2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

I SEE RUGER HAS changed the mini14 a little...has anyone seen one yet...and/or shot one........my question is....have they improved the accuracy yet....?

RE: 2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

I do know they have shipped but haven't looked for one yet.

I just still don't understand why people always seem to think that these carbines are supposd to be some super accurate MOA gun. Their not intended to be tack-drivers. They're designed and built for medium or closer ranges for medium or smaller game. they only have to be "minute-of vitals zone". Perhaps some see them and think about their similarly looking military counterpart and expect the higher levels of accuracy, don't know. I think more think they're supposed to rival the AR models and that style firearm. i also expect some that continually complain about this don't bother trying differnt loads to see what that particualr gun prefers. Like all guns, each may have it's "pet" load. What do I know though...

Anyways...The one report I've read the shooter did say that tolerances appeared better but hadn't done any precise shooting for measured groups.

RE: 2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

I think they improved it by putting a slightly better rear sight on it and raising the price.

Hmm, doesn't have any of the desireable traits of an AR (durability, accuracy, hi-cap magazines available anywhere) Cost as much as an M1 which again is more accurate, infinately more durable, and shoots a non-mousegun caliber to boot.:D

RE: 2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

looks like they just combined the ranch rifle and the standard to make one rifle. they also changed the front sight, the way they changed it you wont beable to use after market muzzle breaks on it. Honestly with the 2005 model they basically turned a somewhat decent plinker into a serious POS. I dont like the changes one bit.

RE: 2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

Cs&Ps, I doubt seriously that they have improved very much if any in accuracy. Form what I understand, the primar fault of inaccuracy lies in the barrel manufacturing process, and is not an inherent design problem.

The Mini-14 never has and never will rival the AR-15. Other than being chambered in the same cartridge and bother being semi-automatics, that is were the similarity ends. Even on a bad day, a mediocre AR-15 will out shoot the best Mini-14, accuracy wise. The Mini-14 can be made to shoot accurately, and there are several good places that can accurize the Mini-14 into an honest 1-1.5 MOA shooter. I got my first Mini-14 back in 1980, I bugged my dad to take me to a local gun shop, on my 16th birthday, where I had seen one for the first time, and spent the money I had worked for that summer and saved, just for that mini-14. Looking back at it now, I must have gotten extremely lucky and got one of the few that actually can shoot accurately. What I call accurately for a mini-14 is 2-2.5" groups at 100yds, with carefully tuned handloads.

I have had several in the shop over the past few years, in which all had the same problem, inaccuracy. The last one, was so bad that at 50yds, the best group was 6" with one Rem. factory loading, the others loads would not even keep all 5 shots on a 12"x12" target sheet at 50yds to even see were it was hitting. However it functioned perfectly, as had all the mini-14s I have shot over the years. Short of rebarreling, I finally got it to shoot about 2.5" groups at 50yds and 6" groups at 100yds, which according to it's owner, that was better than it had ever shot before. I advised this guy, to either send it to Accuracy Systems to be rebarrled and furhter accurized, or sell it or trade it for an AR-15.

I do like the way the mini-14 feels and handles better than the AR-15, but that's about the only thing that the mini-14 has over the AR-15.

RE: 2005 ruger mini-14 any better?
 

I've had two of these things. I agree with whoever wrote that it's a POS.

I tried different scopes, factory ammo, reloads, every trick I know about handloading, and some new ones taught to me by a gunsmith friend. None of them worked. I couldn't get either one of them to shoot better than 3" at 100 yds.

Bought a Bushmaster, shoots several factory ammos under 1", and shoots my handloads to 3/8"

I'll never own another mini.