Ruger Mini 14: just for fun or useful?

[RPRNY]

I do not own s/a rifle nor any rifle chambered in .223/5.56. I am intrigued, but not to the point of wanting an AR. Just not my thing. But I have taken a shine to the Mini 14, particularly to a stainless / synthetic model.

So I have read some good, some bad. Lot's of "I love my Mini", some "couldn't get rid of it fast enough". But what I haven't been able to find much of is reviews to its potential accuracy. That always seems a little blurred around the edges. I am not expecting MOA performance. But is it a reasonable proposition for coyote at 150 yards or is it just not precise enough?

 

[LoonWulf]

i think the general consensus is that its a good first shot rifle, and some (mine included) can string together a decent group. not all can tho. Most if not all the new ones and many of the old should make fine 150yd coyote rifles.

 

[jmr40]

New ones are supposed to be more accurate. All of the older ones I've owned would need a bit of luck to consistently hit a coyote at 150. At 100 with real good ammo it would probably hit more times than not. I'd get 2"-4" groups at 100 yards with good ammo with the ones I've owned.

I have nothing against the Mini, have owned several in the past and would buy another at the right price, but cannot justify spending more for a Mini than an AR. You can now buy some budget AR's for $50-$100 less than Mini-14's are selling for and a very good AR for less than $50 more than a Mini. I haven't found an AR yet that wouldn't shoot 1.5-2" at 100 yards and most will cut that in 1/2 with good ammo and optics.

 

[WardenWolf]

I believe the term we're looking for is "Sub-AK accuracy". That is, you can do much better with a converted Saiga that's in the same price range, and at 3-4 MOA the Mini-14 is significantly worse than most WASRs.

 

[RatDrall]

I believe the term we're looking for is "Sub-AK accuracy". That is, you can do much better with a converted Saiga that's in the same price range, and at 3-4 MOA the Mini-14 is significantly worse than most WASRs.

Welcome to 2012. About 5 years ago Ruger redesigned the Mini-14 barrel and got entire new machinery. Mini-14 barrels are now cold hammer forged and the new design isn't as affected by heat as the older ones were.

I've had an old Mini that would shoot very accurately, like 1 MOA accurate, for the first half dozen shots. After that it would heat up and shoot a pattern.

My new mini-14 started great, and stayed that way even after heating up. I never shot the new one with a scope, but my groups were the same size as I can shoot with an AR.

Ignore people talking about how inaccurate the Mini-14 is, they haven't shot the new ones

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Ignore most of what you hear about the Mini's accuracy. If you like the looks of the Mini and the price is right,buy it and make up your own mind. The Mini is far more accurate than what you will read here. I've had/have 4(2-Mini-30s and 2-Mini-14s). One is a 184 series,one is a 188 series,one is a 189 series and one is a 580 series. All are more accurate than you will need for hunting,plinking or even SD/HD situations.

 

[mberoose]

If you go into Mini-14 ownership expecting an AR-15, you're doomed from the start. But if you have reasonable expectations for its' accuracy, you'll grow to love them, as I do with my 185-series. That said, groups do open up if you really start hammering on it, but with an Accu-strut and a better ventilated top cover it will improve. I know a guy that had a 580-series with an Accu-strut, and it performed very well too, so accurizing one isn't terribly difficult. Even when bone stock, they're as accurate as anyone would ever need a utility rifle to be before they get really hot. With mine, going back to back against my buddy's WASR-2 after already warming it up, the groups were about the same, and I'm fine with that. I've never had a malfunction with mine using OEM & aftermarket mags and every type of ammo you can think of, from steel-cased .223 to hotter 5.56.

As a durable utility rifle with classic styling and good ol' wood & steel construction, I struggle to think of better options for the caliber. They're a ton of fun and satisfying to shoot. Sometimes the internet tends to blow things out of proportion, and I think in today's overly-tacticool range ninja magazine shooter environment, Mini-14 accuracy is one of those things that fell victim to it. They're great rifles.

 

[308win]

Mine will shoot 3" groups at 100yds - more than accurate enough for Coyotes at 150yds. Go to Perfect Union (or whatever it is called now) and you will find more than you can absorb about Minis and accurizing them.

 

[OilyPablo]

Welcome to 2012. ......Ruger redesigned,,,,

This. You really can't go by the heritage stories of this rifle and all the early variants vs the NEW Mini 14. I bought one last year and I love it. The deal with the Mini-14 is it just works. Mine has never jammed. Ever. I can't even say this about my AR, which wouldn't feed some out of spec factory reloads, well they would feed about 80% of the way into my AR chamber, then stop and were heck to get out. Guess what, the same ammo fed and ran fine in my Mini-14. So decided right then and there I had a winner. In a bad situation and all that is available is scroungy .223/5.56, I can shoot it in the Mini-14. I have some polymer mags and some Ruger steel mags and they all feed fine.

It's a little interesting to break down and clean the gas, piston and such - but it stays really clean so really I only do this after a bunch of range sessions.

I like my Mini-14. And I was the guy who was about to sell the rifle when I got my AR. I wish I had a 6.8SPC version!!!

 

[RPRNY]

I like the "sub-AK accuracy" descriptor

So, this is heartening news. For my next question, would those same views, that the post 2005/58 Series Minis are more accurate, apply to the Mini 30? I am not really familiar with 7.62x39 other than its "AK accuracy" descriptor and so I would appreciate views on whether the Mini 30 would also be a suitable 150 yard coyote rifle that could also be a 2 legged coyote deterrent should the need ever arise. Since they seem to retail slightly cheaper than the Mini14, I think the answer may be no, but I am prepared to be pleasantly surprised again.

On another note, are there any other non-AR, non-AK carbines that have the relative handiness of the Mini and that M1 Carbine look/feel about them that you might recommend ?

Thanks for your help. I'm really a bolt, lever, and single shot aficionado so I'm pretty much a fish out of water in the semi auto arena.

 

[checkmyswag]

I don't need one but would like one...for whatever that's worth.

The AR crowd will tell you for the new prices on minis you can get a cheap AR.

While this is true...if you want a more traditional type rifle, go with the mini, also mini "money" will get you into only the cheapest ARs, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Look for a used one with some extra mags and a scope.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've had four of the early skinny-barrel Minis. I always used a K4 scope. One of them, I put well over 2,000 rounds through it.

What I found was that the first three shots grouped around 1.5 MOA. I didn't worry about the groups opening up with more shots since my use was primarily for hunting and otherwise for casual plinking. All of those Minis were consistent for putting the first shot right where I wanted: About two inches high at 100 yards, and within a half-inch or so to either side. Plenty good for jackrabbits and coyotes.

From what I read, the newer versions group better.

 

[Jackal]

I have a new Mini, 580 series. It shoots just over 1moa for the first 3 rounds, then it opens up to about 2.5 moa. Accurate enough. Perfect reliability. Looks like a real rifle, not a Call of Duty reenactment. Nothing wrong with AR's (I have owned 5), I just prefer a real rifle without all the little farkles (tactical this, tactical that). Just grab it, it works. A rifle you can bet your life on. A walnut stocked Mini with a sling. Cant be beat.

 

[WardenWolf]

I like the "sub-AK accuracy" descriptor

On another note, are there any other non-AR, non-AK carbines that have the relative handiness of the Mini and that M1 Carbine look/feel about them that you might recommend ?

It's called an SKS. They're available in several different forms, from several different countries. They're a bit more accurate than your average AK, and definitely more accurate than a Mini-14 or Mini-30. You can get Yugos with excellent barrels that also have beautiful wood. Most Yugos have that funky grenade launcher attachment, but there's at least one version that doesn't. You can also get Russian, Romanian, and Chinese / Norinco versions. They average between $250 to $350 nowadays.

Here's a nice Yugo: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=305842891

And here's a nice Romanian: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=309121760

The Russians and Romanians are the highest quality. Yugos are excellent, but lack a chrome-lined bore. That doesn't matter much, though, because you can often find them unissued and in perfect condition, and modern ammo isn't corrosive.

 

[SGW42]

Is it not useful if it provides a lot of fun?

My 581 likes the XM855 that's cheap these days and does pretty well, about 2 MOA out of a very hot barrel. I've never had a problem that wasn't related to trying to use cheap magazines. I daydream about shooting it all the time.

 

[WardenWolf]

SGW42, a lot of us feel that only accurate guns are fun or interesting.

 

[riomedinamike]

I have the fortune of using a couple of ranch rifles, pre-accuracy modifications, with 4x weaver steel el paso scopes and ruger factory rings.

They are coyote accurate at 150 yards.

 

[hentown]

Suppose you want, eventually, to be able to hit something smaller than a basketball @ 100 yds?? The AR platform is much easier to disassemble for cleaning, modifying, etc.. AR prices are right down there with Minis, these days. I used to own a Mini stainless ranch. Gave it to a friend of mine, so his 14-yr-old son would have something to play with in the woods.

 

[OilyPablo]

Suppose you want, eventually, to be able to hit something smaller than a basketball @ 100 yds?? The AR platform.....

The new Mini-14's are more accurate than that. And the OP said he didn't want an AR. Now if there were an AR-15 with wood......

 

[meanmrmustard]

The new Mini-14's are more accurate than that. And the OP said he didn't want an AR. Now if there were an AR-15 with wood......

That is grotesque.

 

[OilyPablo]

Disagree. I'm making a .458SOCOM AR-15 in wood. I think it looks nice. And point being sometimes plastic sucks.

 

[Art Eatman]

There are multitudes of tight-group rifles that cost a third to a half of an AR. But if hunting is the Main Deal, the Mini is as good as most anything. Since the first shot is the most important, the Mini serves quite well--as quite a few jackrabbits and coyotes found out from mine.

This nonsense about basketball-sized groups is just way too silly.

 

[stubbicatt]

Per Art Eatman:

This nonsense about basketball-sized groups is just way too silly.

Yep. Why, oh why, must I be afflicted by the AR boys who jump these threads? The question posed by OP SPECIFICALLY says he doesn't like them. It is so annoying every single time the question has to do with the Mini 14 that I learn instead nonsense about AR's. Not helpful, and off topic. I sure would like to learn more about the Mini 14, which seems like a neat rifle to me.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Disagree. I'm making a .458SOCOM AR-15 in wood. I think it looks nice. And point being sometimes plastic sucks.

Plastic always sucks. But, it's a rifle that is associated with it. Wood on an AR is bastardization of the breed, and to me it looks, well, goofy.

If you like it, go for it. I'll try not to vomit.

 

[ugaarguy]

On another note, are there any other non-AR, non-AK carbines that have the relative handiness of the Mini and that M1 Carbine look/feel about them that you might recommend ?

Not really M1 Carbine look and feel, but the Molot VEPR Super rifles in .223 and .308 with their very nice wood stocks integrated sights remind of the old HK SL6 and SL7 sporting rifles.