accuracy of mini14

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would a mini14 ranch gun make a good bush gun for deer? i would intend on using it with a red dot or low powered scope for under 200 yard shots... mostly under 100 yards. anybody know where to get a tapco stock?
 
Mini 14's are available in 6.8Rem SPC now, pricey but it would make a better deer caliber.

I don't know the hunting regs in ON but in AB the minimum cal for deer is .23

:)
 
The newer ones get a good grouping at 50 yards (about 2 inches with my experience), but you should probably use a mini 30 if you want to hunt deer.
 
freezer filler said:
would a mini14 ranch gun make a good bush gun for deer? i would intend on using it with a red dot or low powered scope for under 200 yard shots... mostly under 100 yards. anybody know where to get a tapco stock?
Click to expand...

The mini 14 is NOT a good hunting rifle by any means. The only thing it's good for is .....watch an 80's movie called "In the line of fire-the FBI murders" starring Michael Gross. That's what the mini 14 is good for if you are so inclined? What an insult Ruger did to ranchers when they called that piece of crap a "Ranch Rifle". Not a single rancher that I know, (and I know a lot of them) owns or would even own one as a hunting rifle. Even coyotes deserve a quicker death than those POS can deliver. Now,,,,,, having said that, I've tried to get one on the EE forum myself, but strictly to shoot paper and see what these autoloaders could do. By all acounts, it seems minute of barn door is all you can expect.
 
Wow, that's alot of hate for a little gun.. don't hate the mini,...it may not be all that accurate out of the box but it's alot of fun to shoot. And as for coyotes , Ive never had a complaint from any of the ones I have put down with my mini.
 
Mini 14 accuracy....

It's an oxymoron ain't it? :p

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
A repost in response to Gitrdun:

"The mini has served as my plinker, patrol Carbine and Tactical weapon for many years. My Father also used it in his policing career in the 80's in the tactical role. I've used the standard Mini, the Stainless, the GB and ACC556. They are tough, reliable and accurate. I don't need to go digging around to find info about the Mini, I've forged my own both on and off duty.
By accurate I mean grouping 2-3" at 100 yards which is plenty fine for it's intended purpose.

The people who I've trained who pattern 5-6 inch groups both with the AR and the mini have an issue with themselves and not the weapon in every instance.

Now granted I've seen one mini that always shot high and right no matter what ya did, and I've seen one that always shot low. So yes just like any rifle there have be a few lemons, same goes for the new C-8's we have transitioned too. Heck we’ve had issues with SIG's and MP5's for that matter.

The fact is yes I get touchy when someone bashes a good piece of kit that I have come to respect.

The 580 series is a different animal compared to the earlier production models just like the M-16 is to the M-16A4. New CNC machining techniques have enabled the manufacturing tolerances to be reduced along with improved casting technology that also reduces tolerances. The barrels are also thicker and the gas system has been tweaked. The sights on the rifle have also been improved."

With all that said the Mini is a lousy choice for a deer rifle. I've got a deefield carbine in 44mag, and a Winnie94 which are far more appropriate for that kind of game. You may also want to consult the regs in your area in regards to deer hunting with a .223.
It is a fun lil plinker though.
 
I agree. LOVE my mini 14. It's an older series 187 but like I said it's alot of fun to shoot. I put a inexpensive scope on it and inside 100 yards it's plenty accurate. Unless you are hunting baby red squirrels at 100 yards you're good to go. And hunting deer with .223 is probably not the best idea, it's not even legal in Southern Ontario anyway.
 
I can't say for sure about the 14 but I do own a mini-30 (approx 15 years old) and it is very accurate out to 200 yards. I have nothing bad to say about it as it shoots great and has never jammed for having had 1000 plus rounds threw it:ar15:
 
my .223 ranch rifle has problems staying within 4" at 100 yards off of sand bags. i have tryed different wieghts of bullets in it. factory ammo, and reloads. still have NOT found one load that shoots at least good in it. TOTAL PEACE OF CRAP! i thought after shooting M1 Garands and M1A1's verey accuratly, i would have a rifle in .223 that would be a great shooting gun. was i ever wrong! don't waste youre money!

i forgot to mention, the ranch rifle has a scope. the Garand and M1A both have peep sights, the Garand can shoot 1-1/4" groups all day, the M1A can shoot 1" groups. if you want a plinker get a 10/22 and give it a trigger job.
 
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gitrdun said:
The mini 14 is NOT a good hunting rifle by any means. The only thing it's good for is .....watch an 80's movie called "In the line of fire-the FBI murders" starring Michael Gross. That's what the mini 14 is good for if you are so inclined? What an insult Ruger did to ranchers when they called that piece of crap a "Ranch Rifle". Not a single rancher that I know, (and I know a lot of them) owns or would even own one as a hunting rifle. Even coyotes deserve a quicker death than those POS can deliver. Now,,,,,, having said that, I've tried to get one on the EE forum myself, but strictly to shoot paper and see what these autoloaders could do. By all acounts, it seems minute of barn door is all you can expect.
Click to expand...


hmmmmm........great ammo for the anti's....thanks:runaway::runaway:
 
freezer filler said:
would a mini14 ranch gun make a good bush gun for deer? i would intend on using it with a red dot or low powered scope for under 200 yard shots... mostly under 100 yards. anybody know where to get a tapco stock?
Click to expand...

My newer mini-14 shoots 1"@50yards with UMC 55 gr.
I've taken gophers with it up to 100 yards. There is no reason why it would
not be effective in your application.

Get the right bullets. I recommend something in VMAX line.
Fragments nicely, breaks bones in gophers, should break them in deer.
They never exited on the other side.

My gophers stop moving once they get 50gr VMAX. If they are sitting,
they keep sitting, if they are standing, they take a nap. Immediate kill.

One thing about the VMAX I'm using, it creates a very small entry hole, no exit
wound. First time I used them I thought the gopher was playing dead
as it did not move. He was sitting exactly the same way as before the shot
with no blood anywhere and no visible entry wound. They just drop dead.
When I skinned them, I saw the damage inside. It was a mess.

With 22LR they were doing their break dance and most of the time got away.
 
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I had the target mini with the laminate stock and it was putting 4 shot groups in an inch at 100 yards. For some reason the 5th hole would open the group up to 1.5. This was once I found the sweet spot for the harmonic dampener. For an autoloader, I don't think you're going to do much better.

That being said, I'd go for the 6.8 if I were going for deer with it.
 
af- there must be something wrong with your vmax loads...the ones I use result in a large amount of red mist and small bits of fur flying all over the place.
 
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