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Posted: 8/11/2026 8:03:41 PM EDT
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In winter of 1996 I bought my first gun. It was a stainless mini-14. The receipt says it was $410 out the door. It was a chunk of money for someone freshly out of highschool. Over the years I picked up a lot more guns and the mini-14 has sat in the back corner of my safe. My wife did get me the A-team stock when they came out a few years ago. But installing that stock is all I have done with that gun in probably over 25 years. I'd like to dig it out and shoot it a little. So I have a few questions. I remember Ruger factory mags use to be the only recommended mags for it. Is this still the case? I have some kind of off brand stainless 30 round I bought with the gun, but I don't know who made it. I've never had any trouble out of it in the past. The gun is marked .223 The only .223 ammo I have is some old wolf steel cased ammo. Is that ok to use? The rest of my ammo fort is 5.56 And lastly, I'd like to get it threaded for a suppressor. Can this be done at a realistic price? Thanks for the help guys. |
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Triple k mags suck. So did some other pk or pp or some other crap from the stone age, lol. Promag mags were hit/miss imo. Just buy Ruger OEM mags and have no problems. 5.56 ammo is fine in the Mini14 Don’t let some fudd tell you otherwise. I recommend Jim Pixley at JP grips, he does excellent work cutting & threading mini14’s. He did mine - very reasonably priced and fast turnaround. |
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Originally Posted By LineHaul: Triple k mags suck. So did some other pk or pp or some other crap from the stone age, lol. Promag mags were hit/miss imo. Just buy Ruger OEM mags and have no problems. 5.56 ammo is fine in the Mini14 Don’t let some fudd tell you otherwise. I recommend Jim Pixley at JP grips, he does excellent work cutting & threading mini14’s. He did mine - very reasonably priced and fast turnaround. Ballpark price for the threading? |
So are we not doing phrasing anymore?
Joined:
Jul 2008
Posts:
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EE: 100% (158)
OR, USA
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Originally Posted By Walker77: the mini-14 has sat in the back corner of my safe. My wife did get me the A-team stock when they came out a few years ago. But installing that stock is all I have done with that gun in probably over 25 years. A shame, they are a lot of fun to shoot. Originally Posted By Walker77: I remember Ruger factory mags use to be the only recommended mags for it. Is this still the case? I have some kind of off brand stainless 30 round I bought with the gun, but I don't know who made it. I've never had any trouble out of it in the past. Factory mags are still the best, they are a lot cheaper now than they used to be too. Aftermarket mags can run great for some people, but they're not really worth the gamble. Just buy factory mags now that they are plentiful and reasonably priced. Originally Posted By Walker77: The gun is marked .223 The only .223 ammo I have is some old wolf steel cased ammo. Is that ok to use? The rest of my ammo fort is 5.56 Steel case is fine, and the manual specifically states that all mini-14s are 5.56 rated. Originally Posted By Walker77: And lastly, I'd like to get it threaded for a suppressor. Can this be done at a realistic price? Accuracy Systems is the go-to place for mini-14 work. They will chop barrels and thread them no problem. I wouldn't trust just any ol shop around the corner to do it, mini-14s have a reputation of being difficult to remove barrels without damaging the receiver. |
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I have a few pre-ban Federal Ordnance (FedOrd) 30rd mags that run well in my AC556F machine gun. 5.56 is fine, as is steel cased. If I were going to suppress a standard length barrel I'd opt for a titanium can, barrel harmonics (barrel whip) and all. JP Grips threading service - https://www.jpgrips.com/order/p/rugermini14 |
Now with more political fatigue.
| Whst series is it? (Serial number) you may get away w/ shooting 5.56 in it...you may not....I had a 181 s.n. and had some extractor issues shooting 5.56 in it. My understanding is the later series at some point basically had a "wildey chamber" and would handle 5.56 &.223.... there is quite a bit of difference in chamber pressure.... |
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Welcome to the 90's Mini club! Mine is a stainless '93-94 Ranch Rifle, series 188. Paid $425 for it. Only upgrades are an M-14 style flash hider and an Accustrut. Adding the strut reduced group size and made it fun to shoot again. For years I had a 4x Bushnell on it, and swapped it out in favor of a 1-4x Primary Arms LPVO. Steer clear of John Masen mags. Mine seem to function ok, however rust spots formed under the paint, causing paint to bubble and chip off. |
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