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Posted: 1/12/2021 9:55:34 AM EDT
The first rifle I ever purchased myself was a Mini-14. Paid $440 for it in October of 1997. It was the typical wood stocked Ranch Rifle. I messed around with it, changed some things, even had a factory folding stock for it for awhile. It was about a 4 MOA rifle. As I got more interested in how accurate AR15s can be, I traded it off on something else, and sold all my accessories. (Sure wish I'd kept those factory mags now...)
Fast forward a few years, I have enough ARs to go around, and I run across a local shop with a 582 series Mini-14 Tactical on the used rack. It was marked at $700, and I made a trade that puts me into it for considerably less. Unfortunately it only came with a couple of crappy aftermarket mags. I bought 3 Ruger factory 30 round mags yesterday off GB though.  Attached FileAnd a pic of my old one from a couple decades ago.  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/12/2021 10:06:32 AM EDT
[#1]
Prison guards in the towers where my nephew works carry Mini-14's.
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Posted: 1/12/2021 10:12:25 AM EDT
[#2]
I recently got to try a new Mini 30 and it was pretty sweet and more accurate than I expected. Wouldn’t mind having one.
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Posted: 1/12/2021 12:41:22 PM EDT
[#3]
Was just telling a coworker yesterday that selling my mini 14 is one sale I'll always regret.
It was my first rifle as well, back around 1998. I bought it at Walmart for $419 |
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Posted: 1/12/2021 3:11:34 PM EDT
[#4]
Was glad to get rid of my mini thirty. It was basically an overpriced AK that Bill Ruger wouldn't let me have regular sized mags for. The high cap after markets were super iffy.
It was the Bill Ruger-Fud factor that made me kinda hate keeping it. Cant believe they wouldn't make one that would take AR or AK mags. If they did then I would cry a river for not keeping it. |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 7:14:03 AM EDT
[#5]
Just received 3-30 round Ruger factory mags I bought off Gunbroker. Paid a little more than I wanted, but I figured I better get a few while they're still around in quantity. Have a couple other 30s and a few 20s backordered from Ruger.com too.
I emailed Ruger customer service regarding the picatinny rail that comes with new rifles, but wasn't included with my used one. Ruger is sending one out free of charge. I hope to get out to zero and try it out this weekend. |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 10:36:14 AM EDT
[#6]
I inexplicably want one
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Posted: 1/14/2021 11:01:23 AM EDT
[#7]
Love mine. Wouldnt mind adding another one myself.
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Posted: 1/14/2021 11:01:54 AM EDT
[#8]
Nice rifle. I’ve never really cared for a mini-14 but found a GB one locally for $400. Then the Samson folding stock came out. It’s a fun range toy for sure.
 Attached File |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 11:04:52 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I inexplicably want one This! I've always wanted one but never really made sense to buy one either. |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 11:14:23 AM EDT
[#10]
  I also wanted one, but wound up eventually buying two, for two completely different setups  |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 1:07:59 PM EDT
[#11]
Later, heavy-barreled Mini-14s generally show some benefit from an added barrel strut. With early, "Pencil barrels" the benefit is considerable.
Single clamp barrel struts are not as effective as double clamp struts-- as per AccuStrut: "The single-clamp Socom was developed in response to customer demand for a smaller unit with a compact design reminiscent of the M14 gas cylinder. Actual performance is a secondary consideration, as the unit will not always improve accuracy." |
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Posted: 1/14/2021 3:39:36 PM EDT
[#12]
Those are some good looking Samson folders. I'm going to have to pick up one of those, some blue jean overalls, and a few gold chains.
Amazing this little carbine, with questionable accuracy for so much of it's life, has been in production almost 50 years now. Good looking carbines, guys. |
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Posted: 1/15/2021 12:38:57 AM EDT
[#13]
Mine is one of the $400 Walmart specials a couple years ago. Originally walked in there for a bag of cat food and stumbled apon it. Bought it because of price and nostalgia. Brings back memories of me and my dad shooting his Mini. Still need to hunt down a Choate folding stock.
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Posted: 1/15/2021 12:07:14 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Mine is one of the $400 Walmart specials a couple years ago. Originally walked in there for a bag of cat food and stumbled apon it. Bought it because of price and nostalgia. Brings back memories of me and my dad shooting his Mini. Still need to hunt down a Choate folding stock. |
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Posted: 1/15/2021 8:31:51 PM EDT
[#15]
Bought my Mini-14 Series 186 in 1995 new in the box from B&E Guns in Cypress, CA for $249.99 USD; I remember my best friends and I went to B&E after we saw the ad in the Orange County Register Sports Section and bought the last two in stock. We both got Promag aftermarket thirty round magazines that I remade with OEM parts years later.
I had some work done to it including shortening the barrel to 14.5” and p/w a YHM 5C2 muzzle brake. I had the rifle Cerekoted Magpul FDE and out a Hogue OD stock on. Shoots very nice |
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Posted: 1/17/2021 9:34:26 PM EDT
[#16]
I got one just like it. I found it NIB at a pawn shop for $700 during the early years of the Obomination. It's a decent shooter. If you can find them, the ProMag 20 round steel magazines are GTG.
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Posted: 1/21/2021 2:18:50 PM EDT
[#17]
It's been a snowball, mostly due to the current political climate. I was concerned if I waited for deals on mags they may never come- so I paid retail. (No premium, although it looks like just a few days has caused magazine prices to raise.)
I bought 3-30 round factory mags off Gunbroker about 1.5 weeks ago. Paid $53/each. I ordered 2-20 round factory mags from Ruger about 1 week ago, it showed in-stock, but I promptly received a backorder email. They showed up today though! $40/each I bought 2-20 round factory mags off Gunbroker after getting the backorder notice from Ruger. Paid $43/each. They haven't shipped yet. And then I found this-  Attached File(Ignore little brother) No, I didn't get it from Ruger or Samson. I'm aware both of these retailers are still working off their back-order lists. I had a factory folder years back- this is better in every way. Of course, it also doesn't have 30+ years wear to the folding mechanism, so that should be expected. I've seen a lot of variation in the walnut with these- and this one is about as beautiful as they come.  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 9:19:26 PM EDT
[#18]
I put a few rounds through the mini last weekend. I like it! Does it do anything an AR doesn’t? Nope. But it was fun!
 Attached FileToday the last of the mags I ordered from both Ruger and off Gunbroker showed up. As well as the picatinny rail Ruger sent. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to put a red dot or just leave the irons. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 10:26:29 PM EDT
[#19]
I had a mini 14 barrel cut down to 16+ years back, it greatly improved accuracy, now if only someone would sell a nice 16" chrome lined mini14 barrel!
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Posted: 1/26/2021 10:29:38 PM EDT
[#20]
in 2010 we took in all the Tacoma PD Mini 14's, there were 280 of them in total, all blue with walnut stocks, about 20% of them were GB's.
1st batch was 180 of them, we sold them for $240 or $280(GB) with 1 20rd ruger mag, some had mag carriers on them I think I posted them here on the hometown forum, and just 1 other spot. the cops also had dibs of their duty rifles in they wanted them(at $180) most had no interest. my wife and I came into the shop saturday morning to find a line of people waiting outside.....the 2 of us sold 120 mini 14's that day, there were many multiple sales....it was a crazy and fun day for everyone. We also sent a bunch to the guys over at ih8mud, we were out by the next week. I kept a minty GB and bunch of 20rd mags(there were no 30s) also kept the mini 14 training cutaway which was still a firearm, it was just too cool not to keep. few weeks ago CDNN had ruger 30rd mags for $44.95, I bought 4...no tax and free shipping, they went out of stock fast... but it looks like the are back in stock at 49.95 https://www.cdnnsports.com/mini-14-223-30rd-factory.html |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 7:05:21 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: in 2010 we took in all the Tacoma PD Mini 14's, there were 280 of them in total, all blue with walnut stocks, about 20% of them were GB's. 1st batch was 180 of them, we sold them for $240 or $280(GB) with 1 20rd ruger mag, some had mag carriers on them I think I posted them here on the hometown forum, and just 1 other spot. the cops also had dibs of their duty rifles in they wanted them(at $180) most had no interest. my wife and I came into the shop saturday morning to find a line of people waiting outside.....the 2 of us sold 120 mini 14's that day, there were many multiple sales....it was a crazy and fun day for everyone. We also sent a bunch to the guys over at ih8mud, we were out by the next week. I kept a minty GB and bunch of 20rd mags(there were no 30s) also kept the mini 14 training cutaway which was still a firearm, it was just too cool not to keep. few weeks ago CDNN had ruger 30rd mags for $44.95, I bought 4...no tax and free shipping, they went out of stock fast... but it looks like the are back in stock at 49.95 https://www.cdnnsports.com/mini-14-223-30rd-factory.html Thanks for sharing. It's really surprising how many LE mini-14s are out there. I saw a recent EE ad by recoil gunworks I think it was- they had LE trade-in minis for $829. And sold out! |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 7:56:46 AM EDT
[#22]
Removed. Thought this was GD. Carry on .
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Posted: 1/27/2021 8:41:21 AM EDT
[#23]
 The folders do mate nicely with a RDS. |
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Posted: 1/29/2021 9:34:40 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/129976/A6B7998D-EE0D-45C1-8B1D-C53A5B0CEF9B-1679321.jpg The folders do mate nicely with a RDS. Is that what was referred to as a strut further up the thread? Just below the barrel? I bought one at a gun show in 1997. It was inaccurate as could be and I sold it. I ended up finding one about 6-7 years ago that was the same vintage roughly as my 1997 just so I’d have one again. Loved the design of them. I always wanted a mini-30 to go along with it but oddly rarely see them around here. |
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Posted: 1/29/2021 9:48:55 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Is that what was referred to as a strut further up the thread? Just below the barrel? I bought one at a gun show in 1997. It was inaccurate as could be and I sold it. I ended up finding one about 6-7 years ago that was the same vintage roughly as my 1997 just so I'd have one again. Loved the design of them. I always wanted a mini-30 to go along with it but oddly rarely see them around here. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/129976/A6B7998D-EE0D-45C1-8B1D-C53A5B0CEF9B-1679321.jpg The folders do mate nicely with a RDS. Is that what was referred to as a strut further up the thread? Just below the barrel? I bought one at a gun show in 1997. It was inaccurate as could be and I sold it. I ended up finding one about 6-7 years ago that was the same vintage roughly as my 1997 just so I'd have one again. Loved the design of them. I always wanted a mini-30 to go along with it but oddly rarely see them around here. Mini-30s have always had a "heavy-barrel" profile, as do modern Mini-14s, and so were pretty accurate, given good ammo. My pencil-barrel Mini-14, with dual clamp accu-strut will shoot 2 MOA with decent ammo. Made many mods to the thing, but a tight-fitting syn stock and the accu-strut rank pretty high. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:15:22 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Strut pictured in linked pic is a single-clamp strut, and much less useful than a double clamp strut, as per manufacturer. Mini-30s have always had a "heavy-barrel" profile, as do modern Mini-14s, and so were pretty accurate, given good ammo. My pencil-barrel Mini-14, with dual clamp accu-strut will shoot 2 MOA with decent ammo. Made many mods to the thing, but a tight-fitting syn stock and the accu-strut rank pretty high. Good info, thanks @raf. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 3:09:43 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Strut pictured in linked pic is a single-clamp strut, and much less useful than a double clamp strut, as per manufacturer. Mini-30s have always had a "heavy-barrel" profile, as do modern Mini-14s, and so were pretty accurate, given good ammo. My pencil-barrel Mini-14, with dual clamp accu-strut will shoot 2 MOA with decent ammo. Made many mods to the thing, but a tight-fitting syn stock and the accu-strut rank pretty high. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/129976/A6B7998D-EE0D-45C1-8B1D-C53A5B0CEF9B-1679321.jpg The folders do mate nicely with a RDS. Is that what was referred to as a strut further up the thread? Just below the barrel? I bought one at a gun show in 1997. It was inaccurate as could be and I sold it. I ended up finding one about 6-7 years ago that was the same vintage roughly as my 1997 just so I'd have one again. Loved the design of them. I always wanted a mini-30 to go along with it but oddly rarely see them around here. Mini-30s have always had a "heavy-barrel" profile, as do modern Mini-14s, and so were pretty accurate, given good ammo. My pencil-barrel Mini-14, with dual clamp accu-strut will shoot 2 MOA with decent ammo. Made many mods to the thing, but a tight-fitting syn stock and the accu-strut rank pretty high. I did not shoot it before dropping it in the Samson folder and installing the Accu-Strut or Ultimak (and symmetrically tightening the gas block screws). Because of this, I cannot testify to a "before" and "after" accuracy, but the 16" gun does seem to shoot better than my 18" blued one. (Possibly due to barrel whip  ).For a huge variety of accurizing tips, RAF is a wealth of great information. My minis shoot as well as I can manage to shoot with irons from an unsupported standing position, which is good enough for me; in that regard they shoot no better or worse than a non-FF iron sighted AR. |
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Posted: 1/31/2021 2:11:11 PM EDT
[#28]
Thanks, all, for kind comments. There are plenty of well-informed folks at https://www.perfectunion.com/vb/ruger-mini-14-mini-30/who will be happy to help Mini-14 and Mini-30 owners.
Have posted this elsewhere, but info is still valuable. Look up Serial number of your Mini, and find Rate-Of-Twist of its' barrel. Try to use appropriate weight bullets, but try many different weight/types of bullets, as each rifle is a little different. For Mini-14s, 62 Gn bullet probably best in 1-7 ROT barrel, 55 Gn probably best in 1-10 ROT barrel. But, every rifle is a bit different, so experiment. https://sunflowerammo.blogspot.com/2012/11/ruger-mini-1430-barrel-twist-rates.html |
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Posted: 1/31/2021 2:27:02 PM EDT
[#29]
I really like the mini 14 and mini 30 platform.
My only gripe is that it doesn’t suppress as well. Its inherent to the design, and that is the way it is. |
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Posted: 1/31/2021 2:49:02 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I really like the mini 14 and mini 30 platform. My only gripe is that it doesn't suppress as well. Its inherent to the design, and that is the way it is. Disclaimer: no financial interest. |
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Posted: 1/31/2021 6:46:54 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: RAF is correct; it is an accu-strut, but I installed it more for the look than for any practicality. I did not shoot it before dropping it in the Samson folder and installing the Accu-Strut or Ultimak (and symmetrically tightening the gas block screws). Because of this, I cannot testify to a "before" and "after" accuracy, but the 16" gun does seem to shoot better than my 18" blued one. (Possibly due to barrel whip ).For a huge variety of accurizing tips, RAF is a wealth of great information. My minis shoot as well as I can manage to shoot with irons from an unsupported standing position, which is good enough for me; in that regard they shoot no better or worse than a non-FF iron sighted AR. Honest question. I wonder why you never hear someone mention barrel whip with a 20" long skinny FNFAL that has a .30 cal bullet coming out of a .590" barrel(IIRC), but constantly hear about a .224" bullet coming out of a Ruger Mini14 .560" 18" barrel? I have both. |
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Posted: 1/31/2021 8:15:57 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Honest question. I wonder why you never hear someone mention barrel whip with a 20" long skinny FNFAL that has a .30 cal bullet coming out of a .590" barrel(IIRC), but constantly hear about a .224" bullet coming out of a Ruger Mini14 .560" 18" barrel? I have both. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: RAF is correct; it is an accu-strut, but I installed it more for the look than for any practicality. I did not shoot it before dropping it in the Samson folder and installing the Accu-Strut or Ultimak (and symmetrically tightening the gas block screws). Because of this, I cannot testify to a "before" and "after" accuracy, but the 16" gun does seem to shoot better than my 18" blued one. (Possibly due to barrel whip ).For a huge variety of accurizing tips, RAF is a wealth of great information. My minis shoot as well as I can manage to shoot with irons from an unsupported standing position, which is good enough for me; in that regard they shoot no better or worse than a non-FF iron sighted AR. Honest question. I wonder why you never hear someone mention barrel whip with a 20" long skinny FNFAL that has a .30 cal bullet coming out of a .590" barrel(IIRC), but constantly hear about a .224" bullet coming out of a Ruger Mini14 .560" 18" barrel? I have both. Long story short, the heavier (greater mass) of the muzzle device was always an accuracy-enhancer. Your choice of FAL muzzle devices available is currently more restricted than what I tested. I settled on the Belgian combo device, in part because it offered a short, compact mass at the muzzle, and also offered the ability of attaching a bayonet. I made no eval of flash suppression, which is a highly useful feature. Long Stoll was a close second. There used to be the an option of attaching a slip-over South African compensator, over the Belgian combo device, which worked well to reducing muzzle rise during rapid-fire. M1A also has the option of a slip-over GI muzzle compensator. I have both, and they work as intended. All of these slip-over compensators should be removed before night-time firing of one's rifle, as they inhibit the flash reduction feature of the original muzzle device. Same sort of thing as to adding increased mass to pencil-barrel Mini-14s. Many savvy Mini-14 owners begin by attaching a short, Choate muzzle device, which is an A2 style flash suppressor, and which also includes a much better, winged front sight. All of this gives added mass to the end of the Mini's barrel, which reduces barrel whip. Modern, heavy-barreled Minis don't need this. Falfiles archives seem to be problematic. I posted about some of this stuff here, in Arfcom long ago, but Arfcom archives also seem to be problematic nowadays. Ask me any questions you wish, and I will try to respond. |
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Posted: 2/4/2021 2:58:12 PM EDT
[#33]
Slings, swivels, and mounts seem to be a common topic in regards to the folding stock. I was lucky to have a couple different 1" swivels that fine perfectly on the rear attachment point of the stock. I had a couple of 1 1/4" swivels that would not due to the way the swivel was made. Also saw a "Virtual SHOT show" video from Samson- they're introducing a sling mount that fits the rear of the stock with a cup to accept QD sling mounts.
Being stuck with a 1" swivel, I had to dig around to see what 1" slings I have. This HK G3 sling worked far better than I imagined. I used the HK clip directly to the front swivel of the rifle, and ran the rear of the sling through the 1" swivel. The HK clip at the front allows the rifle to lay flat across either my chest or back. There's no tendency to twist. Crappy pictures, trying to use a mirror to get different carry positions.  Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 2/5/2021 8:14:34 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Slings, swivels, and mounts seem to be a common topic in regards to the folding stock. I was lucky to have a couple different 1" swivels that fine perfectly on the rear attachment point of the stock. I had a couple of 1 1/4" swivels that would not due to the way the swivel was made. Also saw a "Virtual SHOT show" video from Samson- they're introducing a sling mount that fits the rear of the stock with a cup to accept QD sling mounts. Being stuck with a 1" swivel, I had to dig around to see what 1" slings I have. This HK G3 sling worked far better than I imagined. I used the HK clip directly to the front swivel of the rifle, and ran the rear of the sling through the 1" swivel. The HK clip at the front allows the rifle to lay flat across either my chest or back. There's no tendency to twist. Crappy pictures, trying to use a mirror to get different carry positions. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_7__2__JPEG-1810626.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_8__2__JPEG-1810627.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_9__2__JPEG-1810630.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_11__2__JPEG-1810633.JPG |
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Posted: 4/8/2021 6:30:21 AM EDT
[#35]
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Posted: 4/8/2021 12:00:08 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Latest upgrade for the Mini. Samson's swivel qd adapter. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/mini_14_12_jpg-1897076.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_13_jpg-1897078.JPG |
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Posted: 4/8/2021 1:52:31 PM EDT
[#37]
https://www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=04-06079-xx
Uses any pushbutton QD sling loop. It does not have anti-rotational stops, which actually works out well for this application. |
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Posted: 4/11/2021 5:46:02 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Prison guards in the towers where my nephew works carry Mini-14's. This is my Michigan prison trade-in Mini 14 GB.  It is marked with both SPR and ITF. SPR was the Pine River Correctional Facility before being renamed the Central Michigan Correctional Facility. It has also been at ITF, the Deerfield Correctional Facility.  
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Posted: 4/13/2021 9:30:53 PM EDT
[#39]
The mini can be set up as a pretty handy carbine if you can find/modify the right parts, it's just unfortunate that the majority of the aftermarket parts are marketed to the 50+ fudd crowd. I went through the gamut trying to find parts to modernize the gun as a CA-legal non-neutered truck gun but found it to be quite a challenge to get stuff that is simple to find for ARs such as sling mounts, light mounts, low-mounted rings etc. It's actually kind of sad that the majority of aftermarket parts available are of questionable value and design such as the accustrut, the only purpose it actually seems to serve is to make the gun look more like an M14 with dubious functionality gains. You can't even find an aftermarket side sling mount or adjustable steel gas block. I ended up having to take parts intended for AR and bolt guns and modify them to fit just to give it the bare essentials in an ergonomic format.
Here's mine set up with an LPVO and left side rail with offset M600DF. 
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Posted: 4/14/2021 6:19:52 AM EDT
[#40]
That's a good looking carbine. Do you have a picture of the other side?
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Posted: 4/14/2021 6:22:12 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Was glad to get rid of my mini thirty. It was basically an overpriced AK that Bill Ruger wouldn't let me have regular sized mags for. The high cap after markets were super iffy. It was the Bill Ruger-Fud factor that made me kinda hate keeping it. Cant believe they wouldn't make one that would take AR or AK mags. If they did then I would cry a river for not keeping it. |
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Posted: 4/14/2021 6:51:27 AM EDT
[#42]
A good friend had a KAC556K.
look it up........ 
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Posted: 4/14/2021 6:52:50 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's a good looking carbine. Do you have a picture of the other side? Here is the light mount I set up: 
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Posted: 4/15/2021 10:21:40 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryHow is that held on, that survives the heat? Any more pictures about how tight that is held towards the body of the rifle? I've been thinking about adding a WML to my Ultimak-equipped folding mini, and this might be a potential solution (though from a different orientation). And how well does that Trijicon perform on top? |
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Posted: 4/15/2021 11:51:15 AM EDT
[#45]
When my kids were young we shot the hell out of a stainless Mini-14. I wish I had it back.
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Posted: 4/15/2021 2:59:56 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How is that held on, that survives the heat? Any more pictures about how tight that is held towards the body of the rifle? I've been thinking about adding a WML to my Ultimak-equipped folding mini, and this might be a potential solution (though from a different orientation). And how well does that Trijicon perform on top? Light mount is a Grovetec picatinny rail for bolt action rifle stocks. It is attached with screws and backing plates mounted through the inside of the stock. It is as secure and tight against the stock as can be. The trijicon is set perfectly in terms of eye relief and mounting height. Mounted in low height Alaska Arms rings as they are the lowest solution possible. I am extremely happy with this configuration . I had an ultimak and AP on it before but didn't much care for that setup. It was still too high to co-witness and shifted the weight of the gun towards the front too much. |
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Posted: 4/15/2021 3:11:30 PM EDT
[#47]
If you can find the Thermold mags that Sportmans Guide used to sell (and maybe still do) I've had good luck with them.
It depends on the gun though. The Thermolds worked great in my newer model Mini but would not feed at all in my FILs gun. I did have to make a little notch in the followers to get them to ride up enough to activate the bolt hold open, but after that they were solid. |
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Posted: 4/15/2021 3:20:58 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The mini can be set up as a pretty handy carbine if you can find/modify the right parts, it's just unfortunate that the majority of the aftermarket parts are marketed to the 50+ fudd crowd. I went through the gamut trying to find parts to modernize the gun as a CA-legal non-neutered truck gun but found it to be quite a challenge to get stuff that is simple to find for ARs such as sling mounts, light mounts, low-mounted rings etc. It's actually kind of sad that the majority of aftermarket parts available are of questionable value and design such as the accustrut, the only purpose it actually seems to serve is to make the gun look more like an M14 with dubious functionality gains. You can't even find an aftermarket side sling mount or adjustable steel gas block. I ended up having to take parts intended for AR and bolt guns and modify them to fit just to give it the bare essentials in an ergonomic format. Here's mine set up with an LPVO and left side rail with offset M600DF. https://i.imgur.com/RNNp1p1.jpg The Accu-strut may help on the older guns with skinny barrels, but on newer guns with thicker barrels it's completely not needed. You will see a ton of people recommending them and installing them though. My FIL has an older, skinny barrel, stainless gun. Already had the strut when he got it. His friend got him a huge Chinese scope, even though the gun is the standard model that had no way to mount a scope. He kept bugging me to help him mount a scope so I finally got him a B square mount. 
It was a pain to install, not sturdy enough, and made the gun minute-of-barn at 100 yards. He acted surprised when he shot it with his new scope, even though I told him repeatedly that it was not a long range gun. Newer guns are much improved. I sold my 2 year old Tactical about 5 years ago because I wanted a new stainless Tactical. I don't want to drop $1000 on one though, so I guess I'll stick to ARs. |
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Posted: 4/26/2021 2:45:40 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Latest upgrade for the Mini. Samson's swivel qd adapter. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/mini_14_12_jpg-1897076.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/44835/Mini_14_13_jpg-1897078.JPG @wiley07 Here's the Samson qd adapter |
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Posted: 4/26/2021 2:49:57 PM EDT
[#50]
Honestly I wanted a Mini14 as my first rifle.
So many people gave me shit over that. I still want one ARs are pretty boring. Now that AR prices have gone up buying a Mini 14 at current prices won't sting as much imo. |
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