Ruger Mini-14

Ruger Mini 14 Minuteman Series

Part 1 Canvas GI Sling - Mini 14 

My 583 series Ruger Mini-14 Ranch features 1” sling loopsNot good enough for a 1 1/4” Canvas GI SlingPlus it is not easily detached for when the sling is looped up as a shooter’s aidSo Peel the 1” front sling loop off the gas blockBut the hole in the front mount does not fit any production sling swivels…not even the one’s sold by RugerSo Drill out hole…not that big of a dealNow you learn that the mount is too wideGrind down width…this is kind of ridiculous for a rifle that’s been in production for 6 decadesInstall a new 1 ¼” sling swivelUnscrew rear sling loopEpoxy Install an Uncle Mikes wood screw sling studInstall a new 1 ¼” sling swivelWeave Canvas GI Sling into the sling loops.Almost ready for the range..Coming Next for the Mini 14…Heel to Peep and LOP drama.

Tools and Kit Featured in Part 1

Part 2 Length of Pull - Mini 14

The original Mini-14 featured a 12 ½” length of pull, the current millennium production is 13 ½”.While I’m ok with trigger manipulation at the new longer length, I think it makes for an excessive eye to peep sight distance.
To get the clarifying benefits of a peep, the eye should be about 2” or max 3” from it.Buttstock pad to peep is 14 1/2”..on the AR, with the same trigger LOP, it’s 11 ½”. 
Cut ⅝” off the wood stock. Replace the recoil pad for a thin butt plate to shave another ¼”. for a 12 5/8” LOP. 
Install Tech Sights to shift the peep back half inch. I wish it set all the way back to the end of the receiver. Aperture is nearly half that of the stock peep making for a crisper front sight. I need 10 MOA more elevation. Thought maybe the loop sling was throwing things off, but shooting without being slung up POI was the same. Groups are pretty good. File down the front sight? Need a good selection of shop tools to dial in the Mini. 

Part 3 Magazine Catch and Release - Mini 14

The Mini 14 features an AK like rock in magazine catch. Plenty fast once you're accustomed to it and I think it eliminates the need for a tap tug check that most of us perform on straight insert STANAG mags. Spending so much time on a 10/22, I like to operate the Mini14 mag release the same way as Ruger’s 22 rifle…pushing forward with the back of my trigger finger. Allowing you to simultaneously eject the empty mag while reaching for a fresh one.
Mini 14 mags, even 20 rounders, can drop free if the rifle is horizontal otherwise the grip and strip method is going to be the most reliable way. 
And it will certainly be the least painful method since the mag release lever can bite the backside of your finger…or chew on your glove. Seems like this pinch hazard would have been eradicated after 6 decades. 
Nonetheless, the Mini 14 mag release is perfectly mirrored ambi for the ambidextral gunfighter. It also reduces the risk of an accidental mag disengagement compared to the AR…as long as you avoid those third party, extended mag release “upgrades”. 
Parrot Vise
a Chinese copy of the awesome, hammer forged Versa-Vise. (if you can find an original, expect to pay MUCH more)
Bunkerkings Fly Compression Elbow Pads. Exceptionally light. Excellent breathability. Just enough padding, not too much to hinder steady hold factors. 

Part 4 Safety - Mini 14

The Ruger Mini 14’s inside the trigger guard, M1 Garand-like safety is simple and very ambidextrous friendly. One advantage over the AR thumb safety is that if you reach the Act part of the OODA loop and move your finger off index into the trigger guard to fire, you will get instant feedback if you forgot to take the rifle off safe. No such tactile feedback on the AR. 
Some bedwetters think this inside the trigger guard safety is dangerous. I think it is fine for bare handed shooting, but I might dampen the sheets a bit if wearing diaper thick winter gloves…like 8 months of the year here in Wyoming. I definitely could see a risk of an accidental discharge if wearing thick gloves. More room inside the trigger guard would be useful, but just be glove aware. 
I very much like that the Mini safety actually captures the hammer and locks up the sear. Too many safeties simply prevent trigger movement. But what if the sear fails…and there are plenty of ways that can happen…metallurgy failure, pins walking out, cracks in receiver or FCU. Kudos Ruger. 
One reason I do ergonomically prefer my AR’s thumb safety is that it is a very similar motion, muscle memory to running the manual thumb safety on my KelTec P17 handgun. 
But for the straight stocked Mini 14 Ranch rifle, the ambi trigger guard safety is excellent. Definitely safer than a cross bolt safety for the ambidextral gunfighter. See our video on the MC2c crossbolt safety as to why. 

Part 5 Trigger - Mini 14 

The Mini-14 stock is sandwiched between the receiver and the trigger group. I actually like THIS part of the field stripping process. Unlatch the trigger guard, pull straight out, and remove buttstock from the gas block flange.
Great design. Easy to clean and maintain.
The two stage trigger is very good…better than a mil-spec AR trigger but not as good as a Giselle. 
<quiet for break and reset break>
Good enough that I won’t fuck with it. At the most maybe a MCARBO spring kit to drop the pull weight down a bit. Otherwise, I’ll let it polish itself with live fire and just keep it clean and lubed with Sentry Tuf-Glide.  
As for manipulating the trigger with the standard straight stock, I recommend thumb to the side to create the exaggerated c-shaped trigger finger to prevent dragging wood…maybe to the point of fingertips to stock. I added some skateboard tape to keep my firing hand from slipping down the angled face of the grip.
The mini’s trigger is definitely one of the components that boosts its practical, in the field, accuracy.

Part 6 Piston Driven Action - Mini 14

The Mini 14 features a “self-cleaning”, fixed-piston gas system vs the AR’s “shits where it eats” direct impingement system. As for the AR being “dirty” or dumping heat onto its bolt carrier group, given my AR’s reliability I’m like “so what?”
However when a cartridge fails to fully seat in a dirty chamber, I do prefer the Mini 14’s reciprocating charging handle over the AR’s forward assist. The AR’s forward assist obstructs and nullifies the AR’s otherwise very ambi charging handle. 
The REAL advantage of the Mini 14 action is the lack of a buffer tube inside the buttstock. This allows the Mini 14 to adopt a folding stock with ease (but don’t, see the full length review), the buttstock can be used like a club with minimal risk of wrecking it, and it allows the line of sight to be less than an inch above the bore…whereas the AR’s line of sight is about 2.5” high. 
So overall, I do prefer the Mini 14…if it can match the AR’s accuracy. 
Next in the AmbGun Mini 14 series…in the field accuracy
Samson A-TM Folding Stock
(not AmbGun tested. Interesting, but I prefer the wood stock...reasons in full length review of Mini 14)

Part 7 Sights - Mini 14

Replaced the somewhat adequate Ruger rear sight with Tech Sights’ MINI200 . Better adjustments. Smaller aperture. About ½” more sight radius. (wish it added another inch and 1/)
Shooting 10 MOA low with the peep at max elevation, contacted Ruger support. Spoke with an interesting technician who recommended that if it's grouping well to just\ file down the front sight…he offered to do it for me and check out everything else for a refresh if I wanted to send it in. 
I didn’t. So I did some BubbaSmithing. Measured where my sight was, where I wanted it to be, and knowing minute of angle change per ½ turn, I made a crude calculation as to how much I needed to remove from the front sight
I hand Filed the front sight down by 50 thousandth of an inch
ReSet the peep in the middle of its elevation adjustment.
Went to zero…spot on. No changes needed. Three shots cleanly in a 1” square at 25 meters. Iron sights, in the field prone, 4MOA gets it done. The clueless keyboard warriors will cry “muh 1 moa”. Yeah, whatever. Next field accuracy…offhand, sitting/squatting, and prone. 
Parrot Vise
a Chinese copy of the awesome, hammer forged Versa-Vise. (if you can find an original, expect to pay MUCH more)

Part 8 Social Credit Score - Mini 14

Is the Mini 14 as accurate as an AR? Probably not. Is it as reliable? Maybe. But it is way more gray man.
No pistol grip, so it's not a deadly, high powered assault rifle in the som-nam-bulant public’s NPC brain.
Bare muzzle version…No flash hider or supressor so it's not a “weapon of war”. 
Flush 5 round mag isn't dangling menacingly beneath grandpa’s wood stock and if you run 20 rounders in an INVRT bandoleer the round count will most likely fly under their radar. 
Sometimes American forces deployed overseas like to run their M4’s with innocent looking 20 round mags and a shortened pistol grip for a less provocative posture. The Mini is the civilian civilized posture carbine.
Preserve the grey man advantage of the Mini…steer clear of folding pistol grip stocks, run a bare muzzle, stick with peep sights, and deploy with a 5 round mag inserted. 
Don't try to make the Mini14 into an AR. If you want a pistol grip, muzzle device, and lots of 30 round mags, get an AR. If you want a folding backpack carbine, KelTec’s SU16c. 
The Ruger Mini 14, the subdued profile, low drag, gray man, carbine…the sleeper with AR-15 capabilities concealed in a civilized wood veneer. Elegantly hanging over your fireplace. 
And if that veneer is peeled back, I prefer the 18.5” barrel over the flash suppressed 16.5

Part 9 Field Accuracy - Mini 14

Mini 14 Zeroed…Proceeded to do an AQT, squeaked in a Rifleman score of 211. Solid performance in the crucial slow fire prone stage was undermined by a slightly weak showing in stage 2, sitting. I usually do this squatting, but decided for some stupid nostalgic reason to do cross legged sitting. Nice groups, but a bit to the right. Sloppy NPOA. Clean up that stage for another 4-6 points, and I'm scoring the same as my iron sighted AR and only 10-12 points less than my ACOG equipped BCM. Scored a 48 out of 50 offhand…right up there with my best performances with the AR, irons or optic. 
While the Mini’s in the field accuracy was better than the Internet experts led me to believe, the hand guard got uncomfortably hot. If the AR shits where it eats, the Mini burns where it shits. Not suitable for attending a Project Appleseed Rifle Marksmanship Clinic, unless you were a glove on your support hand…or place a computer fan in the handguard. 
Still it has been a satisfying project..not the easy snap together of AR15 legos but a soulful hand crafting every step of the way. If you had told me that I’d be altering sling attachments, cutting down the stock, reshaping a thin butt plate, and filing down the front sight, I’d have steered clear. But now that it’s done, well it feels special in a way that AR “builds” do not.
Filed frontsight and by sheer luck it's spot on. (almost, actually I need it to hit 6/10" high at this range.
So the rifle can shoot, but getting here was not easy.Install sling swivels
Cut down wood stock
Replace recoil pad with butt plate
Replace rear sight with Tech Sights

vs
QD sling swivels on AR are easy
Adjustable buttstock
Very capable peep sights in the carry handle sight.
Mini 14's inaccurate? First time Zeroing...this group, fired prone at 50 yards kind of shocked me.  Went to raise the rear sight 10 MOA and I ran out of elevation. Hopefully switching to Tech-Sights will solve that issue...else I'll have to file down the front sight a bit. At 50, I'd like to see it a couple inches high for a Battle sight Zero. 
11x17-AQT-Blk.pdf
Download AQT Target
Print on 11 x 17 paper

Ruger Mini 14 Full Length Review

NOTES
No significant difference in overall weight or length compared to an AR, but overall height is about half that of the typical AR.Sight Radius stock 22 3/8”Sight Radius with Tech Sight Rear 22 3/4”
LOPSN 580+ 13.25”Prefer 12.5/12.75” mostly to get closer to peep. 
Peep sight is too far away to get the clarifying effect of its aperture.Getting 1” closer to peep. -3/8"` ”” Tech Sights further back on receiver-1/2 ” Shorten Stock-1/86” butt padTotal 1”Still not as close as AR and just barely functioning as a proper peep.
M1 GarandLOP 13 ⅛”Butt plate to peep 14 ½”
Mini14 modified buttstockLOP 12 ½”Butt Plate to peep 14 3/8”
Line of sight is less than an inch above the bore compared to 2.5” on the AR.
And with no buffer tube, you can use the buttstock as a club without wrecking its function. 
I prefer thee 18.5 bare barrel over a 16.5” with a flash hider
No pistol grip and Smooth stock means Less drag coming out of scabbard
Ambi inside the trigger guard Safety, but maybe a bit risky with gloved hands.Ambi Mag release, but it’ll pinch if you use the more efficient trigger finger push forward rather than grip ‘n rip. 
Field strip, getting the bolt and recoil spring in and out sucks compared to AR.
I have no preference between inserting AR vs rock in Mini14 mags. Mini14 Mag drops free if held horizontal
But magazine weightAR Duramag  3.03 ouncesMini Ruger mag 5.71 ounces
2.68 ounces heavier Almost twice as heavy
Figure about 12 ounces for a loaded 20 round magMeaning that for every 4-5 mags in your loadout you get an extra one for free…weight wise compared to the Mini.
Mag costAR 20 round Duramags $17Ruger 20 round mags $43
Meaning your can buy 10 Duramags and the ammo to fill them twice For the price of just 10 Ruger mags. 
While I might prefer my Mini14 over an AR, the excessively long buttstock, peep too far forward, the unconventional front sling mount, and the pinchy mag release makes it hard to recommend for the new shooter. 
Coming from the sailing world it is like sailing a wood boat vs a more refined and modern fiberglass one. From paintball it was like holding out with a mechanical autococker as the electronic guns rose to prominence. It is almost a spiritual connection. 
However, if you're new to firearms, I suggest starting with a 10/22 first anyway, attend a Project Appleseed Rifle Marksmanship Clinic, and earn your rifleman patch before you ever purchase a center-fire rifle. Do that, and the Mini is a great first center-fire rifle. Just know that you will probably need to reduce the stock length, do some minor work to get a proper sling installed, and mount a Tech-Sights rear sight. 
Folding stock? Pass, if I want a folding, backpack carbine, I’ll go with the SU16c…the Mini’s supreme advantage is social acceptibility…don’t fuck it up with a folding stock and pistol grip or a big assed optic. 
Also, It is a good ambidextral rifle, so if you want to capitalize on ambidextrous “optimal use of cover”, do not put a butt stock ammo pouch on it. 

Mini-14 Starts AmbGun

The Ruger Mini-14 was my first experiment with an ambidextral carbine. 
Time to come back around, after years of learning and developing as an ambidextrous shooter, to explore the advantages (and failings) of the oddly likeable Ruger Mini-14.
Ambi mag release. Ambi safety. 
Good iron sights and runs well from field positions. 
AmbGun.com is THE ambidextrous gunfighting resource. Why you should become an ambidextrous gunfighter. How you can become an ambidextrous gunfighter. What the ambidextrous gunfighter requires in his equipment.

Ambidextrous "optimal use of cover", optimal use of terrain for steady hold factors.
Training the brain so that both the left and right eye can pick up the sighting system. Perfectly mirrored controls for unconscious, bilateral transfer of skill. operation both left and right handed. 

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