Ruger Mini-14 Tactical

[Is_That_A_Gram?]

Anyone here own the mini-14 tactical? I'm thinkin of buying one and would love to hear some opinions on it.

I am also open to the mini-30. These guns just seem like a ton of fun to shoot.

 

[wvshooter]

I bought a used mini 14 580 series "tactical" about six weeks ago. I've added a Redfield Revolution 2-7x33mm scope and will be using it to hunt whitetail in WVa. I've only put about thirty rounds of Federal 223 from Walmart through it.

Very fun to shoot. Minimal recoil. The tactical is supposed to shoot 2 to 3" moa out of the box if that's important to you. One bad thing is the way they throw brass. I'm guessing mine throws it about twenty feet. I may install a stronger recoil spring in an attempt to get that down to ten feet or so. You will find tons of info on minis over on "perfect union bbs" forum. The comment you hear most is what a fun gun the mini is to shoot.

It's the perfect gun for farm or range life. Critter control and so forth. It would make a devastating home defense weapon but be sure to use rapidly expanding ammo if that's your mission. I'm not fond of AR's so the mini was an easy decision for me.

 

[Is_That_A_Gram?]

nice, thanks alot for the insight. that's basically in line with everything i've heard so far.

 

[MAKster]

The tactical model has a shorter barrel. The Mini14 has been know for barrel whip when the gun heats up. I wonder if the shorter barrel improves accuracy noticeably?

 

[stinger 327]

The tactical model has a shorter barrel. The Mini14 has been know for barrel whip when the gun heats up. I wonder if the shorter barrel improves accuracy noticeably?

That's probably what I have experienced before when barrel gets hot you cannot get a group or pattern on target.. I sent it back to Ruger and they replaced everything but the barrel so now I can at least get it on paper and get a large group using peep sight at 100 yards.
Had scope on it before and it was bore sighted and I couldn't even get it on the paper target.

 

[stinger 327]

I bought a used mini 14 580 series "tactical" about six weeks ago. I've added a Redfield Revolution 2-7x33mm scope and will be using it to hunt whitetail in WVa. I've only put about thirty rounds of Federal 223 from Walmart through it.

Very fun to shoot. Minimal recoil. The tactical is supposed to shoot 2 to 3" moa out of the box if that's important to you. One bad thing is the way they throw brass. I'm guessing mine throws it about twenty feet. I may install a stronger recoil spring in an attempt to get that down to ten feet or so. You will find tons of info on minis over on "perfect union bbs" forum. The comment you hear most is what a fun gun the mini is to shoot.

It's the perfect gun for farm or range life. Critter control and so forth. It would make a devastating home defense weapon but be sure to use rapidly expanding ammo if that's your mission. I'm not fond of AR's so the mini was an easy decision for me.

AR's are very accurate but just cost too much at twice the price of a Mini.

 

[stinger 327]

Anyone here own the mini-14 tactical? I'm thinkin of buying one and would love to hear some opinions on it.

I am also open to the mini-30. These guns just seem like a ton of fun to shoot.

How do you like the Mini-30 and how does it compare to the Mini-14?
I notice with the Mini-14 it ejects the brass far away to the right side.

 

[BruceB]

My newest Mini-14 is the Davidson's "Deluxe", identical to the Tactical model in everything except for the Circassian walnut stock. It's a very nice rifle, indeed, and mine will now RELIABLY group ten 55 V-Max bullets into less than 2" at 100 yards (Leupold 1.5-4x Mark AR scope). It's never fired a factory-loaded round and I doubt it ever will. Reliability is 100% over about 700 rounds to date.

I really disliked the Ruger flash-hider and its after-thought, stuck-on appearance. The barrel of the L1A1 (British FAL rifle) is threaded 9/16x24 RH, exactly like the Tactical Mini-14. I removed the Ruger device, shortened the rear of the L1A1 flash-hider about 1/2", and screwed it on, with a bit of Loctite. Perfect fit, and now the Mini will even accept the very macho L1A1 bayonet! The flash-hider only costs about ten bucks from Numrich, and the wicked bayonet about $30 from the same place, I think. The appearance of the rifle is vastly improved, to my (prejudiced) eye.

 

[altitude_19]

It's a great rifle as long as you accept it for what it is. It's rugged, reliable, and easy to shoot/maintain. It will never be the precision instrument that an AR can be, but it's not supposed to be. I can put rounds on a paper plate with open sites an 100 yds, and that's further than I anticipiate ever needing it (DEFENSIVE carbine). As for the 14 vs 30 debate, it comes down to what you intend to use it for. Mags for the 14 come in higher capacity, but if it's just going to be a coyote gun, you might as well go with eh 30. Ruger has started to evolve the Mini-14 for tactical applications, not so much with the 30.

 

[stinger 327]

The 55 grain .223 is the standard round? What's the purpose of the 62 grain or heavier .223 or even lower grain .223 bullets like 50 grain? For this rifle which is the perferred load?

 

[Red State]

Yes, 55grain FMJ is the most common round out there for general target shooting and plinking.
The "preferred load" for the mini depends on what you want to do with it.

The OP will probably want to use at least 62 grain for his whitetail hunting. Personally, I would get the Mini 30 if I knew I would be using this as a deer gun.

Many mini 14 owners report that their accuracy improves when they go from 55gr to 62grain bullets. I think that this is because the mini has a fairly fast twist on the barrel.

 

[stinger 327]

In prisons where they have used the Mini-14 in the guard towers, what grainage of bullet did they use? Also in Vietnam?

 

[briansmithwins]

AR's are very accurate but just cost too much at twice the price of a Mini.

Where are you buying $325 Mini-14s? I'll take 2 (and resell them) at that price!

New AR rifles can be had for $650 or so. Also, when you factor in the price of mags that actually work, the Mini-14/30 start to look a whole lot less affordable.

I also dislike Ruger's policy on selling me simple maintenance parts that I like to have on hand, like extractors and firing pins. BSW

 

[stinger 327]

Where are you buying $325 Mini-14s? I'll take 2 (and resell them) at that price!

New AR rifles can be had for $650 or so. Also, when you factor in the price of mags that actually work, the Mini-14/30 start to look a whole lot less affordable.

I also dislike Ruger's policy on selling me simple maintenance parts that I like to have on hand, like extractors and firing pins. BSW

Mini-14 here brand new cost $800 brand new for the plain version. You must be in a lower cost area or used market. When I got mine in 1998 with composite stock in the Ranch version I only paid $400 at that time brand new.

AR's cost anywhere from a low of $1,200 to $2,000+. They cost alot more than a Mini-14.

 

[briansmithwins]

CMMG 16" AR for $600, scratch and dent sale: http://cmmginc.secure-mall.com/shop/?cat=161

More $600 ARs here: http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storecategory89.aspx

BSW

 

[altitude_19]

Please...

Nobody wants a scratch n' dent AR (especially when they can have NEW brand name Mini-14). And I don't know anybody who trusts their life to Atlantic Arms. You're making the $50 car argument. Yes, you can get a car for $50 and on rare occasion might even get a good one, but it is the EXCEPTION. Please stop pretending cheap ARs are falling from the sky while affordable Minis abound in FAR greater numbers. If you think the AR is a superior platform, just say so, but don't pretend affordability is one of their upsides.

 

[Atlantic Firearms]

The $599 AR is a gret deal and is backed up by a LIFETIME WARRANTY and a 60 day money back satisfaction guarantee . We have been selling these for years with no issues , yesterday a Police dept in South Carlolina called and ordered 57 of these this is their second order in the last year so yes Atitude 19 you could trust your life with one of them !!

 

[KMO]

It just amazes me that a thread that asks a simple question about the Ruger Mini-14 Tactical version can draw responses from the AR cult. It's just wierd...Anyway, I picked up one of these Mini's just recently, and I've been very impressed. Ruger has made some changes, and the changes have definitely resulted in better performance right out of the box. With other Mini-14's, I've had to address the 40-foot casing ejections by replacing the gas port bushing with a smaller size. On the new Mini, I'm getting ejections of about 8 feet, therefore I'm leaving the bushing alone on this one. As for the new barrel, I still equipped it with a Mo-Rod to improve the rigidity and accuracy, but the new design clearly is an improvement from the traditional barrel. With a 6x scope, 2-inch groups at 100 yards were consistent. I swapped the scope out for a red dot, and the groups grew to 4 inches, but that's just me shooting without magnification. The new tactical model is impressive. For this Memorial Day Weekend, CDNN has put them on sale for $589...hard to beat that for a quality rifle...

 

[stinger 327]

It just amazes me that a thread that asks a simple question about the Ruger Mini-14 Tactical version can draw responses from the AR cult. It's just wierd...Anyway, I picked up one of these Mini's just recently, and I've been very impressed. Ruger has made some changes, and the changes have definitely resulted in better performance right out of the box. With other Mini-14's, I've had to address the 40-foot casing ejections by replacing the gas port bushing with a smaller size. On the new Mini, I'm getting ejections of about 8 feet, therefore I'm leaving the bushing alone on this one. As for the new barrel, I still equipped it with a Mo-Rod to improve the rigidity and accuracy, but the new design clearly is an improvement from the traditional barrel. With a 6x scope, 2-inch groups at 100 yards were consistent. I swapped the scope out for a red dot, and the groups grew to 4 inches, but that's just me shooting without magnification. The new tactical model is impressive. For this Memorial Day Weekend, CDNN has put them on sale for $589...hard to beat that for a quality rifle...

So you don't have that old problem with the barrel getting hot then getting inconsistent groups with the factory barrel? This was common in the older versions of the Mini-14 I believe pre-1994?

 

[KMO]

So you don't have that old problem with the barrel getting hot then getting inconsistent groups with the factory barrel? This was common in the older versions of the Mini-14 I believe pre-1994?

The short answer is no, I did not experience that problem at all. But, I also equipped it with a Mo-Rod before I ever fired the rifle (see below), which pretty well eliminated the possibility of experiencing the barrel whip issue. I've owned numerous Mini-14's and I test fire them frequently (mine + others'). I'm accustomed to modifying them for better accuracy, but for this new rifle, the Mo-Rod is as much as I plan to do. If it ain't broke...

 

[briansmithwins]

It just amazes me that a thread that asks a simple question about the Ruger Mini-14 Tactical version can draw responses from the AR cult.

If I may remind you, the OP's original question was:

Anyone here own the mini-14 tactical? I'm thinkin of buying one and would love to hear some opinions on it.

When stinger 327 said:

AR's are very accurate but just cost too much at twice the price of a Mini.

I had to respond, because that's just not true. Can you drop $3k on an AR? Sure, but that's not going to be an entry level gun.

Ruger's semi-auto rifles have some problems too. Pointing those out doesn't make me a AR worshiping cultist. ARs have problems too, but paying upwards of $25 for mags that work isn't one of them, nor is a lack of access to spare parts. BSW

 

[KMO]

Hey, I should add that my last time out with the Mini Tactical was also a test run for the new Tapco polymer 30-round magazines for the Mini-14. These worked flawlessly...nice fit, no feed failures, and the bolt locked back every time after the final round was fired. We tried them on 4 different Mini-14's that day & same results on all. For just $15, these mags are a great find for Mini-14 owners...

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I have a NRA ILA model mini-14 that was selling about two years ago. It is a nice handy rifle. I've done three things to it: painted the front iron sigh fluorsecent orange (testor model paint bought off Amazon), had rear sight drilled out so it's more of a true ghost ring (used a gunsmith), attached a small rail so I can mount a light.

It's been a great little rifle and very reilable. I did have one problem once when I didn't clean it after shooting it and gas piston system rusted a bit requiring some force to get it open. I just make sure to clean this after shooting. Sounds like others have this problem if you google it. Maybe the stainless doesn't.

In terms of accuracy, I put an inexpensive scope on it and tested various ammo at 50 and 100 yards and was able to shoot 3 to 4 MOA with regular ammo.

Though my lever action is my favorite, I think the mini-14 might be my favorite semi-auto. I would not hesitate to buy one if I were you. Also, I wouldn't spend much money tinkering with it. They are really good out of the box as is. Save the money and buy ammo and training classes.

If you feel the urge to try and increase accuracy, but a bolt action. Savage just came out with a bolt action for like $300 that got good reviews in G&A. Put a Redfield $200 scope on it and you have a $500 sub MOA rifle.

 

[LEVRLOVR]

Atlantic Firearms, I will be the first to admit THAT IS A VERY GOOD DEAL FOR AN AR TYPE RIFLE.

I have nothing against the AR platform (it is a fine rifle) but ordinarily when comparing new to new, the AR is anywhere from $100 to $150 more expensive for an entry level rifle.

When you throw in the cost of a dozen good mags for both rifles they run about the same.

The Mini is not as inaccurate as people "parrott" on the internet and neither is the AR as unreliable as many claim.

Shoot both of them and then decide for yourselves which rifle fits you better.

My choice has always been the Mini simply for feel and aesthetic reasons.

If the Mini were in the $750 dollar range it would still be my choice (again for the reasons listed above).

Quick check of Gunbroker says I can pick up a Mini Tactical for $569.
http://v2.gunbroker.com/auction/viewitem.asp?item=171111872

 

[doorgunner]

I've owned two of them. I bought one of the early production tacticals when they first hit the gunshops. Accuracy was much better than the old style Mini's. The best that I got was 2.5 inch groups at 100 yds, scoped, after trying everything available on the commercial ammo market. I soon sold the rifle, thinking that if I couldn't get consistent groups down to 2 MOA or better, than I didnt want to mess with it.

About a month ago, I purchased a later production Tactical, which in outward appearance is exactly the same as the first, just a much higher 580 serial numbered gun. This rifle is absolutley a tackdriver. I've been able to get slightly over 1.5 MOA with a three shot group, using Winchester Ranger 64gr power points, and a Redfield 3-9X40 scope. The groups (unmeasured) with iron sights at 50 yards is a ragged hole.

The rifle doesn't seem to get overly weird when the barrel heats up, although I don't run it hot, like so many do at the range. Reliability has been flawless with every brass cased factory load that I've put through it. I only use Ruger factory 20-rd mags, so that's the only basis that I can comment on, from the magazine angle. I don't run steel cased ammo through any of my guns, unless they are AK platform rifles.

I won't get into details, but I work in a law enforcement capacity, and my issue long gun is a Bushmaster M4, which I shoot a whole lot, and have absolute trust in. The Ruger is my personal rifle, and I have zero reservations about ever putting it in service to protect my life, should I ever find myself in that position.

Quite frankly, this current Mini-14 Tactical is as reliable, as accurate, and is as easy to handle as I could ever want. Ruger should have worked the bugs out of the Mini-14 platform decades ago, but I'm quite satisfied with what they bring to the table with the current production Mini-14 Tactical carbines. If you feel the need to wring out sub-MOA groups, then spring for a heavy barrel 20-inch AR15, with quality optics. If you are in need of a solid, bullet-proof defensive carbine, and don't mind springing for great factory mags at $20+ a pop, then I highly recommend this carbine.