Ruger Mini 14 - any good?

Only accurate guns are interesting. Everything I own (except pistols) shoots under an inch. I am fighting with my swiss arms right now to get it there (right now we're at 1.5) and if I can't I might sell it and buy a mini-14 target with the hogue stock.
 
I would probbaly trade mine for an AR, since the range is usually the only place I go with it, but for the price of a Mini, a Norinco CQ is the closest thing you can get. If I would ahve had the money at the time, I would have gone for an Ar-180b, but they are twice what I payed for my Mini
 
The Mini 14 I bought in the late 90's was 100 per cent reliable with everything. It was a Ranch model with a 2.5x Leupold scope. It shot minute of dinner plate groups. The best I could do was 5" and most often groups were 8 inches.

The moment I knew the Mini was out the door was the day I shot better groups with an open-sighted Swedish Mauser. Adios Ruger.

I keep reading on the forums about the Mini 14s that will shoot 2" groups at 100 yards. I've never seen one in person. If I ever do I'll probably buy it on the spot.

In the meantime I'll chase the coyotes away with my .223 Sako.
 
manbearpig said:
the AR-180b is no improvement on the Mini, aside from the fact that it looks like an AR - a passing likeness for which people seem to be willing to spend a ridiculous amount of $.
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Oh I was under the impression that it was more accurate and didnt heat up as fast. I am glad I went with the mini-14 then. I am not the type to go for a black rifle and pay more just because it "looks cool". I actually prefer the look of my ranch rifle to the Ar-180.
 
its no more accurate than the recent production Minis, is far more fragile and finicky, and scope mounting solutions on it are pathetic. IMO its inferior to the Mini in every way except that it looks more evil.
in the states its a poor man's AR, a cheaper alternative for people who cant afford an AR. here, its a $1500 gun, and the EE is full of WTB posts for em :rolleyes:
 
Shoots well, but not a Colt AR.

I brought my old AC556 (the original tactical version of the Mini 14) to Borden with the DCRA. It originally came with a factory birdcage flash supressor, a wood heat cover and even a bayonet lug. I installed a small scope so the gun could be used to hunt varmints at a distance and thought it might be fun to see how it holds up on a military range.

The gun shoots well, but it's not a modern tactical rifle - for the price I paid, it was 1/4 the price of many of the new tactical rifles today. Mine has never jammed with factory ammunition, and it will shoot custom loads. I never had any problems with my brass or malfunctions but perhaps the later models were manufactured differently. Back during the 1970s gun manufacturers used mainly wood and metal - not the massive number of advanced polymers seen today.

Some of the DCRA instructors wanted to try it out and balked when I took it out of the case saying some of the same remarks here. However, after I let them fire the rifle, they actually did score some Vbulls at 1,000 metres with factory ammo, but as I mentioned, they were experienced shooters. I got a couple with the rifle myself, but not as many as they did.

The gun was never meant to be a sniper rifle/nail driver, but from experience I can say it is a great hunting rifle, a decent budget-minded tactical rifle (for someone with proper tactical/military training and long-distance shooting experience)...or the perfect rifle if you're a member of the A Team.

It's all fun.

jimmy
 
Just picked one up on here. Great rifle. Compact, reliable, great little. Gun. I chose it over an AR mostly due to the fact that I could own 2 of these (or not have to sell another rifle to help pay for it), or buy one and get a ton of ammo and magazines. There are also a few folding stocks out there that make it look really "Black" if that is your think. I like mine bone stock wood and blue to match my 10/22. As for accuracy it isn't as accurate as my scoped rifles but with open sights and off my should it does as good as I can shoot and that is all I ask of it.
 
manbearpig said:
its no more accurate than the recent production Minis, is far more fragile and finicky, and scope mounting solutions on it are pathetic. IMO its inferior to the Mini in every way except that it looks more evil.
in the states its a poor man's AR, a cheaper alternative for people who cant afford an AR. here, its a $1500 gun, and the EE is full of WTB posts for em :rolleyes:
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Agreed. Yeah for the price of a used Ar-180, you can usually find a good used AR like a colt or bushmaster. Getting a quality rifle that for the same price as a cheap one is easily worth the fact that you can only bring it to the range. An over priced, cheaply made black rifle wouldnt be my ideal hunting rifle anyway. Getting a restricted license added to your PAL is only like 150$ plus like 4 hours of your time, so its worth it. You can get into other restricteds aswell.
 
Norinco CQ 556 is Chinese and restricted, AR's are restricted, I want to bring my rifles everywhere, hate the hassle with the restricted handguns I have, trigger lock, case, ATT, just bought a used Mini 14 Target on the EE, great rifle.
 
my mini

Hey its a fun rifle:ar15: ,nuf said, i have a new all weather stainless model . and its just fun to shoot and im kinda picky about accuracy. but its been said before..." its not a tack driver"" but if i can see it i can hit it ":agree: and that is true .it also has quite a bit of cool factor as well its a neat little package easy to carry and reliabe good for small game in close quarters . good luck on pickin one up !!
 
manbearpig said:
comparing it to an SKS is laughable.
the manufacturing quality and materials on a Mini are light years ahead of an SKS. saying a Mini-14 is an expensive SKS is just like saying a Remington 700 is an expensive Mosin :rolleyes:
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Indeed, and SKS is far more reliable and more accurate then a mini14.

And methinks this new target model is just their way of milking more money out of the customers for what the rifle should have been in the first place. :p

And for the record Mosins have a better track record then the crap Remington is putting out these days. :ar15:
 
Calum said:
Indeed, and SKS is far more reliable and more accurate then a mini14.
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my ass it is.
have you even owned a Mini-14?

i have no problem with the SKS, and own several Russian rifles - few Mosins, Baikals, an SVT, couple TOZ .22s, etc. i briefly owned an SKS but sold it because theyre incredibly overrated: the SKS is far from the holy grail of semis that you fanboys make it out to be.
the Mini action is far more robust and reliable, and accuracy is as good or better than an SKS (which isnt saying much). solid scope mounting is a breeze, theyre much lighter weight and better balanced.

the SKS is a good deal for what it is: a crude, <$200 milsurp plinker. the $500 SKS-Ds on the EE are an absolute joke.

Mosins are more robust than a cheap Remington 700 SPS, but i would not call them a better gun. the simple military trigger and split receiver are huge drawbacks. if you upgrade their stocks and sights they make excellent plinkers, trunk guns, even 'survival guns' since theyll never break (and when you run out of ammo you can use the pigsticker :D).
but i wont be replacing all my rifles with Mosins anytime soon.
 
Calum said:
Indeed, and SKS is far more reliable and more accurate then a mini14.

And methinks this new target model is just their way of milking more money out of the customers for what the rifle should have been in the first place. :p

And for the record Mosins have a better track record then the crap Remington is putting out these days. :ar15:
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SKS and accuracy.............. in the same sentence?
 
stang said:
Horsecrap I've had both and the mini beats the SKS hands down on everything but price.
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^and lately, not by much.
check out the price on an SKS-D in the EE -- then add the cost of a proper synthetic stock and scope mount and you are easily up there with the price of a secondhand Mini-14 (which is what you should be comparing them with since an SKS is not a newly manufactured modern rifle).

the Mini will still have better materials (stainless), better machining and finish, better scope mounting, better accuracy, better aftermarket, better sights, and a more robust/reliable action. i know people who have fired thousands of rounds from their Minis and never cleaned them.
 
stang said:
Calum said:
Indeed, and SKS is far more reliable and more accurate then a mini14.

Horsecrap I've had both and the mini beats the SKS hands down on everything but price.
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I own both and couldn't agree more. My 180 series SS Ranch Mini-14 has never let me down in over 20 years. I would bet my life on this gun. Not an SKS. My new Mini Target, while nice and accurate, is a totally different animal in regards to feel and handling characteristics. If you need your rifle to work every time, get the Mini and don't look back.
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I have a target modle that shoots good, easily under a inch, and I have owned several earlier models that reminded me why tha A-team never hit anything with them. I just bought a new 581 mini 30 and my first group on paper sighting it in with surplus ammo was about 4 in , I hope it gets better!
 
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