Ruger Mini-30 up periscope?
- Thread starter jski
- Start date
- Status
Yeah, this^^^^^^
I have one of the original 30s. I've taken a few deer with it out to 100 yards and fed it plenty of steel cased ammo over the years in between. Mine is accurate and reliable enough for what I use it for. It's also fun to shoot.
Garandimal
member
The 580 Series Mini-14 - is a 2 -> 2-1/2 MOA hammer w/ milspec M193 55 gr. ammo.
The stock/LOP is just a little long for a carbine... so I shortened it an inch and squared it up.
GR
GR
Mosin Bubba
Member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2012
- Messages
- 1,936
I don't care for the Minis. Not that accurate, not that handy (the synthetic stock does cut weight and LOP which are both very nice - the wood stocks run quite long), and they sell for top dollar. I have a 180 series I bought from a friend, paid like $450 for it cause I thought it was a deal. After shooting it I am no longer sure.
I'm not a fan of the AKs either - the cheap crappy ones used to be $750, and the ones that do the name justice were over $1000 even pre-panic. The nice ones are fun, but the juice isn't there for a four-digit squeeze. I'd love to own a MAK-90 for $500 or so, but that ship has sailed.
I've said for a while that the SKS is what people want the AK to be, but I just realized it's what they want the Mini 30 to be as well. You're probably looking for a straight-stocked, wood and steel x39 blaster that will feed cheap ammo and may euphemistically be termed "combat accurate". The SKS does it tougher than the Mini and cheaper than the AK (and without the gremlins in the low-end models).
I guess people probably pay up for the Ruger seeking more accuracy. You'll get it, but the -14 I have shoots like 4 MOA while the SKS is like 6 MOA, and that's with the Mini wearing a 2x7 scope. Nothing crazy either way.
I'm not a fan of the AKs either - the cheap crappy ones used to be $750, and the ones that do the name justice were over $1000 even pre-panic. The nice ones are fun, but the juice isn't there for a four-digit squeeze. I'd love to own a MAK-90 for $500 or so, but that ship has sailed.
I've said for a while that the SKS is what people want the AK to be, but I just realized it's what they want the Mini 30 to be as well. You're probably looking for a straight-stocked, wood and steel x39 blaster that will feed cheap ammo and may euphemistically be termed "combat accurate". The SKS does it tougher than the Mini and cheaper than the AK (and without the gremlins in the low-end models).
I guess people probably pay up for the Ruger seeking more accuracy. You'll get it, but the -14 I have shoots like 4 MOA while the SKS is like 6 MOA, and that's with the Mini wearing a 2x7 scope. Nothing crazy either way.
Last edited:
BigBlue 94
Member
My 187 mini14 has never had an issue with wolf steel case.
Ignition Override
Member
Ruger Mini-14 and Mini-30 - Shooting Sports Forum (perfectunion.com) Maybe a better firing pin or spring is available for the Mini 30? If not .....Start a topic------
My Mini 14 was about a 1992 series and had a perfect operation. No exceptions, and it used Only Russian Silver Bear ammo. Approx. 700 rds. I only sold it to have cash for a first Enfield #5 "Jungle Carbine". Whatever hard primers were used by Silver Bear .223, they always ignited etc.
My Mini was about a 2004 vintage (all stock-zero modes). In about every 15-20 rds. a primer did Not ignite the first time. All ammo was modern Russian.
Hard primers were the only operating issue. But use an OEM magazine- not an aftermarket.
An SKS or >> imported AKM << for the 7.62x39 chambering can be a solution.
The chambers of my Maadi (I've used approx. 3,000 rds.), MAK 90, AMD-65 or Czechpoint VZ-58 (2,200 rds. used) have not been scrubbed very often, and case extraction etc has been 'perfect' overall. A single round of Wolf had an issue.
Just Ballistol on One or Two patches pushed into "the Barrel Hole" every 200 rds. or so.
All ammo has been Russian.
My Mini 14 was about a 1992 series and had a perfect operation. No exceptions, and it used Only Russian Silver Bear ammo. Approx. 700 rds. I only sold it to have cash for a first Enfield #5 "Jungle Carbine". Whatever hard primers were used by Silver Bear .223, they always ignited etc.
My Mini was about a 2004 vintage (all stock-zero modes). In about every 15-20 rds. a primer did Not ignite the first time. All ammo was modern Russian.
Hard primers were the only operating issue. But use an OEM magazine- not an aftermarket.
An SKS or >> imported AKM << for the 7.62x39 chambering can be a solution.
The chambers of my Maadi (I've used approx. 3,000 rds.), MAK 90, AMD-65 or Czechpoint VZ-58 (2,200 rds. used) have not been scrubbed very often, and case extraction etc has been 'perfect' overall. A single round of Wolf had an issue.
Just Ballistol on One or Two patches pushed into "the Barrel Hole" every 200 rds. or so.
All ammo has been Russian.
Last edited:
earlthegoat2
Member
For as much right as Ruger does, they can be patently stupid on occasion.
These days but maybe not so much when the Mini-30 came out, is is competing with the AK. The AK uses steel case so the Mini-30 should be designed for it as well.
This is one of those unforgivable actions of a consumer based company and as such I have no use for the Mini-30.
This is the same company that came out with a No 1 in 450 Bushmaster with a 1:10 twist. You read that right. Way to fast. There has never been an explanation why either. Rumors abound about subsonic ammo use and whatnot but nothing verified. Though they did make a video about how accuracy is unaffected. Even still, as far as I am concerned it is another example of them being stupid. Not misguided. Not just making an error. Straight up stupid.
I have found Ruger is becoming my new Remington. The more I like them the more I don’t like them at the same time.
These days but maybe not so much when the Mini-30 came out, is is competing with the AK. The AK uses steel case so the Mini-30 should be designed for it as well.
This is one of those unforgivable actions of a consumer based company and as such I have no use for the Mini-30.
This is the same company that came out with a No 1 in 450 Bushmaster with a 1:10 twist. You read that right. Way to fast. There has never been an explanation why either. Rumors abound about subsonic ammo use and whatnot but nothing verified. Though they did make a video about how accuracy is unaffected. Even still, as far as I am concerned it is another example of them being stupid. Not misguided. Not just making an error. Straight up stupid.
I have found Ruger is becoming my new Remington. The more I like them the more I don’t like them at the same time.
The undisputed good news about Ruger:
Ruger has excellent customer service. I have had Ruger handguns break and Ruger took care of them instantly. They were quite easy to deal with. Even I say this as someone who has had mixed experiences with their weapons (several have broken on me).
A major reason people like Ruger Mini-30s / Mini-14s is because they're often legal in states that have asinine bans over cosmetic features. However, as the gentleman with the adorable dog avatar (that has respectfully discussed the Ruger mini platform with me before) pointed out:
That ship is sailing. People who are gravitating to this platform because they think it will be a performant semi-auto option in case things get bad will likely deal with the same aggressive "no grandfather clause" weapon's confiscations laws facing other semi-autos. At that point, you're in the same boat as someone with an AR-15.
The following are reasons people specifically don't like the Mini platform:
The Performance for the Price
Like these folks pointed out, for the price point, there are more performant rifles that will give you better accuracy, better ergonomics, and more reliable functionality. On the note of price specifically, the magazines are much more expensive than other weapon systems of the same caliber.
There's also a lot of people piping up in here (and in general) that the Ruger Mini 30 series can be made more accurate with time and money. Personally, if I'm spending close to $1000 on a rifle, I want it to work when I buy it. I don't want to go fiddling around with it in order to make it do what I originally paid it to do. Some people don't mind and are willing to put in the elbow grease because it's fun for them. That's fine. It's your prerogative. But many people (myself included) will not buy it for this reason.
More recently manufactured wooden stocked Mini-14s have been widely reported to have their trigger assemblies fall out when shot. I have experienced this first hand. That said, the most common complaint I have heard about the Mini-30s engineering wise is that some to have a short firing pin protrusion (meaning it'll experience FTFs on Russian steel cased ammo). Hence the next point:
The Ammunition
Straight from the horse's mouth (as listed above from an actual Ruger representative), Ruger Mini 30s are not designed for cheaper steel surplus soviet ammo (Tula, Wolf, etc). That sucks for Mini-30 owners because ammo hikes are a very real thing and will probably be worse for the next 4 - 8 years (at least). You can expect to spend around 40 cents a round on Tula ammo right now, and the price for a box of steel case Hornady is close to 70 cents a round (which is comparable to 5.56 brass prices).
That said, some people swear they've never had a problem with their Mini-30s shooting cheap ammo. I think these people are being honest and just that the quality of these weapons has varied over the years. That said, your mileage may vary.
My Anecdotes
This has not been my experience. I read these horror stories about 6 MOA SKS and AKs with slanted sights, but I think these are easy to avoid if you know what you're looking for. Believe it nor not, there are thousands of NIB SKSs / AKs floating around out there still in cosmoline. I've handled these before and have gotten 2.5 MOA out of them (with Wolf ammo).
Personally I have seen new RH10s, lightly used WASR-10s, and even lightly used Norinco SKS's that have outperformed the Mini-30 AND Mini-14 accuracy wise. That's just my anecdote and maybe people won't buy it, but I would personally take a lightly used SKS or WASR-10 over a brand new Mini-30 / Mini-14 any day of the week. Even in some kind of "the world has gone crazy defend your life with this weapon" situation. You'll also have more money to spend on ammo since many of these rifles are significantly cheaper -- if not half the price.
Moreover, you can use cheaper ammo and get better performance.
People will often talk endlessly about how you can accurize a Mini-14 by jumping through all sorts of hoops, but you mention improving the accuracy of an SKS or AKM (which is equally easy), you start hearing lectures about how these "weapons aren't tac drivers!"
For instance, an SKS 2.5 lb trigger spring sells for roughly $15 and installs in a pinch.
I'm not trying to start an argument here because I feel bad about how upset some people have gotten, so let me clarify on some other things:
* The Ruger Mini-30 is not a "bad" gun
* Many people have great experiences with the Ruger Mini series
* Many people have trained with them in a law enforcement capacity and like them
* Many people aren't concerned about extreme accuracy and think they're fun for plinking / around the farm
* Many people enjoy them
My conclusion: Get the weapon you like. This is the USA. If a Ruger Mini-30 is the rifle you want -- go for it. You only live once.
However, my .02 is that you can get a way better rifle for the price. I really tried to like these weapons and explored several options. I had a Ruger Mini-14 and spent about a year trying to work with it to make it into something I wanted it to be. I similarly have handled Mini-30s and didn't think they were worth it. There are a lot of complaints about these rifles online or otherwise, and they didn't all fall out of the sky. That said, a lot of people like them.
It's your hard earned money. Do what you think is best and I hope you enjoy it
Ruger has excellent customer service. I have had Ruger handguns break and Ruger took care of them instantly. They were quite easy to deal with. Even I say this as someone who has had mixed experiences with their weapons (several have broken on me).
A major reason people like Ruger Mini-30s / Mini-14s is because they're often legal in states that have asinine bans over cosmetic features. However, as the gentleman with the adorable dog avatar (that has respectfully discussed the Ruger mini platform with me before) pointed out:
That ship is sailing. People who are gravitating to this platform because they think it will be a performant semi-auto option in case things get bad will likely deal with the same aggressive "no grandfather clause" weapon's confiscations laws facing other semi-autos. At that point, you're in the same boat as someone with an AR-15.
The following are reasons people specifically don't like the Mini platform:
The Performance for the Price
Like these folks pointed out, for the price point, there are more performant rifles that will give you better accuracy, better ergonomics, and more reliable functionality. On the note of price specifically, the magazines are much more expensive than other weapon systems of the same caliber.
There's also a lot of people piping up in here (and in general) that the Ruger Mini 30 series can be made more accurate with time and money. Personally, if I'm spending close to $1000 on a rifle, I want it to work when I buy it. I don't want to go fiddling around with it in order to make it do what I originally paid it to do. Some people don't mind and are willing to put in the elbow grease because it's fun for them. That's fine. It's your prerogative. But many people (myself included) will not buy it for this reason.
More recently manufactured wooden stocked Mini-14s have been widely reported to have their trigger assemblies fall out when shot. I have experienced this first hand. That said, the most common complaint I have heard about the Mini-30s engineering wise is that some to have a short firing pin protrusion (meaning it'll experience FTFs on Russian steel cased ammo). Hence the next point:
The Ammunition
Straight from the horse's mouth (as listed above from an actual Ruger representative), Ruger Mini 30s are not designed for cheaper steel surplus soviet ammo (Tula, Wolf, etc). That sucks for Mini-30 owners because ammo hikes are a very real thing and will probably be worse for the next 4 - 8 years (at least). You can expect to spend around 40 cents a round on Tula ammo right now, and the price for a box of steel case Hornady is close to 70 cents a round (which is comparable to 5.56 brass prices).
That said, some people swear they've never had a problem with their Mini-30s shooting cheap ammo. I think these people are being honest and just that the quality of these weapons has varied over the years. That said, your mileage may vary.
My Anecdotes
This has not been my experience. I read these horror stories about 6 MOA SKS and AKs with slanted sights, but I think these are easy to avoid if you know what you're looking for. Believe it nor not, there are thousands of NIB SKSs / AKs floating around out there still in cosmoline. I've handled these before and have gotten 2.5 MOA out of them (with Wolf ammo).
Personally I have seen new RH10s, lightly used WASR-10s, and even lightly used Norinco SKS's that have outperformed the Mini-30 AND Mini-14 accuracy wise. That's just my anecdote and maybe people won't buy it, but I would personally take a lightly used SKS or WASR-10 over a brand new Mini-30 / Mini-14 any day of the week. Even in some kind of "the world has gone crazy defend your life with this weapon" situation. You'll also have more money to spend on ammo since many of these rifles are significantly cheaper -- if not half the price.
Moreover, you can use cheaper ammo and get better performance. People will often talk endlessly about how you can accurize a Mini-14 by jumping through all sorts of hoops, but you mention improving the accuracy of an SKS or AKM (which is equally easy), you start hearing lectures about how these "weapons aren't tac drivers!"
For instance, an SKS 2.5 lb trigger spring sells for roughly $15 and installs in a pinch.
I'm not trying to start an argument here because I feel bad about how upset some people have gotten, so let me clarify on some other things:
* The Ruger Mini-30 is not a "bad" gun
* Many people have great experiences with the Ruger Mini series
* Many people have trained with them in a law enforcement capacity and like them
* Many people aren't concerned about extreme accuracy and think they're fun for plinking / around the farm
* Many people enjoy them
My conclusion: Get the weapon you like. This is the USA. If a Ruger Mini-30 is the rifle you want -- go for it. You only live once.
However, my .02 is that you can get a way better rifle for the price. I really tried to like these weapons and explored several options. I had a Ruger Mini-14 and spent about a year trying to work with it to make it into something I wanted it to be. I similarly have handled Mini-30s and didn't think they were worth it. There are a lot of complaints about these rifles online or otherwise, and they didn't all fall out of the sky. That said, a lot of people like them.
It's your hard earned money. Do what you think is best and I hope you enjoy it
Last edited by a moderator:
illinoisburt
Member
Most of the folks I know who own a Mini14/30 these days did not buy them to avoid a ban. Rather it's mostly a case of wanting a semi-auto hunting rifle with a regular stock (they don't use extended mags either). I think this is the market Ruger has historically targeted. They don't look at the price versus an AR. Rather it's compared to other semi auto hunting rifles like Browning or Remington which are well north of a grand. That is not to say the Mini platform is the best for this use and caliber selection is limited. Granted many of them are Fudds of the first degree and don't want anything with a pistol grip, nor will they own a 'commie' gun like the SKS.
maxxhavoc
Member
You included my post in this generalization:
This is not the case. I love the Mini platform, and have no complaints about it. And I think the performance for the price is OK too. Considering I shoot the Mini more than twice as much as all of my 5.56 ARs combined, I would say it is a bargain!
I just don't want to buy a Mini 30 until I can be confident it will shoot 90% of the available ammo in that caliber. And if I want the best accuracy in the 7.62x39, I will go straight to a bolt gun. My Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 makes my AR in the same caliber look wildly inaccurate.
This is not the case. I love the Mini platform, and have no complaints about it. And I think the performance for the price is OK too. Considering I shoot the Mini more than twice as much as all of my 5.56 ARs combined, I would say it is a bargain!
I just don't want to buy a Mini 30 until I can be confident it will shoot 90% of the available ammo in that caliber. And if I want the best accuracy in the 7.62x39, I will go straight to a bolt gun. My Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 makes my AR in the same caliber look wildly inaccurate.
So what you said specifically was this:
"Some folks have them that shoot it well, some won't shoot it at all. The rifles are too expensive for me to take the chance."
I won't put words in your mouth and I apologize if I did.
When you said the rifle isn't performant enough to know if it'll reliably work and it was too expensive for you to to take the risk that it won't, I took that as meaning it's not performant enough for the price.
- Status
