How important is combat proven? (in a mini)

[TexasRifleman]

Silliness. The Mini has been used by Law Enforcement for decades. I can't imagine any civilian shooting needs would be any worse than LE have put the weapon through in the last 30 years.

The Mini is rock solid reliable and low cost. Other than magazine availability (which seems to be getting better) I don't even see the point of worrying about 'combat proven'.

 

[Mr. T]

I think that the key thing to remember here is that given different situations in battle some weapons will work out better than others. Heck some of our troops have carried shotguns since WW 1.....is that the ideal weapon for all situations no; but it has its applications or it wouldn't be in the tool box. If I had the choice between nothing and a mini-14 obviously I would choose the "mini" option since it's better than nothing. If I had my choice, would I choose the "mini" over other weapons available...probably not since there are better weapons out there. If I "HAD" to take the mini into combat would I be freaked out because I was "stuck" with the "mini"....no. Would I be scared that I was in combat....YES and anyone who says anything different is either lying or mentally touched somehow. Same thing goes for the shotgun....I'd choose that over nothing also.

 

[Golden_006]

I'm missing something in your question
Quote:
So how much more important is it to you than having a Ruger Mini that fires semi-auto if you were in combat?

All Ruger Mini's shoot semi-auto

You're right it was confusing. I edited it.

 

[dagger dog]

A bolt rifle is tough to beat, especially a Mauser, but the WWII German troops were out gunned by the Garand,the Mini, is a 2nd cousin to the Garand and carrys a lot more DNA akin to the MI carbine. Both of those two rifles were well accepted by the troops they were issued.

The Mini is just chambered for a more modern cartridge ( either .223 ,7.62X39 6.8 SPC) which allows the toop to carry more ammo. Accuracy? Thats better left to the bolt guns. But reliability? The Mini and its' grand parents are the top of the list.

And so, my vote is for the Mini!

 

[benEzra]

Mr. T wrote:

One observation is that the mini-14's action is a variant of the M1 Garand, which we all know is quite robust. I've also heard that Ruger has changed it's barrels around in the last year or so, so that they can improve the accuracy of the rifle. I've also heard that the results since that change have been very favorable. I wouldn't be afraid to take one into the field to defend my life.

OK, I nominate this post for the THR Hall of Fame. Not because I am particularly enamored of the mini-14 (they are very reliable and handy, but I sold mine out of frustration with the accuracy and magazine issues), but because we have a post on mini-14's by a user named Mr. T.

That is forum goodness, right there.

 

[briansmithwins]

Silliness. The Mini has been used by Law Enforcement for decades. I can't imagine any civilian shooting needs would be any worse than LE have put the weapon through in the last 30 years.

So were .38 S&W wheelguns. Lowest bidder to a PD does not a combat rifle make.

BSW

 

[X - Man]

It's better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees. If a battle comes your way you fight with what you have. Pointy sticks, stone axes, or your bare hands. But, as is taught in SF school; your most important weapon is your mind. It takes more than just a rifle to fight a battle.

The "battlefield" is not a given structure. It has been evolving every decade or so, can continues to do so. The battlefield at Gettysburg is different in character than what happened in SE Asia, different than what happened in Bagdad. This change in the nature of battle impacts on the type of weapon developed to be used.

The Mini can no longer be lumped into a single group; there are differences between the models. The Mini has been around long enough that much has been tried and learned about it. The M1, M14, M16 all share the fact that their refinement took years of R & D, and very large expenditures of funds.

There are more and more Mini owners who are getting satisfactory results from their rifle. True, it takes effort to fine tune the older Mini's as few shot well out of the box. But anything worthwhile is going to take to time to do.

Now to the question, Yes I would use my Mini to defend myself. I am confident in its capabilities and reliability, as well as mine. This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine.......

 

[bshnt2015]

Well this is proven but the mini will work,

 

[happygeek]

X - Man wrote:

This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine.......

You know it's blasphemy to say that about any rifle other than a M14/M1A, and maybe a M16/AR, right?

 

[frankiestoys]

Is this another mini bashing thread? Because if it is some of you guys don't pay attention or only hear what you want to. The mini IS NOT A TARGET GUN but a great little carbine
with the newer series being more accurate and robust. Please check the forum ''RUGR MINI VS AR'' Do we realy need to do this again?
I would not feel un-guned with mine or would i hesitate to take her into battle.

 

[FMJMIKE]

I would trust a Mini-14 more than an AR-15. I sold all my ARs but still have a Mini...............

 

[svaz]

The Mini is rock solid reliable and low cost.

I'm not going to bash the Mini - I've always wanted one - but I must take exception to the price being referred to as, "low cost". It has always been my opinion that it was $200-$300 over-priced. If it had the accuracy of the AR, maybe I could see it, but it doesn't and it never will. That's fine by me, I still like 'em, but, to me, the price is unacceptably high.

 

[CA2005]

It sure is a reliable and forgiving platform. I own a couple of older blued LE GB models with full stock that I would trust my life to (mine are exactly like the one pictured a couple posts up only with the black plastic handguard). On a side note...I would love to get my hands on one with the factory folder.

The Mini is just neat, and it works. Accurate enough for defense out to 2-300 yards. The newer ones are even more accurate, from what I read.

 

[scythefwd]

Do I get to take it on a live fire FTX first? If so, I might consider it. If I could "torture" test it in the field before I deployed... then yes I would go into combat with one. If it hasn't been tested in field conditions (your ranch may have a field, but it isn't a field condition)... I'd pick up the first enemy rifle I could get my hands on.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

In and of itself, not too important.

What's way more important than "combat-proven" is whether the rifle is "precision unproven" which the Mini is.

 

[JAV8000]

I'd take my 581 tactical anywhere. In stock form it offers accuracy equall to or better than the m1 or m14, while weighing not much more than an m1 carbine.

I went out to shoot mine about two weeks ago. It was around zero degrees outside. I shot some decent fist sized offhand groups at fifty yards. I dont know what it's capable of mechanicaly as I shoot it the way god intended the garand to be shot, with provided peep.

The mini will continue to be one of the handiest, lightest, and most reliable, all steel carbines out there.

An assault rifle, however, it is not.

 

[briansmithwins]

I shot some decent fist sized offhand groups at fifty yards.

So say your fist is 4" at a guess. That would be a 8MOA group....

The mini will continue to be one of the handiest, lightest, and most reliable, all steel carbines out there.

An assault rifle, however, it is not.

Well, actually, the select fire version fulfill all the criteria for an assault rifle: select fire, intermediate cartridge, and high capacity removable magazine.

BSW

 

[happygeek]

I shot some decent fist sized offhand groups at fifty yards.

Yeah, ummm, I've got a 22LR that'll shoot about that at 50 yards. I'd say the question of accuracy is best solved by shooting two rifles you own from the same position, at the same size target at the same distance, one right after the other. I've done this a few times with my NM M1A and my Sig 556 at 200 yards, and a few more times with those two plus my 22LR at 100 yards.

Course, you still have the factor that you might just be more comfortable with one rifle than the other, or that you might be better with the sights on one than on the other.

 

[happygeek]

But on the original topic, I don't think milspec or combat proven is all that important with my privately owned weapons. Now in a rifle I'm carrying in a war zone, a hundred times yes.

The reason I say that about my rifles and pistols is that I'm not dragging them through the mud, dumping sand in them, submerging them in water, kicking them, dropping them, letting them get rained on, or even firing all that many rounds without anally cleaning and re-oiling them. That, and so far the only one that's jammed on me so far has been that 22LR, and it's just a range toy anyway.

But all this is a moot point, since unless you're planning on making it all the way to SFOD-D you're not going to be picking your weapon, and even then it might just be a rumor that they pick theirs (and if they do pick it, it's probably out of a bunch of government owned/approved weapons).

 

[Shadow Man]

The reason I say that about my rifles and pistols is that I'm not dragging them through the mud, dumping sand in them, submerging them in water, kicking them, dropping them, letting them get rained on, or even firing all that many rounds without anally cleaning and re-oiling them.

Then you're not having enough fun with your weapons

You're right about the SFOD-D rocks. They can pick their own (I've seen a few tricked out G-3's) but most choose not to, using stock M-4/16A3's, MP5's, etc.

 

[Mags]

I voted Not at All, but I don't agree with the give me a Mini thing. I still want my AR or Garand but it has nothing to do with it's track record in combat.

 

[JAV8000]

I was shooting offhand, standing, in sub zero conditions with heavy gloves and iron sights.......I think my rifle is capable of much better accuracy under more favorable conditions.

You can hate on the old minis for having poor accuracy at distance, but not the 580/581s.

 

[mokin]

Just because I have more experience with Lee-Enfields than a Mini-14 I picked that answer. I like the fact that I can hit a man sized target with iron sights (from a good solid shooting position) out to at least 300 meters with mine. Something about the 174 grain bullets just seem to sound more convincing than the .223 chambered Mini-14s I've shot.

 

[jeff-10]

I would prefer a M4 or M16 but I feel a Mini-14 would be serviceable under certain circumstances.

To me a Mini-14 is a modern day improved version of a M1 Carbine. It is more powerful and has more range than a pistol but it is not capable of long range combat.

 

[Rexster]

I won't be jumping out of airplanes, repelling banzai charges, or such with any of my carbines, so it is likely even sporting-grade weapons will do OK. Moreover, an individual weapon must prove itself to be accurate enough, and supremely reliable, in my hands. I liked my first 580-series Mini well enough to get a second one, which was pre-owned but minty and mounted in a SCAR stock, when it presented itself at a good price.

MOA? I can't see the iron sights that well with my aging eyes. Maybe after I mount a scope. Minute of felon is good enough for now. In my world, 40 yards is a quite long shot. MOA is a luxury, not a necessity.

Cartridge? .223 JSP ammo has been dumping the trash well enough for domestic law enforcement for decades now.

It is taking me a while to get enough ammo through my Minis to really trust them, but so far, they have not let me down. I really shouldn't be using them for shooting people, just yet, anyway, so there is no particular hurry. My chief expects me to use approved weapons off the clock, as well as at work, against human adversaries. The only rifle I am presently certified to carry is an AR15. I do prefer the ergonomics of the Mini, and may get an opportunity to be certified to carry one, before I retire. After I retire, well, I can use the carbine I prefer. Might be a Mini, might be an AR, might be something else. Not likely an M1 Carbine, as its safety is not lefty-friendly.

Edited to add: BTW, the Mini is cosmetically simiiar to an M14, and does have a Garand/M14-style trigger group, but its gas system is more like that of the M1 Carbine.