Mini 14

[blamgun]

I'm curious about Ruger's Mini-14 I've heard some good, bad, and indifferent comments about this rifle. Mostly, that it has OK reliability and is a decent 'knockaround' gun, but not very accurate. I'd appreciate it if a few Mini-14 owners (past or present) could share your experiences. I'm thinking about adding a good .223 rifle to my collection, and it seems to me spending the extra bucks on a decent AR would be a better investment. Thanks!

 

[No Trespassing]

Well I'm in CA and it's pretty much the only .223 choice.

Mine is a Ranch model, with a 4X scope (which I'm going to take off as I'm just as happy with the iron sights).

I'm going to be called a liar by the AR lovers/Mini-14 haters but truthfully it shoots 1.5" to 2.5" groups at 100yards when rested on the hood of my truck. That's with cheapo Wolf ammo. Yeah the barrels to skinny but I'm not using it for High Power Competition, removing pimple from a gnats ass or sending 500rounds down range in 30 minutes.

I could hit a BG in the head at that distance if I had to and that's what counts. I have NEVER had a jam with any ammo the Wolf included. I use the factory 5 and aftermarket 10round mags. It's super easy to take down and clean. It's light, etc.

If you wait for a sale you'll get a stainless/synth ranch for about $520.00. Not cheap but not terrible.

Or you can get 2 or 3 Yugo SKS's in 7.62 X39. I have a couple of those too.
They are reliable, HEAVY, accurate, usually pretty beat up and have no warranty.

My 0.02....

 

[Farnham]

I like my Mini-14, but if I didn't live in California, I'd have saved up another couple weeks worth of lunch money and gotten an AR, since they really are the more accurate (but not near as easy to clean) rifle.

Plus, on an AR, you can hang all those Surefires and ACOGs and forend pistol grips and bipods and lasers and mine detectors and umbrellas and....

 

[blamgun]

I have an AKM (SAR-1), and a Yugo SKS. For an inexpensive gun, I'm really amazed with the Yugo - a sturdy well built rifle, never had any stovepipes or other jams, dead-nuts reliable, and shoots accurately enough given 7.62 x 39 ballistics and cheapo Wolf ammo. Both guns are fun plinkers. The SAR-1 is fine, occasionally I'll have a stovepipe and the problem seems to occur less often if I don't completly load up a magazine. I usually only load a 20 rd box in a 30 round mag.

It seems that people either like the Ruger or they don't...I've heard wildly varying stories about reliablity and accuracy. Some folks say reliability stinks and they can't hit the broad side of a barn with one. Others are like you and say they shoot fine and are pretty reliable. I understand the inner workings are derived from the M-1, which seems like a positive given the legendary status of that rifle. My other Ruger (a 10/22), had issues with stovepipe jams until I replaced the extractor with a Volq unit.

 

[MK11]

The first gun I ever bought. I think "indifferent" pretty much sums up the way I feel about it. It's not a bad shooter although it doesn't compare to my AR-15. It's reliable with decent magazines. My only real gripe is the ridiculous pinprick of a rear sight that makes fast, close range shooting nearly impossible.

 

[George S.]

Out of the box accuracy is not really the best in the world but for a few bucks you can get good groups at 100yds. There are smaller gas port busings available that will help accuracy as will as the simple addition of a muzzle brake. A good glass bedding will help also. All of this shouldn't run more than $30 or so.

The Mini Ranch version allows for attaching a scope and comes with a set of rings, but the recoil from stock Mini's will beat cheap scopes up in no time. The smaller gas port bushings and a op-rod buffer will help cure that. In addition, these mods will help with ejecting the spent cases. My Mini used to toss cases about 20-25 feet. After the gas port bushing and buffer, they never seem to go more than 2-3 feet.

I liked the overall feel of the Mini as it has the same overall stock design and length of pull as my 10/22. I have never been a fan of the AR rifles so they weren't really a consideration. Never even liked them from my ARmy days. I trained with an M14 and wasn't till much later that we moved to M16's.

The Mini is really a fun plinker and makes a good truck gun. As with the AR rifles, large capacity mags in 10, 20, and 30 round capacities are available.

Add a folder-tye stock, bipod, and a red dot and you have a cool looking rifle for much less than an AR.

 

[DougCxx]

I had a ranch stainless during the 90's. It functioned well but wasn't real accurate, my $450 mini-14 shot about as consistent as a $90 SKS did. I was told by a few different people that the only thing that -really- fixed that was putting a match barrel on it. There's lots of little tricks and tweaks you can bother with, but really-->just putting a good-quality barrel on the gun ALONE will amount to more than all the tweaks will.

Other options are: Colts, for a tinkering/tackdriving semi rifle, this is what I'd go with. EAA has some AK-variant guns available, Saigas ($200, typical SKS fit and finish) and VEPR's (much nicer, $500). The EAA guns are available in a few different calibers.

The main advantage that the mini-14 used to have was that it was a semiauto that could shoot the huge amounts of cheap surplus 223 amo that was available back then, but the mini-14 cost $200+ less than a Colt rifle. Back then, there were no cheaper 233 semiauto rifles at all (in the US). Now that you can get much cheaper AK's in the same caliber, the Mini isn't real attractive for any reason.

The mini-30's didn't seem to have nearly the consistency problems the mini-14's did. I would not buy another mini-14 at anywhere near retail price unless I lived somewhere that did not allow other options. The -most- I would pay for a mini-14 now is $200, and that would be a new one.
~

 

[R.H. Lee]

I had a 180 series that I sent down the road for $400 awhile back. Thin whippy barrel, no factory mags over 5 rds, and I don't really care for the .223/5.56 round anyway. Replaced it with an SKS Yugo. Bigger caliber, better ballistics. More better.

 

[molonlabe]

George S.

Where did you get the different gas port. I have a 187 that slings the brass anywhere from 25 to 50 feet. I am afraid the extractor or ejector will break so I don't shoot it much. You can PM me if you would.
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Anyway I own two 187 series the one that ejects the brass in a reasonable manner is the LE option with the collapsible stock that Ruger stopped selling to the citizen peons. Both are ranch rifle but the iron sights are useless and need to go. For the money thay are OK, if you want match accuracy get an AR. The mini will take a beating and the action is based loosely on the Garand and that makes it pretty reliable.

 

[No Trespassing]

Mine has thrown at least 8-9K Wolf cases 20-30 feet for a few years...
Should I be concerned about an extractor breakage?

 

[mete]

The mini 14 is also chambered to fire both 5.56 and 223 ammo ( yes they are different ) The 5.56 ammo needs a long throat , the 223 has a throat that is too short .

 

[Sven]

> Well I'm in CA and it's pretty much the only .223 choice.


I strongly disagree. The Kel-Ted SU-16 takes AR mags. This lightweight rifle folds up and can store mags in its buttstock. It IS CA legal.

 

[blamgun]

Sven,

I see a Kel-Tec in your gallery. How do you like it?

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

I like the idea of the Kel Tec, but am a bit concerned about quality. I know the people at Kel Tec do good work, but worry that the design itself might cut a few too many corners, like lack of chrome-bore barrel, etc.

How about a VEPR in .223?

 

[natedog]

It has an AK reciever. No can do.

 

[WT]

........ it has OK reliability and is a decent 'knockaround' gun, but not very accurate .........

My thoughts exactly.

 

[wintermute76]

I"ve had my Mini for a few years now. Never has been spectacular, but isn't bad either. I have a 16" AR now, it sees more use.

I did get a muzzle brake for the mini, and made a new front sight for it. Helped out a lot. I may tinker with some more accuracy work on it for something to do.

So as was said before, indifferent sums it up pretty good.

 

[Sven]

Just got my KelTec back from their excellent customer service department - they gave me some upgrades that really improved things. No failures to feed or fire today, using all sorts of mags, all sorts of ammo including hollowpoints. Will post a full review. My Mini-14 hasn't been shot in a looooong time.

 

[Warhawk]

Howdy, I'm new here. Found this board thru a link on sixgunner.com

I'll throw in my 2 cents on the Mini-14 debate. I've had three of them, all were very reliable, but none of them were accurate enough to warrant mounting a scope.

Beware the 1 in 7 twist versions, my #2 mini was one of these. Not only would it not stablize light (under 50 grain) bullets, the extremely fragile 40 grain bullets would disintegrate as soon as they exited the muzzle.

 

[jeff-10]

Almost everyone I shoot with has a Mini-14 and almost everyone I shoot with loves them. Great rifle, every much as handy as a M1 carbine but it shoots a more potent round.