How about the Big Mini

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rgs1975

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Ok so I know I've annoyed you all with questions about the Mini-14 for the past couple days and I thought I'd take a break. Now I'm going to ask about the Mini-30 :D

Seriously though, I've heard VERY little about the bigger mini. If I'm not mistaken it shoots the same caliber as the M14 but what about the accuracy...does it suffer the same accuracy issues the smaller mini does with the .223? How about recoil, anyone ever shot one and know if it is substantial or not?

Of course any more info you can supply about the Mini-30 that I haven't asked about is greatly appreciated :D
 
The mini 30 does not take the round of the m14, it takes the 7.62x39 round There was an attempt at a .308win Mini, the XGI,but it was not put in production.

I have never owned a mini 30 but I have heard they do not do well with some of the cheap foreign 7.62x39 ammo out there. I think part of the problem is that the foreign ammo is sized at a .311/.312 bullet and the mini has a stanndard .308 bore. Maybe someoneelse could comment on this.

Also I don't think anybody ever made a real good quality magazine for these other than Ruger, and Ruger mags for this gun are only 5 rounds.
 
I don't see any point to a Mini 30. The 5.56 round is superior to the 7.62x39 in almost every way, so if you're get a Ruger Mini-anything, get the Mini-14.

FYI, the M-14 (and M1A) are chambered in 7.62x51, aka 7.62 NATO aka .308 Winchester. It's a full power rifle cartridge. The Mini-30 is 7.62x39 aka 7.62 Russian. It's a stubby little "intermediate" cartridge.

Btw, I like 7.62x39 -- in my AK's. I see no reason to buy any other rifle chambered for it.
 
#1... while the .223 is NOT 'deer legal' in many places, the 7.62x39 is. Niether is a particularly accurate rifle after a few shots the skinny barrel heats up something wicked and 'stringing' the shots is common.

(I was actually hoping this was about the prototype XGI in .308)

Recoil isn't bad by any standard... you bleed off a lot of energy pushing the op-rod rearward.

NONE of these rifles matches the out of the box accuracy of an M1A. (Meaning 400 yard shots with iron sights)
 
+1 to Dr Rob about "deer legal."

I don't trust .223 on deer sized game. I own a mini-30 and love it for what it is. It is basically a semiauto version of a .30-30 lever action. It's light, short, handles great, and can take medium sized game. Ammo is plenty cheap, and the wolf stuff works just fine in mine. Not sure if it is wolf is .311 like Russian surplus or not. It is accurate enough for the distances I would consider prudent to take a shot at a meduim sized animal with the caliber.

And just so you don't think I'm too biased, there are some things I don't like. There doesn't seem to be any way to mount a scope low enough for me to be comfortable. Also, as previously mentioned, magazine selection is REALLY poor (I've purchased five 30-rounders to get one that worked).
 
There's nothing wrong with the 7.62x39 cartridge. I've got about 1,100 rounds of it sitting in my basement right now.... :eek:

I just don't see the point of the Mini-30. If you want to shoot 7.62x39, an SKS or an AK make better choices.
 
made in America, at what price? Bill Ruger was NOT a friend of the 2nd amendment. If Ruger sold 30rnd mags, and rifles with flashhiders and bayonet lugs brand new to the public I'd be interested. If they had high-caps for their pistols as standard, I'd be interested.

Remember folks, Bill ruger is the man who said "No honest man needs a gun smaller than a canned ham."
 
Ok. You are right. Bill ruger was not the most RKBA freindly individual. But his workers probably are; and that is who you are supporting. Do you think Russia, China, Yugoslavia, etc. where the sks's and AK's of the world come from are big 2nd amendment supporters? They don't even HAVE a 2nd amendment. While the importer of these weapons may be/must be pro 2nd amendment, I (along with many others) would rather buy a firearm that is made from american steel, with american wood, by an american working man(or woman). Just my opinion. I am fully aware of Bill Ruger's speckled past. I don't blame the workers for one man's indiscresion.
 
hehe

yugoslavia isnt even a country anymore
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Thank you for pointing that out Commissar. I am not quite sure what that has to do with the current topic, my argument, or anything at all; but you are right, yugoslavia is no longer a country. However, at the time they were producing sks's, they were in fact a country; it is their stance on firearm ownership that is the important matter in this example.

And if anyone was wondering, the ottoman empire is no longer an empire, nor is the holy roman empire, the USSR no longer exists, and checkoslovakia is no longer a country--they are, in fact, two separate countries. What ever all that means.
 
It is basically a semiauto version of a .30-30 lever action. It's light, short, handles great, and can take medium sized game. Ammo is plenty cheap, and the wolf stuff works just fine in mine.
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Isn't that an SKS?

And I also thought this thread would be about the XGI, if Ruger would beef up the barrel (keep it the same length, though) and chamber it in .308, I'd buy one to back up my M1A. Especially if they made it compatible with M14 magazines.

Shorter, handier, cheaper than a standard M1A or a Scout...combine it with that new scout rifle creature they're putting out. That'd be a nice piece.

S/F

Farnham
 
Don't count on the Mini-30 being .308" bore diameter.

I have a Ruger M77 in 7.62x39 (one of a special run of a few thousand rifles made for Davidson's, I believe) and it is DEFINITELY .3105" in groove diameter. Ruger spokesmen have confirmed that the nominal diameter is supposed to be .310". This makes sense, considering the vast amiounts of foreign 7.62x39 ammo on the market, and the certainty that this ammunition will find its way into the Ruger rifles. A .310" bore still works fine with .308" bullets, as well.

I had a Mini-30 for a brief time, until I gave up on finding aftermarket mags that would function in the rifle. With the Ruger mag, it was 100%. With anything else, it was almost useless. This is NOT the fault of the rifle.

Ruger high-capacity Mini-14 mags were always easily available in Canada, until the latest set of stupid restrictions were put in place. I recall sitting in front of a stack of over twenty 20-round Ruger-made mags, all in their individual factory boxes, waiting for the guys who'd ordered them to arrive for the pick-up. I had a dealers' license and sold many Mini-14s to trappers and other outdoorsy types in the Canadian North. Why we could buy the big mags in Canada when you folks couldn't get them here, I have no idea.
 
Quote:
It is basically a semiauto version of a .30-30 lever action. It's light, short, handles great, and can take medium sized game. Ammo is plenty cheap, and the wolf stuff works just fine in mine.



Isn't that an SKS?
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Sure, the SKS works great in that role. I love shooting SKSs (and AKs when I get the chance). I just don't find the handling quite as nice. Also, the SKS rifles are a good deal larger. I don't understand the "this gun serves no purpose" comments. If the gun feels better in your hands and you feel it's worth the extra cash, then it serves a purpose. Having choices is a wonderful thing.

Like the proprietor of one of my favorite gun stores says "some people don't like cheese."

In regard to the .308/.311 deal, I believe I read somewhere that mini-30 barrel diameters are tapered (.311 at the breech, .308 at the muzzle) to accomodate the various ammo dimensions. I don't claim to be an expert, nor do I play one on TV, so if someone out there knows for sure, please confirm or correct me as appropriate.

LG
 
So the guys who imported my Yugo SKS dont need to be employed? I dont care how their employees feel. If wal-mart began to campaign for a communist third party I'd boycott them, irreguardless of the "little guys".

Tough love.
 
And if anyone was wondering, the Ottoman Empire is no longer an empire...
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Does that mean that the name's open for me to use on my specialty furninture store? :confused:


;) :p Just funnin'.

Wouldn't a .308/7.62x51 NATO-chambered Mini be... well, an M1A? (Turns out it pretty much was, as far as the patent office was concerned)

http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2800/2899.htm
Ruger XGI (best link I could find)
 
Dionysusigma

After reading the link in your post I am intrigued. It states that "The Military Version of the Ruger Mini-30 has the ability to use AK47 magazines."

Does anyone know how much effort it would take to get a mini 30 to accept AK mags? Since mag reliability is one of the main gripes with the mini 30, a cost-effective conversion to AK mags would be awesome (I can hear the "just get an AK" comments already :D ).

LG
 
So the guys who imported my Yugo SKS dont need to be employed? I dont care how their employees feel. If wal-mart began to campaign for a communist third party I'd boycott them, irreguardless of the "little guys".
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Yeah, the guys that import firearms need to be employed. I stated that I would rather support a FIRM that manufactures IN the united states-- you know, not the little guys but US guys. Furthermore, you missed the bigger picture and focussed on some small aspect of the larger more important argument;Russia(the former Soviet Union) for lack of a better example, or lets take Yugoslavia, are not 2nd amendment fans, they have no second amendment, period. Some people on this board would rather spend more for something made in the United States, by the citizens of the United States(those people being Us) than save a few dollars and donate it to a country(from whome these firearms were procured) who has no concept of a right to keep and bare arms. God forbid someone would rather support the American working man than buy your pet horse. As I said several posts ago, this only my opinion; I would rather buy American firearms.
 
Ok so dont buy from Yugoslavia because Yugoslavia is anti 2nd amendment. I fail to see how Yugoslavia and Ruger are any different.

Both make guns. Both have fans of their products. Both are(were) anti-2nd amendment. Yugoslavia, is gone. It went poof, doesnt exist. If the Ruger Mini-30 cost 70 bucks, came with a cool book detailing that specific rifle's military service, bayonet, grenade launcher ect ect then I'd be interested.

Both Ruger and Yugoslavia are anti-gun, difference is only Ruger is still around to profit from the purchase of their firearms.
 
BTW, the country that came from Yugoslavia is not only Capitalist but a Republic aswell. Its the will of the people, not an iron fist that keeps away 2nd amendment rights. Have you considered that Serbia may evolve into a valuable economic partner for the US? They aint commies, they aint reds. They're people just like us.
 
Ok so dont buy from Yugoslavia because Yugoslavia is anti 2nd amendment. I fail to see how Yugoslavia and Ruger are any different.
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The difference is simple and I have stated it twice so it should be quite apparent by now -- Ruger employs Americans to build their firearms. It is that simple. I can not make it any more clear than that.

If the Ruger Mini-30 cost 70 bucks, came with a cool book detailing that specific rifle's military service, bayonet, grenade launcher ect ect then I'd be interested.
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This is my opinion and my opinion only>> if that is all that is important(money and greanade launchers) than I fear for the future of the American firearms industry. When was the last time you did a bayonet charge? Do you have a grenade for your launcher? Is my A-Bolt (and 90% of my firearms) now useless as they have no military service record? I am not saying I do not like these things--I love bayonets and flash suppressors, but I would not place them above the support of my fellow working Americans.

Both Ruger and Yugoslavia are anti-gun, difference is only Ruger is still around to profit from the purchase of their firearms.
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Yes. As I states previously, some feel it is important to buy American. I wish I could say the fall of Yugoslavia was a testament to American buying power, but I believe political elements had more to do with their collapse that their economic reliance on the exportation of SKS rifles.
 
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