Ruger mini 14 tactical

I was in Reno the other day and saw a few Mini 14 Tactical's, very interesting. black composite stock, black receiver and barrel, fatter hammer forged barrel, flash suppressor, barrel 16 1/4".
Has anyone bought one yet, how do they shoot etc.
Bill

If your looking for a true tactical weapon for tactical deployment there is nothing better than the M-4 or similiar variants. Another good one is the HK g-36. Although the ruger mini 14 looks tactical its not practical for tactical deployments.

I bought one and like it. Here's my review. (http://230grain.com/showthread.php?t=45951)

Held one yesterday at the gun store. They wanted $759 for it. Seems a bit high when in comparison there were Bushmaster M4's there for about $100 more.

I really liked the rifle tho. It balanced well, and pointed well. Was short and handy. Maybe it was a little bit heavier than an AR. For $200 less than the AR I think it would be dandy.

Insertion and removal of the magazine would take some getting used to I think.

I have an AR and Mini, albeit the older one. The tactical is appealing but so is the 556. Throws off my plans on the lower I am building. Once again Ruger is making some really awesome guns. :rolleyes:

Price some mags while you're at it. $40 Mini mags vs $12 AR mags make up that price difference pretty quick. BSW

I bought one about a month ago, but haven't had a chance to get it to the range yet. It looks great and balances much better than my Saiga 16.3" .223. I'll probably shoot mine next Monday and post a brief RR after.


nero

BSW, I know what you mean about the magazines. Yet, for someone who really doesn't like the AR 15, there is little else domestically manufactured that appeals.

I really like the sight radius close to the boreline like the Mini. I like the conventional "rifle" stock as opposed to the pistolgrips available on the other rifles of this genre.

Heck, if I can pay $65 for one HK 33 magazine, the $30 or so for a Mini 14 magazine seems like a bargain.

I might consider looking at one of those Remington pump rifles that uses AR15 magazines...

Mine shoots great.

Don't pay more than $700 for one.

I saw a good selection of ruger tactical at the june 6th gun show here in louisville,ky. his prices were very reasonable. that mini 14 tactical with the all black stock was priced at 590 or 625 from what i remember. the vender at the show was sherwood guns out of bowlingreen ,ky.

Candiru, thanks for a great review. I am seriously considering one, we here in Ca. can only posess nuetered AR's with bullet buttons or monster grips. I have never seen an AR in a gunshop here for less than $1200.00.
Candiru, my only concern is the flash suppressor, a no no here in CA. is it removable so that I could put a recoil reducer on in it's place ?
Thanks Bill

MISFIRE, I'm sure the flash hider is theoretically removable--just probably not by anyone outside of the Ruger factory. It's too bad that this model (http://ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5846&return=Y) has a 16.25" barrel with no flash hider, but is a total no-go in CA for other obvious reasons.

It looks like your only option is to get a model with a longer barrel and have it chopped down. The one benefit to doing that is being able to get a permanently-attached muzzle device and thereby cut the barrel shorter than 16".

If your looking for a true tactical weapon for tactical deployment there is nothing better than the M-4 or similiar variants. Another good one is the HK g-36. Although the ruger mini 14 looks tactical its not practical for tactical deployments... says Dan Carroll

I'm curious, Dan Carroll, what it is about the Mini that makes it not practical for tactical deployments, but the others are? Is it reliability? Is it the sights? Is it the round it shoots? Is it the magazine? Is it the placement of the safety? Is it the openness of the action?

Please educate me.

I also wonder, is the M1 Garand or the M14 also not suitable for tactical deployments?

I'm curious, Dan Carroll, what it is about the Mini that makes it not practical for tactical deployments, but the others are? Is it reliability? Is it the sights? Is it the round it shoots? Is it the magazine? Is it the placement of the safety? Is it the openness of the action?

Please educate me.

The HK G36 is on the cover of Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield; and the M4 is in every hollywood action flick. The only time I saw a mini-14 was on an episode of NCIS when Gibbs shot a perp in the butt.

Does that answer your question? :-)

It's hard to find as good of a rifle for the price as the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle.

The only time I saw a mini-14 was on an episode of NCIS when Gibbs shot a perp in the butt.

Never watched the A-Team, eh?

Honestly, I agree that the AR is the superior combat weapon, in my eyes. The G36 is nice, but not an option for a civilian. The Mini is serviceable, and more than capable. My problem is that I cannot go out and buy replacement parts. They must go through Ruger to get any repair work done. If parts were available to build a Mini from a bare receiver, I think it would have a much bigger following.

I e-mailed Ruger and they do not have any other options in lieu of the flash suppressor. I will try to contact marketing, they will lose a lot of sales in CA., all they would have to do is substitute a muzzle brake in lieu of the suppressor.
Bill

DAN CARROLL- said

If your looking for a true tactical weapon for tactical deployment there is nothing better than the M-4 or similiar variants. Another good one is the HK g-36. Although the ruger mini 14 looks tactical its not practical for tactical deployments.


:banghead:


That is an awesome bit of text right there.

Care to elaborate on a bit of your "tactical" experience and why the Ruger doesn't fit the bill?

COD4!!!

Just a guess

And what am I supposed to do when the G36 handguards melt?

No full auto or 3 rd burst = wannabe tactical.

"tactical" is a misused and abused marketing term that we've swallowed hook line and sinker.:rolleyes:

Is the Ruger Mini 14 a good semi auto rifle with reasonable accuracy and reliability for civilian use in both sport and self defense roles? Since they fixed the problems with the early versions the consensus from owners and writers is yes. That's for any of the current production models.

Do you get more for your money for the "tactical" model? Dunno.

And what am I supposed to do when the G36 handguards melt?

First, is that an actual issue?


And to answer: Fold the stock, and hold it out if front of you... sideways, G!

I also wonder, is the M1 Garand or the M14 also not suitable for tactical deployments?
no... if you turn the rifle sideways you get stuck in the hallway. LOL :D

no... if you turn the rifle sideways you get stuck in the hallway. LOL

:confused: A few to many beers maybe.....

The Garand was used in WWII and Korea. The M14 is still being used today in Afghanistan.

Oddly, an M14 is just a couple inches longer than an M16, but not many people complain about the M16s length...

Oddly, an M14 is just a couple inches longer than an M16, but not many people complain about the M16s length...

Right, that's why they came out with the M4...

oh, wait

this thread is useless without pics!:cuss:

I have been told by a supplier that the USA is banning exports on the Mini 14/30, and 3 places I have checked out are down to one or two units left or none at all.
Unfortunatley I will not be able to see this rifle anyways.

I hate to zombie this thread, but your review is a bit off, Candiru. Ruger doesn't have the means or the time to weld an op rod from two pieces. The entire rifle is either cast or cut from forgings. This may give it the appearance of being two halves when viewed after they are finished. Ruger themselves own a huge casting foundry - so no reason to build guns any other way. They can also forge parts as well.

http://www.ruger.com/casting/index.html?r=y
http://www.ruger.com/casting/PDF/PineTreeCastings.pdf

Why is there a weld then?

Oddly, an M14 is just a couple inches longer than an M16, but not many people complain about the M16s length...


What really gets me is that the 5.56x45mm round achieves maximum performance out of an 18-20in barrel. The 16in (and shorter) barrel lengths were designed for those operating out of vehicles and in smaller spaces, where ranges were not as extreme. But now 16in barrels are the norm, it seems, and trying to find a standard AR with with an 18-20in barrel without it being a "sniper" model is next to impossible. As for civilian rifles with permanantly attached muzzle devices making them legally 16in...seems wise to have the same size weapon as before, with even less performance out of the round, just to look "tactical". In my experience, "tactical" is a mindset, not an equipment list.

I think most Ruger Factory mags are now well under 30 bucks. I don't have a problem paying more for steel mags that are durable. AR mags tend to be thought of as semi-disposable. Having said that I have some AR mags that are about as old as I am.

I would compare the factory Ruger mags to the steel AR mags and I bet the price is pretty darn close.

I have a new 580 mini and it is much better than my older minis that weren't that bad in the first place. I too hope Ruger makes a 16" version for CA. I would buy another one just for fun. the 18" one is just fine though.

And I love the "tactical Deployment" quote. I hope that was a joke, but if not even funnier.

Matt

OOppss..I just checked and C Products has SS AR mags for 12 bucks, that is a great price.