Ruger Mini 14 - any good?

IMO there are 3 main detriments to the Mini-14s accuracy, and 4 to the Mini-30s.

-thin whippy barrels. can be corrected easily by hanging a weight off the end of the barrel, the steel flash hiders are ideal for this, inexpensive and easy to install. this would be my first upgrade.

-the action is very aggressive (for reliability), but this can be toned down by installing a smaller gas port bushing.

-heavy trigger like the M1As.... not much you can do about this.

-the Mini-30 further suffers from poor quality factory ammunition. you could be firing milsurp 7.62x39mm ammo out of a benchrest rifle and still not getting sub-MOA.
 
My advice to the original poster is to borrow one at the range and see for himself, he might get lucky and get a good mini 14...sort of like buying a North American vehicle these days, but the several mini 14's I have borrowed the past 5 years didn't impress me one bit as far as accuracy, not to mention price.
 
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I used to own a blued Mini14 Ranch, sold it and then bought a stainless Ranch which I also sold. Neither would shoot worth s**t. A new rifle should do better than 5" groups at 100 yards! Tried every type of ammo I could find, also reloaded for them, tried new stocks, different scopes, etc, to no effect. s**tty accuracy, simply unacceptable to me. I was not expecting "sub MOA", I would have tolerated them if they would have done 2" groups.

The Mini-14 is an appealing little carbine - short, light, 100% reliable, simple, easy to mount optics, and the price was/is reasonable for a new rifle. I've seen a bunch of Minis over the years, and I've never seen one in action that would shoot well. If I did I'd offer to buy it on the spot!
 
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My buddy has a mini 14. He just put a scope on it. when we were sighting it in it was only getting about 5" groups at 100 yards using FMJ rounds. after trying some reloads we both put 4 rounds each in the same sub 2" group. the better group being 1.5". we still havent tested other loads. I used 52 grain Hornady HPBT with 25 grains of IMR 3031.
 
BTDT. I love the concept of the mini, I think a lot of people do, and thats why they sell. They are light, handy, reliable and, I think, a very nice looking rifle. Lets not forget semi-auto and non-restricted. Then I bought one. Granted it was an old 180, before the days of the "ranch". You couln't get, and still can't get a scope mount that works woth s**t. And 5" at a hundred yards. Even 4". We have come to expect a little better than that out of our modern guns. It can be the handiest rifle in the world, but if it won't hit where it's pointed, it's just a pretty stick. I solved the problem by getting a Ruger compact in .223. SS, laminate stock, 16" barrel, and 1 shot gophers at 110-120M.
 
JIMDICE said:
I brought my old AC556 (the original tactical version of the Mini 14) to Borden with the DCRA. It originally came with a factory birdcage flash supressor, a wood heat cover and even a bayonet lug. I installed a small scope so the gun could be used to hunt varmints at a distance and thought it might be fun to see how it holds up on a military range.

The gun shoots well, but it's not a modern tactical rifle - for the price I paid, it was 1/4 the price of many of the new tactical rifles today. Mine has never jammed with factory ammunition, and it will shoot custom loads. I never had any problems with my brass or malfunctions but perhaps the later models were manufactured differently. Back during the 1970s gun manufacturers used mainly wood and metal - not the massive number of advanced polymers seen today.

Some of the DCRA instructors wanted to try it out and balked when I took it out of the case saying some of the same remarks here. However, after I let them fire the rifle, they actually did score some Vbulls at 1,000 metres with factory ammo, but as I mentioned, they were experienced shooters. I got a couple with the rifle myself, but not as many as they did.

The gun was never meant to be a sniper rifle/nail driver, but from experience I can say it is a great hunting rifle, a decent budget-minded tactical rifle (for someone with proper tactical/military training and long-distance shooting experience)...or the perfect rifle if you're a member of the A Team.

It's all fun.

jimmy
Click to expand...

I think you mean the Mini-14GB, as the AC-556 is the full-auto version of the Mini-14.
 
I owned a stainless Ranch rifle in 1991 for $550. It shot like crap. It shot everywhere but where you wanted it to. A bullet hose, switched from fmj to 55 grain sp, at least I could see where it was hitting. A big disappointment. Can't believe they sell for 800$ know
 
MINI 14 TARGET is the answer!

:nest: Yeah you guys are right. If you are going to cheap out on the ranch mini-14 then yes you won't be able to hit the broad side of a barn yard! I don't call 5 inches "grouping" i call that all over the page. However BUY THE NEWER MINI 14 TARGET version and you will not be disappointed. I had shot this thing out the box and was pissed off myself because I was all over the page chasing my scope for about 120 rounds!.....that was until I finally adjusted the balancer on the barrel (as I didn't think it would have made much difference in the beginning) and about 30 rounds later I was touching bullet holes at 100 yards with cheap factory ammo! I love the barrels in these things as I can put 30-40 rounds through this thing and the barrel doesn't even copper foul.... well worth the cash! The one downfall is that it does beat the sh*t out of your brass. And if you are a reloader like myself it can piss ya off not to mention it throws the brass about 40feet. Hope this helps. :eek::50cal:
 
Not mine, but maybe one day.
My $120 ATI Strikeforce stock is nice, light and cheap. But this Sage Scar stock is bad ass.
pimped_mini14.jpg
 
Watch the video... Got the target version and can shoot ragged holes all day.


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I just replaced my Mini-14 580 with a 581 that has the new tapered barrel. The results are as follows:

The big difference comes after 3 rounds when the barrel gets hot. The 581 retains accuracy far better than the 580 when hot. In a vise, the 581 shoots 2"-3" groups at 100yds. As others have mentioned, the trigger is hard & jerky which contributes to bad accuracy. Without a vice, I typically get 4" groups with a bench rest. This is good enough for what I bought the Mini-14 for. I love to "play" with it. The Mini-14 is a very reliable, compact, convenient shooter with lots of accessories available and most of all, non-restricted!!!

As for the OP asking if the Mini-14 is "any good?", it depends what you want it for. As you can see, those who bought it for a "tack driver" were dissappointed. I have a bolt .270 for accuracy. For what I bought the mini for, it is a GREAT gun. It is as close to an AR that you can get in a non-restricted. I take mine camping and with the Butler Creek side folder, it fits in a duffel bag.
 
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again you should have no problem shooting 2-3" groups with either a new Mini-14 (non-target) or a Ranch that has had some minor mods on it (steel flash hider, maybe a har-bar). basically what you have on this barrel:
pimped_mini14.jpg


people buying a lightweight carbine based on a military battle rifle, with a thin barrel, putting a huge scope on it, going to the range and heating the #%@$ out of the barrel in rapid fire and then whining that they arent getting tiny groups are missing the point of the Mini-14 entirely.
if you want an indestructible, utterly reliable semi-auto carbine capable of fast 2-4" groups at 100 yards, then get a Mini and youll be pleased. people that buy regular Minis and then whine that they arent getting sub-MOA are nuts: anyone with even the most rudimentary understanding of rifle accuracy would take one look at a Mini-14 action and write it off as a benchrest rifle -- yet every single day more mouth-breathers buy them expecting to get sub-MOA out of whats basically a miniaturized semi-auto battle rifle because gun rags and internet forums have convinced them that any rifle that doesnt shoot sub-MOA is garbage :rolleyes:

the most comparable action to the Mini is the M1A (although i personally believe the Mini's gas system is an improvement on the M14 action). a used Mini-14 is $500. an M1A clone is $500. the Mini will be light years ahead in finish and materials, and they will have the same accuracy (do you have any idea how much a sub-MOA M1A would cost you? even a sub-MOA AR15 isnt cheap).
yet people drool all over the M1A clones and shower them with praise, and bash the Mini-14 every chance they get :rolleyes:
 
I just picked up the target version... so far so good, i would just like to get a trigger job done on it and stop the shells from going 30ft LOL

There is a bit of recoil as well but i think some cheap mods could slove that.

I also need to get a better scope for it.. i would like to target shoot and hunt varmint and predator with it. What would you guys buy for it?

I was looking at the Nikon M-223

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/Products/Riflescopes/8489/-M-223-3-12x42SF-with-BDC-600-Reticle.html
 
careful with scopes as the Mini is a bit hard on them, just like the M1A.
id be tempted to go with a Leupold, not just for the quality but because of the no-hassle, fast warranty service at a Canadian depot.

i had a cheap Bushnell Legend 2-7x32mm on mine which actually cleared the receiver perfectly in the factory mounts, and surprised me by surviving several hundred rounds of the Mini without losing zero or giving up the ghost. thats with the standard port size and no recoil buffer - if you reduce the port size and add a buffer itll be a lot gentler on your scope.
 
i like my 581 with tapered barrel, 3 shot cold barrel groups are around 3.5'' at 100 with a handload i worked up for my rem 700, quick handling and light weight, biggest down side is the price of 20/30 round mags, 100 plus,ouch! if ruger made the mini to take ar mags i would ejaculate in my pants...
 
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