Ruger mini 14/30 any good?

[Kruel J]

They are a good looking rifle.......

 

[Finnthedog]

This question is stupid

 

[Knobgoblin]

This question is stupid
View attachment 876912

Finn!
Do I still owe you a wood upper handguard?
I sold or traded someone an A team sidefolder stock forever ago. I still owe him the top wood.

 

[Finnthedog]

not me ..

 

[Knobgoblin]

The one I kept is a GB (Government barrel) that currently resides in a hogue.

I ran down a factory folder to dress it up, but it's not a very good stock for actual shooting. Sent it on down the line.

 

[daved20319]

I have a 181 series, got it awhile back in trade for something. It currently lives in a Choate folder that I got as part of the deal, it gives me a longer LOP over the OEM stock, and I prefer the pistol grip. Only things I've done is a lighter trigger spring, a smaller gas port bushing, and an extra power recoil spring. That last was a surprise, as soon as I installed it, my groups shrank by half, literally. I had a Holosun 403B RDS on it, but recently replaced it with a Sig Romeo7 after the Holosun started acting up. Haven't tried it with the Sig yet, but with the 403 it was a 2 MOA rifle out to around 200 yards, and a 5 gal. bucket wasn't much challenge at 400, the farthest I've shot it. Certainly not a tack driver, but varmints sure don't want me shooting at them, whether 2 or 4 legged .

This is a solid, reliable rifle that's more than accurate enough for what I need it to do, and it never fails to impress me when I take it to the range. I have some pretty nice guns, but this is probably the last one I'd sell, it just does everything I ask of it, and never misses a beat. So put me in the "love my Mini" camp, later.

Dave

 

[titsonritz]

correct safety,

What do you mean by that?

 

[deadeye]

As stated the older ones were not a target rifle, the Ranch rifles are what you want. I've had both the 14's and the 30's over the years and both have been fine. Lots of friends and even my brother have taken deer with them the latest with a 30. Loaded up some 7.62x39 with Hornady SST's for the brother to try out. A lot of the accuracy issues stem from what you run through them just like any other rifle.

 

[po18guy]

Apples and rhododendrons. Fun gun v. Transformer. We are arguing factory Ruger v. 100% aftermarket AR clones. Priced a factory Colt lately?



Also a huge mini 14 aftermarket. Mags? Get Tapco.

Me? Pre-ban HK91. Get into 7.62, but in 51 length.

 

[Knobgoblin]

What do you mean by that?

Much more user friendly than ak or ar by a mile

 

[oa98pistol512]

I have the new model mini 14 and my dads first run mini 30. The mini 14 is a 2in or better shooter @100 yrds.

The mini 30 I had re-barelled by ruger and still shoots about a 3in to 6in group depending on ammo.

 

[titsonritz]

Much more user friendly than ak or ar by a mile

First time I'm hearing that, many are critical of the inside the trigger guard style safety ala Garand. While I've never had issue with it, I'm also fine with the AK, but the AR is the most ergonomic and intuitive safety ever and is pretty much universally used on every modern firearm design since the wide spread acceptance of the AR.

 

[PDXbiker]

I own one. I like it. I realize it's not an AR. I don't care. I enjoy shooting it. No regrets.

 

[po18guy]

This question is stupid
View attachment 876912

Just the stock is good for $500.

I was supposed to get an AR15 back in the late 70s. Kind of a mysterious, potentially legal deal. Didn't. (Whew!)
Did buy dad a Mini-14 GB (Government Barrel) with flash suppressor and bayonet lug. About $200-225. Inherited it from him and put an ATI folder on it.

 

[Knobgoblin]

First time I'm hearing that, many are critical of the inside the trigger guard style safety ala Garand. While I've never had issue with it, I'm also fine with the AK, but the AR is the most ergonomic and intuitive safety ever and is pretty much universally used on every modern firearm design since the wide spread acceptance of the AR.

It's also a compromise of 2 functions.
Safety and mode selector. With no available 3rd mode of operating (FA, burst fire) , a safety is all that is needed.
Inside trigger guard isn't exactly how the Garand style safety works. It's trigger finger actuated, versus thumb.
Which means no need to alter your grip on weapon while deactivating your safety.

Try it , you may like it.

 

[po18guy]

We need an age estimator on our avatars. So many here cannot conceive an of era before the AR.

 

[titsonritz]

Try it , you may like it.

What makes you think I haven't?

An M1 Garand was the first semi-auto rifle I ever shot, I was about 12 years old. The Mini-14 was the first gun I bought, did that on my 18th birthday. A few years later during the lead up to the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 and what would become the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 I bought an M1A and I still have it.

 

[GWS]

I like Mini-14s Nowadays, they are overpriced but for what they were built to do, they do it well. No, it is not, nor ever will be a precision rifle, but they are accurate enough for self defense or popping a varmint at under 200 yards. Their best attribute in my experience is they are dead-nuts reliable. They will cycle any 5.56/.223 ammo, even steel case Russian crap
One other thing is they never seem to show up in "Assault Weapon" bans when they list by models.
I'm glad I have them in my collection.

 

[Knobgoblin]

What makes you think I haven't?

An M1 Garand was the first semi-auto rifle I ever shot, I was about 12 years old. The Mini-14 was the first gun I bought, did that on my 18th birthday. A few years later during the lead up to the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 and what would become the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 I bought an M1A and I still have it.

And you don't think it's a great safety?

I am simply speechless.
I prefer the ak platform to any others currently, but loathe the safety.
Ar safety is okay, but definitely not my favorite.
Opinions are my own.

 

[titsonritz]

The way I look at it is, if I'm going to have one gun in 7.62x39 it will be an AKM of some sort and if I'm going to have one gun in .223/5.56 it will be an AR.

I like the Mini-14 but bottom line, for me:

Ruger Mini-30 < Ruger Mini-14 < AK < AR-15