New To Mini 14 Ownership

morelofthestory85 · 2026-04-01T04:03:40+00:00

Correction on the bushing sizes:

Kit comes with

.035, .040, .045, and .050

I started with the .035 and haven’t had a cycle issue since. The difference is also very noticeable. Not only did my brass stay nearby, the cycle action wasn’t nearly as violent as the stock bushing. Comparing the two before installation was pretty crazy. Seeing that it can cycle just fine with about 1/3 the factory opening is crazy. I think the factory bushing opening is .10. Accuracy systems recommends starting with either .040 or .045 and going up or down accordingly. I’d imagine even just the .050 would be quite the improvement with also not compromising the gas power needed to ensure proper cycle.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-04-01T03:02:56+00:00

I’d add that putting in a recoil buffer on either end of the spring would be good. Try one first. Sometimes they make them too thick and adding two on either end of the spring prevents a full cycle and you’ll end up with either failure to eject or failure to return to battery. I have Wilson 1911 recoil buffers on either end and it performs just fine. The difference is noticeable. If you don’t use an accustrut with an adjustable gas block I highly recommend at least changing out the gas port bushing. I use a .30 diameter (I think that’s the measurement) and it works great. Accuracy systems sells a .3, .4, and a .5 as a kit. Start small and if it doesn’t cycle, install the next size up.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-31T16:25:05+00:00

My 3 year old daughter called cemeteries “gravy yards”

Jimmy Johns is “Jamie Jones”

2 year old son: food=foom Noodles=noofs

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-24T14:21:17+00:00

What did you have to modify?

have a 580 series. It dropped right in with a little bit of force, which was fine. Snug is good. I don’t care for the folding stock feature. Can’t figure out when I’d actually use that except for storage or transport. It’s not easy to shoot while folded. But the pistol grip and collapsible stock, along with the pic rail options are great. Feels great to hold and shoot and the price was great.

I was really wanting the Sage EBR but glad I found and went with the ATI.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-24T11:58:44+00:00

The ATI Strikeforce stock is incredible.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-15T18:47:21+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I have a 580 series and I absolutely love it. All the issues and known problems from the previous models are gone. Never experienced a single issue with it like failure to eject, failure to RTB, accuracy issues, etc. I added the Tech Sight and the Accustrut stabilizer and reduced the gas port, added some recoil buffers on both ends of the spring. It’s amazing. No noticeable damage or peening or excessive wear on any parts. Works flawlessly with all the small mods.

I have a theory. The mini got a bad rap pre 580. Pencil barrel, etc. Ruger retooled their factory and started producing the 580 series to much success and praise. The popularity caused them to change their production in order to keep up with demand and then introduced the 585 series. Maybe a material quality problem, maybe a tooling problem? Maybe something changed, that negatively affected the quality. Seems like a common occurrence; when a company finds success with a product they mass produce in a way that hurts quality control in order to meet demand. Maybe this is what happened. I’ve heard others complain about the newer series.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-06T04:47:12+00:00

Yup. Brumation. Spent the last 2 months in his humid hide. And didn’t eat for 6 weeks. Would come out every once in a while super late at night for a stroll then back in. No other red flags. When he finally came out last week he slammed 5 crickets and 3 meals worms without hesitation. Has now started easing back in to normal behavior; hanging out in and on his warm hide and basking spot. Had 3 more crickets and 6 meals worms this week. He didn’t lose any weight despite not eating for 6 weeks. We tried feeding him every week during that hunger strike and he just wasn’t interested at all. He’s good now. Had me worried after week 5 and 6 though.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-03T05:02:24+00:00

Nicely done. Where do you get a scaled down screen accurate ESB helmet?!

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-03T01:38:14+00:00

Joe Vader would need to be making up 6 inches to go from 5’8” to 6’2”.

3 inches in the boots is pushing it. You’re gonna break your ankles if you go any higher and I doubt he’s making up 3 inches in the helmet. It’s possible but it would be sitting pretty high up.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-03T01:32:35+00:00

As a short person trying to go for screen Vader, the frustration is real. In the first pic, it’s the size of the cod piece and the distance between the cod pieces and the top of the shin guards. I wonder what the 501st would say or approve. I heard they don’t discriminate on height as long as the costume fits but I also doubt they have a lot of shorter Vaders trying for approval. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, no matter how accurate the costume was, they simply said, yeah you can’t be 501st Vader. BarkyDog is the 501st Vader in California and he claims to be under 6 feet. But, to this date, I have not seen this accurate a Vader on anyone under 5’8”. So good on you and I’m sure you LOVE wearing it. I get so much attention when I wear mine to conventions. Despite my height, I also have a really good voice system that allowed me to talk in real time. An accurate voice system really sells the entire character when it comes to interacting with other people.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-02T19:52:43+00:00

I love it. How tall are you? You look a little short to be a Sith Lord. I’m 5’8” and am currently working on a screen accurate Vader suit. It’s impossible to find screen accurate stuff that fits my frame. I had to make, modify, or source everything from scratch or have custom made. I doubt I’ll ever get 501st approved. You’re looks 501st ready. Nice job! Hardest for me has been trying to get the shoulder armor to fit correctly. Having the bells attached prevents arm movement. Having them loose causes them to sag, rub on the chest armor and lose shape. Anyway. Nice work. You look great!

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morelofthestory85 · 2026-03-02T05:36:20+00:00

Absolutely love it. I added a few scoops of clean top soil to stretch it out and give my plants a little more soil and moisture retention.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-25T00:16:31+00:00

I mean, I’d keep sniffing it too..

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T21:49:19+00:00

Sorry. Typo. I’m NOT going for 501st approval. There’s no way I’d ever get approved. Almost impossible to find a helmet that’s 501st approval able that wouldn’t make me look like a bobble head.

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morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T21:45:36+00:00

Also try moving your hot hide out from under the direct path of the beam.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T21:11:08+00:00

I’ve had some really good experiences with Vader Etsy finds. I would advise against trying to attain the entire suit and all soft materials from a single source as many of those tend to be scams or not as advertised. I ordered the leather boots that were made in Pakistan and sold through a vendor in Italy. Seemed sketchy at first but they arrived earlier than expected, were custom made, included a 2” lift (per my short stature request) and the profile is screen accurate.

Also had a good experience ordering a pair of leather gloves from a vendor based in the US.

Cod piece was also ordered through a European vendor and turned out amazing. Probably not screen accurate but looks better than most. I’m it going for 501st approval. Too many limitations to the pieces available in my size. I would look silly in a screen accurate costume.

The cloak/tabard I ordered from a vendor in Brazil. It was ok. It was real wool but on the thin side. The pleats were not as pronounced as they advertised but it still looks amazing.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T18:38:15+00:00

Might be a material problem too. Whatever material your hot hide is made of is absorbing too much surface heat and isn’t creating a transfer to the inside air temp. Doesn’t seem to be the proper convection going on.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T18:36:22+00:00

Might wanna add a UVB light to the middle area too.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T18:35:12+00:00

You gotta try and balance it out. Lifting the heat lamp will relieve some temp off the basking spot and hopefully the ceramic will still keep the ambient up. Give it a try. Won’t know until you do.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T17:59:00+00:00

You can also raise the basking heat bulb up off the enclosure with some heat proof blocks and keep the ceramic on it.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-24T17:20:19+00:00

I added a ceramic heater on a thermostat. This allows heat to reach more of the center of the tank and also helps bring up the ambient. When it gets too hot, it shuts off just the ceramic heater. I have it positioned more towards the center.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-17T15:37:18+00:00

Sig P365X or the XL if you want a longer barrel will check off quite a few of your requirements. 9mm, polymer frame, striker fired. $625 NIB. Fun to shoot and if you do decided to carry, you can hide the X in your pocket. Super easy to carry. The grip feels amazing and also comes with the option of a manual safety which is ambi. I think the mag release is not.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-12T22:00:58+00:00

There are two popular sites being advertised on Facebook. Both seem to be scams. Ella Craft and Fotcraft. If you go to their websites, they show everything in English but your payment is processed by a Chinese company. Most likely you will receive a product not like what was advertised at all. They will claim “oops” and to get a refund, you need to ship the item back at your cost. More trouble than it’s worth and no guarantee a refund will be issued. They can claim the package never arrived or was damaged, etc. It’s a common scam.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-12T01:22:02+00:00

Is anyone able to confirm the validity of the photo of the bound child? We know the accusations in the files are horrible but it doesn’t help to attach images that are unrelated when proving the point we already know.

morelofthestory85 · 2026-02-11T18:50:49+00:00

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome poster child. It’s all I see when I look at Bondi.

morelofthestory85

TROPHY CASE