Is it just me....?
- Thread starter Whiskey01
- Start date
its just you 
lol here you go
http://frontierfirearms.ca/index.php/firearms/centerfire-rifles/ruger/ruger-mini-14-birch-blued.html
scroll to middle of page
http://www.prairieguntraders.ca/index.php?pr=New_Centerfire
theres more but 2 examples should be sufficient and both are great to deal with
lol here you gohttp://frontierfirearms.ca/index.php/firearms/centerfire-rifles/ruger/ruger-mini-14-birch-blued.html
scroll to middle of page
http://www.prairieguntraders.ca/index.php?pr=New_Centerfire
theres more but 2 examples should be sufficient and both are great to deal with
No offence to anyone that has one and maybe yours is better than the one I had but why would you want one of those?
They are way more money than they are worth in my opinion.
I had an older one with 1:7 twist barrel and while it was very reliable it was terrible in the accuracy department. I think it was about 4 inch groups at 100 yards on a good day. I just made a lot of noise with it and had to appologise to everyone sitting to my right at the range about the brass flying 30 feet over and hitting people.
Save your money for a decent rifle. You will end up spending the money you saved trying to put an aftermarket stock on it and buying expensive mags trying to make it a black rifle and will eventually sell it and buy a real black rifle anyway.
YMMV
They are way more money than they are worth in my opinion.
I had an older one with 1:7 twist barrel and while it was very reliable it was terrible in the accuracy department. I think it was about 4 inch groups at 100 yards on a good day. I just made a lot of noise with it and had to appologise to everyone sitting to my right at the range about the brass flying 30 feet over and hitting people.
Save your money for a decent rifle. You will end up spending the money you saved trying to put an aftermarket stock on it and buying expensive mags trying to make it a black rifle and will eventually sell it and buy a real black rifle anyway.
YMMV
If a guy asks where he can find a good steakhouse, do you tell him he's wrong and should be looking for sushi instead? He wants a mini.
Just for the record, I haven't been without at least one mini for 35 years or so, and after an unrestricted Colt AR, an AR180, and a couple of Swiss Arms, the only semiauto .223 I have now is a mini. The new ones are the best shooters of the bunch, easily as accurate as any other sub-$3000 .223 NR semi's out there . Good luck, and enjoy!
Oh, and another place to contact for one is Wiliams' Arms in Port Perry...very trustworthy guys!
Just for the record, I haven't been without at least one mini for 35 years or so, and after an unrestricted Colt AR, an AR180, and a couple of Swiss Arms, the only semiauto .223 I have now is a mini. The new ones are the best shooters of the bunch, easily as accurate as any other sub-$3000 .223 NR semi's out there . Good luck, and enjoy!
Oh, and another place to contact for one is Wiliams' Arms in Port Perry...very trustworthy guys!
Totally agree and thats why I was trying to push a fellow nutter in the right direction. I loved my Mini 14 Target model, very accurate rifle. Not everyone wants a NR "black" rifle, and arent sending as many rounds as possible everytime there out down range. The mini 14 with its light weight is an excellent package for a .223 shooter.
Thanks for your point of view cr5. I know Mini's seem to be a controversial topic here.
For me, I was just looking for a reliable .223 semi auto that is non-restricted. I know at the end of the day I may spend as much as I would if I had just purchased an AR-15 but I wanted to be able to take it into the bush if I wanted. From what I hear, the new Mini's with the tapered barrels are much better in the accuracy department and I can always get a har-bar stabilizer if needed.
I've looked at some other alternatives but the prices are a bit out of my range:
Swiss arms is up at $3000+
XCR is $2000+
not fond of the look of the Benelli MR-1 or the HK SL-8
anything obvious I missed?
For me, I was just looking for a reliable .223 semi auto that is non-restricted. I know at the end of the day I may spend as much as I would if I had just purchased an AR-15 but I wanted to be able to take it into the bush if I wanted. From what I hear, the new Mini's with the tapered barrels are much better in the accuracy department and I can always get a har-bar stabilizer if needed.
I've looked at some other alternatives but the prices are a bit out of my range:
Swiss arms is up at $3000+
XCR is $2000+
not fond of the look of the Benelli MR-1 or the HK SL-8
anything obvious I missed?
I just think from my experience with them that you would be better off to spend a little more for one of the other non restricted options out there today.
If you have your heart set on a mini then the first thing i would buy is an adjustable gas block and try to find a newer production rifle and hope for better accuracy than the one i had. I see no point in owning a 4-5minute rifle just because you want a non restricted semi. The accuracy was the biggest reason i sold mine.
It was 100% reliable with most of the mags i had so I can't fault it there.
Mine was also hard on brass (if you could find it) so reloading was mostly out of the question.
If you plan to shoot at a gun range you better warn everyone sitting to your right within 30 feet that they are going to be getting hit with brass and that you are very sorry about that. I wasn't very popular at the range when shooting mine
To the others that got all upset about my first post.
Just because you own one doesn't make it a great rifle. I never said it was junk only that i didn't like the one i had and after what i went through wih mine i don't know why anyone would spend over $1000 on one when for a little more money i think there are much better options.
It is a neat rifle with a cool action but for the money i would expect it to be able to at least put 5 shots into 2-3 inches at 100yds. Mine was nowhere near that even off sandbags.
If you own one and got a shooter then good for you. I am allowed to have an opinion about them just like you are. If the OP is looking to buy one then he should hear from both sides and not just the guys that love them. That's how people make objective decisions about whether they want to buy one or not.
Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
If you have your heart set on a mini then the first thing i would buy is an adjustable gas block and try to find a newer production rifle and hope for better accuracy than the one i had. I see no point in owning a 4-5minute rifle just because you want a non restricted semi. The accuracy was the biggest reason i sold mine.
It was 100% reliable with most of the mags i had so I can't fault it there.
Mine was also hard on brass (if you could find it) so reloading was mostly out of the question.
If you plan to shoot at a gun range you better warn everyone sitting to your right within 30 feet that they are going to be getting hit with brass and that you are very sorry about that. I wasn't very popular at the range when shooting mine
To the others that got all upset about my first post.
Just because you own one doesn't make it a great rifle. I never said it was junk only that i didn't like the one i had and after what i went through wih mine i don't know why anyone would spend over $1000 on one when for a little more money i think there are much better options.
It is a neat rifle with a cool action but for the money i would expect it to be able to at least put 5 shots into 2-3 inches at 100yds. Mine was nowhere near that even off sandbags.
If you own one and got a shooter then good for you. I am allowed to have an opinion about them just like you are. If the OP is looking to buy one then he should hear from both sides and not just the guys that love them. That's how people make objective decisions about whether they want to buy one or not.
Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
cr5, my apologies if I came across as "upset" or confrontational. I agree that this forum is all about getting opinions, both positive and negative, regarding potential purchases that a member may be considering. Speaking entirely for myself here, if I ask for "the good, the bad, and the ugly" about a gun/scope/whatever, I certainly welcome all input...but that's not how this thread was presented. He didn't ask what we thought about it...he simply asked where he could get one. Pardon my overreaction...had a "bad keyboard day".
You missed Kel-tec su-16, great reliable gun, that twice as light then a Mini, uses AR mags, and it folds in half.. oh. and it has a built in bipod and also non-restricted.
Im with cr5 on this one, mini would be the last on my list.. but it is my opinion, and you are more then welcome to get what you like...
Good luck.
Im with cr5 on this one, mini would be the last on my list.. but it is my opinion, and you are more then welcome to get what you like...
Good luck.
Thanks for all your opinions guys, I'm open to any advice you have to give.
Dmitri, I've actually been struggling between the mini 14 and the SU-16. I was originally attracted to the Mini 14 because of it's rock solid reliability and the fact that I could correct the accuracy issue with a stabilizer. I also really like the Pro-mag archangel stock.
I like the SU-16's ability to take AR mags but I have heard mixed reviews about the quality and reliability. Any truth in that?
Also, how easy is it to customize the SU-16? I know it's kinda vain but I want to "tacti-cool" up this rifle. I haven't seen many options for the foregrip without some modifications needed and as you can tell by my status over there (<--)..i'm still a newbie!
Maybe I should start another thread but...how do people feel about the Mini 14 vs. the SU 16?
Dmitri, I've actually been struggling between the mini 14 and the SU-16. I was originally attracted to the Mini 14 because of it's rock solid reliability and the fact that I could correct the accuracy issue with a stabilizer. I also really like the Pro-mag archangel stock.
I like the SU-16's ability to take AR mags but I have heard mixed reviews about the quality and reliability. Any truth in that?
Also, how easy is it to customize the SU-16? I know it's kinda vain but I want to "tacti-cool" up this rifle. I haven't seen many options for the foregrip without some modifications needed and as you can tell by my status over there (<--)..i'm still a newbie!
Maybe I should start another thread but...how do people feel about the Mini 14 vs. the SU 16?
i have most of the NR black rifles, and i am actually pretty impressed with the accuracy of my mini14 build that i recently did.
i built it for just under $1265 with everything you see minus the Vortex optic...
it consistently shoots 1-2 inch groups at 100m with the Har-Bar barrel stabilizer on it, and it is an older mini14...i could only imagine that the newer mini14's would be even better.
The mini 14 is a great and reliable gun. The build quality is not comparable to the keltec. You would be hard pressed to find a new mini that will shot worse than 3 moa. In my experience the stainless minis are more accurate than the blued ones. Shooting off the fore-end will get you wonky results. I find shooting off the mag yields the best results in the accuracy department. Everyone should have at least one mini in the safe.
Mukinfutch
Regular
- Location
- Durham Region, Ontario
Mine was a 1987 production (if I remember correctly) 1:7 twist stainless ranch rifle with pin on muzzle brake and synthetic folding stock and it was the least accurate rifle I have ever owned.
My AR180b that I replaced it with would shoot at least half the size groups that the mini-14 did and looked a lot cooler without having to spend a bunch of money on a stock.
Shortest rifles? All non restricted "black" rifles have an 18.5" +/- barrel to be as short as possible and still legal so that ones a tie. And I don't consider the mini to be a black rifle, at least not until you put a fancy stock on it which is another $200 or more.
Box magazine? Sure if you want to TRY to find RUGER factory high capacity pinned mags that aren't at least double the cost of an AR mag. I had 4 5/30's and a couple factory 5 round mags and 3 out of 4 of the 5/30's were reliable but they are hard to come across and expensive if you do find them.
Accurate enough? If you are satisfied with barn door accuracy then sure.
Minute of bad guy? Hope you don't have things behind said bad guy that you don't want holes in like your family because you will probably be pulling the trigger more than once if he is more than 25 feet away.
I didn't buy it looking for a 1000m gun. I thought it was a cool looking NR semi and it took me about 100 rounds till I decided it was not going to be taking up space in my gun locker very much longer.
I expect all firearms to at least shoot 2-3 minute or they are down the road. My SKS was more accurate than my mini-14 and that was with open sights compared to a scoped mini.
I would suggest someone buy an SKS before I would think of suggesting a mini-14. Best part is that you can buy 3 SKS's and a couple fancy stocks for the cost of a mini.
Why would you want to spend that much money on a rifle and have to modify it as soon as you buy it just to get it to shoot 100yds and make a group that didn't look like a pistol was being used freehand at 50yds?
To the OP I would go with the SU-16 if you have it narrowed down to the two based on price. If you can afford it I would buy a new or used XCR then down the road you can buy a caliber conversion kit and hunt with it using 6.8SPC or shoot cheap surplus 7.62x39. Or keep your eyes open on the EE for a used AR-180b. I still regret selling that one.
True on all points I just think it should shoot better for the price. To me it would be fine if it was $600 new, just doesn't seem to be good value for the money.
You do realize that Ruger Re-Vamped the mini 14 since 1987 and they do have a lot better accuracy now, they are the 580+ series . They also make a target version with a "harmonic stableizer" on it and they are reports of them shooting +/- of an inch . They are a fun reliable gun to shoot IMHO
