Aw, I wasn't all that happy with the Swift. I need to do a bit of tinkering on it. The only shot I felt good about was the p-dog across the road, for a Ma Bell shot.
The Rugilator .223 seemed to be working better, that day.
I think the reason I had to hold low all the time was that I'd sighted in with some of my late uncle's 30+-year-old ammo. The new stuff shot higher.
Funny about Mini 14s. I've had four of them through the years, since they first came out. Always stuck a K4 on. Always had good luck hunting; never worried about group size for more than two or three shots. Never missed a coyote or jackrabbit on account of the rifle; missed a few jackrabbits on account of the "loose nut behind the wheel".
I don't think they'd work at all well for prairie dogs because of the frequency of shots heating up the barrel. Hot enough with a bolt-action.
Art