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Posted: 1/31/2007 8:50:54 AM EDT
| Sorry but I didn't know where else to do this thread. I'm sort of interested in buying a Mini-14 because they are inexpensive and always available at my local Wal-mart, plus they come in .223 which is fun to shoot. Who owns one and what's your opinion on it? |
I bought my mini at Gemco (Dept. Store) in San Diego county in the early 80's for $169.99 plus tax. Straight up blue ranch rifle. Found a half-dozen Ruger 20 round mags at the Del Mar fairgrounds gun show, paid about 5.00 each. Took her to the range which at that time was a place called Bear Valley up in the Cuyamaca mountains. I ran about 500 rounds out her without a single misfire. Groups averaged about 8" at 100 yards and as the daylight went I began to notice an awsome foot long flameing burst from the muzzle each time I fired it. It made that little .223 feel like a .308. I kept it a few months and sold it when I bought my first Colt AR-15 A2...Now that was love
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Mini's generaly are not as accurate as AR's but they were not made for match shooting. A mini wil serve most purposes very well provided factory mags are used for reliability. Minis make great plinkers, truck guns, defensive weapons. They are plenty accurate out to 100 Yards. I love my AR's but there is somthing about the simplicity of a Mini and the way they point that just works very well for me. If you want a Mini, I say get one and slowly aquire the more expensive Ruger factory 20 round mags over time. Also I would make sure to get one of the new style Mini's with the new sights and stock design. I have also read the barrels on the new ones are a little larger in Dia. so they have a bit of an edge over older models in the accuracy department. True or not Im not sure. |
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IBTM try "arms and tactics" they are ok guns; ok made, kinda loose, and noticibly less accurate than ARs; from the ones i have shot and held, the sights arent the best or toughest., but they were reliable firearms mags are Ruger made specials--no AR mags in em, and they are expensive and hi-caps are tougher to get parts are the same; overall, they are well budget, reliable, and shootable .223s, but not something i would compare to a reputable AR |
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I have one SS w/ the GB folding stock which I bought for the A-Team appeal alone. That being said, they are POS. The biggest issue being the barrel that Ruger puts on 'em. Cold-bore it is fine but once I fire anything over five shots the rounds start walking all over the place. I've been lucky and was able to get PMI mags before they dried up so all my mags work fine. Ruger is supposedly coming out with a souped-up (read hyped-up) Target model. For what one is going to cost you might as well buy a used one and send it off to get it accurized. Or save the trouble and just buy an AR-15. |
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I have a SS ranch model that I bought in '92. I have a few hundred rounds through it. It was my first rifle and it was fun. I haven't shot it in about 10 years, now, and I keep it for sentimental reason, I guess. Honestly, it's a good plinker, but I would save up for an AR-15 of some sort. If you're really strapped for cash, then I would buy an upper, then save up for a lower. Unless you really like the Mini-14, you're going to be much happier with an AR. (Of course this is ar15.com ...  )
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By the time you have bought a decent number of good mags for the Mini, you will have spent just as much as you would have on an AR with the equivalent number of USGI mags. Add to that the poor sights, poor accuracy and lack of easily obtainable parts and there is no contest. I owned a Mini for awhile and I have no regrets about trading it. It is a third of the rifle that the AR is, at two-thirds of the cost. |
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I've got 2 of them. They're both fun to shoot and I enjoy shooting them, other than magazine related problems I've never had any trouble with either one. With that being said though IMHO if you don't have a rifle yet save up a little more and pick yourself up an AR15. I've seen plenty of them on EE for around 700 bucks. I know Wally World is wanting about 550 for the Mini. The biggest complaint/problem with the Mini is getting reliable high capacity mags. The factory Ruger mags are good and reliable, but the best price I've seen on them is around $35.00. Aftermarket mags are a crap shoot some work, most don't!!! You can pick up brand new AR15 30 round mags for way less than 15 and used even cheaper. Wouldn't take long before that would eat the difference up in the price between an AR and a Mini. I'm gathering all the AR mags I can stand right now, I figure there will come a day that we won't be able to buy them any more. Rick SGF, Mo. |
Rumor has it they aren't very accurate. Of course that depends on the shooter.| Hi Nice gun. Not a battle rifle. I have a S/S Mini 14. As stated. Good mag's are hard to get except factory Ruger. $50 on up. Also a lot of cast parts. I had a frends blue Mini,s extror brake. Metel looked like cast iron. Personaly I would look at a good used. Ar15. Way better rifle. And Mag's are less than $10 each. Also I am not sure what the barrel twist rate on the 14? Is it still the old. 1/12 ? Limits your ammo choices. My two cents |
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Thank you but I long ago decided to jump onto the AR bandwagon and I don't intend to step off of it anytime soon. However I think the Mini-14 looks cool, like a miniture M14 (is that where they got the name)? Thanks for the info on mags, I'll remember that. I was also interested in the various stock options, such as the folding synthetic stocks with pistol grips. |
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How's this? In the 80's I bought my 1st rifle, a Mini. Loved it, put thousands of rounds through it, no problems with it. Got tired of it and sold it. In the 90's I missed it so I bought another. Loved it, put thousands of rounds through it. No problems with it. Got tired of it and sold it. In 02 I missed it and bought another. Loved it, put lots of rounds through it. No problems with it. The one weak point is the mags. Some aftermarket mags are good. Some aren't. The Ruger Factory mags are good but somewhat expensive. But... how many mags do you really need? Accuracy isn't as good as the AR but it isn't as bad as some people say. With a minimun of practice I know that I can pretty much hit a man sized target at 200yds. For the price, what more could you ask for? |
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This looks pretty sweet. policeguns.com/2006/cart.cfm?CFID=39021&CFTOKEN=44034104&id=prodview&ProductID=5757 S.O. |
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Some of them shoot reasonably ok,I have shot a couple that were not too bad. I also owned a stainless ranch rifle (bought new) that could hardly hit the side of a barn if you were inside the barn. It was truely horrible. How can a brand new factory rifle in a modern caliber shoot much worse than the most rusted out abuseed mil surp? I would advise you to buy a sks for a reasonable priced plinking rifle or save your money until you can afford a used/new AR Us folks here at AR15 have our fair share of mistrust and hate for all things not AR , but in the case of Ruger Mini 14s I believe it is totally justified |
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Decent guns, I like mine; but they're not AR's - if you want an AR, get an AR. Reliability will go to shit with just about all non-Ruger magazines. The more aftermarket shit you put on your Mini, the problems you will have. Accept it for what it is, you'll enjoy it - try to make it something it's not, and it's a world of headaches. |
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I own a mini-14 and love the thing. I bought it before I owned any AR's and got it because the price was right. After I got it, I decided I wouldn't be happy until I built an AR as well and thought that I would like the AR more. I am a little biased toward my AR's BUT I still love both the Mini and my AR's for what they are. My Mini will be transformed into a trunk gun/scout rifle/ get home gun. I'll be sticking an Amega ranges scout forend on it, a red dot with QD of some sort, a long eye relief scope with QD of some sort, and a Surefire on it. That and a nice composite stock and past that I'm leaving it alone. I don't want it to be super tacticool or anything, just making some adjustments so it fits me and my needs a little better. It has been nothing but reliable with good mags. It shoots decent groups and like others have said, I'm sure it's more accurate than me but as long as it goes bang and puts the round in a pie plate at 100 yds. I really don't care. I didn't get it to be a match target rifle. I got it because it is a great, inexpensive, reliable, durable go-to gun with a decent amount of accessories that shoots a caliber that I enjoy shooting. If you're interested in getting one, there's nothing that should hold you back. All the talk about them being rediculously inaccurate and unreliable is all bullshit 2nd and 3rd hand stories from idiotic mall ninjas that have never even held a mini-14 in their hands, let alone shot one. In fact, they probably don't even know anyone that owns one. I would actually say as a lot of people I've heard say the same thing, despite my fondness for my AR's and the enjoyment I have from shooting them, my Mini may be more fun to shoot...and I don't know why. |
For everyone telling him to get an AR, it seems as though he all ready has at least one. He's saying he'd like some variety and asking if the Mini-14 is a decent gun. Like others have said, hopefully C products will make some 30 rounders and if they do, they'll make a killing. As I stated above, it's a good buy and you shouldn't regret it. |
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at this point i've had just about every evil black rifle that a person who's not wealthy can own, for some reason i've always liked the A-team gun, but never owned one. expensive and questionable reliability mags are the main reason. although the guns themselves are realatively inexpensive, my dealer has about a dozen of them right now, police trades, and about $300. so one of them may be making its way home for a truck gun, or a giveaway gun (should the need come up). seems people love them or hate them, guess you cant please everybody. |
| I have a mini SS and love it, very simple, plenty accurate and fun as hell. DO NOT waste money on any mags other than Ruger. 44mag.com has 20 rounders for cheap enough. I thought I might want to get rid of mine when I got into AR's, but I never wanted to. It's more simple and less scary for the sheeple. I use it for coyotes and plinking. |
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They've been 1 in 9 since 1994. They were 1 in seven for about ten years before that. The first ones were 1 in 10. Dennis Jenkins
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Folks he's already got an AR, as implied by his second post. I say get it. I've had a Ranch Rifle since 1988 but I rarely shoot it anymore. Not because there's anything wrong with it, it's just that I prefer my ARs. I just hang onto the Mini for sentimental reasons. Unless you are mounting an optic I'd go with the standard Mini and not the Ranch Rifle. The flip-up rear sight on the Ranch Rifle is flimsy unless they've changed it. That's my only complaint about the Mini-14. |
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The Mini-14 was my very first firearm. I still have it, but rarely shoot it. To me, it's only major drawbacks are the terrible, terrible sights (Ruger makes fine barrels in other rifles, and I bet the terrible sights are why they have a rep for bad accuracy), and lack of affordable mags. If someone made M1/M14 style sights for them and I could get mags for $15, it would come out of the back of my safe. I love the feel of the rifle including it's recoil impulse. Definately a fun rifle to shoot. |
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Twist rates below: 1978-1985 = 1 in 10" (e.g., 181 series) 1986-1994 = 1 in 7" 1995-2004 = 1 in 9" (e.g., 197 series). 2005- = 1 in 9" Manufacture dates: www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/PS-SerialNumberHistory-RI.html |
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