Opinions On The Ruger Mini 14

[Abraham]

Dependable?

Accuracy decent?

What (if any) are the differences between the ranch vs. tactical?

Thanks!

[The Annoyed Man]

I don't claim to know a whole bunch about them, but they've been around for a long time, and they can't be junk or they wouldn't still be selling them.

The natural comparison is to an AR15. I know that Mini 14s tend not to be as accurate as AR15 rifles, but they also tend to be less expensive. I've never head anybody complain about reliability, but I believe that you probably have fewer customization options for the Mini 14 than for an AR15.

[BobCat]

My experience is 15 years old so may be worthless.

Just prior to the first AWB I ran out and bought a Mini-14 and AR-15 out of panic.

The AR-15 was accurate, dependable, and cost almost twice (about $650) what the Mini-14 cost (about $350).

The Mini-14 was handy, cute, reliable, light, and fun - but accuracy was not in the same class at all as the AR-15. I sold the Mini-14 and started shooting the AR-15 in Service Rifle class (wanted a Match Bulletin to get my Garand from the CMP).

If you want a fun, light, reliable, wood-stocked .223 rifle, and are not too concerned with the very best accuracy, the Mini-14 is a great rifle. If you are fanatic about accuracy, it may not be the best choice.

Note - over the years, Ruger may have improved the Mini-14 accuracy, making my comments unfair and incorrect.

Regards,
Andrew

[shootthesheet]

Mini-14/30 has always been looked at as a gun people around here throw behind the seat in case they see a pest animal. Some people hunt with them for short distance, less than 250 or so yards. I think most people don't like them because they don't use quality ammo in them and they just are not as accurate. I wouldn't hesitate to use one to kill a deer or even for home defense since I live in a rural area. I wouldn't want one for a 300+ yard shot even with a scope. Since most ARs are all $1000 or above I think the Mini is a good substitute for short yardage shots.

If you’re looking for a "doll" to dress up with a bunch of gadgets as well as accuracy you should look for an AR...for now anyway. If you want to shoot shorter distances cheaper then a Mini is fine as was mentioned before. Most guns are good for a few reasons but won't do everything as you may know. I like both ARs and Minis but think putting them in the same category is wrong. Just like expecting a P3AT to last as long a 1911 and shoot as accurately. It won't so it is necessary to get both.

[Charles L. Cotton]

My experience is 15 years old so may be worthless.

Just prior to the first AWB I ran out and bought a Mini-14 and AR-15 out of panic.

The AR-15 was accurate, dependable, and cost almost twice (about $650) what the Mini-14 cost (about $350).

The Mini-14 was handy, cute, reliable, light, and fun - but accuracy was not in the same class at all as the AR-15. I sold the Mini-14 and started shooting the AR-15 in Service Rifle class (wanted a Match Bulletin to get my Garand from the CMP).

If you want a fun, light, reliable, wood-stocked .223 rifle, and are not too concerned with the very best accuracy, the Mini-14 is a great rifle. If you are fanatic about accuracy, it may not be the best choice.

Note - over the years, Ruger may have improved the Mini-14 accuracy, making my comments unfair and incorrect.

Regards,
Andrew

My experience matches Andrew's, but I didn't get rid of the gun. It's a "200th Year" model, so I kept it. My wife loves the gun, but what little rifle shooting she does is with an AR.

Chas.

[jbirds1210]

Another factor you might consider is the cost of magazines....the Mini 14 factory magazines are expensive.

Jason

[TEX]

The Mini-14 has some benefits over an AR platform. I own one instead of an AR, because it fit a few needs that the AR did not. The Mini also has some shortcomings.

SHORTCOMINGS

ACCURACY – the Mini-14, especially the pre-2007 manufactured ones, are not known for great accuracy. My pre-2007 originally had difficulty keeping 10 rounds of fairly rapid fire on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper at 100 yards. About one shot every 3-4 seconds with iron sights. I had the barrel/receiver cryogenically treated, glass bedded the stock, and put a muzzle brake on it. The accuracy improved quite a bit. Mine also tends to be ammo sensitive by weight. The lighter the bullet, the better the accuracy. The newer Mini-14 is much more accurate since Ruger went to a heavier barrel and tightened some of the tolerances. It also has much better adjustable sights now.

MAGAZINES – it seems pretty much that only Ruger factory magazines routinely work reliably in Mini-14s. Their factory 20-round mags have only recently become available, but are about $40 when you can find them. The rifle itself is less expensive however. Saw one a Walmart the other day for $705

LOOKS – the Mini-14 doesn’t generally look like an evil black gun (military style), which I really don’t give a flip about, but many might. It would tend to draw less attention although a gun would draw a certain amount of attention anyway. Personal taste issue. If you like the feel of a traditional rifle stock over a pistol grip style, the Mini is the way to go.

BENEFITS

Low delta between line of sight and bore axis. This may not mean much to some, but it was one of the primary reasons I chose a Mini over an AR. This is primarily because I wanted a carbine for engagement distances of 5-75 yards. ARs were designed to be battle sighted at about 300 yards. Even if you sight in an AR for 100 yards, your hits are going to be three inches below you sights at very short distances. The difference between line of sight and bore axis can also cause you to shoot cover very near if you forget that just because your sights have cleared cover doesn’t mean you barrel has. It is quite interesting to see someone shoot a cinder block wall with his muzzle only several inches away from it – loud too! I sight my Mini in at 40 yards and it is never off by more than an inch from 1 yard to 100 yards. A typical AR if properly sight as OEM instructions will be low up close, on maybe 20 yards out, high between 25 and 100+ and then back on again on at distance. If you plan on shooting at distance of 100 and over, its not that much of a concern, but for short urban application, which is what I bought my Mini for, the Mini is better suited IMHO.

[The Annoyed Man]

BENEFITS

Low delta between line of sight and bore axis. This may not mean much to some, but it was one of the primary reasons I chose a Mini over an AR. This is primarily because I wanted a carbine for engagement distances of 5-75 yards. ARs were designed to be battle sighted at about 300 yards. Even if you sight in an AR for 100 yards, your hits are going to be three inches below you sights at very short distances. The difference between line of sight and bore axis can also cause you to shoot cover very near if you forget that just because your sights have cleared cover doesn’t mean you barrel has. It is quite interesting to see someone shoot a cinder block wall with his muzzle only several inches away from it – loud too! I sight my Mini in at 40 yards and it is never off by more than an inch from 1 yard to 100 yards. A typical AR if properly sight as OEM instructions will be low up close, on maybe 20 yards out, high between 25 and 100+ and then back on again on at distance. If you plan on shooting at distance of 100 and over, its not that much of a concern, but for short urban application, which is what I bought my Mini for, the Mini is better suited IMHO.

Actually, check out this recent thread on line of sight/bore axis delta. Line of sight for the AR with iron sights (or a red dot type non-magnifying sight) on a flat top upper is 2.6" inches above the bore axis. Call it 2.5" to make the math easier. A 25 yard zero using M193 ball (55 grains) gives you a battle zero of both 25 yards and 250 yards. Therefore, at distances under 25 yards, you have a incremental positive delta of .1" (that's right, 1/10 of an inch) for every yard between the muzzle and the 25 yard zero. That means a positive delta of 1.25" at 12.5 yards, etc. But with a 250 yard battle zero, you are actually also zeroed at 25 yards - with that load.

For that reason, there isn't anything I'm going to be shooting with an AR carbine at distances 25 yards and under where hitting 1-1/4" low is going to make a bit of difference. To put it in perspective, if I'm aiming at a BG's forehead, 1-1/4" low puts the bullet between his eyes. Either way, it blows the back of his head off. In any case, I'm more likely to be aiming at COM, and such a hit at close range from a rifle bullet is going be devastating.

I think it is really more a matter of "to each, his own."

[A-R]

Owned a Mini 14 Tactical for a short time. Sold it and bought an AR-15 instead. Glad I did, as I am a bit picky about accuracy. I tested the two guns side-by-side before I sold the Mini and out to 50 yards, they're basically equals. At 100 yards, you start to see the difference - about 2-inch wider max spread from the Mini. Both from 16-inch barrels firing identical ammo from same box.

That being said, the Ruger Mini rifles are great guns. I'll likely buy another some day when my gun budget allows.

The Mini 14 Tactical model has a shorter 16-inch barrel compared to the standard or Ranch Rifle model, which has an 18 1/2 inch barrel (IIRC). It is apparently similar to the "police" Mini models of 10 or so years ago, with flash hider etc.

Other comparisons are that the Mini is a bit heavier than a stock AR-15 - steel vs. aluminum receiver. But it's by no means a "heavy gun". The Mini is MUCH EASIER to clean and maintain, IMHO. It is a more "solid feeling gun" like an AK-47 type or, of course, the M1 / M14 from which it borrows its design. I only tried one non-Ruger mag in my Mini, and never even shot out all 20 rounds before giving up. So you definitely NEED to buy only the Ruger-brand mags. The 20-rounds mags are nice, but pricey at about $40 each. They are steel and sort of pivot into place like an AK mag.

The newer Minis have some improvements, including a thicker barrel (old Mini barrels are pencil thin), better scope-mount design (though this proprietary design still isn't flawless). A new mini should come with proprietary Ruger scope rings. These are good if you're just mounting a standard rifle scope, but if you're wanting to mount a red dot/reflex type site, get a specially designed picatinny rail that mounts atop the Ruger ring mounts (like this one ... http://www.mountsplus.com/miva/merchant ... ope_Mounts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

My particular Mini really liked the 62-grain .223 rounds best. It was OK with 55-grain but HORRIBLE with 40-grain hunting round or 75-grain defensive rounds. With 62-grain rounds, it was the equal of my AR-15 (Bushmaster XM-15/M4gery with 1/9 twist) out to 100 yards. With 55 grains, it was equal to 50 yards. Anything else had trouble hitting the paper beyond 50 yards (drastic spinning/toppling bullet issues).

If/when I buy another Mini, I will likely buy the Mini 30. I think this rifle's inherent design and reliability make it a great (and less "evil") alternative to an AK-47 or SKS for utilizing the 7.26x39mm round. As other have mentioned, the Mini makes a great "toss in the truck" rifle for any occassional need.

[Abraham]

austinrealtor,

Wow!

I sincerely thank you for your very informative response.

Such information as you've provided is hard earned and much appreciated.

Thanks again!

[pedalman]

I guess I'm not a long gun snob. I bought a stainless Mini 14 right after Clinton won the first election. It stayed in the box until earlier this year. I finally ran some Brown Bear steel-cased ammo in it, using the stock 5-round magazine. Since I was just firing it for the sake of firing it, I didn't put it on sandbags to dial it in. I was shooting it standing. But it functioned well. I can hit the broad side of a barn with it.

My point is that I have a decent carbine for "just in case". I don't expect it to be a sniper rifle. But it will suit my needs well enough. But I'm also one of those freaks who prefer simplicity over complexity. I appreciate the simple Garand-style action of the Mini 14. But then again, I also appreciate the simplicity of the Glock.

I do own a 1911A1, and appreciate it. If money was no object, I'm sure I would own an AR-15. But I can't justify paying that much for one (at this time).

If somebody is firing at me with an AR-15 from 365 meters, my immediate priority would be finding proper cover. Not trying to engage from such a distance with an "inaccurate" carbine. I know what I have, and what it can do.

I believe that comparing the Mini 14 to an AR-15 is comparing apples with oranges.

[A-R]

austinrealtor,

Wow!

I sincerely thank you for your very informative response.

Such information as you've provided is hard earned and much appreciated.

Thanks again!

You're welcome. Happy to help.

You might find this web forum useful ...

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Purplehood]

I have always had the mini-14 on my short-list of "to buy" rifles. I always regretted just missing being issued an M-14 in Boot Camp in 1976 (though I might have regretted having to carry it on humps), and have always admired the mini-14.
I wouldn't use it for target competition but I would use it for hunting small game and feeling cool carrying it around.

[Salty1]

I picked up this Mini 14 for $300 it is one of the first with a 180xxxxx seriel number. I will get it to a range soon and see what it actuqally does. For the price I am not expecting the accuracy of an AR, I do think it will be a fun gun to shoot and play with.

[A-R]

I picked up this Mini 14 for $300 it is one of the first with a 180xxxxx seriel number. I will get it to a range soon and see what it actuqally does. For the price I am not expecting the accuracy of an AR, I do think it will be a fun gun to shoot and play with.

$300???? When, where, and do they have another at that price?