sure.)

The fliers are 1-2" beyond the 1-1½ inch groups. I am shooting with a Romeo4S. With a bit more work on my part I could probably get the 1-1½ inch groups down a bit. The trigger isn't the best.

OK, thanks for the clarification. It does sound like that barrel needs more stabilization. Without the fliers, you should be getting 2-3 MOA (.5-.75" at 25 meters). The fliers would also be reduced (but not eliminated) by a proportionate amount. A strut would pretty much fix this.

As already mentioned, a rough trigger could also be causing the problem, or contributing to it. You'll have to decide what to try first.

Finally, fliers can also be caused by the stock needing bedding (I routinely bed all my rifles). Again, you'll have to decide what to try first, though adding a strut is obviously a lot less work than bedding.

Accu-strut "works for me." Offhand groups went from paper-plate at 50 yards to tennis ball at 50 yards. That's about as good as I can shoot anyway.

If you have an older straight-barreled mini, IMO the accu-strut is a must.

I think an Accu-Strut is in the works but I'll first get the trigger fixed (looking into Johnny's recommendation for Accuracy Systems). Thanks, all!

quote:

Originally posted by DansSIGs:
Simple-

Cut that investment cast POS into pieces & invest in an AR15 that will shoot rings around any Ruger Mini & gives you the option to push 2 pins to install numerous other top ends of different chamberings in it's place.

Thank you for your help in answering the questions in my original post.

I’ve multiple ARs and one Mini 14. Have a ton of fun with my mini, but it is not a tack driver. Accurate enough, and frankly I just put an A-Team folding stock on it and enjoy . That said, they are a viable defense rifle albeit not the most accurate. Minute of man and very reliable. Enjoy the rifle, love mine and will probably add an old pre=580 to my collection.

quote:

Originally posted by DansSIGs:
Simple-

Cut that investment cast POS into pieces
&
invest in an AR15 that will shoot rings around any Ruger Mini & gives you the option to push 2 pins to install numerous other top ends of different chamberings in it's place.

Why is it you felt the need to post this? I really don't understand why you have to stoop to a rather childish level. The Mini 14 is not a AR. The AR is not a Mini 14.

quote:

Originally posted by DansSIGs:
Simple-

Cut that investment cast POS into pieces
&
invest in an AR15 that will shoot rings around any Ruger Mini & gives you the option to push 2 pins to install numerous other top ends of different chamberings in it's place.

wow

I heart my Ruger Mini-14s and ACs.

I love my Mini-14 GB folders too. I have an earlier model in a fixed stock with a spare factory black folding stock. I only wish kkino would make a left side sling loop adjustable gas block for them as I plan to cut the barrel down to 13.7" and pin/weld a muzzle device on it.

For my Mini-14 I found that the choice of ammo makes a big difference. I believe they have a 1 in 9 twist rate so the bullet weight may e important. I tried half a dozen ammos till I found one the gun liked. Good luck.

I had a factory stainless mini folder years and ago and regret selling it. It was not the most accurate rifle but it was very reliable and would take a lot of abuse. I changed out some springs to change the trigger pull but for the life of me I can't remember where I got them. Sometimes ammo. can be the culprit with throwing shots off but the gun was not meant to be a tack driver, which I never had a problem with. It was fun to shoot and had the classic look.

When I had mine, I often thought about buying an Accu-Strut, as I have heard nothing but good things about them,especially for the older guns and the vibration with the barrels. The Accu-Strut really compliments the overall look of the Mini and has added benefits to being on there.

quote:

I put a smaller gas bushing from Accuracy Systems in mine which tamed the cycling quite a bit. I think it is a bit more accurate, but more importantly it quit denting the cases and leaving brass kisses on the op rod.

Interesting...I've seen these and am kind of curious about them. How hard were they to install? Any tips or tricks for chosing the appropriate size? I love my mini, but it definitely chucks the brass and I can't help thinking that tweaking the port size could help smooth it out a good bit, while still leaving plenty of room for reliable operation.

As to the mini vs AR debate, that's just stupid. It's not an AR. It's not supposed to be. Would I willingly trade the AR in my squad car for a mini-14? No. But if I had to I would be confident that it would meet the demand as an effective, reliable patrol rifle.

I also don't want a safe full of a bunch of variations of the same plastic modular guns, either. The AR is great, but variety is the spice of life, and shooting steel silhouettes with the mini offhand is more fun to me than with an AR. No, it's not a precision rifle, but it does what it's designed to do in a handy little package, and I won't be cutting mine up any time soon.