Quoted: You need to get an AK.  Go to Jensens and pick up a Vector underfolder,  or an Arsenal Bulgarian. Or maybe you need a .308  Do you  have an FAL?

No FAL, but I'd like one some day.  Not in the mood to drop a load of cash, otherwise I'd pick up another AR.  How much will an AK run me?

My first kid is going to be born in August, and I'm trying to keep the gun buying to a low roar since on the date of his birth I am going to buy him an arsenal - a few pistols, couple of AR's, etc.

I don't hate the mini-14, from my experiences (with a 90's model) I just don't think it's a good deal.

At the time, there were really only two "practical" 223 semiauto rifles available in the US--the Colt and the mini. The mini was more attractive because it cost less ($450 to the Colt's $650) but didn't shoot very accurately/consistently at all, and fixing that involved putting a match barrel on it, , , -but putting a match barrel on it cost $250-$300+ more, negating any price advantage.

Ruger supposedly rebuilt the tooling, the new ones were supposed to shoot better. I am not interested anymore.
~

They are actually quite handy for close quarters.  They make great trunk and boat type guns.  But I agree with the rest of the posters. Accuracy sucks to begin with then gets worse as the barrel heats up.

I bought a Mini 14 new. My 1st shot was pretty good out of a cold barrel after that it patterned not grouped shots. I was disappointed and sold the Mini. Doesn't look like much has changed with the Mini. Ruger could fix it with a heavier barrel but has chosen not to. With the prices of a new Mini in the AR range why buy the mini. Even the Armalite AR-180B would be a better choice than a Mini atleast you could use AR mags.

$100 SKS............4" at 100 yards open sights

$300 Mini-14......10" at  100 yards open sights


..............you decide!




 

First, regarding the .30 Carbine, back in the 60's an d70's surplus ammo was still plentiful and very cheap.  The .30 Carbine could be purchased quite cheaply, was rugged and reliable, as were mags.  But most of that old surplus ammo is gone now, you have to buy new ammo.

On to the Mini-14.  Bill Ruger and his "you don't need more than ten rounds" animosity?

For me that is a big part of it.  I really used to like the Mini-14.  

Factory mags were never easy to get, and were always expensive.  There was a company policy to not sell the 30 rnd factory mags to the general public, but in the early days the 20 rnd mags were.

Federal Ordnance, aka PMI, made excellent mags at very good prices.  These mags were every big as good as the factory mags, and half the cost.  The Fed Ord/PMI 20's sold for $11-$12, the 30's for about $13, 40's for about $14.  Add a dollar for nickle plated or stainless.  The early plated mags were to match the stainless Mini-14, which in the early days were brightly polished.  Later Ruger went to the dull bead blasted finish, and PMI began to make matching stainless mags.

I never had a parts breakage problem with the Mini-14.  Aftermarket stocks and other accessories were plentiful, but never a lot of "tactical" gadgets like for the AR-15.  This may have been due to the spread of CNC machinery in small shops in the 90's, and increased popularity of the AR-15.

Accuracy was never the Mini's strong suit.  It is a 100 yd rifle, and that's it.

Still, a stainless Mini-14 or Ranch Rifle is an excellent "trunk gun".

What gets me is what the Mini-14 could have been.  It would be very simple, and at little or no added cost, to make the barrel a little heavier.  Not talking a 1" bull barrel, but simply getting it up about .75"-.78" or so.

The other problem with accuracy is the loose wood stock.  You can try this yourself... swap the loose wood for a tight fitting Choate or Butler Creek stock.  I like the Choate "E2 Pistol Grip Stock".  These stocks will cut 100 yd groups from 4"-6" down to 1.5"-2" with the typical XM193 type ammo.

Even if they made these changes I will never forgive Bill Ruger's betrayal, and will never buy another Ruger product.  

I've never had any issues with PMI mags in my (USED) pre-ban Mini-14.  

Much cheaper than those mags that Bill Ruger refuses to sell to us mere civilians.  

Quoted: I kind of like the way they look, they are sort of like a M1 Carbine.  Their lineage is right - that of the mighty Garand and M1A. So why don't people like them?  I could understand back when hi-cap magazines were banned and decent ones were hard to come by.  Nowadays, there surely must be decent magazines available for a good price.  So what's the deal - why don't people like them? I thought about picking one up - I like wood stocks and I think it would make a decent and PC looking gun with some bite to it if need be.  The sights on it seem good too.

People hate them here because this is an AR15 site.

Same reason people at Mustang sites shit all over Camaros and vice versa.

The Mini-14 is a great gun for the price.   It doesn't have the aftermarket support, and it isn't capable of sub MOA accuracy at 1000 yards, but for the average Joe it is a fine rifle.

Great gun for the price? I don't think so. Maybe if you bought a used one cheap or along time ago. Heck I paid a little over 200 bucks for mine when it was new. But now a new one is 7-800 bucks. Maybe you can get new discounted but it is not in the same league as an AR!

I've shot the stainless model and wasn't impressed.

despite sharing the same cartridge, the mini-14 does not shoot as softly as an AR.

I Wasn't shooting for groups at the time so, I can't comment on accuracy...


That being said, someone mentioned the barrel as being the mini's shortfall...


OR is it the gas system.  I may be ignorant, but gas piston rifles are generally not as accurate as D.I.  

Hence, the reason I haven't convereted to a piston driven design for my ARs.

Quoted: Quoted: You need to get an AK.  Go to Jensens and pick up a Vector underfolder,  or an Arsenal Bulgarian. Or maybe you need a .308  Do you  have an FAL?   No FAL, but I'd like one some day.  Not in the mood to drop a load of cash, otherwise I'd pick up another AR.  How much will an AK run me? My first kid is going to be born in August, and I'm trying to keep the gun buying to a low roar since on the date of his birth I am going to buy him an arsenal - a few pistols, couple of AR's, etc.

This is the one I would buy if looking for a quality AK at a good price.   The fit and finish are top notch.
You could also get an Arsenal for a little more.  Their quality is well known.

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Quoted: Never, not once, have had a problem with a factory mag.

Great for you, I'm glad to hear it.


However, I still experienced jams from 2 Ruger factory mags. The owner of said Mini still had problems with them when he replaced springs/follower too.

Quoted: So I suppose I would be lying when I say, that I have had 2 Mini's and maybe 50 mags and I've only had 1 malfunction related to one bad mag in maybe 2000+ rounds..... most of it Wolf which is supposed to be shit ammo that wont function in anything.

I'd say I'd believe it when I saw it (and, no, posting pics of your Mini with the mags isn't proof).

I've heard Ruger fanatics that detest it can outshoot, outlive, and perform for less than any AR-15.

However, as previously mentioned, I have handled 3 Minis. 2 were blued ranch, 1 was SS. All three sucked compared to a simple decent SKS.

no animosity toward the mini here, but i'd prefer its big brother

i have a 2005 "new" mini 14, and when the barrel is warm i get 3 inch groups at 50 yards off a bench with a scope.

head over to the perfectunion forums, they have a lively mini-14 forum and some experts. it looks like you can cut your group size in half if you add some weight to the end of the barrel, and accurize it even more by cutting the barrel to 16.5" and adding a muzzle attachment. the barrel needs the extra weight/stiffness because of the vibrations/harmonic tuning.

i don't know about you all, but i feel kinda like a mall ninja when i am in the woods hiking, looking for squirrel/coyotes with an ar-15. the mini-14 has the classic feel that is sometimes appreciated, not just for PC reasons.

i have had maybe 1 or 2 function issues in the 500 or so rounds i have put through it, probably bad ammo (silver bear .223)

Quoted: Quoted: Never, not once, have had a problem with a factory mag. Great for you, I'm glad to hear it. However, I still experienced jams from 2 Ruger factory mags. The owner of said Mini still had problems with them when he replaced springs/follower too. Quoted: So I suppose I would be lying when I say, that I have had 2 Mini's and maybe 50 mags and I've only had 1 malfunction related to one bad mag in maybe 2000+ rounds..... most of it Wolf which is supposed to be shit ammo that wont function in anything. I'd say I'd believe it when I saw it (and, no, posting pics of your Mini with the mags isn't proof). I've heard Ruger fanatics that detest it can outshoot, outlive, and perform for less than any AR-15. However, as previously mentioned, I have handled 3 Minis. 2 were blued ranch, 1 was SS. All three sucked compared to a simple decent SKS.

Who really cares what you believe.  Oh, you have "handled" 3 Minis.  Whooptee-fucking-doo.

I don't see anyone claiming it is better than an AR, but your "unreliable" crap is pure bullshit.

6-10 inch groups of a sandbag could be why. Thats with my scoped ranch rifle, when I first shot it I thought something was wrong with the scope.

Its a Ruger product...I wouldn't want a Ruger product if you gave it to me. Fuck Bill Ruger, he sold out gun owners for profit.

I'm glad the old man is dead.....

according to the gun rags they're being produced with 1/10 twist barrels.

seems odd to me that they aren't even offered in a 1/9.



so the barrels suck or is it the gas system that gives these rifles their terrible accuracy?

A mini-14 is a nice concept, poorly executed.

Quoted: according to the gun rags they're being produced with 1/10 twist barrels. seems odd to me that they aren't even offered in a 1/9. so the barrels suck or is it the gas system that gives these rifles their terrible accuracy?

Probably both, but the fact that the operating rod feels like it is half the weight of the rifle cant help.

Quoted: Its a Ruger product...I wouldn't want a Ruger product if you gave it to me. Fuck Bill Ruger, he sold out gun owners for profit. I'm glad the old man is dead.....

But I bet you would buy a Glock or a Smith and Wesson.

Quoted: Quoted: Its a Ruger product...I wouldn't want a Ruger product if you gave it to me. Fuck Bill Ruger, he sold out gun owners for profit. I'm glad the old man is dead..... But I bet you would buy a Glock or a Smith and Wesson.

Nope, hate Glocks...I did buy a Walther P-99, which is imported by S&W, don't know if that counts...

I am pretty much into only military weapons in any case....

I have experienced the accuracy problems with the Mini-14, but I have always found them to be superbly reliable. I have an old Ranch rifle here that I have NEVER stripped down and cleaned and it always works fine. I've had the thing now for about 6 or 7 years. I have probably put more rounds through this rifle than any of my AR's, as it my chief plinker and throw around rifle. Though the gun is filthy, the damn thing has never jammed. Amazing. The magazines I have used in it include factory Ruger, PMI, John Masen and even a POS USA mag that will barely fit properly into the rifle. Yet they all will feed and function.

In my experience, the Mini-14 has piss poor accuracy due to a crappy barrel. But I have found them to be very reliable, more so than my experience with AR-15's to be honest. If Ruger made a decent barrel for the Mini and if quality hi-caps were available at a decent price, I likely would not own any AR's at this point. The concept behind the Mini was good.....but the attention to detail Ruger gave it was pretty shitty. I just wish they had chosen to make a scaled down M1A with the same level of craftsmanship when they made the Mini. It could have been such a fine little weapon.

I dont hate the mini,I just thing its a little pricey to buy new,but I would pick up a used one for the right price.There are a lot of simple fixes out there to help accuracy,and if Ruger ever made one in HBAR configuration for a decent price I would get one.Good mags can be had now as I understand,the two I had,one blued,one stainless,are the only rifles I regret getting rid of

My biggest problem with them is, you have to send it to them for some repairs.
Imagine sending you car to GM in Detriot to get it repaired.

Quoted: Magazines are shit, anyone that tells you otherwise is lying. Even Ruger factory mags (which seem to be most expensive than gold in the same weight...) have problems occasionally.

Amen to that.  If they took USGI mags the rifle would be a lot better.

A mini 14 can be made to shoot accuratley. That is if you want to spend the time and money. For about a $100.00 you can bed the stock, install a muzzle brake, and have a trigger job done. Mine shoots less than 2'' at 100 yards. But I haven't shot it since I built my AR.

Quoted: My biggest problem with them is, you have to send it to them for some repairs. Imagine sending you car to GM in Detriot to get it repaired.

IIRC,you do have to send it in to buy certain parts they want to hand fit,however you can buy spares they will fit to your weapon.There are legitiment critisisms of the ruger company,especially in the past,but they make a hell of a firearm,and they will stand behind their weapons as far as repair and service.

Quoted: Took a BRAND NEW Ruger Mini 14 - stainless w/ synthetic stock, (3) NEW Ruger 20 round magazines and American Eagle 55gr FMJ ammo off a sandbag and couldn't do better than 2-3  inch, 3 shot groups at 50 yards yesterday. Could that be why?

Can do that with my stock rifle at 100 yards all day long.

Quoted: Stock ones are about as accurate as an AK with less power and worse reliability.  Tuned ones cost as much as an off the rack AR, are about as accurate, and are generally less reliable. IIRC, they LOOK like the m1 and M14, but use a different (less reliable) system. Why not get an M1 from the CMP?  Or if you want to save $, an SKS.  Either will give greater reliability, more power and probably the same or better accuracy. SRM

Indeed...why not have an M1 Garand rechambered and tuned for  25-06 round or a 270?

More punch and flatter shooting than a 223, less recoil than a 30-06,

Quoted: Quoted: My biggest problem with them is, you have to send it to them for some repairs. Imagine sending you car to GM in Detriot to get it repaired. IIRC,you do have to send it in to buy certain parts they want to hand fit,however you can buy spares they will fit to your weapon.There are legitiment critisisms of the ruger company,especially in the past,but they make a hell of a firearm,and they will stand behind their weapons as far as repair and service.

Hand fit?
Another strike against them. I like being abile to get drop in parts just about anywhere.

Quoted: A mini-14 is a nice concept, poorly executed.

Pretty much sums it up.

Unless you HAVE to have a .223 I dont see why you need a Mini-14 when there are others that do just as well. The Sks can be made to have 30 rounders and it only costs $200. Accuracy is probably as good if not better. That Robinson armament Vepr II is dead on accurate, dead on reliable, shoots .223 and goes for about the same price as a new Mini, so whats the point of a mini? An m1 carbine is also a good substitute.  And you can also get an Romanian AK in .223, it will probably be just as accurate as a mini (though i have not fired one). All these rifles I mentioned could be considered "truck rifles" as they are tough as nails and kickaroundable.  

Not as accurate as the AR-15 and not as reliable as the AK-47.