Mini 14.. any experiences... recomendations?

eltorro

eltorro

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I thought about one the other day... they are small, neat and versatile, but I neve had one, nor have I ever shot any, so I'd like to get some input from the guys actually owning (owned) one.

Tempting are both 223 ans mini 30... how are they accuracy wise?
anybody tried to improve oever the factory setups? any spectacular results? How do they perform in the field... cold, rain... any shortcomings?

do they have floating firing pin just like it's bigger cousin (M14)?
What are the major differences between the two?
 
I had an older one years ago and it was fun for blasting large groups of gophers. That was back when 20 and 30 rd mags were ok. Accuracy was poor but ammo was cheap. They seem to cost about as much as a decent bolt gun these days. At least with the mini 30 you can hunt with it.
 
They arent' known for htier accuracy, which is too bad.

A ligthweight, semi auto 223 that is accurate woudl be a great asset to many Canadian coyote hunters.

In years past, you coud use an AR, but of course, now they are restricted. I have been tempted from time to time to check out one of the *accurized* Minis, which are simiar in cost to a good AR, last ime I checked.:dancingbanana:
 
I've had several over the years, and they all had a lot in common. Accuracy basically sucked (usually 3-4" @100), triggers were typically (bad) military in feel. Scoping became easier once the Ranch Rifle versions came out, but that just drew attention to the lousy accuracy. Did I mention that accuracy sucked?

So why did I keep on buying them? I dunno, I just like'em! They're a lot of fun to shoot, and lend themselves to a lot of DIY improvements. Check out an American website called Perfect Union, which has tons of easy and not-so-easy performance improving tricks and techniques.

I currently have one in .223 which wears a Clark Barrel Stabilizer and will shoot around 1 3/4", but will probably trade it soon...too heavy. I also recently picked up one of the newer generation Ranch Rifles (my first Mini-30), which supposedly are built to tighter tolerances and promise better accuracy. I found a website somewhere that claims Ruger is expecting 2 MOA from these newer guns. So far I haven't been able to get that, but I've barely started to work with it so far.

I should also mention that they have been 100% reliable, with virtually no maintenance problems. My first one, in particular, saw many thousands of rounds without one FTF or FTE. It took me many years of shooting other, less-reliable guns, to realize what a gem it was...naturally, after it was gone.:(
Good luck and enjoy!
 
Bought one of the first stainless mini 14s' .223 around 1980....... used it for coyotes when I used to live in Merrit, BC.......good to 150 yds on stationary critters even at 20 below temperatures.......extremely reliable, never had any feeding or ejecting problems with factory or handloads.

Local ranch hand talked me out of it..went to 22-250 and had more success out to 300 yds on calm days..

got another stainless mini in 1988.....with 69gr. sierras and 25.5 gr. Re 15 powder shoots 3 shot groups 1.75 in/100yds.......2794, 2786,2780 fps.......scoped of course.........

50 to 55 grn. hornadys about 2.50 in/100yds with handloads.......avg 2960 fps with max loads Re. 15 and imr 4895..... to get to these loads I shot a lot of stuff that wouldn't group 4 in./100 yd.........



My brother"s scoped blued steel mini 14 ranch........with his loads he can stay under 2 in. all day as long as he doesn't heat the barrel up too much ....

My fathers scoped mini 14 only used Imperial factory 55 gr rounds and his would group the first three at about 3 in./100 yds.......

These are all a " bench and bags" situation at the range.......and 3 shots only as they will wander when they get beyond "warm".........

It is however the most reliable rifle I have ever owned and wouldn't be with out one...........

Because its " only a .223 " I won't' go into any details of the dozens of Vancouver Island (small) deer we three "harvested" with out manageing to wound any and have them not go bang /flop...........with mini 14's


hs4570..........................your mileage may vary
 
I bought a newer stainless ranch (now on the EE)
I put 40 rounds through it....and have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Hitting the 4" gong at 100 every time got boring though :D

I'd actually keep it, but I also picked up a .204 at the same time (Both guns were for yotes) and it makes little tiny cloverleafs at 100....so I use that instead. All in all, for a fun/reliable/tough SOB of a gun, it's a great tool.

Ryan
 
My experience with the Mini 14 (181 series) and a more recent stainless Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39 have been all positive. As mentioned; these are reliable rifles. I have thought that mine grouped just fine, although I haven't spent a lot of time testing them for "absolute accuracy"...

I like em'! :)

Jeff/1911.
 
I have a 182- series and I have thought about getting an AR... BUt the mini can go with me everywhere, and its definately good enough for coyotes and other small game. The accuracy isnt near my bolt guns', but hey.. the ammo is cheap and its a lot of fun. No problems in bad weather, and bever ever ever had a FTF or FTE. rugged and reliable.
you might find yourself missing the shot on a crow at 75 yards, but anything the size of a coyote is not a problem at 100yards.
 
I have had several Mini-14's pass through my hands over the years, both blued and stainless, regular and ranch version. Light, handy and reliable, but not exactly the best in the accuracy department. You can find a nice accurate load for it, but it takes alot of range work to do so! Fun plinker in either caliber.:dancingbanana:

Catshooting.gif
 
If you choose to buy one stick with the factory magazines. Often those ###y hi-cap style magazines are inferior in quality and cause jams. The factory parts generally let this gun function flawlessly in any and all conditions.
 
Of the various rifles I've owned over the years the Mini 14 Ranch was the one that disappointed me the most. I bought it because I wanted a light detachable magazine rifle for predator control on my rural property.

Mine sucked. Accuracy was in the 6 to 8 inch range at 100 yards. Never better and sometimes worse. The trigger pull was atrocious and the rifle never felt good in my hands. The brass was flung a great distance and often bounced against the scope ruining the finish on a nice Leupold 2.5x scope.

My days as a Mini owner came to an end when I was shooting at the range with my brother-in-law. He was commenting on how poorly I was shooting when I grabbed his Swedish Mauser and with open sights shot better than the scoped Mini. The Ruger was sold shortly thereafter.
 
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