- Location
- Virden, MB
No one knows what is best, the best is what you know.
mini 14 vs the rest of the black rifles
- Thread starter Robmcleod82
- Start date
- Location
- Pile of Bones, SK
I love my Mini.
This kinda goes back to my earlier post, most rifles shoot to the potential of the shooter and most shooters aren't shooting to the potential of their guns. Or often they're running ammo that can't perform to the potential of the gun. Typically I find Czech surplus to be rather good in the accuracy dept.
My norc m4 with quality ammo is in bolt gun territory, but when being fed whatever is cheap it's around 3" @ 100m.
Yes older minis shot all over the map but that had a lot to do with the suPer thin barrel and gas blocks being torques down too tight. The simple addition of a barrel strut makes a world of difference.
If the nazis would let us use ARs in the bush I'd have a much thinner herd and likely never have bought nor considered PE90s etc.
A Mini-14 un modified is painfully inaccurate but realiable. I've spent a pile of money to customized mine and it still has accuracy quirks but I can get just under MOA at 100 yards. I've killed coyotes over 300 yards with one shot kills using 69 Match Kings. The only reason I perservered and thrown it away is that it is not restricted and reasonably priced. I won't spend a dime on equipment I can't use when, where and for what I want.
I'm having the same job done to my M-14 for the same reasons and end use.
I'm having the same job done to my M-14 for the same reasons and end use.
Steve Janes
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary/Ontario
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I don't comment on things on this forum much anymore, it's just to retarded to sit here bantering back and forth with all the absolutely un-informed people who think they know what there talking about.
This statement above shows just how unbelievable some of the advice you can receive on CGN really is, this guy proudly claims "That's what i did" in regards to spending 3.5GRAND++on his Mini-14 and a bunch of imported magazines!!! UN FREAKIN BELIEVABLE
My Mini-30 broke, the bolt sheared in half, Ruger replaced the rifle, and then the replacement I was sent failed to feed surplus, I was sent another and it failed to shoot surplus too, my point is get w/e you want, but you get what you pay for, Mini $1000 worth of cheap crap, Ruger has NO Quality control what so ever, they use you to do it for them and save a few bux, if you buy a Swiss or Tavor, or anything else even in the ball park of $3000 it's gonna be AWESOME.
I don't think he said that he spent $3500 on a mini, I think he was making the point that if you want your equipment to do what you want it to do you should spend the money to do it right. I have some ruger products in the safe (including the mini-14) and they have functioned flawlessly.
Perhaps you should go to the rimfire forum and hack on the 10/22. See how many people agree with you.
Spending $3k on a rifle doesn't mean it will be AWESOME! The rifle has to fit the shooter. The mini-14 fits many people because it's similar to the traditional ergonomics of a rifle that most learned to shoot with.
It is a great semi-auto to shoot with. If you want sub-moa accuracy get a bolt gun. If you want a reliable, lightweight and quick-pointing semi, the mini is a great gun!
I had a stainless mini 14 ranch with 1:7 twist and a folding pistol grip stock for around a year before I sold it. I found it to be very reliable when using good mags but the accuracy was terrible. It would keep all shots on paper at 100m but that was about it. I replaced it with an AR180 and am much happier. The accuracy is still not really good but at least it makes loose groups and I've never had a failure of any kind. My 14" AR makes better groups than either of them but being restricted takes alot of the fun away from the AR. I've also played with a couple XCR's including one in 6.8 and while the accuracy still isn't what I would expect from a rifle with a so called match grade barrel I like shooting them.
Personally I wouldn't buy a mini 14 again and would sell or give it away if someone gave me one but it is reliable and can be fun. I think that for the money there are better guns. The new target version may be alot more accurate but it's probably alot heavier.
Thumbs up for reliability but thumbs down for accuracy, it throws brass 30 feet (which annoys other shooters at the range) and the fact it doesn't use AR mags
Personally I wouldn't buy a mini 14 again and would sell or give it away if someone gave me one but it is reliable and can be fun. I think that for the money there are better guns. The new target version may be alot more accurate but it's probably alot heavier.
Thumbs up for reliability but thumbs down for accuracy, it throws brass 30 feet (which annoys other shooters at the range) and the fact it doesn't use AR mags
I have never, ever, had a single quality control problem with any of the four Ruger products I have owned over the past 20+ years. Interesting - I had always thought of them as an ULTRA reliable manufacturer.
Anecdotal evidence, true...
Anecdotal evidence, true...
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I don't comment on things on this forum much anymore, it's just to retarded to sit here bantering back and forth with all the absolutely un-informed people who think they know what there talking about.
This statement above shows just how unbelievable some of the advice you can receive on CGN really is, this guy proudly claims "That's what i did" in regards to spending 3.5GRAND++
Well...my perspective is that a semi-auto rifle is pretty much useless without a stack of decent magazines to feed it, and my point was to simply illustrate the fact (not opinion) that for the bare-bones price of a new swiss arms rifle with two factory magazines, you can have a mini with a massive pile of magazines. To do the same thing in the swiss arms department looks something like this:
$3400 - Cost of new Swiss Arms Classic Green$
$2100 - Cost of 30 factory 5/20 magazines @ $70 each
--------
$5500 - total Swiss Arms Investment for high round count shooter
vs
$800 - Cost of new mini-14
$2100 - Cost of 30 factory 5/20 magazines @ $60 each plus 300 for import/shipping
------
$2900 - Total Mini-14 investment for high round count shooter
Granted the example is a little extreme, as there are other somewhat less expensive options that use more readily available AR15 style magazines, but the spirit of the comparison is, IMHO, fair.
Another thing that's worth exploring is the notion that what is important for some people may not be what's important to others. If what's important to you is a non-restricted semi-auto rifle that can consistently hammer out at MOA from a supported prone position, then I would agree that the swiss rifle is greatly superior to the mini. If you have the same objective (MOA from prone position) but don't care about restricted status, then my opinion is that you are better served with an AR15 type rifle. If your objective it to have a light, quick handling utility rifle to shoot 100, 200 or 300 meter steel silhouettes in a practical rifle type setting, my opinion is that the VZ and the mini style rifles equally as good as the swiss rifles, and a heck of a lot better value. How about as a rifle to teach new shooters basic handling and practical marksmanship principles with a centerfire rifle at 25 yards? How about hunting? Here in Alberta I can't hunt big game with a swiss arms rifle, but I can hunt with my mini-30 (as well as VZ style rifle).
Regarding your comments on reliability, my experience is that all of the higher dollar guns can have issues too. My very first Colt 6820 AR15 broke within the first 500 rounds when the gas key sheared off the bolt (faulty fasteners) and gouged the cr*p out of the interior of the upper. I've had a swiss arms rifle where the recoil spring was damaged when the retaining pin on the piston broke (around the 2000 round mark). With the Colt rifle I had to get a completely new rifle which took 3 to 4 months. With the Swiss Rifle I wound up waiting about 6 months for new parts. My AR180B broke at the front pivot point and was a nightmare to get replaced. I have not been shooting the VZ rifles long enough to have developed my own experienced opinion, however there is lots of ancedotal stories on the dreaded "gremlin", so my perspective is that they can all have issues. But my personal experience with the half a dozen or so mini-s I've run hard has been pretty positive, so therefore my opinion is that they are decent value in terms of reliability. Sounds like your experience has been different though.
Anyway, my interpretation of the original poster's intent was to poll others who have first hand experience with both the mini as well as other "black" rifles for their comparative experience between the various rifles. Everything I've written is just my opinion and likely not worth much more that you paid for it. I don't think less of you for having a different opinion, however I do consider that when you argue ad hominem it does nothing to strengthen the persuasiveness of your position.
Cheers,
Brobee
The Mini-14 is what it is--a semi-auto sporting rifle that is somewhat overpriced. It is not a combat rifle and it is not a precision target rifle. Any that I have had are reliable and would have no problem hitting a rabbit sized target at 200 meters or a coyote at 300.
Thank you all for another most entertaining thread.
Thank you all for another most entertaining thread.
Thank God I don't have to shoot in Kanada...I feel stupider from just watching that vid..MAYBE...the mini 30 guy could remember to take his rifle off safe...and the 5 rd then wait 30 secs for a mag change...LOL..Nice "Operator" thing goin on there though..but 10 round mags just dont seem normal.
Not sure why, but I love the Mini-14, and have for over 20 years.
The model has had its ups and downs, but currently it is a great rifle.
Its a great truck gun, farm or rural gun, property or home defence.
Is it a tack driver? No, unless you drop coin into it, which I personally would not do save for an Accu-Strut and a trigger job.
Is is a combat rifle? No, but it is a rifle that would be good in a SHTF scenario, or used in a collapsed urban environment.
Is there better things out there? Sure there is, lots.
But the Mini fills a small niche as stated. Non-Res status, reliable, easy to use, clean, operate, repair.
You simply cannot compare it to an AR platform style rifle.
An AR or something similar, is a precision instrument, a scalpel per se when operating it, capable of some fantastic MOA a build quality.
The Mini-14, is not a scalpel, and is more of a mallet. It gets the job done providing you know the tool you are using, accept what it does, and do not have visions of making it into a "Black Rifle".
If you have the cash, and want a SCAR style stock, or EBR platform made, so be it, this is a sport for the most part, as is a way of life for some. Your money, your hobby.
But putting the Mini-14 into a class it is not meant to be in, isn't doing it justice and just compels the old conception of it being garbage.
If I were to buy another one now, which I may, id consider the Target model simply because of what it comes with out of the box and it's excellent accuracy. However Im not a fan of the laminate stock it comes with, and would be happy with just the rifle stock for this model.
I know what it can do, Im happy with that, and if needed, I can use it competently.
The model has had its ups and downs, but currently it is a great rifle.
Its a great truck gun, farm or rural gun, property or home defence.
Is it a tack driver? No, unless you drop coin into it, which I personally would not do save for an Accu-Strut and a trigger job.
Is is a combat rifle? No, but it is a rifle that would be good in a SHTF scenario, or used in a collapsed urban environment.
Is there better things out there? Sure there is, lots.
But the Mini fills a small niche as stated. Non-Res status, reliable, easy to use, clean, operate, repair.
You simply cannot compare it to an AR platform style rifle.
An AR or something similar, is a precision instrument, a scalpel per se when operating it, capable of some fantastic MOA a build quality.
The Mini-14, is not a scalpel, and is more of a mallet. It gets the job done providing you know the tool you are using, accept what it does, and do not have visions of making it into a "Black Rifle".
If you have the cash, and want a SCAR style stock, or EBR platform made, so be it, this is a sport for the most part, as is a way of life for some. Your money, your hobby.
But putting the Mini-14 into a class it is not meant to be in, isn't doing it justice and just compels the old conception of it being garbage.
If I were to buy another one now, which I may, id consider the Target model simply because of what it comes with out of the box and it's excellent accuracy. However Im not a fan of the laminate stock it comes with, and would be happy with just the rifle stock for this model.
I know what it can do, Im happy with that, and if needed, I can use it competently.
Has anyone heard much about the ProMag/Archangel/Sparta stock for the Mini14/30? There's not much about them online from what I can see..no Canadian dealers that I know of either. Won't help it shoot any better but looks pretty neat...not to mention cheap.
