Ruger Mini 14 opinions?

[JUSTIficatioN]

I'm looking into buying a ruger mini 14, what draws me to them is the durability and reliability even though the round is a little small, but i would like to hopefully get some personal opinions from you guys along with some pro's and con's. thanks for any input you have.

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[feedyourhead]

Great reliable gun by Ruger. Also has a good resale value for when you get bored with it and get an AR

 

[wichaka]

They are a very reliable rifle, and used very well for pounding fence posts too...but their accuracy has something to be greatly desired.

 

[DALE]

I too was considering a "Ranch Rifle", but lately leaning in the direction of an AR. I'll be following this post to see what our more learned members have to say.

 

[coctailer]

I like shooting my Mini-14s a lot more than my ARs.

The newer ones with tapered barrels are a lot more accurate than the older skinny barreled ones. Even the older ones can be made dramaticly more accurate with some minor tweaking.

Get a 580 series and you will love it.

Pick of mine:

 

[simpleguy]

There is a guy in Salem that accurizes these things and basically makes a living doing this. Been to his shop, nice clean........long waiting list. But a nice rifle after he's done with it.

 

[WAYNO]

I am very well pleased with Mini 14's. I've owned quite a few of them, and they are extremely reliable. They continue to get a bad-rap for accuracy, but my guns never got the message, as they are all decent shooters.

I've never scoped any of mine, so I don't know what kind of bench-rest accuracy they're capable of, but using the factory aperture sights, I can hit any coyote, skunk, squirrel, or jack rabbit at any distance I can see the animals in the sights.

The biggest "con" that comes to mind is magazines. I know a lot of folks that shoot Mini's, and we've all given up on after-market magazines. They can be very problematic, and those of us that take our Mini's seriously will use ONLY Ruger-brand magazines. Fortunately, they're now easily available in the 20 and 30-round versions, for much less than they used to be. Up until not long ago, Ruger brand high-cap magazines were very hard to find, and they were expensive.

WAYNO.

 

[SheepDog223]

Mini 14: Functional mags cost 50-80 each. .22 conversion kit does not just "drop in". accessories are there but AR has thousands more available. Out of the box acuracy leaves one wanting. I'd go with the AR. The mini is just the gateway drug like the sks is to the AK. Besides the A-Team used the mini which means it's soooooo 80's. You can update an AR. lol. Sorry Danner... Your mini's the exception.

 

[CEF1959]

The factory mags are now around $35 for 20 rounders and less than $50 for 30 rounders, and I agree that they are the only ones to bother with. I think Coctailer was selling 30s for $46 on here recently.

The older Minis with the pencil thin barrels had accuracy issues from what I hear; I've never owned one of those. My newer one does not. The rugged simplicity, which will keep the thing shooting in all conditions regardless of how many rounds since it was last cleaned, appeals to me in the same way that AKs do.

 

[dario541]

Bi-Mart is selling the 20 round factory magazines for around $35.00 (I think). Although they will not shoot as accurately as an AR15, they are good enough for what they are made for. A plus is that they have far fewer parts and these parts are very robust. Get a target gun to shoot targets and use your Mini-14 as intended. Mine goes "BANG!" everytime I pull the trigger. Nuff said!

 

[coctailer]

Besides the A-Team used the mini which means it's soooooo 80's. You can update an AR. lol. Sorry Danner... Your mini's the exception.

Technically, the AR-15 is sooooooo 60's.

 

[graydog]

Technically, the AR-15 is sooooooo 60's.

Good one!!

 

[The Quiet Man]

Spend some time on www.perfectunion.com to learn about Mini-14's. Most people that I have met who bad mouth Mini's have never owned one. I have owned them since the early 1980's and have found them to be robust weapons that go "bang" every time I squeeze the trigger. I had my very own M-16 in the early 70's and have tens of thousands of rounds experience with that platform. While it is undeniably an excellent weapon, I still prefer the Mini-14. If you are a range warrior paper-puncher obsessed with one hole groups, the AR has the edge - at least out of the box. That, however, is a rather inappropriate use of either of these fine weapons. Buy the one that feels right in your hands.

 

[fromotoc]

They are good guns, as long as you don't pay too much for them. The aftermarket for them is not as good as with AR's. But they are plenty accurate. I like them because I can have something sort of like an m14 for alot less than an m14.

 

[JUSTIficatioN]

what about the mini 30? the bigger round is more up my alley, but i've heard it has feeding problems and that if your gonna go with a mini go with the 14.... true?

 

[emanon]

I know that I'd love to pick up a Mini-14 or two, at least for those places like Canada and California where my AR isn't legally allowed to join me.

 

[fred c. dobbs]

who is the guy in Salem, that tunes mini - 14's, please don't keep such secrets.

 

[Vstromvoyager]

The guy in Salem is John and his web site is www.greatwestgunsmithing.com/ . He goes by gundoc on perfectunion. My mini is a great gun no mater what sheepdog says! And like everyone say the AR is a good weapon and easy to add "stuff" to, but you can not go wrong with a Mini14.
Dan

 

[Logical1]

the new mini-14's a dependable and accurate platform, I think if we all put accesories aside. the mini-14 is just as good as some of the carbine AR models and you can put way more rounds down the barrel without cleaning before failure. but I still love my AR's more

 

[Chee-to]

I like shooting my Mini-14s a lot more than my ARs.

The newer ones with tapered barrels are a lot more accurate than the older skinny barreled ones. Even the older ones can be made dramaticly more accurate with some minor tweaking.

Get a 580 series and you will love it.

Pick of mine:

Hey coctailer, how's that barrel stabilizer working out for you, improve the MOA, worth the money ???