Possibilities with the Mini 14
One of my more accurate and flat shooting rounds I use is the military 62gr SCBT round, but I absolutely advise against ever using this for hunting. My favorite hunting round is a 60gr HP from Sierra that has allowed me to put 3 shot groups in 3 inches out to 300yds. I’m sure there are some readers saying BS on that one, but its true and I have pictures to prove it. The Mini 14s best advantage is that it is much lighter weight that most AR15 style weapons and that it feels more like a traditional rifle. The stainless steel Mini 14 also holds up very well in damp environments and I’ve seen better resistance against moisture than the standard blued Mini 14.
My all time favorite semi-auto for hauling around is an possible always will be the Ruger Mini 14. I started out with these long before i stepped into the world of tactical accessories and long range shooting. My favorite setup for the Mini 14 is a 3.9×40 rifle scope and in my humble opinion, this is probable the proper setup for what the gun was originally intended to be used for. If a user pays attention to the barrel twist and the bullet weight they are using, this lightweight carbine which fires a bullet as powerful as an M16 is capable of varmint hunting and medium size game. Many States do not allow the use of AR 15 style rifles for hunting, but you can still get the accuracy and power from the .223 round in a Carbine that doesn’t look as threatening while beating down the sticks.
It seems that the M4 AR15 variant is hands down the most popular carbine in existance in the United States. There are plenty of AK and European military style rifles out there, but the accessorized M4 is king. When I first stepped into the high speed tactical carbine school, I was going there from previously owning only Kalashnikov variant rifles. The biggest promotion I heard from all of those owning an AR15 was how accurate they were. It is true that the M4 and AR15 family of rifles ARE the most accurate combat rifles, but that doesn’t make them the most effective. Ever since the Iraq invasion, the notion of just sending in a group of guys with M4 Carbines or M16s without a 7.62 DMR is not common. There was a lot of hype about the military digging up M14s and giving them this role, but now that several years have passed, the military has been working with newer models of 7.62 rifles to eventually fill that role.
Today I took my newest LWRC rifle to the range to break it in. This is a combat rifle and I expect that it eventually get pretty beat up, but it’s always a good idea to run through some firing drills before you rely on it. Some of the biggest malfuntion problems I have seen on the firing line were with supposedely brand new out of the box rifles. Sometimes there are bugs or issues that are easy to fix, but you really need to put some lead down range with your rifle or pistol before you rely on it. I’ve mentioned before about a time when I saw a guy show up with a Beretta 92FS inox pistol and it jammed after every round. The shooter was very frustrated because this was it’s first range trip. Well, turns out that the pistol was bone dry and had absolutely zero lubrication on it and with one wipe down, the gun ran flawlessly. The same should go for any firearm. I strongly suggest cleaning guns every once in awhile, even if you haven’t shot them. Lubrication can run off of guns or drain off, and I also highly recommend using a small level of grease on even pistols, especially if they may sit in a gun safe for long periods of time.
Optics have multiple purposes. They can be used for Astronomy, Scouting, birdwatching, target shooting, hunting and military purposes. With the emergency of combat optics for close quarter combat, scopes used on rifles have gotten smaller, more compact and sometimes have zero magnification. The point is to give you a good sight pictures and a reticle that is easy to follow.
There is a point where people have to learn to realize that there are a great many firearms manufacturers out there that are making suberb firearms. I’ve heard people claim that a certain firearm was superior in reliability over another. Well, that is true to some degree, but I’d have to say there are some firearms that are in the top tier category and the durability and reliablity differences may vary in extreme circumstances. Take a Glock 17 and put it up against a Sig 226 and you’ll see what I mean. I’m sure the Glock will reguire less lubrication, but there won’t be much difference in 98% of circumstances.
There is no need to trash people that are using inferior optics. Somtimes a $100 scope that holds zero is all that is needed and long range shooting isn’t a reality. Plenty of people get there kicks out of inexpensive optics and aren’t concerned about how bright their optics are or if they’ll hold up to thousands of rounds. Most optics that cost $200-$300 are probable all you need for most hunting, plinking purposes and some manufacturers make some great optics in that price range. There are levels of gear though and there is a certain point that you have to realize that your gear isn’t up to par.
For the hunter who can appreciate the advantage of confidence, Zeiss offers two riflescope platforms that feature an array of objective sizes, reticle configurations, and laser rangefinding capabilities. So there’s a riflescope that’s perfectly designed to match every hunting situation.