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Posted: 7/8/2010 4:32:32 PM EDT
| So.. forgive the FNG here.. but why is there nothing on this site about the Mini-14? I'll admit that the AR is superior in many ways but the Mini has killed many a hog/possum/armadillo off the front of my Jeep ever since I was a kid. ANY Mini fans here? |
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The old minis (186 series I believe) have a much lighter barrel, and once they heat up they tend to string shots vertically, and some guns just go all over the place.
The new series (581) have a redesigned barrel, it's a lot heavier, and they are much more accurate than the previous series, and fine for 200-300 yard shooting. The problem with the mini is the cost, compared to an AR. Minis run proprietary mags (read: expensive and harder to find), but with factory 20 rounders, the rifle is dead nuts reliable. If you're looking for a true 5.56mm platform, save up and go for an AR, unless you find a screaming deal on a 581 series mini or you're set on a mini. I see no true advantage to a mini over an AR, unless you live in a ban state, or you want the "non evil looking rifle". |
| Another factor is that a Mini was more affordable than a basic AR. No there are companies like Doubelstar, Del-Ton, and others that provide quality ARs that can easily be upgraded down the road for the same price of a Mini that cant. Then there are the Kel-Tec rifles which are even more affordable and can do everything a Mini can, along with accepting cheap and avaliable AR mags. |
| I had a mini before I got into ar's. Was alot of fun. I had a trigger job done, installed buffers front and rear, installed muzzle brake, and barrel stabilzer. Also had the accuracy system adjustable gas block and I had the stock bedded. With good ammo I could get it to group 2 moa shooting really slow. The gun stock would shoot 6 moa. Was fun to see my progress. I ended up trading it for a USA 10/22 target edition and some cash. Kinda miss the Mini becasue you could shoot the piss out of it and never have to worry about anything breaking or jamming, EVER( as long as you were using ruger mags.) |
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Yeah I've got a mini as well as a couple of AR's. (and an SU16C Kel-Tec)
Mags aren't that bad.. CDNN has Ruger factory 30 rounders for $29.99 so I bought 2.. I figure if I've got to shoot something more than sixty times I brought the wrong gun. It's no AR by a long stretch but I think I've got around $450 in mine. About the cost of a decent upper. |
| There's alot of mini hate here. I understand why as it's progressed to be as expensive as some of the cheaper AR's. BUT liek others have said. You can take a mini and beat the hell out of it.....throw a ruger mag in and fire away. I love mine, and won't be getting rid of it anytime sooon. |
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Mini 14's are outstanding rifles, provided you have a good one. IMO, the 186 "Standard" and "Ranch" models are more or less not worth the trouble. Accuracy is usually abysmal and they aren't even that cool looking. Go GB or go home. I had a late 186 GB and a 580 GB carbine. Both were exceptional rifles that would shoot 2 MOA, until they heated up. They were comfortable to shoot and carry, as well as being very reliable.
While Mini 14's tend to be very reliable, they are not very durable. Under hard use or accelerated firing schedules, you will break components. Since Ruger doesn't sell these components, as some have to be fitted, this can be a drawback. They also aren't the best for mounting optics/lights/etc, but it can be done. I paid around 700.00 each for my GB's and a few factory mags. When you consider 700.00 for a rifle, and another 1-200 for 2x30 round factory mags, you are solidly in AR territory. Yes, I know that Ruger now sells 20 and 30 round factory mags for much less, but this is a relatively recent development. There is nothing a Mini 14 can do that a decent AR can't do a zillion times better. Now, if the price point is what it used to be the Mini 14 might have some relevance. Despite being good rifles, you can usually do better for the money. |
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^^ Wow, that's some solid A-team kinda stuff right there...
You can find GB's somewhat on the cheap. Clyde Armory here in Athens, GA has a ton of correctional facility trade-in GB's with butler creek stocks for $499, and they will ship. (www.policeguns.com) Like you guys have said, they're not an AR, but kinda fun. Here's mine, I've got some plans to tacticool it, ordered a barrel mount rail I'm going to put an MBUIS on at the end of the forearm and get rid of that front ramp, and do the whole thing in OD Duracoat. I think I've got about $425 in it as she stands.. beat up police trade in with a similarly beat up woodd stock + used ebay folder. http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c132/emanondestin/IMAG0348.jpg |
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Bought mine in the early eighties.....and still love it. http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss291/uncleboomboom/MyMini14.jpg Ahh..I want a factory folder for my Mini bad. Those damn stocks go for the price of and entire gun plus some. I don't understand why some manufacturer doesn't come in and make replicas. If they got them spot on, they'd be a pretty hot item in the mini community. |
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Bought mine in the early eighties.....and still love it. http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss291/uncleboomboom/MyMini14.jpg Ahh..I want a factory folder for my Mini bad. Those damn stocks go for the price of and entire gun plus some. I don't understand why some manufacturer doesn't come in and make replicas. If they got them spot on, they'd be a pretty hot item in the mini community. Id have to do some research to find out who for sure, but there was a company that made a knock off GB folder years ago. They pop up every now and then and are sometimes passed off as a factory folder. ETA. The knock off Rugerstock was made by Ramline. The first ones they made were close to the factory one, but the second style they made were almost identical to the factory folder. |
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Id have to do some research to find out who for sure, but there was a company that made a knock off GB folder years ago. They pop up every now and then and are sometimes passed off as a factory folder. ETA. The knock off Rugerstock was made by Ramline. The first ones they made were close to the factory one, but the second style they made were almost identical to the factory folder. Actually, in the early '90s, there was another company named Falcon that sold nearly identical Ruger folding stocks for $125. I have a 188-series Ranch rifle and love it. It has been upgraded with a Choate pistol-grip stock (Duracoated in FDE) and flash hider, an Accu-Strut, and a Nikon scope. I installed 3 Picatinny rails on the forearm to mount various accessories when the bipod isn't being used. The photo is prior to the installation of the Accu-strut. 
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I like 'em well enough. I think they get a bum rap for the most part. In general ARs do most things better, but a mini is still plenty capable and should not be dismissed if someone prefers the mini for whatever reason.... I have a friend with an older one. There is just something about them that I still dig, maybe its growing up in the 80's  |
I had a 1990's Ranch rifle version of the Mini 14....and it's accuracy was abysmal. I traded it for an A2 rifle a couple years ago.
Despite my sincere dissappointment in the first one, I bought a police trade in Mini 14 stainless last winter. Purchased cheap enough....and this one shoots just fine. Near as I can tell, my 'new' Mini was made in 1980 or 1981, has a wooden handguard, same skinny barrel as the shitty Ranch rifle had, but accuracy is more like what a guy expects from a decent rifle. 
Would seem that one Mini 14 rifle shoots fine, and the next one may be a dissappointment. The new Mini's are supposed to be fine....but the older ones are a hit/miss deal.
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I had a 1990's Ranch rifle version of the Mini 14....and it's accuracy was abysmal. I traded it for an A2 rifle a couple years ago.
Despite my sincere dissappointment in the first one, I bought a police trade in Mini 14 stainless last winter. Purchased cheap enough....and this one shoots just fine. Near as I can tell, my 'new' Mini was made in 1980 or 1981, has a wooden handguard, same skinny barrel as the shitty Ranch rifle had, but accuracy is more like what a guy expects from a decent rifle.
Would seem that one Mini 14 rifle shoots fine, and the next one may be a dissappointment. The new Mini's are supposed to be fine....but the older ones are a hit/miss deal. The Mini was a great idea with poor execution. The QC simply wasn't there. Some of them were shooters....some of them were shotguns. It was always a gamble when you bought one. My dad used to have one that was a shooter. I bought one that is a sort-of shooter. The factory gas block fits so poorly that it strings the hell out of the shots when the barrel heats up. I've got the ASI gas block on it and it doesn't do that. I'm thinking of parting with it, however. I just like ARs better. I was a child of the 80s, so I wanted to try the ATeam's rifle at least once I think I made a mistake getting it in stainless. Stainless retains heat longer than chrome moly, and all 5.56 guns with thin barrels get hotter than hell pretty easily.
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I took my stainless mini14 to the range today, it is the only gun I have that will reliably function with that big old pile of Olympic SS109 ammo (I bought before I knew any better) I still have laying around.
Not very accurate (espacially with that ammo), sights are kinda crappy. With Ruger mags, it runs like a scalded dog. |
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Pretty much what everyone else said...
You can get parts for the AR easier and cheaper, and good ones can be had in the same price range as a Mini-14. Mine are just as accurate as my AR iron sights vs. iron sights at 50-100 yards. Run smooth with factory mags (twice + the cost of AR mags) I got mine before I got into ARs... And wished that I had saved my money for an AR. Stupid me. I don't think that they are *bad* guns... And I feel bad for the folks who got crappy ones... Perhaps I got lucky. I have never shot enough rounds through mine to really heat up the barrel, and throw rounds... Not a *bad* gun but you can get a good AR for the same price as one, and get mags and replacement parts cheaper and easier... Go with an AR if you have the choice... And this coming from a satisfied Mini-14 owner. |
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Quoted: Got mine out and shot it some yesterday. Will turn budweiser cans into perforated budweiser cans as it should. My girlfriend seems to like it more than an AR. Which is cool, I'll give her that one, she's not getting my AR's   She better not be getting any of them till she's your wife, or fiance at the least.... Nein! |
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http://www.perfectunion.com
I have the new 581 tactical series that has the 16in heavy barrel with flash hider. it shoots wet or dry, clean or dirty. it is a very simple weapon to take apart. it was a bit pricey for a mini 14, but I feel that I can depend on it to shoot. the 20rd metal Promags are nearly as good as the factory mags at about 1/2 the price. I got some from The Sportsman Guide for about $15 apiece. I got mine for hog hunting. it shoots 1.5in 100 yd groups with the Prvi 75 gr. bthp match ( wolf gold). hope that helps. YMMV. CDA |
| Was looking at them at Dicks just a little while ago, my BIL got some gift cards for his birthday today and I think he is going to get one in the next few days. I like what ruger has done with the barrel and the rear site, and with the availability of ruger high cap mags, I think it makes good sense for a HD carbine. |
He bought one yesterday, with his military discount he got it for $585, not too bad for a new Mini-14 these days. We wont get to the range to shoot it till this coming weekend but he is pretty excited  Have to say I am curious as to how it will shoot, he bought a few boxes of hornady 55 gn VMAX to try it with.
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Another factor is that a Mini was more affordable than a basic AR. No there are companies like Doubelstar, Del-Ton, and others that provide quality ARs that can easily be upgraded down the road for the same price of a Mini that cant. Then there are the Kel-Tec rifles which are even more affordable and can do everything a Mini can, along with accepting cheap and avaliable AR mags. Back when I bought my 182 series Mini, my choice at the local gun shop was paying c. $300 for the Ruger or $600+ for a Colt AR. Although I really wanted the AR, I couldn't come up with the money for it. Now the price difference between the Ranch Rifle and the various AR's is practically non-existent. |
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Did he ever get it out and test it? If you were asking me, yes, thursday. Three of us went to the range, two of us had ARs and he brought his mini. It was just as accurate at 100 yards as the ARs, about 4" at 100 yards with open sites. He shot about 80 rounds or so of federal 55 gn FMJ he got at walmart. The only problem was we couldnt figure out how to adjust the rear site for elevation, he had forgotten his manual and that was the first time I had messed with the new rear site they are putting on the rifles. I figured out windage and got that dialed in, but I didnt want to break anything so we will get it sited in next time. |
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first, an FNG question.. how do you quote previous posts?
I've always found that a mini can hold its own with a *similarly equipped* AR. IF you've got some $4k tricked out stoner next to a $599 mini, it's really never a fair comparison. I personally don't like the new rear sight they're putting on there.. my 184 series has a great sight. I *do* however like the front sight. My project for this week is to take the lousy ramp off the front of mine and mount an MI flip up front I've got in the parts bucket to a barrel clamped rail. |
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first, an FNG question.. how do you quote previous posts? I've always found that a mini can hold its own with a *similarly equipped* AR. IF you've got some $4k tricked out stoner next to a $599 mini, it's really never a fair comparison. I personally don't like the new rear sight they're putting on there.. my 184 series has a great sight. I *do* however like the front sight. My project for this week is to take the lousy ramp off the front of mine and mount an MI flip up front I've got in the parts bucket to a barrel clamped rail. Quote button...bottom of your post. My experience with the Mini 14 would indicate that you have a 50/50 chance of getting a good shooter.
Meaning that out of two Mini 14 rifles....one shoots like it should...the other got traded off 'cause it was horrible shooting. 
I've sort of concluded...from my small sample size of two Mini's, that it's Ruger QC largly responsible for the random accuracy. Thats just my opinion...no science behind it at all.
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Quote button...bottom of your post. My experience with the Mini 14 would indicate that you have a 50/50 chance of getting a good shooter. Meaning that out of two Mini 14 rifles....one shoots like it should...the other got traded off 'cause it was horrible shooting. I've sort of concluded...from my small sample size of two Mini's, that it's Ruger QC largly responsible for the random accuracy. Thats just my opinion...no science behind it at all. Yeah I think you hit it right on the head with that one. It's kinda a crapshoot. |
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Mostly a safe queen but I like mine http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b159/NFAman/IMG_2270.jpg http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b159/NFAman/IMG_2261.jpg They didn't do flash suppresors back then? |
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FWIW, I've got an older stainless steel model with a 1:7 twist. I put a flash suppressor on it as well as an Accu-Strut. I can get 2-2.5 MOA out of it with no problem. A little bit of horizontal stringing, but maybe its just me. In terms of the mags...they do cost more, but for the most part, I do believe them to be much sturdier or more rugged than AR mags. Other than that, I can't say the Mini-14 really does anything better than the AR, although supposedly its more reliable. Still, I wouldn't feel undergunned with one that I know can shoot. |
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