Ruger mini-30 thoughts and impressions?
- Thread starter knock-knock
- Start date
kinggeorge168
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- victoria bc
If you want something to hunt with, mini30, easy to scope, compact and handy in the bush and won't scare your fudd friends...if you want tactical run and gunning type gun...VZ all the way....
Edit....yes, I have owned multiple of both, and my opinion is not biased by elitism or douche baggery.
Edit....yes, I have owned multiple of both, and my opinion is not biased by elitism or douche baggery.
I own the mini-14. As a non-restricted, I have to say that it feels more like a carbine then an actual rifle.
Love it.
Wish I could swap it out for an AR15 but that wont be happening any time soon. Reliable as heck. 580 series with handloads and its about a 4 moa gun.
Owned an SKS. Have to say its easier to clean, and just as reliable.
The Sparta stock for the mini peaked my interest but adds weight and bulk for no gain in accuracy. Now that I own the mini, i'm happy. If i were to do it all over again, i would be hard pressed NOT to just buy an SKS.
Love it.
Wish I could swap it out for an AR15 but that wont be happening any time soon. Reliable as heck. 580 series with handloads and its about a 4 moa gun.
Owned an SKS. Have to say its easier to clean, and just as reliable.
The Sparta stock for the mini peaked my interest but adds weight and bulk for no gain in accuracy. Now that I own the mini, i'm happy. If i were to do it all over again, i would be hard pressed NOT to just buy an SKS.
I'm a Mini-14 fan - 858s are cool, but I just don't like the tacticool rifles in the backwoods - may just sell my SR-22 for that reason.
Just bought my first 581 (Actually 5805, close enough - 5rnd mag instead of 20 obviously)
Stock with a Vickers sling.. probably won't do much anything else to it, love the aperture peep sights.
Just bought my first 581 (Actually 5805, close enough - 5rnd mag instead of 20 obviously)
Stock with a Vickers sling.. probably won't do much anything else to it, love the aperture peep sights.
- Location
- victoria bc
Classic
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.
uh no. and no. finally no.
I sure do own both. my mini was my first gun I ever bought.
I own the mini-30 because I love the garand style action. Personal preference.
for my 0.02, the mini and the cz shouldn't be compared.
one is a horrible but improvable civi rifle
the other is an exceptional mil rifle.
examine what you want to do with the rifle.
easily mount a scope? mini
"big" mags with fast changes? cz
dislike pistol grips? mini
like stock peep sights? mini
want rails, lights etc?cz
handle both. shoot both if you can. clean both if you can. don't just read sh*t posted here.
You make a pretty big statement that the Ruger is a "horrible civi rifle" but you don't back it up. Why is it horrible?
I don't care about accessories and tacticoolness. Simplicity and reliability is #1. I've heard of various gremlins with 858s, but not much about the Mini. That's the stuff Im really interested to know.
I don't think the guy can read...
The mini 30 is a great rifle. If its what your after buy one.
I've never owned a Mini 30, but I've owned (and would REALLY like to LOVE) the Mini 14 (twice). For a working gun, the Mini is a solid design - but if you expect to be able to shoot long strings of ammunition accurately, you'll be disappointed. The design was not intended to deal with the kind of heat that 50 rounds of ammo in an hour will generate. If you'll be carying a lot and shooting a little, the Mini might be what you're looking for, but if you're going to spend a day at the range with a case of surplus, the Vz is your tool.
I have tried and owned pretty much all of the popular non-restricted .223 and 7.62x39 rifles. I've had the complete line of vz styled rifles in both calibers, a stable full of Swiss arms, the robinson armament guns (even their .308), iwi tavor, and both the mini-14 and the mini-30. What I've kept? A couple of Swiss guns, a tavor to play with because it's cool, and the mini-14 because for me it's the coolest and most fun of them all. If I could only have one semi it would be a mini-30.
Is it as accurate as my Swiss rifle? Not by a country mile. But it's far more handy than the VZ rifles, and a zillion light years more handy than the robarms and it shoots about as well. The tavor? Sorta too different to compare but comparable in accuracy.
Flame away, but I keep coming back to the good old mini.
Cheers,
Brobee
Is it as accurate as my Swiss rifle? Not by a country mile. But it's far more handy than the VZ rifles, and a zillion light years more handy than the robarms and it shoots about as well. The tavor? Sorta too different to compare but comparable in accuracy.
Flame away, but I keep coming back to the good old mini.
Cheers,
Brobee
I just picked up a Mini-14 in a trade about two weeks ago (I know where talking about the Mini 30, but still relevant). I have, and continue to hear accuracy horror stories about the Mini's, but I've been quite impressed with mine. Having no experience with them before hand, they are quite a handy, light, practical rifle. I mounted a 3-9x40 on mine, I've only had it out 3 times, but with white box Winchester it will shoot consistent 2.5" groups, with cheaper S&B soft point 55 gr, and a value pack Winchester 45gr HP's it shoots consistently 2.25-2.5", and I gave Hornady VMAX 55 gr a try on saturday, and shot two groups of around 1.9", with the other two measuring 2-2.5". This is an older 181 series, and yes, the groups do open up to 3-4" when the barrel starts to get hot.
I think enefgee is on the money, if your going to be carrying alot, I definately wouldn't rule out a Mini. That being said, a NR VZ in .223 is still on my list.
I think enefgee is on the money, if your going to be carrying alot, I definately wouldn't rule out a Mini. That being said, a NR VZ in .223 is still on my list.
I have owned several Mini-14's since 1980, and keep going back because of their reliability and their simplicity. It's not a target rifle, but can be exceptionally accurate with the right load. My .223 Mini Ranch 181 Series groups under 2" with my pet handloads, and not much bigger with 55 grain Winchester factory FMJ loads. (Remingtons hit everything but the target for some reason, go figure....)
Just picked up a Mini-30, and to me, this is the classic woods Deer Carbine of the 21st century; sleek, light, compact, magazine fed, stainless, light recoil, fast shooting, a joy to carry,easily scoped, and easy to fieldstrip and maintain. Near 30-30 ballistics, and lots of cheap surplus ammo to shoot for sh*ts & giggles. The only caveat I have with mine so far is it's finicky with what ammo it will fire reliably insofar as surplus stuff go; I have a case of Czech stuff with primers harder than the Hammer of Hades that only go off about 60% of the time. Have a newer case of Romanian surplus that shoots 100% and with much better accuracy to boot. Commercial Hornady stuff for hunting goes off 100% of the time as well.
Like I said, been shooting these things for over 30 years, never had a problem with wandering zero when it heats up (I'm hunting with it, not getting into a firefight) and casual plinking doesn't heat it up enough to worry about it either. Get one, you'll be glad you did.
Just picked up a Mini-30, and to me, this is the classic woods Deer Carbine of the 21st century; sleek, light, compact, magazine fed, stainless, light recoil, fast shooting, a joy to carry,easily scoped, and easy to fieldstrip and maintain. Near 30-30 ballistics, and lots of cheap surplus ammo to shoot for sh*ts & giggles. The only caveat I have with mine so far is it's finicky with what ammo it will fire reliably insofar as surplus stuff go; I have a case of Czech stuff with primers harder than the Hammer of Hades that only go off about 60% of the time. Have a newer case of Romanian surplus that shoots 100% and with much better accuracy to boot. Commercial Hornady stuff for hunting goes off 100% of the time as well.
Like I said, been shooting these things for over 30 years, never had a problem with wandering zero when it heats up (I'm hunting with it, not getting into a firefight) and casual plinking doesn't heat it up enough to worry about it either. Get one, you'll be glad you did.
Okay, I was pressed for time while typing my reply. here's why I dislike my mini:
-first of all, the integral mounts are nothing special, in fact I think they are horrible. Not because I want a rail yard on my rifle, but that unless they are loctited, they loosen.
we've established that that trigger is blah.
from the factory the my gas block needed a re-torque because the gaps were so uneven that one side was touching, the other was way too wide.
if you are planning on running cheap surplus through your mini, better look at a spring upgrade kit, I get a bunch of light primer strikes with mine.
The five round mags can be a pain to get in an out, and all the after market "bigger" mags wobble and cause feeding issues. fixed by drilling a hole in the bottom of your 5/5 rounders and putting a zip tie through them.
Th op rod spring guide doesn't have the same retention system as the m14. This is a pain to deal with. It's a pin with a small circular insert that keeps everything together. It's not conducive to keeping things all that solid and consistent.
To tighten groups up; yes, the newer barrels are better, but they still should have a harmonic tuner.
if you plan on using reloads, be prepared to chase your brass everywhere!
Mine throws two o clock and ten to fifteen feet. Want to change this? you'll need an adjustable gas block.
These are the issues I had with mine. I like to tinker mind you. YMMV.
You can fix all issues described, but that requires time and money.
my 0.02 cents.
OP, what do you want use the rifle for?
woah woah woah.
now that sir, is borderline offensive.
I can read, but I'm not going into some b.s personal insult knuckle dragging competition.
I simply stated my opinion. that's what we do here. Don't like it? head on over to rabble.ca, they'll accept you with open arms.
The OP didn't mention what he wanted to use the rifle for, where he was using it or how much he was planning on using it.
If I can't offer a general opposing view for this, what makes it so you can offer a general view for him to buy one?
Mini-14/30 -
Pros-
Ultra-reliable - I have witnessed 1 misfire with a mini due to a bad reload. This is based on a number of guns using various ammo and a countless numbers of rounds.
Doesn't need cleaning. - Maybe one day.... when I get bored.
Quick handling/Fast pointing - Not a 8-10 pound monster
Conventional ergonomics (no pistol grip)- I find pistol grip limits your shooting positions and is more awkward when on a sling.
"Clunk" of the operating rod - Will make you smile every time!
Cons-
Accuracy- Not spectacular, but the semi's that beat it out are way more pricey
Optics- Factory mounts are not great but it does include rings, ultimak rail can be added for red-dot or scout scope setup.
Magazines- Expensive and sometime difficult to acquire. No 10 Round option here.
Round ejection - Stock Mini sends them into orbit. A simple gas bushing change will drop them 6-10 feet away. Even after the mod they will still be all over the place (only 6-10ft away). Overall its not too abusive to the brass like many others.
Conclusion -Reasonably priced semi that get's the job done. If you want a tack driver get a bolt gun.
I think everyone should have at least one mini in the safe
Pros-
Ultra-reliable - I have witnessed 1 misfire with a mini due to a bad reload. This is based on a number of guns using various ammo and a countless numbers of rounds.
Doesn't need cleaning. - Maybe one day.... when I get bored.
Quick handling/Fast pointing - Not a 8-10 pound monster
Conventional ergonomics (no pistol grip)- I find pistol grip limits your shooting positions and is more awkward when on a sling.
"Clunk" of the operating rod - Will make you smile every time!
Cons-
Accuracy- Not spectacular, but the semi's that beat it out are way more pricey
Optics- Factory mounts are not great but it does include rings, ultimak rail can be added for red-dot or scout scope setup.
Magazines- Expensive and sometime difficult to acquire. No 10 Round option here.
Round ejection - Stock Mini sends them into orbit. A simple gas bushing change will drop them 6-10 feet away. Even after the mod they will still be all over the place (only 6-10ft away). Overall its not too abusive to the brass like many others.
Conclusion -Reasonably priced semi that get's the job done. If you want a tack driver get a bolt gun.
I think everyone should have at least one mini in the safe
I agreed.
That borderlines addiction
Silent8Strike
CGN Regular
- Location
- Ottawa, Ontario
If your looking for a reasonably priced semi, you might want to consider going big and getting a M14. Its actually cheaper than the Mini and an awesome gun. Of course if your looking for a light, cheap to shoot NR semi then the Mini is better, but for just what you specified I would go M14 all the way.
I guess it depends what you are going to use it for. I have owned about ten Mini's over the last thirty four years, from the very first ones which had a roller bearing on the bolt, the same as the M14 to the latest 580 plus versions. I have always found them very very reliable and comparatively easy to take care of compared to other semi-auto's. I have shoot a lot of predators over the years with them and found it accurate enough for the purpose that it was intended for, especially the new ones. I like Mini's because I like Garand action-ed rifles and also because of its size and easy carry weight. I also like M1A's and especially the new shorty M305 Norinco's bought in by CanAm, however they do weigh a lot more if you are carrying them and the Mini is certainly easier to put a scope on. One comment I found interesting by na1lb0hm was his about not liking the buffer spring retaining guide which is very different from an M14, this is because it was changed when the Mini Ranch Rifles came out to a buffer, to help absorb the recoil, because the original Mini14 like the M14 are very hard on scopes. It is however easy to install it wrong, if you are not careful and can be a pain to install, so it is a valid comment. One final thing I like about Mini's is the flush fitting five round magazines which makes for an easy carry.
