Quote History Quoted:
In for accuracy results.
I have a 584xxx w/factory folder that is a fun gun, but not very accurate. And a .300 suppressor. Will a new .300 Mini drop right in to the old factory folder stock?
Dropping the 584xxx rifle into the new stock might net me half my cost back on GB, and then I'd have a really nice mini.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History Quoted:
In for accuracy results.
I have a 584xxx w/factory folder that is a fun gun, but not very accurate. And a .300 suppressor. Will a new .300 Mini drop right in to the old factory folder stock?
Dropping the 584xxx rifle into the new stock might net me half my cost back on GB, and then I'd have a really nice mini.
I've never seen a 584 series yet. Didn't know that they were being produced. How new is it?
I treated mine to the following accuracy enhancements to produce 1¼" - 1½" groups. It looks like you've done the Accu-Strut and Choate HG; even painting it the same as mine (good choice). Check out my list and consider any others you haven't done. They all (better sights, shimmed receiver, trigger job, and especially handloads) add up to produce the better groupings and more enjoyable shooting. (BTW, expecting high precision and tight groups with cheap blasting ammo is a pipe dream.) Here is the list of things I did to my New, 583 Series Ranch Rifle. I wanted a reliable, fun all around irons only shooter with decent accuracy that was reminiscent of my M14 in the Army and my M1A. The list below shows what mods I made, how much they cost, and what they are for.
Choate Handguard swap: $15 - Choate Handguard not only looks better but it cools the barrel much better than Ruger's. No, it doesn't cover the op rod but neither does the handguard on 5.5 million M1 Garands, 6.5 million M1 Carbines, and 1.4 million M14s.
Wilson 1911 Buffers: $6 (set of 6) - Addition of 2 Wilson 1911 (yep, pistol) bushing, one around the gas pipe in the front and one on the Op rod spring at the rear. Together, they will tone down the cycling jolts and eliminate metal to metal slamming.
Mini200 Rear Sight: $65 - Tech Sights' Mini200 rear sight gives better irons sighting and adjustment than Ruger's stock one. Add to that their $15 optional aperture package with 3 different aperture sizes and when you use the target .042" aperture, you have a NM like rear sight.
Thinned Front Sight: $0 - Thinning down the .075"-.077" thick front sight to .050", combined with a target .042" rear aperture gives you a 'NM' equivalent sight set.
Lightened Safety Lever: $0 – In keeping with the whole ‘M14 Look’ I was going for, I took a page from my M1A and old M14 in the Army and dissembled the trigger group to get at the Safety Lever so I could drill a hole in it. (The lighter weight really helps the balance.
)
Gas Bushing Reduction: $50 - Swap of the overly large stock Gas Bushing with a smaller one. Sets of .040", .045", .050", and .060" are available. My .045" Gas Bushing reduces the cycling violence which improves accuracy on the Mini14 while the .060" version works well with the Mini30. Shorter barreled Tactical models need a slightly larger aperture size. (The reduced size gas bushing gives the added benefit of reducing the distance your Mini throws brass. Mine went from 50-60 ft NIB to 12-15 ft currently with my handloads.)
Gas Block Torque: $0 - We've found that torquing the gas block bolts to30 in/lbs when reassembling and keeping the upper and lower halve gaps consistent aides in accuracy.
Shimmed Receiver: $0 - I found that my action was fairly tight in my stock with it set in without the trigger group installed but I wanted to get a real tight fit so there was no fore or aft nor side to side movement of the action at all. I found that shimming the action with a bit of tin on both sides really tightened up things well. The plates are held in place with the stiffener screw so it’s an easy fit. It seems to help with repeatability.
Barrel Strut: $80 - Accu-Strut or $105 Mo-Rod, both barrel struts clamp to barrel and gas block to both dampen barrel harmonics and aide barrel cooling. Developed for pencil barreled where they do a lot of good but also help a bit on the new 58X series Minis. Both single and double clamp versions are available. Double clamps give the most rigidity and is best for pencil barreled versions. Single clamp looks cool and mimics the M14 look.
Trigger Job: $55-$65 - Trigger Group job where the first stage is shortened and second stage is lightened. Just like a precision trigger on an AR, it really helps your precision shooting and if you want small groups, it's money well spent. Not needed for plinking but really helps decrease your group size.
Ruger Brand 20rd Magazines: $26-$28 on sale - Yes they are a bit more,however, they are durable and extremely reliable. Well worth the extra few bucks over the aftermarket versions because they flat work.
Of note for irons shooters. Even though Ruger advertises that the Minis have a 'normal' 13.5" LOP, I found that the 'Heel to Aperture' distance (top of the buttstock to the rear sight aperture) on the current model Mini Ranch Rifles measures 15.5". This is as opposed to a 14" Heel to Aperture distance on M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, and M14/M1As.
I found that this caused me to strain my neck forward trying to gain the same sight picture I am use to with the other platforms. As I have all three other platforms, plus more 'irons' rifles with the same 14" distance, I found the stock Mini rear sight awkward to use.
Adding the Tech Sight's great Mini200 rear sight does help a bit as it mounts such that the aperture is moved back .5" giving one a 15" Heel to Aperture distance. While a bit better, it still didn't feel right to me so I removed the buttpad and cut down the birch stock 1", reattached the buttpad, and sanded it down to meet the new buttstock profile.
This made a significant difference for me in that 1, I'm able to hold a natural sight picture with the rear sight, and 2, with my eye closer to the rear aperture, the use of a smaller aperture helps increase the DoF giving me a clearer view of the front sight and target; something us more 'seasoned' shooter need. Further, I don’t notice the shorter LOP as I’m up tight on the sights and action and it just works better.
My Mini with his Namesake: