this is one of those things i have wanted for a long time....like when a kid gets his mind set on something and just has to have it. i'd still like to hear some opinions.....preferably honest ones from mini 14 owners. i would be using it for plinking, and mostly i would be looking at it and daydreaming about defending the homeland against eurasian invaders. was in the US cavalry for 4 years and had an m-16.....seriously couldn't stand it, so i would never consider that as an option. the mini 14 i am considering is owned by a friend. it's a blued ranch rifle. i'm not concerned about competitively tight shot groups. i'm concerned about hitting ivan, or whoever, in the chest at 200 yards and in.
mini 14 opinions
- Thread starter carlrodd
- Start date
- Status
AirForceShooter
Member
ok:
as you said it's not a tack driver.
200 yards is pushing it.
at 100 yards it's combat accuracy. My defnition of that is a 4" group.
I've never had a failure using a whole bunch of different types of ammo.
I've never used Wolf though.
You can modify it til it doesn't resemble a mini.
I completely understand your opinion of the M-16.
The mini-14 has a strange reputation. Some love it and others hate it. It seems there's no inbetween.
AFS
as you said it's not a tack driver.
200 yards is pushing it.
at 100 yards it's combat accuracy. My defnition of that is a 4" group.
I've never had a failure using a whole bunch of different types of ammo.
I've never used Wolf though.
You can modify it til it doesn't resemble a mini.
I completely understand your opinion of the M-16.
The mini-14 has a strange reputation. Some love it and others hate it. It seems there's no inbetween.
AFS
I've had a Mini 14 for many years. Its a nice little rifle. I use an AR for competition but the Mini 14 is useful for plinking, etc. It makes a great car trunk rifle.
The accuracy isn't all that great. I feel very confident out to 50 yards and could hit a man sized target at 200. During rapid fire the barrel heats up and zero wanders.
The sights are okay, nothing to write home about.
It is easy to clean and is tough. As reliable as an anvil.
If one is used to a Garand or M1A manual of arms the Mini should feel natural.
I believe NYPD has used them for many years. NYPD also uses AR's and H&K MP5's.
Hi cap mags from Ruger may be difficult to come by. There are after market mags available but Ruger made the best hi cap mags in my opinion.
It is less expensive than an AR.
The stock is soft ash and picks up dings. A Fiberglas stock is available.
I plan on keeping mine.
The accuracy isn't all that great. I feel very confident out to 50 yards and could hit a man sized target at 200. During rapid fire the barrel heats up and zero wanders.
The sights are okay, nothing to write home about.
It is easy to clean and is tough. As reliable as an anvil.
If one is used to a Garand or M1A manual of arms the Mini should feel natural.
I believe NYPD has used them for many years. NYPD also uses AR's and H&K MP5's.
Hi cap mags from Ruger may be difficult to come by. There are after market mags available but Ruger made the best hi cap mags in my opinion.
It is less expensive than an AR.
The stock is soft ash and picks up dings. A Fiberglas stock is available.
I plan on keeping mine.
Old Dog
Member
I am of the exact same opinion as WT with regard to the Mini-14 (excepting, although I enjoy ARs, I prefer the M-14/M-1A platform somewhat). Been using the Mini-14 for years, always found it totally reliable and user-friendly.
MikeJackmin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,604
There is a new version around now, with an improved rear sight. The older ones are usually available at a lower price.
Preacherman
Member
I agree that the Mini-14 is a good, reliable, not-terribly-accurate rifle. There are serious problems getting reliable hi-cap mags for it. I'd suggest looking at the Kel-Tec SU16 range as an alternative.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
I own a 188-series Ranch Rifle. It's easy to customize a mini with aftermarket stocks and such, so mine looked like this when I bought it:
And currently looks like this:
But changing the stock is about a two-minute job, and can be done in 10 seconds if you have a spare heat shield and mag well liner installed in the second stock.
Pro:
100% reliable. I have NEVER had a rifle-related failure in more than 2000 rounds. The only failure of any kind I have ever had is when someone accidentally gave me some way-too-hot .223 reloads ("five grains over," he said!) that locked the bolt up tight from the excessive pressure, and I had to hammer the bolt open, IIRC. Loaded back up with the right ammunition and it worked fine.
Light and handy.
Fit and finish are good.
Very easy to take down, clean, and reassemble (though getting the bolt back in quickly takes some practice at first).
Con:
Accuracy. The best group mine has ever fired is 5.5" at 100 yards. I have read of people doing better, so maybe mine is worse than average. There are ways to improve the accuracy fairly inexpensively (new gas bushing, shorten the barrel to 16", add flash suppressor for more muzzle weight, glass-bed the stock); see the mini-14 forum at Perfect Union BBS for details. I just haven't had time or money to do that, but someday...
Magazines. I have some good 30-round mags and one 20-rounder, but finding one that functions perfectly in your rifle is a bit of trial and error.
Misc: mini's are hard on scopes, probably because of the heavy op rod slamming back and forth during cycling. Not an issue if you go with iron sights or a quality scope, but don't use an inexpensive variable as it will likely not hold zero. Of course, that's assuming the rifle you're looking at has scope bases (Ranch Rifles do, regular mini's don't, but the regular mini has better iron sights).
On the whole, I like mine a lot, but if I had it to do over again, I would probably go with an AR-15 out of personal preference. The mini is a good rifle, though.
And currently looks like this:
But changing the stock is about a two-minute job, and can be done in 10 seconds if you have a spare heat shield and mag well liner installed in the second stock.
Pro:
100% reliable. I have NEVER had a rifle-related failure in more than 2000 rounds. The only failure of any kind I have ever had is when someone accidentally gave me some way-too-hot .223 reloads ("five grains over," he said!) that locked the bolt up tight from the excessive pressure, and I had to hammer the bolt open, IIRC. Loaded back up with the right ammunition and it worked fine.
Light and handy.
Fit and finish are good.
Very easy to take down, clean, and reassemble (though getting the bolt back in quickly takes some practice at first).
Con:
Accuracy. The best group mine has ever fired is 5.5" at 100 yards. I have read of people doing better, so maybe mine is worse than average. There are ways to improve the accuracy fairly inexpensively (new gas bushing, shorten the barrel to 16", add flash suppressor for more muzzle weight, glass-bed the stock); see the mini-14 forum at Perfect Union BBS for details. I just haven't had time or money to do that, but someday...
Magazines. I have some good 30-round mags and one 20-rounder, but finding one that functions perfectly in your rifle is a bit of trial and error.
Misc: mini's are hard on scopes, probably because of the heavy op rod slamming back and forth during cycling. Not an issue if you go with iron sights or a quality scope, but don't use an inexpensive variable as it will likely not hold zero. Of course, that's assuming the rifle you're looking at has scope bases (Ranch Rifles do, regular mini's don't, but the regular mini has better iron sights).
On the whole, I like mine a lot, but if I had it to do over again, I would probably go with an AR-15 out of personal preference. The mini is a good rifle, though.
Mini-14 is the American SKS or AK: Reliable but not very accurate; yet accurate enough for under 75 yds.
I like mine enough as a beater gun.
I like my 5rd magazines from the factory. I carry a whole bunch of them and get excellent reliability.
I have factory 30 and 20 rds. I never really use them.
I paid $350 or so 20 years ago.
I think it is ok. I woul dnot buy another one.
I like mine enough as a beater gun.
I like my 5rd magazines from the factory. I carry a whole bunch of them and get excellent reliability.
I have factory 30 and 20 rds. I never really use them.
I paid $350 or so 20 years ago.
I think it is ok. I woul dnot buy another one.
WARNING! This post is written with the express intent to inform and entertain. Due to the differences in human nature, behavior and culture, it is possible that information contained within this post may annoy the reader although that is certainly not the intent of the author. Reading past this point constitutes an agreement by the reader to waive his legal right not to be annoyed by anonymous communication on the internet.
If you do not wish to waive this right, please stop reading at this point and use the ignore feature on this forum to avoid future posts by this author. Thank you.
Neat little gun, not terribly accurate. Mine would do about 3" at 100 yards with a scope and from a rest.
I traded mine for something--kind of wish I had it back sometimes. It was a fun little rifle.
I must admit I was more than a little hacked off at Ruger after I tried to order some hi-caps from them...
If you do not wish to waive this right, please stop reading at this point and use the ignore feature on this forum to avoid future posts by this author. Thank you.
Neat little gun, not terribly accurate. Mine would do about 3" at 100 yards with a scope and from a rest.
I traded mine for something--kind of wish I had it back sometimes. It was a fun little rifle.
I must admit I was more than a little hacked off at Ruger after I tried to order some hi-caps from them...
Last edited:
Amish_Bill
Member
Mags are the weakest link for the mini14.
Thin, wandering barrel is the next in line.
After that you get into piddling little annoyances like mags you have to rock in instead of slam home... ;-)
Thin, wandering barrel is the next in line.
After that you get into piddling little annoyances like mags you have to rock in instead of slam home... ;-)
Jeff Timm
Member
I've had one for many years, used it for targets and an occassional 3-gun match, it's hit knock down targets out to 400 yards, when I did my part. I put an extended stock pad on it to increase length of pull.
I accept it for what it is and I won't spend hundreds of dollars trying to make it almost as accurate as an M-16 Clone with a target barrel. Don't waste your time.
As a "Ranch Defense Rifle" it will do.
Geoff
Who has original 20 round Ruger magazines for his. Never cared for 30 round magazines, even for an M-16A1.
I accept it for what it is and I won't spend hundreds of dollars trying to make it almost as accurate as an M-16 Clone with a target barrel. Don't waste your time.
As a "Ranch Defense Rifle" it will do.
Geoff
Who has original 20 round Ruger magazines for his. Never cared for 30 round magazines, even for an M-16A1.
cbsbyte
Member
Gunz said:
An excellent discription of the Mini-14.
On the side, they also have a Mini-9mm carbine, and the Mini-30 7.62x39 rifle version.
I had one for years and then found a guy who wanted it and gave me 1k for it so I let it go. Bought a 6920 with the money (I guess you could say I traded it for one).
I was disappointed with it's accuracy and the availability of mags holding more than 5 rounds.
I liked how easy it was to clean and that it was stainless (at least mine was), the bayo fit (unlike my 6920) and when folded up, was much smaller than the 6920. The 6920 is far and away more accurate with plentiful mags -and beta mags too
I was disappointed with it's accuracy and the availability of mags holding more than 5 rounds.
I liked how easy it was to clean and that it was stainless (at least mine was), the bayo fit (unlike my 6920) and when folded up, was much smaller than the 6920. The 6920 is far and away more accurate with plentiful mags -and beta mags too
I like my stainless/synthetic Ranch Rifle.
Blued ones may have a fouling problem if you never clean the gas mechanism or let it get wet inside. Otherwise, the things are rock-solid reliable.
If you want a gun that is...
Very reliable, and with top-notch customer service
Compact and quick-handling
Not particularly accurate
A .223 (cheap milsurp for plinking, a dubious choice for home defense for a few reasons, though you can get special rounds to improve that)
...it's a good choice.
I use mine for plinking. It's great for that. Dirt, water, etc. don't bother it. Recoil is minimal, but it shoots like a "real gun" when I'm sick of the .22LR.
The .223 is a popular varmint round, but the Mini-14 is not a varmint rifle. A rancher who comes upon some coyotes or rabid raccoons in the course of his day has a real use for it, but it's no good for plugging rodents at 300+ yards.
Common .223 rounds are not the best for home defense because they are light, small, and very fast, so they can overpenetrate and hit the neighbors, and they don't have the "knock-down power" of, say, a slow but big and heavy .45ACP. That's not to say I wouldn't use my Mini to protect my family if I had to, but the .223 round is not a top choice for that purpose IMHO.
If you want a .223 semiauto, and you're not paper-punching at 200 yards for a score, the Mini is a fine little gun. Again, I prefer the plastic-stainless combo, because I think that makes the most sense in a gun like the Mini, designed as a tool not a rack queen. If you want a good paper-puncher, the Mini action is a good place to start, but you'll end up dropping another grand into it. The AR platform is easier to build into a match rifle, because of the many available parts. It's banned in my state, though.
Blued ones may have a fouling problem if you never clean the gas mechanism or let it get wet inside. Otherwise, the things are rock-solid reliable.
If you want a gun that is...
Very reliable, and with top-notch customer service
Compact and quick-handling
Not particularly accurate
A .223 (cheap milsurp for plinking, a dubious choice for home defense for a few reasons, though you can get special rounds to improve that)
...it's a good choice.
I use mine for plinking. It's great for that. Dirt, water, etc. don't bother it. Recoil is minimal, but it shoots like a "real gun" when I'm sick of the .22LR.
The .223 is a popular varmint round, but the Mini-14 is not a varmint rifle. A rancher who comes upon some coyotes or rabid raccoons in the course of his day has a real use for it, but it's no good for plugging rodents at 300+ yards.
Common .223 rounds are not the best for home defense because they are light, small, and very fast, so they can overpenetrate and hit the neighbors, and they don't have the "knock-down power" of, say, a slow but big and heavy .45ACP. That's not to say I wouldn't use my Mini to protect my family if I had to, but the .223 round is not a top choice for that purpose IMHO.
If you want a .223 semiauto, and you're not paper-punching at 200 yards for a score, the Mini is a fine little gun. Again, I prefer the plastic-stainless combo, because I think that makes the most sense in a gun like the Mini, designed as a tool not a rack queen. If you want a good paper-puncher, the Mini action is a good place to start, but you'll end up dropping another grand into it. The AR platform is easier to build into a match rifle, because of the many available parts. It's banned in my state, though.
Mannlicher
Member
Well I guess I am inbetween. I have a mini Ranch Rifle, and like it a lot. I have a number of Ruger Factory 20 round mags, some bought 'back when', and still in blister packs, and some that I picked up after the ban sunsetted. Magazines, or the lack thereof, have always been a real problem for those that like Minis.
I have a Weaver K2.5 on mine, and though stock, it shoots two inch groups all day long.
I sometimes throw it in the backseat with a blanket over it when going for a drive, but if push ever came to shove, I would not grab it. One of the AR 15 rifles would make that trip.
WARNING! This post is written with the express intent to inform and entertain. Due to the differences in human nature, behavior and culture, it is possible that information contained within this post may annoy the reader although that is certainly not the intent of the author. Reading past this point constitutes an agreement by the reader to waive his legal right not to be annoyed by anonymous communication on the internet.
If you do not wish to waive this right, please stop reading at this point and use the ignore feature on this forum to avoid future posts by this author. Thank you.
If you do not wish to waive this right, please stop reading at this point and use the ignore feature on this forum to avoid future posts by this author. Thank you.
It might overpenetrate with AP rounds, but most expanding .223 rounds will penetrate less than many pistol rounds.
Last edited:
Exposure
Member
zahc said:
Pleaes elaborate on this gem of wisdom.
I have a preban folder I have had for many years. The 4" groups at 100 yards people are talking about are true with mine as well. I don't shoot mine much any more but I don't think I would sell it either. For a good accurate plinker I would go with an AR but if you want it bad like you say then scratch that itch and get it, as I said I like mine. They are reliable and fun close range rifles but there are better out there. My AR's will run circles around the mini-14.
im not sure
but the sks is not better in anny way except price. the mini-14 is rumored to have a 2-4" group at 100 yards, the sks gets 5-10" groups at 100 yards.
with some heavy buletts you could get out to the 500, mabey 600 yard line.
i am about to get one myself as a training gun, and because the ammo for it s alot cheaper than the 30-06 for my garand. you just cant beat the price, alf of an ar-15.
but the sks is not better in anny way except price. the mini-14 is rumored to have a 2-4" group at 100 yards, the sks gets 5-10" groups at 100 yards.
with some heavy buletts you could get out to the 500, mabey 600 yard line.
i am about to get one myself as a training gun, and because the ammo for it s alot cheaper than the 30-06 for my garand. you just cant beat the price, alf of an ar-15.
Crosshair
Member
http://www.accustrut.com/
The one add-on that every mini needs. Tunes them up very well. It is basicly a pipe that is clamped onto the mini barrel. A simple solution that works and it is cheap as well.
The one add-on that every mini needs. Tunes them up very well. It is basicly a pipe that is clamped onto the mini barrel. A simple solution that works and it is cheap as well.
Crosshair said:
I've been waing for the Accustrut to come out for a while now. I've been following the development at the Perfect Unino forums and am waiting for it to be sold. Just to note, the first release will be blued only. Stainless steel struts wil be released sometime in the future. I hope
musher
Member
Yeah, but I can hit an 8" plate at 200 yds with my sks every time. No way I can do that with my mini 14.
On the upside, I don't have to worry about 922r when I put a folding stock and flash suppressor on the mini.
It's a wash, I guess.
- Status
