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Posted: 9/22/2005 12:47:50 PM EDT
[#1]
Not on par with an AR, but a good little rifle.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 12:51:34 PM EDT
[#2]
I still like it. Not as much as an AR though.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:15:35 PM EDT
[#3]
A properly tweaked Mini can be a pretty good little carbine. Most folks have neither the time, ability, nor skill to do so, however.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:21:04 PM EDT
[#4]
You would think that RUGER would have the time, ability, or skill to make it a "pretty good little carbine" right from the factory. |
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:34:54 PM EDT
[#5]
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:35:32 PM EDT
[#6]
Touche. 
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:41:00 PM EDT
[#7]
I think alot of Californians buy this gun because this is one of the only 223 detachable magazine semi autos they can buy!
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:41:52 PM EDT
[#8]
The prefered long gun of the A-Team... who doesn'y like it  Actually... I have a Mini-14 GB and love it. The only problem is that there's not a lot of high-cap magazine that will work on it. ~NewbieDave |
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:51:39 PM EDT
[#9]
I've never had any experience with one.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 1:54:16 PM EDT
[#10]
I wouldn't turn one down... I still prefer an AR though.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 2:04:59 PM EDT
[#11]
The gun is OK. I had one a while back. I could even live with the thin walled barrel, but what killed it for me was the lack of decent mags. Simple as that.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 2:47:07 PM EDT
[#12]
I have owned a couple of these. I think they are a great source for firewood in a SHTF situation. Charles the Gunsmith.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 5:15:19 PM EDT
[#13]
They do. My Mini, with original barrel, shoots 1.5-2 MOA all day long. I said "tweak", not "re-build". |
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Posted: 9/22/2005 5:26:38 PM EDT
[#14]
The stainless (K) models make excellent tomato stakes. The blued models tend to rot off halfway up the barrel.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 5:39:55 PM EDT
[#15]
The blue steel barrel makes an excellent jack handle for your truck jack. Charles.
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Posted: 9/22/2005 5:59:27 PM EDT
[#16]
Mine has been a good rifle. It is about 4MOA and is 100% reliable. It has went through rounds that my AR's wouldn't function with. I prefer and AR. But nothing wrong with a Mini. It's a nice little carbine.Just get good mags.... WarDawg
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Posted: 9/22/2005 8:20:36 PM EDT
[#17]
There are now plenty of good mags out there for mini-14s now. Promag has new steel 20 rounders, new polymer 30's, even knock off brand mags work good.
Mags don't work well in Mini-14's if they can rock in the mag well. This varys from Mini-14 to Mini-14. What mags work 100% in my gun, might not in yours depending on the wear of the mag latch. If the mag can be moved around after its inserted (and bolt closed) then its going to jiggle as the gun fires causing feeding problems. You can't use your Mini-14's mag as a mono-pod like many carbine classes teach either. Weld some slag on the mag latch and file to finish and most mags should work fine. Or you could shove some wadded paper in the mag well, but be careful so you don't suck it up into your action. I bought 7 el cheapo knock off brand mini-14 30 round mags from sportsmans guide and all have been 100% with about 250-300 rounds per mag so far. |
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Posted: 9/22/2005 9:59:15 PM EDT
[#18]
There's plenty of 20 round Ruger mags available if you look around.
Dennis Jenkins
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Posted: 9/22/2005 10:00:00 PM EDT
[#19]
it blows, dont get one!
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Posted: 9/23/2005 4:52:27 AM EDT
[#20]
The Minis are the worst guns Ruger ever put out....
- georgestrings |
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Posted: 9/23/2005 6:50:11 AM EDT
[#21]
How so? |
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Posted: 9/23/2005 10:41:34 AM EDT
[#22]
I once was the owner of a Mini-14. I bought it because it was half the price of a Colt AR; the intended purpose was as a house gun. It served that purpose well.
When I began high power rifle competition, I discovered it to be out of its element. I sold it and used the money for an AR parts kit. I miss the little rifle, but an AR, even if a Frankengun like mine, is better. So is an AK. |
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Posted: 9/23/2005 4:28:47 PM EDT
[#23]
Mini 14 is an ok rifle. I had 20 round Ruger mags. Accuracy was fair but once the barrel heated up it forget it. I bought mine years ago it was 1/2 the price of a AR. I sold it and don't miss it one bit!
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Posted: 9/23/2005 4:35:15 PM EDT
[#24]
I bought mine in August of '94...
It was fun. It was a stainless ranch rifle... I guess the reason why I don't have any Mini-14's nowadays is that I can afford AR-15's 
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Posted: 9/23/2005 4:54:53 PM EDT
[#25]
One of my shooting buddies is trying to sell his Mini-14 right now so that he can get an AR-15.
He has a scope mount for it, Harris bipod mount, and 2-30 rds mags, 4-20 rd mags, and the 5 rd mag. And yes it is a Mini-14, not a ranch rifle. |
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Posted: 9/23/2005 5:41:26 PM EDT
[#26]
Mini-14's are fine rifles but have alot of draw backs when compared to an AR. I wont say that it isnt a fine rifle but if your gonna buy a semi-automatic chambered in 223/556 and you have a choice between a mini and an AR you'd have to be crazy not to go with the AR. AR's are inherently more accurate, have more options of what you can add to them, availability and lower costs of magazines, ease of dissassembly and cleaning and ease of reassembly. When all is said and done the AR is just a better platform. But that doesnt mean the mini isnt liked at least by me.
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Posted: 9/23/2005 5:46:25 PM EDT
[#27]
Traded mine for a 10/22 and cash. It just didn't have a place next to my AR's. It was fun until I got BRD.
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Posted: 9/23/2005 6:24:01 PM EDT
[#28]
Everyone ought to own a Mini-14.
At least until they can learn first hand what a junky semi-auto can be like. Mine was the stainless "Raunch Rifle". Came with scope rings. And couldn't hit a cantaloupe at 100yards no matter what kind of scope you put on it. The sights were canted (I thnk all Ruger rifles are made that way, like a trademark.) It's ONLY positive trait was that it fed and went bang reliably. But that was all. I was happy when I sold it. I have built about a half-dozen AR-15's and disassembled/reassembled and bought and sold until I have three that are keepers. One is the perfect answer to a Mini-14: a CavArms MKII lower and SP1 upper. Utterly simple, utterly rugged, lightweight, foolproof, and fun to shoot. A 21st century ranch rifle. If Ruger would put more than a half-baked effort into improving the Mini-14, they could make a halfway decent rifle out of it. I don't think Ruger has spent a dime on improving it since it came out. |
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Posted: 9/23/2005 9:31:29 PM EDT
[#29]
Every mini I have ever seen patterned like a shotgun after the first 30 rounds.
Ill pass.....More mini's for U I guess! |
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Posted: 9/24/2005 12:22:03 AM EDT
[#30]
In the PRK it is about all you can get in 5.56 semi. Mine is ok, but not an AR
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Posted: 9/24/2005 9:41:18 AM EDT
[#32]
Ruger has made numerous changes and improvements to the Mini on a running basis. That's what all the "series" prefixes mean. As an example, the latest iteration hs vastly improved front and rear sights, just to name one feature. |
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Posted: 9/24/2005 10:19:51 AM EDT
[#33]
I like the mini,owned two(one blue and one stainless)however at the time I owned mine I wasnt aware of the all the simple tweaks available to improve the accuracy of the rifle.IMHO it is an american version of the ak,foolproof,durable but not the most accurate platform in the world.
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Posted: 9/24/2005 11:18:51 AM EDT
[#34]
And it was never meant to be that accurate or ever touted to be. People insist on comparing them to the AR. The AR is a very accurate semi-auto by design and few other semi-autos approach it's accuracy, out of the box. I guess people insist on equating them since they shoot the same caliber. If you are going to compare the Mini to another semi-auto that shoots .223, compare it to an AK that shoots .223. And yeah, I know, the Mini isn't as tough as the AK or whatever you want to say. Well, the Mini was never meant to be a military rifle! The Mini does exactly what it was meant to do. Be a handy carbine that shoots minute of bad guy, while being reliable. My Minis and every one I have handled has done this. And the Mini is a great gun if you do want to do some work on it or customize it a bit. |
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Posted: 9/24/2005 12:29:01 PM EDT
[#35]
I know a guy with two mini 14's. I think they both jammed that day, my ak 47 didnt jam.
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Posted: 9/25/2005 1:40:03 AM EDT
[#36]
Ive been shooting the sameMini 14 for 20 years, well over 100 rounds a year and no problems. I dont think Ive cleaned it since 95 or so...rock solid gun. Got a side-folding stock and bullpup stock for it also, but fires best with the wood stock it came with.
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