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Posted: 8/27/2009 9:21:05 AM EDT
| Not trying to blow smoke up anyones butt, however, I have noticed there seems to more knowledge on this site then others on the net and you guys have a lot of knowledge on the subject of rifles. I don't know if this is right place to post this question but like I said, you guys seem to be the real deal. I simply want to ask about any issues with the Ruger Mini 30. I am only interested in it as I have nothing in 7.62X39 and want at least one weapon in that caliber in the safe. I am not interested in SKS or AK and since I love my little M1 Carbine I think I would more comfortable with the Mini 30 if I have got to it. I have never owned any of the Ruger rifles and have no info on the Mini 30 Model. Are there any feed issues? How reliable are they? Are they picky eaters? Are they accurate out to 200 yards? |
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I think you would be happier with an AK. Cheap plentiful magazines, very inexpensive dependable rifle.
Magazines for the Mini-30 are expensive and you are pretty much stuck getting factory since after market are unreliable. The M1 carbine is a fun lightweight rifle, the Mini-30 not so much. |
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ah, where to begin.....
My wife LOVES the 7.62x39 cartridge. She didn't like the SKS, and wasn't too thrilled with the way the AK handled. She decided that the Mini30 was the rifle she wanted for feral pigs and close range deer. She went through 5 Mini30s over a 10 year period trying to find one that worked. (#5 grouped fairly well––3" at 100 yds with decent ammo....too bad it had other problems) She probably spent $500 on magazines in the futile attempt to find one that would feed––learned the hard way that nothing but the factory 5 rd mag works and even those are finicky about ammo. She built herself a 7.62x39 AR and got a handful of C Products mags and her love affair with the Mini ended. |
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Quoted:
ah, where to begin..... My wife LOVES the 7.62x39 cartridge. She didn't like the SKS, and wasn't too thrilled with the way the AK handled. She decided that the Mini30 was the rifle she wanted for feral pigs and close range deer. She went through 5 Mini30s over a 10 year period trying to find one that worked. (#5 grouped fairly well––3" at 100 yds with decent ammo....too bad it had other problems) She probably spent $500 on magazines in the futile attempt to find one that would feed––learned the hard way that nothing but the factory 5 rd mag works and even those are finicky about ammo. She built herself a 7.62x39 AR and got a handful of C Products mags and her love affair with the Mini ended. +1 BSW |
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My take on minis is this.
They feed fine, but accuracy varies. The older minis can be pretty bad. The newer minis have better quality. If you buy one, buy a new one and if it does not group send it back to the factory. My dad bought a new 6.8 spc mini last year. He is 88YO and loves it, but it would not group. We tried everything. Changed scopes, checked the rings about 5 times different ammo etc. If I Zeroed it after about 7-8 shots, then let it cool. The first shot would be low left about 6", next shot about 2" higher than that, 3rd shot about zeroed or 1" right and high. It took me a long time to figure out the pattern it was shooting, but after seeing it shoot that exact pattern several times we sent it back to the factory. They changed a bunch of stuff out including the barrel. When we got it back it shot 1" at 100. I have read it takes them about 40-50 shots to settle in, but if I did it over again and it did not group on the first box of ammo I would send it back End of story. Pop Ko'd a hog with it last week. |
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Scope mounting mechanism on Mini-14/30 always fails.
Those little bitty scallops cannot reliably secure an optic. The Mini is at its best when it is bone stock, and with iron sights. Simple, reliable, and with no pretense of being a precision rifle. And the appearance doesn't stir up the Fudds too much. |
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Depends on what you mean by 'reliable'. Fire a few rounds here and there, yeah it's fine. I've heard too many reports from proffessional traininers that they don't take high round count courses (like Gunsite 223). Add in several of the parts are tough or impossible to get (so you can repair it yourself). If you're looking for a plinker it will serve you fine. If you're looking for a 'weapon' then look elsewhere. |
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The new rifles come with stainless steel rings. I looked them over closely and torqued down, I dont see them moving unless dropped, especially with a dimunitive recoil round like the mini shoots.
As far as reliability, with a dads new rifle, it has never FTF or misfed in over 300+ rounds. It works for a hunting rifle, but I would not want to take one into battle. |
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Quoted:
Not trying to blow smoke up anyones butt, however, I have noticed there seems to more knowledge on this site then others on the net and you guys have a lot of knowledge on the subject of rifles. I don't know if this is right place to post this question but like I said, you guys seem to be the real deal. I simply want to ask about any issues with the Ruger Mini 30. I am only interested in it as I have nothing in 7.62X39 and want at least one weapon in that caliber in the safe. I am not interested in SKS or AK and since I love my little M1 Carbine I think I would more comfortable with the Mini 30 if I have got to it. I have never owned any of the Ruger rifles and have no info on the Mini 30 Model. Are there any feed issues? How reliable are they? Are they picky eaters? Are they accurate out to 200 yards? Mini-30s are reliable IF you use factory magazines. Avoid aftermarket mags like the plague. Some of them have problems with the hard primer steel cased stuff, but some don't, YMMV. Accuracy-wise they're comparable to an AK. Some are the same as an AK, some are quite a bit better. Avoid the older ones. Older Mini-30s had some problems in manufacturing with pressed on front sights which warped the barrels. These are horrendously inaccurate. The triggers are similar to AKs, maybe a bit better. Ergos are somewhat better than an AK. The big advantage the Mini-30 has over the AK are the sights. The Mini-30s iron sights are a damned sight better than the AK's irons. Also, if you get a Mini-30 Ranch model, these have receiver cuts for Ruger-style scope rings, making the use of optics very easy. The advantage of the AK is cheap, plentiful hi-cap magazines. If you get a Mini-30, I'd strongly suggest getting trigger work and stock bedding work done. |
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Quoted:
ah, where to begin..... My wife LOVES the 7.62x39 cartridge. She didn't like the SKS, and wasn't too thrilled with the way the AK handled. She decided that the Mini30 was the rifle she wanted for feral pigs and close range deer. She went through 5 Mini30s over a 10 year period trying to find one that worked. (#5 grouped fairly well––3" at 100 yds with decent ammo....too bad it had other problems) She probably spent $500 on magazines in the futile attempt to find one that would feed––learned the hard way that nothing but the factory 5 rd mag works and even those are finicky about ammo. She built herself a 7.62x39 AR and got a handful of C Products mags and her love affair with the Mini ended. Problem is that x39 ARs are known to be problematic as well. Or at least that's what I see posted in the AR Variants forum. I've never had a x39 AR. I got an SKS so I don't feel the need. Then again, an SBR x39 AR with about a 9 or 10 inch barrel + suppressor would be frakkin' great..... |
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Quoted:
Not trying to blow smoke up anyones butt, however, I have noticed there seems to more knowledge on this site then others on the net and you guys have a lot of knowledge on the subject of rifles. I don't know if this is right place to post this question but like I said, you guys seem to be the real deal. I simply want to ask about any issues with the Ruger Mini 30. I am only interested in it as I have nothing in 7.62X39 and want at least one weapon in that caliber in the safe. I am not interested in SKS or AK and since I love my little M1 Carbine I think I would more comfortable with the Mini 30 if I have got to it. I have never owned any of the Ruger rifles and have no info on the Mini 30 Model. Are there any feed issues? How reliable are they? Are they picky eaters? Are they accurate out to 200 yards? BTW, if you want good info on Mini-14s and Mini-30s, you should check perfectunion.com. They know more about the Mini than any other forum, including (perhaps, especially) this one. If semi auto isn't a requirement, you might consider one of the little bolt action CZ carbines in 7.62x39. I've never shot one but haven't really heard anything bad about them either. |
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I owned a Mini14 and that is why I own ARs now.
Things have changed. Accessorization is easier now than it was when I owned my Mini. UtlimAK was about the only place you could buy Mini toys. Good mags were hard to find. Bill Ruger was father of the magazine ban, so there was nothing factory beyond five or ten rounds, and reliability was spotty on aftermarkets. I don't know about extended cap mags from Ruger, but they do make a black rifle now. The Mini 14 was notorious for grouping like a shotgun pattern. The same ball surplus ammo that i get 1.5 in groups in my AR gave me six inch groups from my Ruger, both scoped. The Mini 14 was redesigned several years ago, and I understand accuracy is much improved. I don't know about the 30. Reliability has never been an issue on any Ruger Mini-XX of which I am aware. It does chuck the brass about 3.4 miles out the side of the gun. Problem with the Mini-30. I have no idea why, but Ruger designed it with a .308" barrel. The 7.62 Soviet round uses a .311 - .312 bullet, similar in size to the .303 Brit. As a result, Eastern imported ammo will not be the best choice for a Mini-30, although I have to imagine quite a bit has been shot through them. I THINK most American manfuacturers loading brass cartridges for that caliber are using the 308 bullets. Minis, especially wood ones, don't look as evil to certain people, have more traditional stock/comb/grip construction, so might be an easier fit for users of bolt guns and/or shotguns. The redesigned Minis are higher priced than previous. I bought my older model used for about 350. New Ranch Rifles at that time could be had for five ish. There doesn't seem to be as much dollar difference between the Minis and the ARs these days, but i don't follow the Ruger pricing that well. If you're looking at a used gun, there is a way to tell the old Minis from the new Minis. Someone here can probably tell you. I cannot. Accessorization is still much easier for an AR than a Mini. My breaking point was optics mounting. Now someone makes a red dot mount that replaces the handguards, I think. Still, you'll have much more fun with lights and stocks and toys on the AR. It's a function of popularity, and the way the gun is assembled. One more point and I quit...the operating system on the Mini is heavy and moves around a lot. Recoil is different on those rifles than on an AR (Mini 14) or AK or SKS (Mini 30). |
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I had a Mini-30 since the Rodney King riots and then sold it last year. It never failed to feed any ammo whatsoever. Utterly reliable. Sold it because I could never trust the zero to stay put.
I traded it for a Saiga 7.26x39, which I keep stock, with iron sights only, as my truck gun. The Saiga accuracy is similar to the Mini-30 that I traded: Six-inches at 100 yards. |
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Quoted:
I owned a Mini14 and that is why I own ARs now. Things have changed. Accessorization is easier now than it was when I owned my Mini. UtlimAK was about the only place you could buy Mini toys. Good mags were hard to find. Bill Ruger was father of the magazine ban, so there was nothing factory beyond five or ten rounds, and reliability was spotty on aftermarkets. I don't know about extended cap mags from Ruger, but they do make a black rifle now. The Mini 14 was notorious for grouping like a shotgun pattern. The same ball surplus ammo that i get 1.5 in groups in my AR gave me six inch groups from my Ruger, both scoped. The Mini 14 was redesigned several years ago, and I understand accuracy is much improved. I don't know about the 30. Reliability has never been an issue on any Ruger Mini-XX of which I am aware. It does chuck the brass about 3.4 miles out the side of the gun. Problem with the Mini-30. I have no idea why, but Ruger designed it with a .308" barrel. The 7.62 Soviet round uses a .311 - .312 bullet, similar in size to the .303 Brit. As a result, Eastern imported ammo will not be the best choice for a Mini-30, although I have to imagine quite a bit has been shot through them. I THINK most American manfuacturers loading brass cartridges for that caliber are using the 308 bullets. Minis, especially wood ones, don't look as evil to certain people, have more traditional stock/comb/grip construction, so might be an easier fit for users of bolt guns and/or shotguns. The redesigned Minis are higher priced than previous. I bought my older model used for about 350. New Ranch Rifles at that time could be had for five ish. There doesn't seem to be as much dollar difference between the Minis and the ARs these days, but i don't follow the Ruger pricing that well. If you're looking at a used gun, there is a way to tell the old Minis from the new Minis. Someone here can probably tell you. I cannot. Accessorization is still much easier for an AR than a Mini. My breaking point was optics mounting. Now someone makes a red dot mount that replaces the handguards, I think. Still, you'll have much more fun with lights and stocks and toys on the AR. It's a function of popularity, and the way the gun is assembled. One more point and I quit...the operating system on the Mini is heavy and moves around a lot. Recoil is different on those rifles than on an AR (Mini 14) or AK or SKS (Mini 30). Newer Mini-14s serial numbers start with 580- and newer Mini-30s start with 581-. Also, most newer Mini-14s barrels are thick in front of the gas block and taper down. The gas system on a Mini operates about the same way that the gas system on an M14 does: long stroke piston. A Mini30's recoil impulse will be quite similar to an AK-47 since it's also a long stroke design. SKS's and gas piston ARs are short stroke so they don't have as much muzzle jump or shifting center of gravity. Direct impingement ARs have almost no muzzle jump at all. |
| Again, you guys came through with the type of info I wanted. I will pass on this weapon. Still want something in the safe that will take the 7.62X39 so I will simply watch my distributors and pick up an AK as I am a dealer and I see prices dropping and even sales going on. I also now understand why Rugger did not start a 7.62X51 version of this weapon. |
A shooting buddy had one that he fitted with an aftermarket stock and a Nikon scope. No shit, it would put 5 into 1.5in. at 75 yards with Hornady ammo. A sales rep from Ruger I was talking to told me to hang on to that one for dear life. My buddy sold the thing without telling me. 
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Quoted:
Please, PLEASE look at the Saiga sporter in 7.62x39 this, i had a Saiga in 7.62x39. It wasnt the most accurate thing, probly between 1.5-2.5MOA with Wolf, i honestly never really payed attention. But the accuracy didnt really change when it litterally got too hot to handle. I have minimal trigger time with a Mini 30, and at least the one i shot was about as good as my Saiga but if it got hot it started doing really stupid things... |
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Quoted:
Again, you guys came through with the type of info I wanted. I will pass on this weapon. Still want something in the safe that will take the 7.62X39 so I will simply watch my distributors and pick up an AK as I am a dealer and I see prices dropping and even sales going on. I also now understand why Rugger did not start a 7.62X51 version of this weapon. Actually, they did (it was called the XGI). It never made it out of the prototype phase, however. They had too many problems with receivers stress cracking, IIRC. |
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I had one. Bought it used a few years back and sold it a few months later. It took me a while to find magazines that would work, but I eventually did. The rifle wouldn't eat Wolf ammo, too hard of primers. So I was stuck feeding it the more expensive UMC stuff. Accuracy was pie plate at 25 yards, broad side of barn at 100.
Won't ever own another one, that's for sure. |
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Ah, asking an AR-15 board about Ruger Minis is like throwing steak into a pool of piranha. Mini-14s and Mini-30s are fine. Go to http://www.perfectunion.com if you want people who know Minis. You'll only get innuendo and hearsay and a couple of people who have had them back in the Stone Age telling you horror stories about them.
Jim |
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