Ruger mini-30 thoughts and impressions?
- Thread starter knock-knock
- Start date
They work fairly reliably. Only functional problem I had was when I had some grit in one of my mags. I have put Wolf, Remington, Federal, S&B, and Igman ammo through it and it seems to like them all just fine. My buddy has one as well and shoots the Hornady stuff through his without issue.
There is a big difference in accuracy of various ammo. You get what you pay for.
Without modifications you can expect 4 - 6 MOA groups.
Mags... your dealer should be able to get factory 5 rounders pretty easily. If you want larger ones pinned to 5 then they are a bit scarce, but Hy-Caps carries them and will export to Canada. Even in the US the stores don't even stock mags for them that often because most people are shooting ARs and AKs down there.
Mounting optics on them is a common problem due to the proprietary mount points. Relatively easy to get the right stuff, but your dealer might not have it in stock.
Be careful with what you do get for an optics mount, as in order to disassemble the rifle for cleaning, the heat shield has to be removed, and this will not always clear your optics and/or the mount. Optics on the heat shield itself are possible but usually make for lousy accuracy and re-zeroing problems after disassembly unless you get one of stocks with a more sturdy front end.
There is a big difference in accuracy of various ammo. You get what you pay for.
Without modifications you can expect 4 - 6 MOA groups.
Mags... your dealer should be able to get factory 5 rounders pretty easily. If you want larger ones pinned to 5 then they are a bit scarce, but Hy-Caps carries them and will export to Canada. Even in the US the stores don't even stock mags for them that often because most people are shooting ARs and AKs down there.
Mounting optics on them is a common problem due to the proprietary mount points. Relatively easy to get the right stuff, but your dealer might not have it in stock.
Be careful with what you do get for an optics mount, as in order to disassemble the rifle for cleaning, the heat shield has to be removed, and this will not always clear your optics and/or the mount. Optics on the heat shield itself are possible but usually make for lousy accuracy and re-zeroing problems after disassembly unless you get one of stocks with a more sturdy front end.
Shooting Bastard
Regular
- Location
- Coastal BC
I own both... Do you?
The mini 30 is twice the gun the 858 is. They both lose a bit of accuracy when they get hot. The 858 is built like a tank and the 30 is built like a bunker. The 30 is more accurate and you can get a used one around the $500 mark, about the same as a used 858...
Don't listen to the Internet ninjas.
Step one: don't look on the ee here.
My Mini30, like the several Mini14's I've had, was stone-axe reliable and generally about a 3MOA gun with decent ammo. Mounting a scope is easy with the included Ruger rings, and if you want to use a rail-mounted optic you inexpensively get an adaptor that fits onto the dovetails. The Mini has a "standard rifle" appearance that is fairly non-threatening to the uneducated. It's decent for hunting, and easy to carry.
My 858 is also completely reliable...but the 858 is known to be susceptible to the "gremlin". The accuracy is perhaps slightly better than the Mini30, but far from target-grade...call it about 2.5MOA. A scope can only be mounted by means of one of the usually expensive aftermarket rail systems, and you are more limited in your choice of optic due to restrictions on overall length and eye relief. When you get one on there your cheekweld usually sucks. You can hunt with one, if you love to attract attention and you don't mind the awkward pistol-grip/giant-5-round-magazine profile...but why would you?
Tacticool? Get the 858. An actual, practical, huntable gun? Mini30 all the way.
Edited to add: Okay, captianlower beat me to it...but you get the idea...
My 858 is also completely reliable...but the 858 is known to be susceptible to the "gremlin". The accuracy is perhaps slightly better than the Mini30, but far from target-grade...call it about 2.5MOA. A scope can only be mounted by means of one of the usually expensive aftermarket rail systems, and you are more limited in your choice of optic due to restrictions on overall length and eye relief. When you get one on there your cheekweld usually sucks. You can hunt with one, if you love to attract attention and you don't mind the awkward pistol-grip/giant-5-round-magazine profile...but why would you?
Tacticool? Get the 858. An actual, practical, huntable gun? Mini30 all the way.
Edited to add: Okay, captianlower beat me to it...but you get the idea...
I just got one of the new 582 series of the EE. I am getting good accuracy without handloading. I will get to handloading but for now I am just getting used to the gun.
The 4-6 MOA is BS. With a decent scope this gun will give very nice groups. Of that I am certain based on my success with just iron sights.
The 4-6 MOA is BS. With a decent scope this gun will give very nice groups. Of that I am certain based on my success with just iron sights.
I own both... Do you?
The mini 30 is twice the gun the 858 is. They both lose a bit of accuracy when they get hot. The 858 is built like a tank and the 30 is built like a bunker. The 30 is more accurate and you can get a used one around the $500 mark, about the same as a used 858...
Don't listen to the Internet ninjas.
No, I don't own sh*t firearms. I've shot more than a handful of mini 30's and none of them were a pleasure to shoot. Piss poor triggers and marginal accuracy being the biggest problems. Finding magazines isn't easy nor cheap either. The Mini has never been and never will be a service grade rifle. The VZ is still the current issue rifle for Czech forces(being replaced however). The only real advantage the Mini 30 has over the CZ is the ease at which you can mount optics. Then again, with a 5 MOA gun there's not much point in mounting a conventional optic. Neither rifle is killer accurate, but the VZ is more than capable within the effective range of the cartridge.
TDC
You are lucky then. My statement comes from my experience with my father's Mini-30 (older model), my own, and my friend's (both newer models since Ruger retooled). My friend and I get about 4 MOA and my dad's gets about six. Mind you, we're using open sights or red dots, not scopes, but still shooting off the bench. It's never going to be a tack driver though so I don't bother scoping it.
The 858 here has been fed (almost) nothing but surplus. It has never had a failure to do anything.
For the cost/accesories vs value, I'd always buy the 858 before a Mini 30.
I own both... Do you?
The mini 30 is twice the gun the 858 is. They both lose a bit of accuracy when they get hot. The 858 is built like a tank and the 30 is built like a bunker. The 30 is more accurate and you can get a used one around the $500 mark, about the same as a used 858...
Don't listen to the Internet ninjas.
I don't know where you're getting a nice, used mini 30 for $500, but I'd like you too tell me. Only ones I've seen topped $700, if not $800 and I've been looking since the registry died.
I have had both rifles and at least a couple examples of each.
i own a mini 30 and it has been my g-to gun for the longest of all my firearms. its reliable, fairly easy to dissasemble and clean, shoots anything i feed it, light enough to pack all day and a great bush/camp gun when needed. i have a 581 model in factory condition for the longest time and now upgraded it to the sparta stock which is nice.
as for reliability it has never malfuntioned on me with good ammo, i had one case of junky surplus that i had issues with, but now there offering a 6.8spc cartridge for it and i think that would make an excellent all around use cartridge,
ive takin mine everywhere, backs of quads, horseback, dropped it in rivers, puddles, brush, dirt and everything in between and it fired
just my 2 cents
as for reliability it has never malfuntioned on me with good ammo, i had one case of junky surplus that i had issues with, but now there offering a 6.8spc cartridge for it and i think that would make an excellent all around use cartridge,
ive takin mine everywhere, backs of quads, horseback, dropped it in rivers, puddles, brush, dirt and everything in between and it fired
just my 2 cents
