Thinking of getting RUGER Mini-14 .223

Pietro Beretta

Pietro Beretta

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I have my eye on a Ruger Mini-14 (.223 Rem) stainless finish and black synthetic stock selling for $849.00 NIB. Are these generally good rifles? It looks to me alot like the M-14 series rifle (I guess thats why its called a mini-14).

Can any owners inform me about the pros/cons of this rifle, such as the sights, accuracy, and quality.

Also, were can I get new 5/30 stainless .223 mags??? I cant stand the factory 5 rounder it comes with.

Thanks.
 
Sights: yeah, I guess it has some sights.
Accuracy: does a 50 yard grouping measured in light years tell you anything?
Quality: meh (or the late 80's example that I shot).

Not sure about mags, but it won't work with USGI AR mags.
 
Great rifle as long as it's one of the new heavy barreled models..if its the toothpick barreled one, steer clear of it..
I have an older spaghetti barreled one,any of my 30 year old cooey .22's will make better groups at 50 yards
 
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Two happiest days in a Mini-14 owners life.

The day he buys it, and the day he sells it.

They suck. No really, they suck.
 
I bought a Mini-14 a couple of weeks ago off another CGNer and I finally got out to the range and shot it today.....It's very fun to shoot...but it doesnt have that great accuracy....The first 20 shots were pretty accurate but as the barrel got hot the shots definitley started to wander....The shots did stay close enough together that if I were hunting with it I would still hit my target...I also brought out my SKS-D and I would say it stays more accurate after continuous shooting but both rifles are great plinking rifles and cheap to shoot.....Overall the Mini-14 is NOT a tack driver at all....but GREAT fun to shoot....So if you're looking for accuracy the Mini-14 probably isnt the right choice....but if you're just looking for a fun,make lots of noise,beer can killing ,cheap ammo gun.....than the Mini-14 is for you............
 
snipz said:
But if you're just looking for a fun,make lots of noise,beer can killing ,cheap ammo gun.....than the Mini-14 is for you............
Click to expand...

The SKS will do that for $200 instead of $800.
 
mini 14

had one, looked cool, was reliable... BUT found the accuracy sucked, and I thought the design of the little catch that held the front of the mag in place was pretty lame... it didn't catch the front of the mag at all well (as opposed to, say, a Vz58, AK, Galil, or any of the other rotate-the-mag-into-place rifles I've fired) Aftermarket mags were overpriced garbage, and very few actual Ruger mags larger than 5's are available... for an unrestricted plinker I'd go with any of SKS-D, SKS, Cz-858, AR180B before another 'mini'... and any of those except the 180B can be had for less $$!

my 2 cents...
 
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From what I'm hearing the Ruger Mini-14 is a PIECE-A-SH*T!!!!!

Is there anything good about this rifle??? I thought that this rifle was really good, why wouldn't it be accurate???...it has almost the same action/function as the M1 Garand/M-14 series rifle and is chambered in .223 Rem which is a pretty decent calibre out to 300 yards.

I dont understand

...anyone have anything good to say about the Mini-14 ???
 
It all depends on what you are looking for. I have one and I am happy enough with it. I have shot it lots and never had any problems. It is by no means a tack driver but it will hit a 12 inch gong at 200 yards serveral times in a row without problems just don't fire 20 or 30 shots in a row( I still can't figure out how the AC556's don't melt the barrels off) . I even shot my first deer with it this year(mind you it was a small one :D ). They were made to be a lightweight rugged ranch rifle and thats what they are. And besides that they are fun to shoot.
 
They are light weight, resonably accurate, go bang every time. There used by several tac teams, NYPD, OPP ert(until recently), Toronto ETF for many years, and several others. If it's good enough for them, and there life depends on it, it's good enough for me. Sure everyone has opinion and this is mine, I wouldn't trust my life to my SKS, but it sure is fun to shoot!!! It's all in what you want this gun for and how much your willing to spend.
 
The Mini-14 I plan on getting is the NEW improved version with ghost rear sight, protected front sight, re-shaped butt, etc. I read many reviews on the net, and people have said that there ok for general use, but are not tact-drivers...its not like I'll be doing any long-range precision shooting with it anyway. Its just going to be a fun .223 semi-auto I can take anyware.

After all I do own an M700 Police .308 and an M-14. If I get the Ruger Mini-14, it will be used as a non-restricted .223 semi-auto plinker I can take up north in the summer and go nutz with at Beer cans/targets at 200 yards :)

As for getting sloppy when the barrel heats up???? its not like its full-auto with a 100 round Beta-C mag or anything like that.....I'll have shi*ty little 5-rounders in controlled deliberat shots...I dont see it really being a big problem.

I think I'm going to get the blue model with wood stock, then get some 5/20's or 5/30's and get a nice choate synthetic stock...it will be sick!!!

Too me, that equals FUN + CHEAP to shoot.

Any more opinions/comments would be greatly appreciated
 
I’ve never truly understood the mini-14 bashing except that Ruger has some unpopular political beliefs (as exemplified by their confounding support of the Clinton “assault rifle ban”) and the fact that it is defiantly not as accurate as an AR.

What the mini-14 was designed for is an excellent utility grade, robust, rifle.

I own a lot of excellent rifles: AR15s , M14, SKS, FN49, and yes; the mini-14.

I love my mini-14 and I can shoot 2 inch groups with it all day. Did you know that putting a muzzle break/ flash suppressor on a mini-14 can cut groups in half? For most mini-14s this means going from a 5 inch group (yuck) to a 2 inch group (hooray!)

I’ve never heard of a mini-14 breaking. I’m sure it’s happened but it’s rare; these rifles are built like tanks.

Also, its gas system is less prone to stoppage due to fowling.

Though I’ve not had a stoppage on my AR15s yet, because I keep them spotlessly clean, I would bet that a mini-14 would beat out an AR15 in an endurance test where cleaning was not done and the rifle was subject to a dirty/ dusty environment.

Not to mention that a stainless mini is going to be less prone to corrosion.

If I didn’t own a mini I’d go out and buy a mini. PERIOD!

2” groups all day long with American Eagle ammo with an unrestricted auto loading rifle that costs less than $800. - Sign me up!

If you want the straight dope on the mini-14 check out this link:

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86

Jeff
 
Ruger has never made an accurate rifle and never will.

If you believe that don't buy a new improved mini.

So many doubt that Ruger has the skills necessary to improve the mini but with all the bad reports about the old mini's accuracy it seems to me that even an inexperienced manufacturer like Ruger could possibly figure out how to make it better.

The only thing I don't understand is why they took so long to improve the performance.
Maybe they are talking #### about the new ones but time will tell and I'm an optimist.

I'll get a new one if it will shoot into 2 inches at 100 yards all day with cheap ammo!

:dancingbanana:
 
I want to enhance my previous post with some alternatives to the mini-14. I like the mini-14 but admittedly it’s not the best value right now.

As I was just reminded of the CZ 858, I thought I’d make a list as to what MY acquisition priorities would be starting out as a new shooter (IMHO).

If I was going to drop some money on a non-restricted auto loading rifle, my priorities would be as such (starting with higher priority to lowest):

Norinco M14 - $400 - $500
Cons: heavy, expensive to feed, may require some amateur smithing, HUGE!
Pros: Accurate, powerful, beautiful, the best value right now on the Canadian market.

CZ-858 $600-700
Cons: accuracy 2-3", can not be scoped cheaply and would require a long-eye relief scope, and the CZ858 gremlin (I own the short version and haven’t had problems yet)
Pros: Cheap to feed, ultra cool look, light, and can be fed with stripper clips.

Mini-14 ($800)
Pros: lots of accessories available, cheap to feed, light, easily scoped, and extremely reliable.
Cons: Cost is getting up there, accuracy (2-5"), and NOT COOL factor.

SKS ($160)
Pros: Cheap to buy, cheap to feed, can be fed from stripper clips, light, can be reliable, did I mention cheap?
Cons: The sights suck, quality has been questionable in recent batches, same scope situation as the VZ, and complete lack of accuracy (I've owned two and they are like 4-8" for me) - I cant stand the sights though. It's funny because the VZ sites are simmilar but they are sooooo different.:confused:

SWISS ARMS (blue, green, black) P90 (I think?) ($3000)
Pros: It may be the last rifle you buy because it is as beautiful and accurate as all hell.
Cons: Expensive, expensive, expensive magazines, TOTALY FRIGGIN EXPENSIVE. - If you drive a Porsche what are you waiting for?


Jeff
 
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