First range session with Mini

[Teddydogno1]

Took my new Mini out to shoot today.  Its a 1 1/8" convertible with the pocket holster grip.  Couple things of note from the range session:

--Firing at 10 feet, the group size was pretty good.  However, it was shooting quite low (about 8 - 10 inches) and left (about 3 inches).  This was with a traditional sight picture with the tip of the front sight blade even in the tiny rear notch.  To get impacts at the point of aim, I had to hold with the sight blade fully visible above the notch.  Normal or common?

--I had several occurrences where the piece was difficult to cock and needed a manual assist turning the cylinder.  This was after firing a round or two out of the cylinder, like maybe rounds were backing out a little.  I did clean the gun before the session...wiped-down and a run through with a bore snake.

--The pistol is a little "loose" in the grip when locked for firing.  It has some slack up/down.  As expected, the gun was bucking up in this slack during firing.  I'm concerned about this working itself "looser" or even breaking.  Normal or common?

--Firing .22 LR was a piece of cake and caused no discomfort at all.  Aguila subsonics, Remington Golden bullets, Mini Mags, Aguila Interceptors.  5 rounds of PMC Predators were all the .22 WMR I could take.  Grouped much closer to POI and still a nice group, but dang if it wasn't painful!  And I LIKE shooting things like .44 Mag, .454 Casull, etc.


Comments and thoughts are welcome.



Rob

[stantheman86]

I replaced the wood panels on my .22 LR mini with the cobblestone rubber panels and it made a WORLD of difference. I fired quite a few Rem bulk pack .22's as well as some Stingers and there was snap but nothing uncomfortable.

I personally would like to see some real world data showing that, out of a 1 5/8" barrel, that .22 WMR offers any great advantage over .22 LR Stingers. Is the recoil and blast worth the payoff of an extra 50-100 fps?

Stingers seem to be the .22 LR of choice for defense, although I hear good things about Rem Viper.

[Kentucky Kevin]

Welcome to the club. I have "Floppy Wobblers" on 4/5's of my mini's, with the MM wearing full grips and a 8 3/4" 2x scope, yes it is slightly longer than the gun, yes I will post pictures "Sometime" The name was coined because of the movement, and I have shoot inumerable, started stockpiling in 2008, when our President, may his days be few and another take his place, was first elected, they are still working well and floppin. But they have made me accurate; close to 100% at <10' and roughly 50% at 20-25' on golf balls. I'm posting a link to a guy that has tested several of "Our" gunshttp://www.gunblast.com/NAA-Sidewinder.htm
it seems that the Rem yellow jacket performs as well/better than stingers at less cost

[Scroller]

Did I read somewhere that NAA doesn't recommend PMC ammo?

[OV-1D]

  I think it even says it in the paperwork that comes with the guns and is a question I would like to know also . 

[Teddydogno1]

  I think it even says it in the paperwork that comes with the guns and is a question I would like to know also . 

eek!  You guys are right...says right in the manual in BOLD RED LETTERS that PMC .22 WMR is a no-no due to reports/issues of out of battery firing!  Glad I only shot 5 and saved my life!

Any comments on my Point of Impact issues?

Rob

[OV-1D]

  That's one reason all revolvers should have shields even mini's . 

[RogueTS1]

The notch on the rear of a Mini is not a rear sight hence using it as such will dampen one's attempts at getting on target. Sighting down the frame top and using the front sight, somebody here can better explain it, will yield results.

[mouselvr]

Took my new Mini out to shoot today.  Its a 1 1/8" convertible with the pocket holster grip.  Couple things of note from the range session:

--Firing at 10 feet, the group size was pretty good.  However, it was shooting quite low (about 8 - 10 inches) and left (about 3 inches).  This was with a traditional sight picture with the tip of the front sight blade even in the tiny rear notch.  To get impacts at the point of aim, I had to hold with the sight blade fully visible above the notch.  Normal or common?

Though I am still new to these Minis (mine is a convertible 1 5/8"), I found the same to be true.  I too was getting low groups until I aimed with the front blade fully visible on the frame's top.  I would say this to be the norm with these.

[Teddydogno1]

The notch on the rear of a Mini is not a rear sight hence using it as such will dampen one's attempts at getting on target. Sighting down the frame top and using the front sight, somebody here can better explain it, will yield results.

From the manual:

AIMING
To aim your revolver, simply align the front post in the center of the notch on the rear of the frame ensuring the front post is even in height with the sides of the notch.


Sounds to me like the ARE intended to use the rear notch and have a traditional sight picture.  But you seem to be right in practice.  When I held so the full front sight was visible, POI was about correct in height, but still several inches left.


rob

[Kentucky Kevin]

Try using the tip of your finger, I think you may be pushing off to the left

[Maccab]

Get a large cardboard box and flatten it so it's even bigger, put it on the ground and lie on it then have a friend draw around your roughly with a decent sized marker pen. Attach the target to some wood etc, and stand 10 ft back then fire from the hip. Bang! Re-holster etc, Bang! Re-holster etc. See were you hit, repeat till it improves and your like a mini Cowboy. If you keep getting a good ratio of decent hits practice running toward the target firing the rest from say the chest and then throwing your mini at the target and kicking it over.

[nastruck]

I have shot mine a good bit and I have to place the bottom of the front blade in the rear notch. Just as though I was sighting down the top of the barrel....

[Goatpacker]

Two of the three I have bought in the past 4 months the barrel was cut crooked at the muzzle!!! They both shot to the right till I recut and recrowned them. Both were 1 5/8 barrel and another 1 1/8" barrel in the store was too. Bought a pug for my son the other day and it was square!

[chrisw1964]

I just got my first mini, 22LR (lightly used) a couple of weeks ago.  It came with the folding plastic grip, and the original wooden grips.  I've put about 300+/- rounds through it so far...Federal, Aguila, Winchester, and some weird off-brand stuff the guy at the pawnshop threw in with the deal.  Everything worked well except the Winchester, which was key-holing like crazy for some reason.

As far as the sighting situation, I had good luck simply sighting along the top of the frame.  This wasn't exactly rigidly controlled Olympic-quality target practice...just shooting at gallon milk jugs about head high on a wooden stake, or paper plates tacked to a tree, at a distance of 10' - 12'.  Once I found a grip technique that was comfortable AND consistent, I was able to hit softball-sized(?) groups pretty consistently.  I can't honestly see sweating the sight picture on this thing...it is what it is, as they say.

I'm more impressed with this little revolver than I thought I would be.  It's fun to shoot, and very well-built.

[TwoGunJayne]

Two of the three I have bought in the past 4 months the barrel was cut crooked at the muzzle!!! They both shot to the right till I recut and recrowned them. Both were 1 5/8 barrel and another 1 1/8" barrel in the store was too. Bought a pug for my son the other day and it was square!

This is a very provocative claim. Do you have any pictures? Gun pics, target pics? I've heard many claims of a dramatic improvement with a custom recrowning, but what do you consider to be a "crooked crown?" I'm just curious.

[G50AE]

Welcome to the club. I have "Floppy Wobblers"

That's using a Bigwheel term.

[Goatpacker]

Here are the pics!!!

Crooked crown with razor blade balanced on top

20' group before recrowning

20' group after recrowning orange dot is 2"

[Maccab]

Well you've done a good job there Goatpacker, at what range did you shoot from?

[Goatpacker]

Targets were shot at 20 feet!

[Maccab]

Did you use a rest?

[Goatpacker]

Just hands supported on side of a tree to steady a bit.

[Maccab]

Nice shooting 

[TwoGunJayne]

Looks good. So what did you do to recrown? It seems pretty impressive.

[Goatpacker]

There is a basic description of the work done in a thread I started called Factory Accuracy, do we live with it or improve it! I believe it has drifted back to the second page now about in the middle!

[TwoGunJayne]

Ahh, yes...

http://naaminis.com/smf/index.php?topic=3908.msg61619

That one.

[Goatpacker]

Yep! That's it!

[G50AE]

Did you use a rest?

Only when making those far away shots on the snooker table.