Which is Better..MINI 30 or MINI 14 Rugger?

I've owned about 5 DOZEN Mini 14s, about half a dozen Mini 30s, and about half a dozen SKS ... mostly the European models.

All of my SKS rifles shot better than any of the Mini 30s. Some of my SKS rifles, with el cheap Norc ammo, shot pretty darn close to minute of angle, and all of the Mini 30s shot poorly ... some would do no better than absolutely HORRIBLE 5" groups at 50 yds. The best one was about 5" at 100 yds.

None of the dozens of mini 14s I had would shoot much better than 2", and that is with reloading, trigger jobs, etc.

Both the mini 14, and especially the Min 30, suffer from barrels that are too thin, and probably these barrels were hogged out a bit too fast, and have a lot of tension, which cause heat warping when shot quickly.

SO, to answer your question, Minimum 30 or Minimum 14 ...
the answer is NEITHER!!

I much prefer a European SKS, or better yet, a chopped Chinese M14, which weighs only a bit more, handles as well as a Mini, and barks like a big dog, rather than yaps like a poodle.

Just my humble opinion,
but of course,
YPMMV.
[;{)
LAZ 1
 
Ignore the mini 14 haters and their complaining about its somewhat loose grouping. 5 inches is the grouping that I got from both my SKS and CZ 858 at 50 yards. The newer mini 14s are more accurate, and I have gotten on average a 3 inch group from mine at the same distance.

I would take the mini 14 over the AR 15 or any other black rifle any day. :nest:
 
ginseng503 said:
That tells me a lot. I have been stuck with crap before. I don't understand how a company can continue to sell what they themselves "know to be crap".

Reports of accuracy improvements after decades of sales do not impress me either. Shame, shame.
Click to expand...

Maybe they're not crap. If you check the "round count" almost 2500 people have viewed this thread. Lazerus2000 alone has owned at least 66 of them. Numerous contributors have claimed to have owned several of them in .223 and in .30 calibres. Those shooting the target version are just now coming online and telling us about their experiences. There are websites devoted to accurizing the mini in it's various forms. Whether you, or any other detractors like them or not, they are around to stay. They are a popular rifle. It seems many people own them, have had them, or want to get one. This is hardly the first thread on the mini.
They were never intended to be target rifles, they can be taken out to hunt and shoot with legally anywhere you are allowed to shoot unlike some VZ's and all AR's. When I lived up north my mini went with me everywhere and came in handy on more than one occasion. I never had to worry about it not working even after being on my snowmobile for hours. Just tell the wolverine that chased me through the bush how inaccurate it is.

Try one out and just have some fun with it. Also remember it's history. Bill Ruger took the M-14 and miniaturized it so the average shooter could appreciate the rifle and it's simple but effective design and not have to lug the big version around. He also made it affordable to shoot in .223 and .30 calibres. And no, it's not perfect, but honestly- name a rifle that is.

Lazerus2000 I have to ask the question: At what point did you come to the conclusion these rifles were no good? The tenth, the 40th, the 66th? Was the last one the last straw? I am also wondering what you told people when I assume you sold the lot of them. "Take them, they're crap! Every last one of them!"

No offense intended man, but I had to ask.
 
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just to clarify my previous comments,
I don't actually dislike the Ruger Mini 14 ...
for a handy little .223 carbine these are great little guns.

They are mostly reliable, with one caveat, which I'll discuss later, they are very durable, and in a folding stock SS version, they make a great handling, short, quick, truck/knockaround carbine. If you are intersted in shooting ZOMBES, the GENINE RUGER extended 20/30 mags are wayyyy overpriced these days, and unfortunately none of the aftermarket maqgs I've tried are as reliable for feeding.

I've shot several "Practical" rifle matches for fun with the Mini 14.
I have also shot three deer [ STANDING PERFECTLY STILL DEER ] with the Mini 14 using .223 SP ammo [ LEGAL where I was hunting ].

However ALL the Mini 30s I've owned were horrible for accuracy, and every time I bought another Mini 30 [ for about five times the price of what my SKS cost ] and shot it beside my SKS Russian, I always ended up selling the Mini 30. Hard to justify five times the price, with five times the group size.

In fact ALL of my experience with the Ruger mini series rifles was 25 to 5 years ago, so I have absolutely NO experience with the newer "improved" models. In fact, I have been recently tempted to pick up one of the new SS target models to play with. But realistically, even the very worst AR 15 I've owned [ about THREE DOZEN of these ] would shoot better than the best mini 14 I've owned.

Back when Mini 14s were cheap, and you could get three mini 14s for the cost of one AR 15, the Minis made a lot of sense. Unfortunaterly, mini 14 prices have gone way up, and AR 15 prices have come way down. These days I can build an AR 15, EXACTLY the way I want it, for less than the price of a SS Target Mini.
So why would I buy a mini?

Also,
every time I play with a Mini side by side with one of my Chinese M14 shorties, especially if the Norc 14 is in a folding stock, I end up going with the Norc 14 shorty. Considering that I can build a Norc 14 shorty for less than I can buy a mini 14, why would I want a mini??

As for the one major design flaw in the mini 14 ... and of course I found this out in the middle oif a practical rifle match .... the 14 trigger guard tension is all that holds the entire trigger group in place. If the trigger guard is loose, or worn, why then .. WALLA ... your entire trigger group drops out on the ground.
TRES EMBARASSING, eh what?

The fix for this is simple ...
put the front of the trigger guard on a solid block of wood, and bang [JUST RIGHT ] on the back of the trigger guard with a big rubber mallet. This will bend the trigger guard in enough to tension it properly.

Not too much banging here, or else you won't be able to rotate the trigger guard into place without hitting the trigger, and you might have a heck of a job forcing the latch into place, and/or need a tool of some kind to pry the trigger guard out again.

And NO,
the tip of a loaded cartridge is DEFINITELY NOT the correct tool for this job.

BTDT a few times on the range, for my own Minis and for others.
So, does that explain why I don have no ruger minis no more??
[;{)
LAZ 1
 
great point on the m1. mini are what they are. great rifle with out the BS. never had one fail on me. but i only have on hand one GB two s/s folders, a 6.8, and a s/s 30. i shoot them a lot have all kind of stuff for them and love them. if you don't like them, then so be it. i have shot deer and plenty of beer cans as well as paper. all you think you know it alls can kiss my but stock. stay cool all you mini brothers out there.
 
Never had any issues with my Mini14 target, sub 1" groups at 100 yards with a 4x9x50 scope. SKS is great as well, but IMO, mini14 is better.
 
manbearpig said:
it blows my mind that people who complain about 4" groups with the Mini-14 are perfectly content with the same sized groups from an SKS.
what, did you somehow think it would be 4x as accurate because you are spending 4x as much? is a $3500 Blaser 12x as accurate as a Stevens 200? :rolleyes:

there are still many advantages of a $750 Mini-14 over an SKS. its over 2 lbs lighter, has a much larger aftermarket and is far easier to mod, scope mounting is easier and more solid, its stainless/synthetic, and more robust. is it necessarily worth 4x more? IMO NO, but that hardly means they are equal.

group size can also easily be improved with a couple cheap additions.
Click to expand...


you DO realise the price difference and years of technological advances between the two DON'T you?
 
Holly crap this thread is still poping up so theres Alot of intrest or hate for the Mini 14/30s :D

Im going with the mini 30

I have a m 14 now tho in a custom stock and like it alot better.
the real 308 ;)
 
ive got a year old mini 14 target with the conterweighted barrel, it easily shoots 2-3" groups at 100 yards( factory remington 55gr. fmj rounds). buy a good scope that will take the violent abuse that little gun gives it. i had to loctite the ruger scope rings so they would keep coming loose, but other than that, its a fun little gun, great for varmint hunting.
 
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