I am new to Rifles but am a Ruger guy, which rifle

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Rugerspyderon

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I am a handgun guy and the only long gun I have is a Ruger 10/22. I am trying to decide which will be my first real rifle. I would prefer sticking with Ruger. I don't know if the Ruger Scout rifle makes sense, Jeff Cooper liked the concept or if semi auto would be better, so mini 14 or 30/M77. The SR556 AR is possible but much more costly. I will likely do hunting with it at some point, dear, coyote. I may want to go hog hunting someday but mainly it will be for fun and home defense, though I am pretty strong with my handguns for home defense/everyday carry. Any recommendations for which caliber/gun to go with for Ruger and why? I don't get a law enforcement discount and as you can tell, it makes little sense for a guy like me to spend a ton on a rifle.

Thanks
 
Mini 14/ Mini 30 would be better for home defense if you don't want to spend the cash on the SR556. The Scout rifle or any of the other M77 rifles would be better for hunting.
 
If I was going to buy a rifle from Ruger for the purposes you have listed I would purchase a Mini 30 with a stainless barrel. The "Mini" series from Ruger is a pretty cool concept, where they took the action designed by John Garand and made it smaller in order to shoot the .223 and 7.62x39 round. Because of this they are generally thought of as being pretty reliable. For the aspects of home defense, deer hunting, and possible hog hunting I would go with the 7.62x39 round.
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Then I would put this awesome stock on it, from accuracy systems
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Iron sights only, or will you put optics on the rifle at some point?

I concur with the recommendation for the Mini30, but only in iron sight form; their stock is not set up for optics (no cheek weld) and the aftermarket stocks for the Mini's does not provide much help there.

If you're going to be using optics and want to stay in the Ruger line, then I would suggest the Ruger 77MkII Hawkeye platform.
 
Unless you live in a very rural area, using a centerfire rifle for home defense would generally be a very bad idea due to excessive penetration. The exception to this rule would generally be the .223 which using frangible or varmint type ammo can actully reduce the chane of over penetration. I also see you live in Cinci, so you can't use a rifle for deer in Ohio, though you could in adjoining states. I also live in OH and find the .223/5.56 to be the best for my needs and shooting opportunities. Also the best for my budget as I can buy about twice the ammo as .308 for about the same money.

I believe a Mini 14 in 5.56/.223 would give you the greatest versitility for a reasonable cost. They're about the same size as your 10/22, as a matter of fact I used a 10/22 marked gun case for my mini to carry it. The .223 in it various loadings can cover the gamut of what you listed. Using heavier, sturdy bullets it can and has harvested many a deer and hog. A frangible low penetration round such as Hornady TAP would be suitable for defensive use and cheap bulk ammo is a blast to play with at the range.

I would get a new Mini as the older ones had a poor reputation for accuracy that was often deserved. The new ones were specifically upgraded to improve accuracy, and do quite well now. The other issue that folks have with them is the 20 & 30rd magazines cost about 2 to 3 times more that AR magazines, and the only real good ones are the Ruger factory mags. If you plan on aquiring lots of mags the cost difference could eventually wipe ou any sazings upfront on the rifle. Though I've since upgraded to an AR, I had an older Mini Ranch rifle that I liked an awful lot and can recommend the platform with confidence and I think it would do a fine job for what you have in mind.
 
Does Ruger give you special deals or free stuff for being a "Ruger Guy". I just don't understand brand loyalty to a for profit business. Their goal is to make money and yours should be to get the best product your money will buy.

Anyways, if it must a Ruger, i believe they make their AR in 6.8 which would be good for your purposes. It may be more than you want to spend but would serve all your purposes well. If not, i'd say the mini 30 is the only other offering from Ruger that will work for HD and hunting.
 
I love my mini-30. It's very handy, accurate (at least mine is), easy to modify, clean, very reliable, and versitile. The 7.62x39 round will take the game you mentioned. The mini-30 is great fun at the range and will give you another HD option.

The mini-14 will do the same, but maybe not legal for deer hunting in your state. 223/5.56 is easier to find, though.

I'm a big Ruger fan, but there are plenty of really good options available.
 
I do live in Cincinnati and out in Clarksville. I travel a lot too.

Regarding sights, I thought we could put those round scope rings on the Minis to seat a scope. I had better double check that. I have also read that 308 was easy to find and not too expensive. I have a Lee Classic Turret and guess I could reload either round but I only know about handgun loading at this point. I will check the web for prices.

I think the Mini 30 tactical sounds good because one can hunt bigger animals as well. I do believe they are the same price.

As a Ruger guy, I do not get a discount. I am irrational and am sort of suck with Ruger. I did break out and get a CZ Phantom. I will likely get the storied Remington 870 Express when I breakdown and get a shotgun. But it seems like Ruger rifles are well thought of, reliable and affordable so why not?

I think a semi-auto sounds fun and functional. I also believe the Mini's operation is simpler than the AR.
 
I must admit, I do not get the semi-auto rifle thing, so there's a bias going into this answer.

You said you wanted to eventually hunt deer and possibly hogs. While Gamo may have a video of a fellow hunting hogs with his .177 air rifle, I wouldn't recommend it. And in many jurisdictions, .223 is illegal for deer hunting. So, let's start with .243 as being your opening gambit. Suitable for coyote and deer, probably doable for any kind of hog whose latin name doesn't end in "aurus".

While 243, 257, 7mm and 270 all have great merit in their own ways, I would suggest that 30 caliber gives you optimal versatility and I would go further to say that the venerable 30-06 gives you a range of bullets and loadings that will take you from coyote to elk. Home defense with a rifle in suburbia is a non-starter unless you truly believe the Zombie Apocalypse is around the corner, in which case you want several SAWs. The 870 will do you much better service with Foster slugs in the HD arena.

Were I looking for a Ruger in 30-06, it would be the RSI #1 with the full Mannlicher stock. However, I understand that most people do not see the attraction of the single shot rifle that I do. So, M77 in 30-06 is my strong recommendation. Whatever you get, enjoy!


Oh, and BTW, were I not restricted to a Ruger, I would be looking for a pre-safety Marlin 336 in 30-30. But, that's just me being "old school".
 
With your parameters and intended use, I agree the 6.8 AR they make is the best option. It's a jack of all trades.

I understand Ruger loyalty. They're one of the few US makers still turning out high quality product.
 
GI Jared, That is the exact mini I have! It has been flawless! With the heavier barrel than the older models I can get between 1.5 to 2 inch moa with the right ammo. Did I mention that mini's are nearly indestructible?
 
I'm surprised no one's said "buy them all" yet. :)

After reading the replies, I'm also going to suggest the Mini 30. I have a Mini 14 and it's served me well. But considering you're looking to do some hunting with it as well, I say bump up to the bigger caliber and you'll still have a semi-auto platform.
 
And, as I forgot it, +1 on mljdeckard's recco for the new Ruger American in .243 (although I would still hang on for 30-06)...
 
Regardless of what you read on internet boards I can assure you after having numerous discussions with numerous LEO's over the years (I used to be a civillian deputy sheriff & my brother is a former assistant prosecuter) that the VAST majority of them are going to treat you as an equal or even worse threat than whoever you employ your rifle against if you use it in anything resembling a populated area. To most, unleashing a rifle in a populated area is a dangerously irresponsible act because of the known over penetration issues with most rifle rounds and their typically far greater range than handguns or shotguns. A .223 may buy more understanding from them as many PD's use M16's sourced from the DOD and make use of frangible ammo, but I wouldn't put too much trust in that either. Using a rifle will probably lead to a lot of hostility towards you would be the safest bet, even if you're in the right and God help you if anything goes assunder.

If you take the defensive aspect away, about any rifle will work well. The Mini 30 is a nice weapon but you'll likely find brass cased ammo fairly scarce if you want to reload. Good hunting ammo isn't very common as well, but fun blasting ammo is very affodable.

A .308 would be be a heck of a good hunting round, and the Gunsite Scout Rifle an exceptionally nice platform. Still the ammo cost is a good deal more than than .223, about 2x is what I've found commonly which is why I switched from a .308 Garand to an AR for my match rifle. Myself I'd stay with .223 and use premium rounds such as Corbon's Barnes DPX for hunting deer or pigs. The loads using the Nosler partitian would work very well too.

Good luck in whatever you choose.
 
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Ooops. Didn't read the OP far enough. The #1 is great for hunting but not so much for a defensive arm. But then, no rifle is best for "home defense" given the problems of over-penetration and handling an unwieldy weapon in close quarters... in the dark... with someone maybe jumping out at you ready to wrestle you for control of the weapon.
 
Since when where rifles deamed unacceptable for defensive use? Some people seem to forget why we have gun rights in the first place; its not to crawl through the brush on your belly with your double barrel hunting deer! Those police you are worried about being upset with you for daring to own or use a rifle are the very reason that we have the right to bear arms; to keep tryanny in check. Take a minute and read the declaration of independence.

Its perfectly reasonable to want a defensive rifle and those crying about "overpenetration" will wish they had a real gun and not a sidearm in an actuall fight.


On topic if i wanted a defensive/hunting rifle from ruger it would be gunsite scout. Especially if its your only centrefire it makes a good jack of all trades. It is a good canidate for "if i could only have one gun"
 
I think I am leaning towards the .308 but still researching. In the real world I would just shoot .223 95 percent even with hunting but the .308 would cover me. Besides, I am mainly a handgun guy.

Hey, what about a pump action shoot gun with slugs for the same hunting?
 
one size fits all guns are tough to find. If i were you id probably pick up a standard hawkeye in 308. A bolt gun is a bit slower for self defense work but in a pinch its sure better then nothing. Its vastly better then a mini for hunting though. Pick up a hawkeye and keep saving your money till you can afford a ar15 for home defense. For an ar15 you can still go ruger but theres other good guns much cheaper.
 
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