Ruger's Mini 14, '580 Series' Ranch Rifle

[Sarge]

I recently swapped into a like-new 2007-production Mini 14. It's primary purpose was to fill the role of a Patrol Carbine. The Mini's .223 Remington cartridge and 'Ranch Rifle' designation also fit my secondary intentions for it quite well. Now, I don't have any heartburn for the AR15, but I definitely prefer the handling and two-stage trigger of the M14 platform and the Mini follows that basic layout.

My blue '07 Mini is in the 580-38xxx serial range and for those unfamiliar with the '580', it is the end product of a complete re-tooling aimed at enhancing the accuracy of this popular firearm. The last Mini 14 I owned was an old '78 model and while it was no slouch in the accuracy department, it was apparently an exception to the rule. Mini 14's have established a poor reputation for accuracy in the 30 years that have passed, between these rifles.

My current Mini was obtained in 'used- like new' condition and the bluing on the bolt was pristine until the first two magazines went down range. It wears the fiberglass handguard and hardwood stock common to the newer Mini's, and is equipped with a nice rubber pad where the slick, plastic buttplate used to be. This rifle has the 'straight' barrel profile which mics at 0.575 just ahead of the gas block and reduces to 0.565 about 3 5/8 inches ahead of that fixture.

The trigger is typical Mini meaning it is two-stage, like bolt-action military rifles of the 19th and 20th centuries. My RCBS Premium Trigger Pull Scale indicates that three pounds of force is required to overcome the first stage; five and one half pounds gets you through the second stage and fires the rifle. That second stage has some creep. This is due to hammer/sear engagement angles which actually cam the hammer backward a few thousandths, during the final press. If you pull the slack out of a stock Mini's trigger and then release it, the hammer will snap right back into full sear engagement. Of course there's a trade-off for everything and until you master it, the Mini's trigger can make precision shooting a real challenge.

A breezy fall day provided the opportunity to get acquainted with my 580 Mini. One of 'Sarge's Rules' is that the very first thing you do with any rifle, is to precisely zero its iron sights. They are on there for a reason and if all else fails- having a perfectly zeroed firearm can make the difference in who goes home to the Missus, and who goes home to their reward. A measured 210 yards separates my shooting table from the target frame and to my thinking, a 200 yard zero is just about right for most centerfire rifle cartridges.

Adjusting the 580's rear sight for windage involves loosening/tightening the opposing windage screws, and moving the aperture in the direction you want your group to go. Loosening the windage screws also frees the aperture to rotate up or down, to facilitate elevation adjustment. While the lack of click detents is something of a nuisance, it does provide a very fine degree of windage adjustment.



6o rounds of Remington/UMC 55 grain FMJ was used for the initial shooting. Starting at 25 yards, I rough-zeroed the sights. I was soon back at 210 yards, firing three-shot groups and adjusting as I went. Four inches at 210 yards seemed to be about the best I could manage with the aperture sights .

Once the irons were 'on' I installed an old Bushnell 4X on the Mini, and repeated the process. It's crosshairs are so coarse that they blank out a 3" orange dot at 200 yards, but once I went to a bullseye target things got better.

I shot a while longer and noticed the groups were starting to scatter. A quick check of the mounts revealed that one of the receiver mount screws had worked itself loose on the rear ring. Since I was about done shooting for the day, I decided to just pull the scope off and reinstall it to determine how much the zero changed. I was happy to discover that the rifle still shot within three inches of its 210-yard zero. There were no malfunctions with the factory magazine and Remington's 55 grain, full metal jacket UMC load.

Next, I set about finding a reload that would shoot to the same 200 yard POA and the Rem/UMC 55 FMJ load; I had some Sierra 55 BTHP's on hand, with the ever present H4895- my standby rifle powder. Since I was using Lake City cases, I backed off the max a tad and started at 25.7 grains. To tell the truth, this batch of cases has been sitting around primed for so long that I can't recall what primer I used in them.

Luckily, the first load out of the chute was good and it shot exactly to the UMC load's point of impact, with either the scope or iron sights. It also grouped just as well and typical three shot, 210 yard groups looked like the pair pictured below. The group highlighted in red has two shots in just under 2 inches, with a third straggler opening it up to 3 ¾ inches. The dropped shot below the bull was simply operator error.



The best 3-shot group of the day was 1 3/4" at 210 yards, using the aforementioned UMC load. I think the rifle is actually shooting this well, as long as the barrel stays relatively cool. Once the targeting was done, I splattered several 100 oz. detergent jugs at 125-210 yards from rested field positions, using the irons. The initial shooting session laid any accuracy concerns to rest.

With the accuracy & reliability issues resolved, it was time to order some magazines. I contacted Ruger Law Enforcement Sales division and attempted to obtain a half-dozen of the factory 20-round component. I was promptly informed that Ruger does not sell directly to LE Agencies. I would have to go through one of two LE distributors to obtain the mags.

So I called the first (closest) one and learned that they were out of stock, but 'hoped' to have some 20 round Ruger magazines, 'soon'. I also learned that the Dept. price for these was over $41.00 each. Oddly, Ruger has a 'promo' going for new rifle buyers that gets them a free 20 round mag, and two more for $29.95 each. I guess that's my punishment for not paying $600+ for a new Mini 14. I finally just said 'To hell with it' and ordered some 20 round ProMags from Brownells.

When the ProMags arrived I gave them an 'acid test'- 50 rounds of over-length, lousy reloads I've been needing to shoot up for awhile. I knew the powder charge was safe but the primed LC brass was a freebie. I later learned that many had only been neck sized- if they were sized at all. To make it usable I pulled the decapper from a sizing die, and just ran the brass through primed. The end product was still pretty sorry with most over SAAMI overall length for the cartridge. The ProMags never missed a beat even with this junk ammo. I am really happy with these magazines, especially considering their price.

It is my opinion that these new Ranch Rifles are the best Mini's we've ever seen. Their non-slip buttpad and improved sights make them easy to mount quickly and shoot well from field positions. This particular specimen shoots better at over 200 yards, than many earlier Mini's would shoot at half that distance. While testing the ProMags, I managed to warm the barrel up pretty good while emptying of a couple of them. Even with a hot barrel, the last three-shot group of the day was 3 7/8 inches at 210 yards. In my experience, your average AR/M4 will not beat that significantly.

The accuracy improvements in these new Mini's, is a landmark accomplishment; Ruger seems to have finally resolved the single weakness of the Mini 14. Now all they need to do is make it easier/cheaper to obtain factory, 20 round magazines.

[STEINER]

Thanks for the review on your 14. I also own a 2007. I bought it NIB a month ago. Serial number is close to yours.
I took it to the range and adjusted the windage at 25 yards. My aperature is over to the right now like your pic indicates.
I have a question. I am not a firearm afficiando. The rifle was a gift. I have always had to many other passions to get into the hobbie of guns.
My question is this...
My rifle is 1.5 inches in groups at 25 yards with the iron sights. The elevation is perfect. The range marshal said that I am ok with the elevation because the rem 55 gr fmj I was shooting will rise and the bullet won't hit lower at 100 yards. I didn't shoot at 50 or 100. Is that true?
Thanks in advance.

[New_Pollution1086]

that was very well written review of your new toy.

Are you a reviewer or writer of some sort?

What exactly do you mean by

Patrol Carbine

?

T

[Night Watch]

Question: Is Ruger's new 580 series Ranch Rifle chambered only for 223 Remington, or will it also handle 5.56x45 NATO?

[TheManHimself]

All Mini-14s (except for some made-for-export models sold in countries that ban their citizens from owning military cartridges) are chambered for 5.56 NATO, AFAIK.

Edit: And the 6.8 SPC models, of course.

[Night Watch]

Thanks for the reply! As I understand it, the correct historical answer is, 'Maybe'. I've had police armorers tell me that even the Ruger factory isn't certain which of the older Mini-14's may, or may not, safely handle 5.56 NATO ammo. (The factory can't positively tell by the serial number!)

Historically, Ruger hasn't been consistent about manufacturing the Mini-14 to safely handle 5.56 NATO chamber pressure. I'm going to guess that Strum Ruger has corrected this situation in the new, 'Ranch Rifles'. (The exact former name under which 223-only chambered rifles have been previously sold.) As I understand it, many older Mini-14's are chambered for 5.56 NATO; and, many others are not.

It's not reassuring for me to notice that the current Ruger catalog strictly describes the new Ranch Rifle as 223 Remington caliber. You've got to start reading the independent reviews before anyone mentions that these rifles will, in fact, handle 5.56 NATO. So far the best advice people - who should know - have given me is that with the older Mini-14's, I should believe the barrel stamp!

[TheManHimself]

I suppose I should have qualified that with "All new Mini-14s". I am aware that Minis haven't always been cut with 5.56x45mm chambers; it's my understanding, however, that although new Minis are advertised as .223 Remington, that's more to clarify for people who may not know that you can shoot .223 through a 5.56mm NATO rifle than anything else, and the chambers are in fact NATO-spec.

[Night Watch]

Exactly! And, if the cat really has changed its stripes, then Strum Ruger should come right out and tell the shooting public that rather than to allow this (politically correct) caliber ambiguity to continue.

[ljaycox]

Do these rifles accept the same magzines as the AR rifles?

[New_Pollution1086]

Do these rifles accept the same magzines as the AR rifles?

as far as i know No. I almost bought one of these rifles a year ago, went with the Kel-Tec su-16a instead.

T

[ronin308]

Finally, an unbiased review of a Mini! I also own a 580 series (and quite a few ARs) and have experienced accuracy similar to what you've achieved.

[Sarge]

Folks,

Thanks for the comments.

I don't write professionally unless you consider investigative reports as such. I do blog a little and it's located at http://sargesrollcall.blogspot.com/

On the issue of 5.56 vs .223 in the Mini, you should probably direct that question to Ruger. I have shot them interchangeably in Minis over the years, and experienced no difficulty.

A 'Patrol Carbine' is simply a handy, amply powerful short rifle which may be employed as standoff weaponry in law enforcement applications. It don't have to be 'tack-tickle' or even an auto. I used a 94 Winchester in that role for years, but the .223 is fine too. It's also much easier to order qualification ammo when it's all of the same caliber.

We should be so fortunate as to have mag interchangeability with the AR15. Still, the ProMags for the Mini have generated tons of positive user feedback and that, combined with the price, is why I selected them.

[cat9x]

a good read, thanks for sharing!

[TheManHimself]

We have a definitive answer on the 5.56mm NATO issue. Got it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. According to the latest version (for 580-series Minis) of the Mini-14 manual, page 11:

The Mini-14 Ranch Rifle is designed to use either standardized U.S. military, or factory loaded sporting .223 (5.56mm) cartridges manufactured in accordance with U.S. industry practice.

If you don't have your owner's manual, Ruger has a .PDF of it on their website.

[HuntAndFish]

Nice report Sarge. My older Mini-14 shoots pretty well and I won't give it up, but it's nice to know a new replacement would be even better.

Originally Posted by STEINER

My rifle is 1.5 inches in groups at 25 yards with the iron sights. The elevation is perfect. The range marshal said that I am ok with the elevation because the rem 55 gr fmj I was shooting will rise and the bullet won't hit lower at 100 yards. I didn't shoot at 50 or 100. Is that true?

Probably. Any bullet that is fired follows an arcing trajectory from the muzzle.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/bullet_trajectory.htm

It depends on initial alignment of the barrel with the horizon. The best way to see is to shoot at 50 and 100 yds.

[Swampghost]

Just to add to the melee and wandering thread. My older 180 model is clearly stamped CAL .223.

The "INSTRUCTIONS and PARTS LIST" that I downloaded from THEIR site which includes "(For use with "180-" serial number prefix models.) states under the "AMMUNITION" section:

"The MINI-14 is designed to use either U.S. Military, Commercial Sporting, or other .223 (5.65mm) caliber ammunition manufactured to U.S. industry standards.".

I've put it all through this type of rifle and only cracked the reciever on my first one when we were getting real close to 4500 FPS, our target. If I remember correctly the last shot was about 4370.

[LateNightFlight]

Thanks for the report, Sarge, nicely done. I hear ya on the, "breezy fall day." I thought about doing a little shooting but thought, too breezy.

For years I wanted a Ruger Ranch rifle but was put off by the accuracy reports. Along came the ARs with accuracy as more than a foot note, and I was at a loss to understand why Ruger hadn't taken the matter in hand. They lost a lot of market share for a handy semi auto carbine to the ARs, so it's good to seem them with a new and improved offering.

This shoe might fit. My son is a patrol officer in a large California dept. I was quizzing him about their equipment and was surprised to learn there are very few rifles around and a locked up budget. It has come down to their chief offering that officers can haul their personal rifles on patrol, and a few do.

My first thought was to get him an AR for Xmas - but then - California! I could probably get an AR to him, but I'd need a letter from the Chief and that's just the starting point. Then, there's the issue of transport and delivery. And what happens with the AR if he ever leaves the dept., assuming he stayed in Cali?

It seems like one of these could be a remedy for the gift idea that turned into a headache.

[stealth02]

Great news everone. Ruger is running a Pre-Obama special on 20 round Mags. I purchased 3 mags @ $29.95 and recieved them in less than a week. Go to Rugers web site and look under promotions. Pass the good news on.

Bob...

[BigMike]

Thanks for the report. I just saw one of these at Walmart going for $604. Considering...

[zzbruno]

I just purchased the NRA model Mini-14. Anyone have optic recommendations for a gun that will be primarily a truck/coyote gun and shots kept in the 50-200 yard range?

[globemaster3]

Another kudo for an excellent writeup. Thanks for the information!