Info wanted on new Mini - 14's

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dogngun

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I'm thinking about buying a new Mini-14. I'd like to hear from owners/shooters about these guns.

It will be about 99.99% a plinker, used with 20 rd mags, maybe surplus ammo. Thanks.

Mark

PS I will be 58 in August, and can no longer shoot sub MOA with anything, so I'm not concerned about 3 " groups.

Thanks.
 
Get a used mini, avoid the overpriced "Ranch" option- looks/works nice,BUT- get a good sling and your set. Used mags are about as good as new ones and about the same price :scrutiny: The front sight blade needs to be shaved a little, like I did, and the peep actually works decently for 100 yard shots on cans,cats,or coyotes. The carbines are excellent "fun" firearms and hold up under abuse like no other american made repeater.
 
As long as you don't expect great accuracy should fill the bill for you. They do also wander point of aim some from rapid firing as they heat up. The only other caution is Ruger mags in this rifle and the rifle is very reliable. Use aftermarket mags and it is a crapshoot. So stick with the now available again Ruger 20 round mags. Will cost you a bit more, but worth it. I also would say avoid the Ranch rifle.
 
The new Mini has a much improved front and rear sight over the prior models. There is only one model - the Ranch. The stock is improved with a slightly longer pull and a straight cut to the heel.

Ruger built a lot of new tooling for the '05 model and this has apparently made the rife asomewhat more accurate. Some owners of the new rifle are reporting sub 2" groups at 100 yards.

Lots of folks will flame Ruger and the Mini's but they are good rifles when you consider that they were probably never designed to be MOA shooters, just a good rifle to handle 4-legged (or 2) varmints. Given the cost of a Mini compared to the AR-types, IMHO, you get a lot of value for the money. They are rugged and work well for their purpose.

There is a lot of good information over here at the Perfect Union forum where there in an entire section devoted to the Mini-14/30 http://www.perfectunion.com/forums/index.php?showforum=8 Some really great tips and trick on accurizing and what and what not to buy.

For general plinking or beating back an attack of rampaging pop cans or mil jugs, look at the Wolf 55gr stuff. It can be had for around $2.25 a box and it's accurate enough for fun shooting. I have tried a variety of ammo in my 1994 Ranch by both brand and bullet weight and mine seems to like either the UMC or Winchester Q3131 in 55gr FMJ in terms of accuracy.

I've had a trigger job done, smaller gas port bushing, recoil buffer and a muzzle brake added. all for less than $100 and I can get consistent 2" groups at 100 yards with the old style Ranch iron sights. I recently added a Hogue Overmolded stock and I was very suprised to see how tight the action fits into the stock. Doesn't even look like I will need to bed the action.

I have some John Masen 10 round mags and some PMI 20 rounders and they all work with no problem. ProMag is another good mag to use.
 
Get a Mini and you will love it.Only problem is EVERYBODY sells aftermarket bells and whistles for it. Shoot it like it is and it is a great, accurate rifle. Got money to burn? You can make it look like a Star Wars weapon.

Kevin
 
Lots of folks slam the Mini for "lack" of accuracy. I don't see any critics volunteering to stand down range to prove their point. Mine seems to be able to hit a man sized target up to 150-200m. How far do you need a lightweight carbine to shoot? I've had one since 79 and its never failed to fire or feed after nearly a thousand rounds.
 
The new Mini has a much improved front and rear sight over the prior models. There is only one model - the Ranch. The stock is improved with a slightly longer pull and a straight cut to the heel.

I saw one of these at Gander Mountain the other day. It looks a lot better than the ones I used to have. If I were to get a Mini I would get one of these and get PMI mags for it (I actually wouldn't get a Mini as long as AR-15s are available though).
 
The Ruger Mini's are great little guns. I have a Mini-30 and it goes to the range with me every time I go shooting. It is true that the Mini is out of the box a poor shooter. But, for less than a hundred bucks and a few minutes of your time you can have your mini shooting quite well. Here is a site with all of the help you will need to accurize your mini.

http://www.perfectunion.com/forums/index.php?showforum=8

Here is a picture of one of my Ruger Mini-30 targets at 100 yards.

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New guy here, FNG for the vets. I like the Mini 14. You can get a new for about 500 and I have seen used for 400 or less on Gunbroker. The new Masen 30 round mags work great. John was a contractor for the Ruger 5 round mags, I've gotten three of the new ones and they work great. If you like a scope or red dot, steer toward a Ranch rifle, it is designed to mount a scope in the correct position, so you can mount the rifle and see through the tube. My 12 year old son loves to shoot mine, the recoil doesn't bother him at all, and will shoot it as long as I'll let him.

My first Mini 14,a 182 series, was far more reliable than any m16A1 Uncle Sam ever issued me. I fired about 2000 rounds of ball, about 1000 rounds of reloads with a 60 grain hollow point bullet I got from a guy who advertised in the back of SGN, never had a jam, bobble anything, so I gave up and cleaned it. That first one was the reason I still own a Mini 14. If you look at used, I didn't like the 180 series, and Ruger made some rifles 1986-87 with a 1-7 twist, which turned out to be unnecessary unless you wanted to shoot the long M856 tracer bullet in Arctic conditions. The early guns had a 1-10 twist, and the current have a 1-9 twist.

My only criticism of the Mini14 is the thin barrel, I believe Ruger could add a heavier barrel like they did the 10/22T for less than $100 more, and have a $600 rifle that will shoot with the ARs costing twice as much. Testing different loads with a Mini, you have to shoot the rifle like any thin barrel, at the pace of a bolt action. Shoot one round, look through your spotting scope, get back behind the rifle, adjust your sandbags, slowly squeeze off the next round. 10-15 seconds between rounds for the first 4 or 5 rounds will let the barrel heat up evenly, and they will shoot groups comparable to or smaller than other semi-auto rifles like the 7400 and BAR.
 
ghostrider07:

Sounds like you know your Mini 14's. What is it about the 180 series that you don't like? I bought mine in 1976 for $150 from the now defunct Texas Liquor Stores. It's on its third recoil spring, but no other parts have been required. It's never failed to chamber, fire, or extract. I love this little carbine.
 
Can I admit I don't remember exactly without getting flamed. The last one I examined was about 1980 in a gun shop. The gas system was different, the operating rod and spring was not as robust as the 182, and the bolt was different. You can probably still get a recoil spring, but you probably can't get the other parts from Ruger. Bad start on a forum, I know, make a statement and can't back it up.
 
That's ok. I always wonder when I buy the first model year of anything if I shouldn't wait until the second rev. I do remember that most of the replacement stocks and I think scope mounts I looked at a few years ago weren't made for the 180 series but for the 181. I've left mine stock or it may have become an issue. Enjoy the forum.
 
Lots of folks slam the Mini for "lack" of accuracy. I don't see any critics volunteering to stand down range to prove their point.
Click to expand...

+1....lots a people knockin the Mini-14 for lack of accuracy :rolleyes:

MaceWindu
 
I have a mini 14 stainless rancher and love the thing. It is not a complex weapon at all.

I cant say i love the rear sights but they arent terrible.

Also, i suggest getting a new rancher than an old model. Mine cost 550$. From garth sports.

30 rnd crap-o mags run about 10$.

Ive heard that if you grind down the bottom part of the lip thats welded on to the mags so its deep it will work way better, but ive never had a aproblem yet with my magazines. They are a bit loose but they dont fall out, as some have claimed.
 
I have a stainless ranch with a camo laminated stock. I've gotten three of the new generation John Masen mags, and they work great. Masen was a contractor for the Ruger "factory" 5 round. Some of the first new gen had some slow followers, but that dimension tolerance was quickly remedied, and the new ones work great. I have yet to find a USA mag I can't make work, the materials were good, their quality control was iffy. 90% of self-feeding weapon malfunctions are magazine related, so a little mag tweaking knowledge can be indispensible. Double feeds are almost always a function of feed lip width/angle and follower action. That said, the first thing to do with those mags is slick the follower up so it will move freely. Disassemble the mag, clean the spring and inside, smooth up the follower with emery cloth or a nail file. Reassemble the mag and cycle the follower 40 or 50 times until it moves freely. That's what they mean by self-lubricating. Load about six rounds in it, push the top round down about 1/2" with a punch or pencil, and release. The round should stay in the mag. Download one round and test the other lip. If the round comes out, you need to bend the feedlip. A LITTLE AT A TIME. You actually need to look at a working mag and try to duplicate that angle. The idea is to just roll it inwards, decrease the radius of that curve a little. I use some Klein ergonomic pliers because they have narrow parallel jaws. You have to put the jaws of the plier parallel to lips and roll them.
 
Mini 14 is a very simple auto.

To field strip the following is needed to be done-

Make sure safety is on and bolt is not locked back

List up the back of the trigger gaurd, and pop out the trigger assembly.
Remove stock by pulling it away.
Pull out the gas spring from the block.
Pull out the block.
Pull out the bolt.

Also, the round peice and the rod inside it that stop the spring on the reciever may come out.

Done.

Put the bolt back in, put the gas block back in, put the spring back in, the stock back on, and inster the trigger assembly.

Very very simple.

Theres a total of... 4 peices when you field strip. not counting the stock, 6 peices if you count the pin and the block thing that stop the spring of the gas system.
 
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