Mini 14... any known problems to look for?

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SamMalone

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Thinking about acquiring a Mini 14. Any known problems to watch out for? I've not seen this particular firearm yet, but it was offered up in trade so am considering it. Supposed to be in pretty decent condition.

I understand there are a more than a few modifications that can be done to it, but more interested in it in it's stock form at the moment.

Thanks
 
5 rd mags vs the pistol 10 rounders available for the AR series...plus the Ruger mags are a bit more expensive.

The earlier pencil barrel rifles are not known as tack drivers.
 
The only down side is expensive mags. The two I had both ran flawlessly. Nice and light & handy. 223. There are other NR .223 semi autos available at that price point but the mini is the only one that doesn't feel like a toy to me. It's not a precision rifle though. Just a good dependable durable semi. If you have realistic expectations she will not disappoint.
 
the older ones had thinner barrels that make them less accurate.
you can remedy this by putting a accustrut on them and that helps shave about 25% off the grouping size.
newer ones are know to throw brass into the next province, you can get adjustable gas blocks or different sized bushings to fix this if it bothers you.
 
C.308 said:
The only down side is expensive mags. The two I had both ran flawlessly. Nice and light & handy. 223. There are other NR .223 semi autos available at that price point but the mini is the only one that doesn't feel like a toy to me. It's not a precision rifle though. Just a good dependable durable semi. If you have realistic expectations she will not disappoint.
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Comes with 4 mags.. can't really see needing any more than that. Yes, only 5rnd but I can live with it.
 
I had an older one from the 80's, accuracy was horrible even with a scope, brass would fly at least 30ft, brass was mostly not reloadable (if you could find it).

It was however 100% reliable with genuine Ruger magazines (not so much with aftermarket mags). It felt solid and well built.

The newer ones are supposedly more accurate but the one I had was terrible so I sold it.
Accuracy of mine was good enough to drop a coyote at 100 yards but I wouldn't have considered taking it if I was going after gophers or if the distance was going to be over 100 yards.

For a rifle in the $1000 price range I think you can do better. But if you like them and want to give it a try go for it but I personally wouldn't value any mini14 over $800 regardless of how much someone has spent on it.

Worst case scenario you end up selling it on the EE.
 
Mini 14s are built like tanks, as said the newesr series 580 and up will the the thicker barrel and are more accurate. Look to see if they are ruger mags, aftermarket mags have been know to cause trouble.
They work good on what they were intended for ranch, truck gun with 2-3moa.
 
I have an older Mini-14 Ranch Rifle that I have had for over 25+ years. It was never accurate but worked flawlessly.
Then I started reloading and found out that my Mini had a 1/7 twist.
So I started shooting heavier projectiles. Turns out it likes 69gr Sierra HPBT Match.
With a barrel stabilizer and adjustable gas block I can get 2.5-3.5” @200yds which is a huge improvement.
I have also bedded and did a trigger job and it’s my favorited coyote hunting rifle.
So the moral of the story is make sure you try different bullet weights because they came in different twist rates.

.
 
Depending what you are trading could be a fun project. A barrel stabilizer would help the skinny barrel.
Theres a YouTube video with nuttinfancy were he predicts the early mini14 will become collectible. For what that's worth.
 
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can14 said:
They are non restricted. Where most of the guns they are compared to are
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This.

I often hear that you can do better than a mini 14 for 1k, but... Non Restricted?

I'm not so sure. When it comes to quality and reliability the mini delivers. Accuracy... well seems to have improved but I'm no expert on that. But for the mini I don't think it was ever meant to be a tack driver. An AR beats it all day long for accuracy, sure. But not by that much. Even a couple moa is only a couple inches at 100m. That's plenty fine for shooting steel if you're into that. I shot 8" steel at 100m with irons with ease using 2 different mini 14s. No problem.

I honestly don't think there is much else that can match the mini' s long proven record for reliabity. I'll mean, t97s and wk180s look like a lot of fun and I would love to have those too. But I feel like a Mini 14 would out live me and my future grandkids. You want accuracy? Pick up a Remington 783 for half the money with glass. The mini 14 is just an awesome freakin' gun.
 
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