Ruger mini-14, can one be had for cheap?

[MrIzhevsk]

I am looking into buying a mini-14. My first question is can they be had for cheap? I saw one brand new at a gun store for 700 so how much could I find one used say at a gun show? I of course understand that the prices could vary but could one be had for say around 400?

My other question is what would be the best hunting caliber for this? Would 7.62 be good or would 6.8 be better?

 

[R.W.Dale]

either 6.8 or 7.62x39 are gonna be your best bets for hunting both working equally well at the ranges you'd use a ruger mini at, But right now even getting 6.8 ammo is an achievement in of it's self. So I 'm gonna recommend the mini30

 

[MrIzhevsk]

thats what I figured. Is there a brand like Hornady that makes a premium hunting bullet in 7.62X39?

 

[R.W.Dale]

cor-bon has a few "premum" 7.62x39mm offerings as do a few others

 

[MrIzhevsk]

So has anybody seen one of these at a gun show or on a consignment rack for sale? Do people sell these regularly or am I going to have to really turn over some rocks for it?

 

[Flash!]

a friend of mine just sold his stainless mini 14 for $700.... another friend sold his blued mini 14 in the 450 range.....

one too high and one too low...it just depends on the buyer and seller's needs....

 

[R.W.Dale]

even the Ruger hasn't been spared by the current freakish demand. You may have to do a great deal of digging.

 

[MrIzhevsk]

are there other brands that make the mini-14 that are considerable? Or is Ruger the only maker?

 

[briansmithwins]

Min-14s can be found cheap. The hard part is finding mags that work for less than $40 a pop.

BSW

 

[benEzra]

are there other brands that make the mini-14 that are considerable? Or is Ruger the only maker?

Ruger is the only manufacturer of the mini-14, but the Russian Saiga rifles in .223 and 7.62x39mm are comparable to the mini-14 and Mini Thirty, respectively, and the SKS is comparable to the Mini Thirty (except it's much more difficult to mount optics satisfactorily on an SKS). Civilian AK lookalikes are functionally identical to a Mini Thirty, but may be hard to find at the moment due to demand.

http://www.raacfirearms.com/rifles.htm

Saiga in 7.62x39mm

The Kel-Tec Su-16 is comparable to a Mini-14, as is the Remington 7615 (pump-action, though).

The Springfield M1A and similar rifles resemble the Mini-14/Thirty in many ways (due to common design heritage), but are larger, heaver, .308 Winchester, and VERY expensive.

Used mini-14's will undoubtedly be cheaper, but the new ones (580 series and up) are more accurate.

If you can't find them anywhere else, Wal-Mart sells relatively inexpensive blued Mini-14's, and may sell the Mini Thirty as well.

Be sure to budget for magazines. Reliable over-5-round magazines for both the Mini-14 and Mini Thirty are expensive and availability is sometimes spotty.

It is very simple to change the stock on a Mini if you ever decide to.

Top, factory; middle, Choate; bottom, Butler Creek folder

 

[MrIzhevsk]

Be sure to budget for magazines. Reliable over-5-round magazines for both the Mini-14 and Mini Thirty are expensive and availability is sometimes spotty.

I have been reading this. What about standard 5 round magazines? Are they as spotty to find as over 5 rounders? I don't need a 30rd banana magazine to have fun at the range!

 

[benEzra]

I have been reading this. What about standard 5 round magazines? Are they as spotty to find as over 5 rounders? I don't need a 30rd banana magazine to have fun at the range!

Ruger will sell you as many 5-rounders as you want. They only recently resumed selling 20-round mini-14 magazines, and only sell 5's for the Mini Thirty.

Most people who buy the rifles would like the option of a more substantial capacity for versatility's sake, particularly if the gun may serve in a backup defensive role.

I owned a mini-14 Ranch Rifle for a decade and a half, and probably used the factory 5-round magazine three or four times during that period.