Need opinions on Ruger Mini 30

[mugsie]

I'm looking to add to my small collection. I already have a Savage in 223, and was thinking of moving up a little. I've been looking at AR's but they're 223 as well. I was thinking maybe an M1A but the cost here in PA is a little high. Maybe the Mini 30? Can it accept 20 round magazines? Anyone have experience with it? Primary use for the gun will be punching holes in paper at 100 - 300 yards. I know, the Savage works great at those ranges but it's like a drug addiction, I gotta have more and more to be satisfied, and besides, I do need another round to reload!
Thanks guys....

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Nothing wrong with it--except the cost. Why not an sks--or 3--for the cost of one mini.

Yes, they'll take any size mag--just like the mini-14 in .223.

You can likely get a solid SKS to shoot just as well (if not better) than a stock mini. Really, for what you're looking to do--check out the SKS.

 

[Titan6]

Can't think of a single reason to buy one over an AK. Unless you live in a state where AKs are illegal and mini30s are legal.

 

[Zach S]

Can't think of a single reason to buy one over an AK. Unless you live in a state where AKs are illegal and mini30s are legal.

+1.

I'd rather have the AK over the SKS due to detachable mags.

And I'd rather have the AK over the mini due to affordable, detachable, high capacity mags that work.

I put money down on a Mini 30 once just because I thought it was cool. The more I though about it, the less I thought it was cool. Thankfully, the dealer is cool, and he let me transfer that down payment to something else.

 

[skinnyguy]

You can pick up some 30 round magazines for the mini-30 around on some websites, so I wouldn't be surprised if you could find some 20 rounders somewhere as well.

 

[Risasi]

I cast my vote against the Ruger also.

Honestly I would say stick with the .223, there is no reason to get another firearm in yet another caliber. I realized I needed another caliber like another hole in the head. So I've been consolidating down to as few calibers as I can. My main one being .223.

If you have the money for a Ruger I would say invest it into two Saigas. One in .223, one in .308. Or just get the one in .308, I would choose it over 7.62x39 any day.
Last I knew they were still going for around $300 to $400 range.


P.S. Yes the Saiga's are pretty darn accurate (when you consider how much they cost). You should be able to get 1.5MOA or less reloading. If you want better accuracy than that you will be spending a lot more money, or will have to go with a bolt action in a larger caliber.

 

[MassMark]

The only issue I've seen with Mini-30's is aftermarket magazine reliability - other than that, it's a nice rifle. Ergonomically, I find it superior to an SKS or an AK. That being said however, had I to choose, it would be a high-end AK.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but on the low end, you could find yourself a nice AK variant for around $400.00 and on the high end, an Arsenal SA-M7. I have an SA-M7s (AWB-style) that is truly the most accurate Ak variant I have ever fired. It does more than just punch holes in paper - it dispells the myth that Ak's are little more than reliable "spray and pray" guns. With a Russian PO 3 5x21p on deck and Arsenal's Steyr barrel for a tube, (excellent) my SA-M7s will make a believer out of anyone. Price is steep, ($700.00), but you absatively get what you payeth for....

But, if your heart is set on a Mini-30, you'll be well served...My buddies is uber-reliable once he got some mags to match...

 

[longboard]

My Mini 30 is a great rifle, Fun, cheap to shoot, accuate enough for me [I hunt with it] and light weight.
I have an SKS fun to shoot, cheap to buy, accuate like my Mini and as heavy as my M-1 that shoots 30-06.
For the Mini 30 100 yards is as far as I shoot at food , paper 300 is doable but not accuate enough.
I have a Mini 14 and the Mini 30, great rifles and loads of fun. Here in Cal. we can't have an AR inless it has a fixed magazine and it costs way to much for half a rifle.
Longboard

 

[aka108]

Happiest day in my gun life was when I sold the Mini-30. Least accurate, by far, firearm I've ever owned. Even told the buyer that but he still wanted the thing.

 

[kentucky_smith]

Get a Mini in 6.8. The new ones are supposedly better anyway and the 6.8 is superior to 7.62x39 in every way except availability. Hopefully that will change soon.

 

[benEzra]

Get a Mini in 6.8. The new ones are supposedly better anyway and the 6.8 is superior to 7.62x39 in every way except availability. Hopefully that will change soon.

+1. If you want a mini, the 6.8 would make the most sense, IF anybody makes 20-round magazines for it. I wouldn't want to be stuck with the Ruger 5-rounders, though.

If you really like the 7.62x39mm caliber, a civvie AK lookalike is functionally identical to a Mini Thirty in every way, looks better (IMO), and is half the price. The only area the mini wins IMHO is fit and finish, but for the price of a mini you could get a higher end AK that would be finished just as nicely.

That rifle (SAR-1) and the Kobra optic/mount together cost about $560 plus tax ($379 for the rifle, $179 for the optic), which is $275 less than Ruger's MSRP for the Mini Thirty minus optics. Even if your dealer gives you $200 off the MSRP, the mini is still considerably more expensive than a comparable AK lookalike. Unless, of course, you are in California, in which case the mini is pretty much the only game in town.

 

[glockman19]

Completely differnt rifles mini-30 & AK. When in doubt if you can get teh AK. I like Ruger Mini-14's & 30's but also have an AR & M1A. for punching paper I'd get the one that is less expensive both in cost and ammo.

 

[ArmedBear]

Few of the guns mentioned, other than the M1A, would be any fun for punching paper at 300 yards. Some of them wouldn't be fun at 100 yards.

My Mini-14 is not fun for punching paper at 100 yards. Fun as anything for plinking at reactive targets way past that distance, but anything short of a MOA-capable isn't really fun for paper target shooting. You don't ever know if it's you or the rifle that missed the black. I like my Mini. But it's not a paper-puncher. The Savage is.

SKS? Same deal. AK? Other than a Saiga or a few other exceptions, no better. They're world-class plinkers, but not great paper-punchers. Most readily-available AK's are thrown together from disparate parts, due to import restrictions. A good one costs a fair amount, too. Again, the Saiga is cheap and more accurate than most.

Bolt guns shine at distance, and they're a helluva lot easier to clean.

The exceptions will cost money.

The new Remington 750 has been tested and is sub-MOA capable with the right ammo. It's near Mini-30 price range. I don't think there are easily-available magazines bigger than 10 rounds. And it's not "military". But if you must have a semiauto, and don't want to pony up for an M1A, it will shoot well.

There's always a nice AR. .223 is a wonderful little round, and excellent for paper punching to 300 yards. Shoots a lot flatter than a 7.62x39, that's for sure!

 

[MudCamper]

I own a Mini-30 because the opportunity to buy one used came up, and I didn't have anything that shot 7.62, so I couldn't resist. I also own a Mini-14, and a couple CA-legal ARs. My advise is, if you live in a state where it's legal, get an AK. Only buy the Mini-30 if you can't get an AK.

The biggest problem with Mini-30's (and Mini-14's) are magazines. They all suck. People will tell you this brand or that one is good, but they all suck. And Ruger refuses to make factory high-cap mags.

 

[psegnatelli]

IF your looking for a good light rifle in a cheap caliber to shoot (7.62x39) and accurate, YES even with Wolf Ammo! I'd suggest you look towards the bolt actions. I have a Charles Daly Mini Mauser (now Remington) and a friend of mine has the CZ 527. I love the thing. Cheapest centerfire rifle to shoot, Period. It'll shoot a 20rd box of Wolf into 2inches @ 100yds repeatedly. My only complaint was that the bolt handle was too small, So I made it "tactical" sized with some duct tape. I feel it'll handle any shot I need to take out to 200yds+.

I believe H&R makes a handi rifle too.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Need opinions on Ruger Mini 30

They are the best $300 rifle that $600 can buy.

 

[benEzra]

Completely differnt rifles mini-30 & AK.

Not really; the only substantial difference is looks (the Mini Thirty gas system is upside-down compared to that of the AK, with the gas port and bolt carrier on the bottom instead of the top, to allow the gas system to be concealed within a traditional-looking wooden stock).

Internally, both are gas-operated semiautomatics using a rotating bolt design and a heavy gas piston/bolt carrier for reliability, with the gas port at the very front of the wooden forend. The gas piston design is a bit different (the Ruger uses a square block that goes over the gas port extension and reciprocates in a lined channel in the stock, whereas the AK uses a more traditional looking piston in a tube and more mass rearward), but the piston/bolt carrier assemblies both work the same way and do the same thing. Both use a double-column mag with a stationary front catch and a rear latch, rock-and-lock design. And so on.

They're the same caliber, same rate of fire, pretty much the same accuracy (AK slightly better, by most accounts), same effective range, same range of magazine capacities, etc. etc. Not much different at all, IMHO.

 

[Kman]

Punching paper at 300 yards with a mini-30? not likely,,but for hunting deer in cover yes!, it throws to the shoulder well, has quick following shots and is loud enough to let your buddies know you got something, {so they can hold the legs while you gut it out}, but all that being said you can buy a yugo SKS for around $125, put a different stock on it, cut the garbage off the front and have a reliable truck gun for about $250 less, cause a good used mini sells for about $400. I'd use a different caliber like 22-250, or .243 for fun out to 300 yards

 

[ratseal]

I am stuck in CA, and I decline to buy a neutered AR. Since I already had a Mini14, I sent it to GWS for the B Package, and dropped a CompM2 on it. Net result is that I have $1000 in a $300 rifle. When I leave CA, I will keep it, but I won't buy another.

On the up side, it goes bang every time, and with the smithing, it has a crisp 2-3lb trigger, shoots consistently into 3" at 200m, and features an Ultimak so I can mount a red dot for three gun.

If you aren't in CA, get something else.

Besides, Ruger is an ass.