Inexpensive 5.56/223

[cr5]

"Decent accuracy" ?? Depends on wat that means to u..

But for under $1500 a used MR1 or POSSIBLY a new gen mini 14 are really the only rifles that will stand out accuracy wise.. . All other sub $1500 options will be more 2-3moa with non reloads.

Yup, decent could mean anything from reasonable expectations of 1.5-3 moa through to someone thinking it should shoot sub moa.

Pretty much nothing in the $2000 or less category will consistently shoot 1 moa or better. Even at $3000 most options won't shoot 1 moa or better. By consistently I mean 5 round groups one after another not a single fluke group in the middle of a bunch of 2-3 moa groups. Black rifles were never designed or intended to be shot from a shooting bench at paper targets, if that's the type of accuracy you want then buy a nice bolt action and enjoy making small groups. If you want fun and just want to smash gongs or crush coyotes then forget about the accuracy portion, they're all accurate enough for that.
I've owned a lot of the non restricted rifles we can buy and the only rifles that were truly capable of shooting 1 moa are the HK SL8 series. I've owned three of them over the years and two out of three would shoot 1 moa with handloads or quality match grade factory ammo, the third probably would have done the same but I sold it before I had very many rounds through it. Other than that the only 223 rifles I've ever seen shoot that well are converted ACR's with a quality match barrel and ammo or the AR and ARish rifles like the Modern Varmint or SLR.

 

[Murray 3-D]

Lol I can't afford the good quality ammo required to eek out MOA in a semi auto .223 anyways!

But having a semi auto that u know is capable of MOA groups is good piece of mind to have in case u need it. I understand that philosophy.

 

[beltfed]

Mini-14 minute of coyote at 200m? Maybe if your coyotes are the size of moose...
Aside from being lite, handy and reliable, the accuracy of a mini is deplorable.
If you're taking coyotes with a mini at 200m, you are probably not concerned with the animal's suffering from randomly placed gunshot wounds either, which I find both sad and pathetic. Ymmv.

 

[cr5]

Mini-14 minute of coyote at 200m? Maybe if your coyotes are the size of moose...
Aside from being lite, handy and reliable, the accuracy of a mini is deplorable.
If you're taking coyotes with a mini at 200m, you are probably not concerned with the animal's suffering from randomly placed gunshot wounds either, which I find both sad and pathetic. Ymmv.

Lol, sounds like you had a mini that shot as well as the one I used to own.
I couldn't sell it fast enough and took a loss to dump it.

 

[beltfed]

I've owned three over the years, and probably shot at least half a dozen.
They were all more or less minute of IPSC target at 100m with good quality ammo.
Fun guns for sure, but accuracy was always the sh!ts

 

[cr5]

I've owned three over the years, and probably shot at least half a dozen.
They were all more or less minute of IPSC target at 100m with good quality ammo.
Fun guns for sure, but accuracy was always the sh!ts

Lol, you're a slow learner, I had a stainless folder and one was all it took for me to realize I did not want one in my collection. I think I replaced it with my AR-180B-2 in 2007 (got one of the last imports) and it's still in the collection.

 

[beltfed]

Well, one was bought, one was part of a trade and the last one came from an estate that I helped liquidate.
If they were half decent in the accuracy department or could be made to be accurate, I'd consider owning another one.
Never say never.

 

[Murray 3-D]

SUPPOSEDLY the "new" ones are a lot more accurate than the mini's used to be..... however I've yet to see any concrete proof of this.

 

[saskcop]

Mini-14 minute of coyote at 200m? Maybe if your coyotes are the size of moose...
Aside from being lite, handy and reliable, the accuracy of a mini is deplorable.
If you're taking coyotes with a mini at 200m, you are probably not concerned with the animal's suffering from randomly placed gunshot wounds either, which I find both sad and pathetic. Ymmv.

You are commenting on your level of marksmanship more than anything here. I had a 580 series mini with a 4x scope that I had no problem shooting coyotes at 200m+ without issue. I also consider your comments "both sad and pathetic" as you are implying my ethics which you know absolutely nothing about. I realize the older generation mini's were sometimes absolutely brutal in the accuracy department, but the newer ones shoot very respectably.

 

[Forbius]

So look for a newer series of mini 14 off topic, Saskcop... are you a cop from sask?

 

[beltfed]

You are commenting on your level of marksmanship more than anything here.

The last one I fired was a near-new 580 series with a 4 power scope and I benched it with a sandbag rest and ran GP-90 and other quality ammo through it. My level of marksmanship, while above average, had nothing to do with it's 12 moa accuracy.

I had a 580 series mini with a 4x scope that I had no problem shooting coyotes at 200m+ without issue.

Shooting coyotes and ethically dispatching them are or could be quite different.

I also consider your comments "both sad and pathetic" as you are implying my ethics which you know absolutely nothing about. I realize the older generation mini's were sometimes absolutely brutal in the accuracy department, but the newer ones shoot very respectably.

No offence intended, but as I said, ymmv.

 

[Bfranklin]

Mini-14 minute of coyote at 200m? Maybe if your coyotes are the size of moose...
Aside from being lite, handy and reliable, the accuracy of a mini is deplorable.
If you're taking coyotes with a mini at 200m, you are probably not concerned with the animal's suffering from randomly placed gunshot wounds either, which I find both sad and pathetic. Ymmv.

This.

Unless it is a Mini-14 target, in which case they are shockingly accurate. Have seen a few consistently hit gophers at 200 yds plus. Bonus points for the rubber hogue stock.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I can hit an 18" plate with my mini14 at 200 meters with the irons shooting bulk federal 62gr with ease.
It's a 582 series stock condition except for rear tech site upgrade.
Actually it shoots neck and neck with my 20" ar15 with the same ammo on the same day.
So much unwarranted hate for the mini lol

 

[beltfed]

So I'm looking on Ruger's website and the target model doesn't seem to be offered anymore - anyone know why?

 

[cr5]

I can hit an 18" plate with my mini14 at 200 meters with the irons shooting bulk federal 62gr with ease.
It's a 582 series stock condition except for rear tech site upgrade.
Actually it shoots neck and neck with my 20" ar15 with the same ammo on the same day.
So much unwarranted hate for the mini lol

I don't think it's unwarranted, it sounds like most people who have owned one have had a bad experience with it accuracy wise with yourself and a couple others saying they shoot acceptably. This tells me that every once in a while someone gets one that can shoot half decently while most are like the one I owned that couldn't keep 5 rounds on an 8x11 piece of paper at 100 yards.

The mini 14 is a very well built rifle with a really cool action that unfortunately doesn't scope well (just like an M14 is awkward to scope nicely). It is a very reliable rifle if your mags are quality Ruger magazines (mine hated aftermarket mags), they're built like tanks but unfortunately most don't shoot well.
I'm glad you're satisfied with the accuracy of yours but now that there are better options in the $1000 range I don't see the attraction to the mini-14 anymore. It's the kind of rifle many people buy because it's relatively cheap then double the price of the rifle with a stock and other mods trying to make it shoot better. Then it's sold for a loss in order to buy what they wanted in the beginning. It's kinda like an American made SKS except the price has climbed to a point you'd be better off buying a WK180c for less money and have something that shoots better and to most people looks better.

This is mostly personal preference when we're arguing which is better but just because your rifle shoots around 9 moa doesn't mean they all do. Plus, I think you'd be hard pressed to find any other rifle out there available to us that couldn't shoot as well or in most cases a lot better.

So I'm looking on Ruger's website and the target model doesn't seem to be offered anymore - anyone know why?

My guess is that they didn't sell well, if they had made the target model for the same price they made the standard model for and dropped the price of the standard down a few hundred to where it should have stayed it probably would have done better.

Too many better options for less money in the US would be another guess, if you can buy an AR that shoots better, is more customizable, and is cheaper why would anyone other than a hardcore fanboy buy a mini?
Our market means nothing to Ruger, so it being non restricted here doesn't help it's sales in the big picture to them.

 

[Bombsquad68]

People will hate on Keltec but the latest gen SU-16 is an option, they've fixed the issue with the receivers breaking AFAIK. Light (5.0 lbs), folds up, surprisingly accurate (more accurate than my old Mini-14, Tavor or my preliminary WK-180 test results). Downside is the lightness makes it feel cheap and I know some guns still have issues. Keep that warranty card but knock on wood mine has been flawless despite all the hate for Keltec, it was $1050.

 

[saskcop]

The last one I fired was a near-new 580 series with a 4 power scope and I benched it with a sandbag rest and ran GP-90 and other quality ammo through it. My level of marksmanship, while above average, had nothing to do with it's 12 moa accuracy.


Shooting coyotes and ethically dispatching them are or could be quite different.



No offence intended, but as I said, ymmv.

So, you shot one and managed 12 MOA so everyone's mini must be 12 MOA?

So what exactly then is "ethically dispatching" a coyote? An instant kill headshot? What if the coyote runs 20 yards after hit? Is it no longer ethically dispatched? What are you inferring here? A dead coyote is a dead coyote. Poor ethics in hunting may perhaps be taking a shot that you know you cannot make.

If joe blow can hit a coyote all day long at 200 meters with his mini or any other gun for that matter, than a shot taken at a coyote at that range is only un-ethical if he is deliberately trying to wound it rather than kill it. You cannot call someone's ethics into question just because a rifle you shot was not up to the task. You are assuming people's motives.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I'm waiting to shoot/handle a wk180c before I make any assumptions at all.
If it shoots as accurately as my mini14 (same as my 20" ar) I would consider selling the mini14 to fund a wk180c for sure.
Only for one simple reason being it takrs stanag magazines.
I'm heavily skeptical for good reason on any new Canadian made gun products.
Hoping it proves to be as awesome as it's potential over the next few months.
For now my good old mini 14 does everthing a semi auto NR 5.56mm blaster should in this sh**ty country.

 

[Murray 3-D]

I'd take the SU 16 tac over the wk180 ****IF**** they have in fact fixed the receiver problem. I won't know if the problem has been truly fixed until my SU comes back on warranty. It's been gone since June.

 

[driller212]

I'd take the SU 16 tac over the wk180 ****IF**** they have in fact fixed the receiver problem. I won't know if the problem has been truly fixed until my SU comes back on warranty. It's been gone since June.

I have owned an Su16 and I currently own the 180 and would take the 180 over the su16 any day of the week.