Growth Potential in a Mini-14?

capp325 said:
Mini-14 is one of those guns that seems temping at first blush: compact, semi-auto, inexpensive, shoots the .223 cartridge. But the more you think about, the more you realize that there aren't many applications that it's actually well suited for. Too inaccurate for any sort of precision work, too outdated for "run and gun" type shooting. It was (is?) a popular prison gun and it may work well for shooting rioting masses in confined spaces, but that's about it. Considering the prices of AR's have come down quite a bit in recent years, there are not many reasons to buy a Mini-14.
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The only reason is that it's non restricted and even though they cost more I think people would be better served to save their dollars and buy something else.
As Mac308 said, if you buy it to do what it was designed to do which is ride in the back of the truck for the occasional shot at a coyote in the field or smashing pop cans it is a fine rifle but if you think that putting a different stock on it and a bunch of go fast goodies will make it any different you're kidding yourself. Nothing you buy will make it shoot much better and all the money you spend on a stock and all the other junk will just add up to what you would have spent to buy something better.
They aren't a terrible rifle and they definitely do what they're designed to do but there are just better options out there in my opinion, unfortunately those better options cost at least double what a mini 14 does but to me it's worth the extra cash to get something that does what I want it to which is make nice groups at the range and work reliably and accurately in the field, my ACR and AR180B both do this for me with the ACR being more accurate but a little heavy and the 180 being less accurate but very light. Even though I have both of those I still usually take a bolt action with me for predator hunting and either my 17HMR or 22WMR for varminting.

For around the same money I would rather buy a Troy PAR.
 
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Interesting timbit, the french police are using their own licensed design of the mini14, which is semi/3 round burst/full auto
Seen them on the streets during one of the terrorist attacks there.
 
The Mini has one huge disadvantage: no built-in excuse for mediocre marksmanship!

You can shoot a 3MOA group with your traditional-looking Mini (no challenge at all with the newer ones, and you'll probably do better) and the moaning will begin immediately. You will hear nonsense about barn-doors and shotgun patterns and on and on and on...

Then you pick up your Tavor/XCR/ACR/XYZ/whatever, and shoot the same size (or larger!) group. Somehow, that will be okay, 'cause those guns apparently weren't meant to be accurate...so expecting good accuracy is unrealistic. As long as your gun costs at least 2 or 3 times what a Mini costs, and looks like it was made by DeWalt or maybe Ryobi...you're golden! :)

If you want an unrestricted rifle that you can use for hunting (and make no mistake, the Mini is literally the perfect coyote rifle for most shots in most places) then the Mini makes perfect sense. Mine is MOA with handloads and close enough to MOA with several factory loads; I shoot at least my fair share of coyotes, and have a selection of rifles to choose from, and if I need to kill a dog and don't expect the range to be much beyond 300 yards the Mini is usually the gun I will grab.
 
I love the mini, I have owned 6 and still have 2. I haven't shot for groups but I can hit a 6" plate standing with irons at 100m all day long with bulk 55grn. I am going to be handloading for them soon. 62grn FMJ over TAC powder. Once I find the sweet spot I'm sure the accuracy will be great.
 
jjohnwm said:
The Mini has one huge disadvantage: no built-in excuse for mediocre marksmanship!

You can shoot a 3MOA group with your traditional-looking Mini (no challenge at all with the newer ones, and you'll probably do better) and the moaning will begin immediately. You will hear nonsense about barn-doors and shotgun patterns and on and on and on...

Then you pick up your Tavor/XCR/ACR/XYZ/whatever, and shoot the same size (or larger!) group. Somehow, that will be okay, 'cause those guns apparently weren't meant to be accurate...so expecting good accuracy is unrealistic. As long as your gun costs at least 2 or 3 times what a Mini costs, and looks like it was made by DeWalt or maybe Ryobi...you're golden! :)

If you want an unrestricted rifle that you can use for hunting (and make no mistake, the Mini is literally the perfect coyote rifle for most shots in most places) then the Mini makes perfect sense. Mine is MOA with handloads and close enough to MOA with several factory loads; I shoot at least my fair share of coyotes, and have a selection of rifles to choose from, and if I need to kill a dog and don't expect the range to be much beyond 300 yards the Mini is usually the gun I will grab.
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you're on shrooms if you think an acr is a 3 moa rifle, maybe spend a few minutes on the acr sticky to educate yourself?
I shoot my tavor pretty damn good, way better than 3 moa

so dunno, maybe you are reading threads from morons that dont know how to shoot?
 
They must be good. Mr. T. and the rest of the A-Team used them each week.

Although now that I think of it, no one ever got killed on that show.

Cannon
 
mikethebike said:
you're on shrooms if you think an acr is a 3 moa rifle, maybe spend a few minutes on the acr sticky to educate yourself?
I shoot my tavor pretty damn good, way better than 3 moa

so dunno, maybe you are reading threads from morons that dont know how to shoot?
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If so...and if I've insulted your own particular toy...then my apologies. I certainly don't know anything about the ACR, and would never have posted in a thread about it. I don't really care enough to research it either, and used it and other "three-letter" guns as a comparison to the Mini. My perception (derived strictly from casually scanning the Black Rifles section from time to time) is that every time one of these new wonderguns is introduced, there is a flood of buyers barely able to contain their enthusiasm at the thought of owning it. Then, after a few weeks, threads start to appear with titles like the recent "X95, not all that great". Reality has set in, and it's a beeyatch.

Am I "reading threads from morons that don't know how to shoot?" Almost certainly, at least some of them.

Is looking cool truly more important to some? Again, no doubt about it.

So, if my little tongue-in-cheek post has fallen prey to the time-honoured CGN tradition of shooting off ones mouth about topics I nothing about...mea culpa. Let me rephrase:

The Mini14 works as well as, or better than, many other semi-autos available on the Canadian market today. It's non-restricted, great for hunting and plinking, and looks traditional (good for some, bad for others). If you like the idea of one, then buy it and try it. You're not married to it. The EE is there to allow a quick and easy escape if the gun doesn't turn your crank; price it fairly and it will sell quickly.

"Growth potential"? Please, it's a relatively inexpensive gun that can be easily re-sold; it's not a lifetime commitment.
 
Scanning threads and never actually shooting a gun, thats all it takes on CGN to be an expert...lol...

At least when I talk chit about a gun Ive had either the pleasure or misfortune of actually shooting it....lol...
 
Just to chime in I got a second mini recently and shot a 3.5 inch group at 100 yards with it. Was using Tula, factory iron sites and shot kneeling while resting against the tail gate of the truck out in the pasture. Noting fancy but I'm also no marksman so it's more than good enough for my needs.
 
id put my mini 14 target with some work done on it up against any other non restricted semi auto 223. trigger job bedding and adjustable gas block. 1.25 to .75 moa consistently with its favorite loads. I shot the last 2 wholesale sports precision rifle match with it. never been beat by a different semi auto. got beat by a couple bolt guns then won it the next year. shot against many xcr and ar types. id say half the guns there were ar. is it the gun or the shooter who knows.
 
X-man said:
Accuracy wise, the only option is the target model. Factory magazines are outrageously expensive in Canada. Aftermarket magazines are mostly complete crap. The A-Team style folding stocks, while cool looking, aren't that practical and are uncomfortable to shoot with for an extended period. They're also crazy expensive. There are a few plastic stock kits on the market of varying degrees of quality. To quote the title of your thread, there's rather limited "growth potential" for the Mini-14. Where it really excels is as a stock do-all truck gun or plinker. It's not a precision rifle. I have one in my safe as does my brother. We both like ours, but if the AR was reclassified as non-restricted once more I don’t think I'd ever take it out of the safe again.
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This is wisdom.
 
Are mags "outrageously expensive"? Cabela's shows them at about $44; they are one of the least expensive centerfire magazines they carry, and not much more than many of the rimfire mags. They may seem expensive if you buy disposable AR mags by the dozen, but in the larger scheme of things they are pretty cheap. Aftermarket versions are indeed crap, as are many of the tacticool aftermarket stocks.

In terms of accuracy, the Target model delivers...but having shot several newer production Ranch Rifles, I might just be tempted to go that route if I were buying another one now. My Target is MOA with ammo it likes; many of the Ranch Rifles seem to be flirting with that accuracy, and 1.25MOA seems very achievable...plus they weigh much less and are handier.

And just as an aside: I used a HBAR Colt AR15 extensively for varminting, back in the day when such activity was legal in Canuckistan. It was indeed noticeably more accurate than the Mini I had at the time (an older and much less accurate version of this platform than those that are available today). If I were expecting 300-yard or longer shots, I grudgingly dragged out the Colt and its 30-round mags...but for typical 200-yard or so shots, the Mini (with its 20-round mags!) was far more popular with me and my buddies. If that gun shot as well as standard Mini's do today, the Colt would have been sold much sooner.

My, how times...and perspectives...have changed. The Colt is now restricted, has undergone extensive development, and is perfect for guys who just need to "build" something...even if building actually just involves bolting on a bunch of aftermarket crap. The Mini has a much smaller selection of said crap available...but it still works, better than ever. It's still a great choice if you actually want to shoot a gun, rather than accessorize it.
 
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