OT - Tell me what you think/know about Ruger Mini 14's

[86er]

I'm looking at a Mini-14, collapsable stock, full length picatinny rail on top, .223 caliber. Price is good. What do I need to know?

[pwl44m]

Price will say a LOT, then everything else follows. I love Mine. It got away from Me once but not again.It is a heck of a lot easier to find ammo for than My 25-20. That evil folding stock is illegal here but I have one in a box somewhere.oh U said collapsible , dont know about that here.

[AJMD429]

Like the name says, it's a scaled-down M-14 (semiauto only ), and the only 'bad' thing is that they scaled down the barrel-diameter a bit too much, and the 'whippy' barrels didn't give the guns much reputation for accuracy.

If you want an accurate semiauto .223, get an AR-15 clone, but if you want something fun to shoot that hits 'minute of gallon-jug' at 100 yards, and 'minute of 5-gallon pail' at 300 yards, get the Mini-14.

More and more aftermarket accessories, and several firms DO 'accurize' them, if you're so inclined. The "Ranch" models and modern-serial # ones have a better buffer that is easier on scopes, although you can add your own buffer as well.

I just got the "Har-Bar" a few weeks ago, and had intended to post my 'Range Report' on it before now, but haven't gotten to it. Bottom line was that the device did improve accuracy, though again, for me the Mini-14 is an open-sight or red-dot-sight type gun.

[2ndovc]

Mini's Rock!!

Most are not MOA like many AR's but they can be quite accurate and are utterly reliable.
The biggest draw back can be the magazine. Factory 20s can be hard to find and the
aftermarket mags are always hit and miss.

I bought one for my Dad in the late '80s
Always been his "Go to" rifle.


If you do buy it let me know and I'll send you one of my Factory mags.

Slip an XS ghost ring blade in the rear sight and you'll have a real shooter.

jb

[Streetstar]

Ones made in the last 3 or 4 years are good to go from an accuracy stand point ----- older models are dogs in that regard (4" groups at 100 yards is the norm , although i am sure a few sneaked out of the factory that would do better)

That said, for a home defense application , that type of accuracy is all you need --- millions of 6 MOA AK's out there are proof of that.

Outside of HD, i look at these as cool 50 yard plinkers, (referencing the older ones here ) and like any small bore semi-auto, they can digest tons of ammo quickly. I wouldnt trust a 4 MOA rifle to make humane kills on coyotes and the like much past 100 yards --- but then again, if its a newer one, they have the capability now to rival most of the "hobby-spec" AR's in the accuracy department , with much better looks to boot

[kimwcook]

I've only owned a couple and that was many a year ago. They were dependable as the sun coming up, but accuracy wasn't near what I was used to in a 223 (plug in AR15). I can't comment to the new ones as I said I owned mine years ago.

[Simplyrugged]

Mini 14's they seem to digest anything and are reliable and accurate enough.
They are the gun of choice for Alaskan natives and big game is killed (and many maimed truth be told) every year with the Mini 14.
I like mine for the knock around reliable truck gun that it is.
Rob

[claybob86]

Only thing I don't like about mine is it flings the brass farther than the bullet. Other than that, what everyone else said.

[C. Cash]

The newer ones(last few years) have the thicker and shorter barrel which is aimed at increasing accuracy. I had one of the older ones from the early 80's and loved it, but foolishly traded it away. I really want one of the new ones....they've always felt like an M-1 Carbine to me, which was a masterpiece in terms of handling/pointing/shooting.

[FWiedner]

I am an unabashed fan of the Mini-14. Incidentally, I believe it to be more of an evolution of the M1 Carbine than a descendant of the M14.

My Mini is one of the old ones. I bought it in 1984, I think. It's not a tack-driver, but it has never missed a jackrabbit. I don't recall ever having any of the horrible accuracy problems I've read about over the years. It's never jammed, it's never mis-fired, it's never failed me. I've got a good one.

I've done more than a little bit of varminting with mine, with good success, and mine is still set up like it was when it left the factory because for my uses, I never saw a need to change it.

I've always said that if I could only grab one on the way out of the house, that would be the one.

With regard to the tactical accessories on the one you're looking at, I'd evaluate those with an eye toward your anticipated use.

[piller]

I have a Mini-30 and everything said above fits my experience with it. I have an aftermarket magazine which is useless and one which works great, both from the same manufacturer. Go Figure! For fun, reliability, and ease of shooting, they are great.

[olyinaz]

I love mine. Like others have said accuracy can be disappointing but a Mo-Rod helps a lot (Google it, fixed mine completely, it'll shoot 1.5" or less all day now). Flings the brass like a missile. I absolutely agree with those who have said that it's an evolution of the M1 carbine and not the M14 because it's almost exactly the size of an M1 carbine (just a smidge larger) but quite a bit more capable in my view. Ruger branded 20 mags are actually pretty easy to get these days but they're pricey compared to an AR-15 mag. Stay away from anything but Ruger branded mags in the Mini because for some reason the Ruger mags are as dependable as the tides and all other brands are hit and miss (it's odd, don't ask me why this is). They don't have fast rifling like some ARs do so 72 grain bullets will probably be minute of barn but your mileage may vary (mine likes good old 55gr or less). Good aftermarket peep sights are available for just about any Mini-14. If you get a Ranch Rifle version it'll have integral Ruger scope mounts that are very sturdy but it'll come with a flip down rear peep that's does not look terribly strong (must say that mine has never given me any trouble though). The Ruger branded folding stock is an oddball but it works. Many many aftermarket products and stocks available for them.

Lastly, while they used to be inexpensive they've become rather pricey and that does not seem to be reversing itself now that the gun craze seems to have abated....which I find disappointing. At hundreds of dollars less than an AR they're a good deal and fit a niche in the market but at $800 new (about what you can get a low end AR for) they're ridiculously over priced in my view. So like someone else has said - price means a LOT when it comes to a Mini-14.

Cheers,
Oly

[txpete]

I have a ss ranch.its a great carbine and mine will make a coke can dance at 100 meters no problem.mine has a 1-9 twist and likes 62 gr bullets just fine.mini's are NOT target guns period that said if you feed it a handload it likes 2" groups at 100 meters isn't all that hard.
what gives a mini a bad name is the guys that show up at the range with 200 rounds of wolf ammo loaded in aftermarket mags.shoot them until the barrel is smoking hot and want match grade accuracy. .
aftermarket mags stink go with the ruger mags which now they make 20-30 rd mags.I like the 5 rd mags for shooting off the bench/sandbags.
my fav powders for the mini is AA2520 and AA2460.I just picked up some AA2015 but haven't tried it yet.
pete

[RJS]

Here' mine ,sorry for the background.
Ron

[BobM]

Definitely stick with factory magazines.

[Phideaux]

As others have said, mine is as reliable as the day is long but accuracy is just okay. I have Ruger 20 and 30 round magazines that work great and I guess I was lucky as I have about 4 after market mag.s that work well also.

[JB]

I've owned a couple of them and shot a few more that friends owned over the years. I've yet to see an accurate one. I prefer the AR type rifles for general plinking, varmints, etc.

[AJMD429]

Here' mine ,sorry for the background.
Ron

At least you got the feet - next time be sure to have slippers on...

[AJMD429]

Only thing I don't like about mine is it flings the brass farther than the bullet. Other than that, what everyone else said.

Brownell's has an after-market adjustable gas-block for them, if you wanted to go to the trouble...

[olyinaz]

I've owned a couple of them and shot a few more that friends owned over the years. I've yet to see an accurate one. I prefer the AR type rifles for general plinking, varmints, etc.

Mine is accurate enough at 1.5" with most ammo. Hornady 55gr VMAX seems to shoot well out of mine and into less than an inch pretty much all the time. This is the best group I've shot to date with my 1980s vintage Mini-14 Ranch Rifle equipped with an M-14 type flash suppressor and an Accu-Strut ( http://www.accu-strut.com/ ). It's three shots but two went into a ragged hole. I was sighting in a scope, decided to see what kind of group I could get with some new-to-me Hornady ammo before adjusting the point of impact. Got these three (about half an inch) and pulled the target as a "keeper":



Now I'm not trying to pull a fast one here - like I said that's the best three shot group I've ever had with this rifle and undoubtedly a five shot group would have opened up quite a bit with perhaps the dreaded "flyer" that Mini-14s start to throw when their barrels heat up. But three shots from cold with this rifle and ammo goes into an inch pretty much every time. Most other non-milsurp ammo into 1.5". Obviously I've hit some sort of sweet spot with this rifle in terms of the suppressor/Accu-Strut harmonics and the action lockup into the stock.

Flip side is most Mini-14s are 2-4" rifles (some dreadfully worse) whereas an AR is usually 1.5" or better right out of the box. But to say that a Mini-14 can't be accurate is just hooey. Accuracy Systems ( http://www.ruger-mini-14-firearms.com/r ... prices.php ) makes a living building tack driving Mini-14s that, for me - to my eye at least, are extremely lust worthy.

Cheers,
Oly

[BobM]

One of the pictures reminded me: when we used the Mini30s as patrol rifles we found the flip up rear sights as on the Ranch rifles to be pretty fragile. I replaced them all with Williams peeps at the time. I think XS sights makes a replacement for the factory sight now also.

[DLMcDorman]

If you really want to tune your mini-14 go to the PerfectUnion.com sight. They can take you step by step on how to make your mini match an AR for accuracy. Things like bedding the stock, working the trigger, smaller gas block tubes, barrel braces, etc. They go thru it all for DIY and can tell you smith's who can do it. Very worthwhile if you are willing to spend the time and effort. Mine is a series 181 from the late 70's and it went from 6" groups to 1.5"s.

[AJMD429]

One of the pictures reminded me: when we used the Mini30s as patrol rifles we found the flip up rear sights as on the Ranch rifles to be pretty fragile.

The New England Custom Gun Service peep works on the Mini-30's & .223 Ranch Rifles and I think for that gun is a more durable option than the Williams:



<link> = http://newenglandcustomgun.com/

[olyinaz]

Hey thanks for the link to that rear peep Doc. I'm going to have to get one of those.

Oly

[Dave]

I had a Mini 14 when I was in college. It was a 181 prefix gun. It always ran but wasn't super accurate. When used Mini's were $250 or so they made more sense. Now that they are so expensive you can get a AR which will shoot better and have a whole lot cheaper mags than a Mini for about the same money.

[AJMD429]

Hey thanks for the link to that rear peep Doc. I'm going to have to get one of those.

I have them on my Ruger "all-weather" 77/22 & 77/44 (hadn't put one on the 77/44 yet when pic taken)



(The .44 Mag version weighs the same and is the same length as the .22 LR one, which makes them a nice pair of "rain guns")

[glockcopg23]

Great lil' yote getter. Had two of them at one time or another and they have been very reliable and accurate enough for what they are. Moved on to AR's for better accuracy at extended range for the ''yella dogs'' but I really do wish I would have held onto one of my mini's.

[86er]

Looks like I am ending up w/ a new model Ranch Rifle w/ factory folding and retractable stock and full length rail on top. Thanks for all the input.

[claybob86]

Looking forward to hearing what you think about it.

[Mokwaw]

I had the early 180 series Mini. Was totally reliable when you kept the chamber cleaned, and used reloads that had been resized with small base dies. Use a good clean burn powder, clean the gas port occasionally. Accuracy was around 3" at 100 yds, used it mainly for coyote shooting.