Mini 30 goodness

[mac66]

I've had a Ruger Mini 30 since they came out in the 1980s. I mounted a 1-4x variable on it and have killed quite a few deer with it over the years even though it is not near as good as a 30-30. Ballistics are claimed to be the same, but having killed many, many deer with a 30-30, the 7.69x39 doesn't measure up. Not saying it won't kill deer just saying the 30-30 with the heavier 150-170 gr bullets are much better than the typical 123 gr x39 pill. I've hand loaded both and the 30-30 is still much better. Pretty much stopped using the Mini for deer and it has sat in the safe for probably 10 years or so without getting any love.

However, recently I've been shooting a lot of iron sighted military rifles and have gotten fond of the peep and post sights. I was digging through the safe and saw the Mini. I thought why not? The Mini is kind of a pseudo military rifle and I've always enjoyed how it looked and feels. I took off the scope and took it up to my hunting property to see what it could do and to bang some steel out to 100 meters. I was consistently getting 3-4" groups with Hanson 123 gr FMJs but was shooting left and low about 4 inches. I was shooting prone off a mat with a GI web loop sling. Minis are notoriously inaccurate, (at least on the internet) but they are actually on par with most standard military rifles which is 4 MOA. Considering I was shooting unsupported, using 20+ year old .311 ammo in a .308 bore rifle with iron sights, I thought that little carbine did pretty well.

If you have a Mini ranch rifle you know the rear sight is the little flip up peep. Works ok as a peep sight but is kind of fragile and difficult to zero. My attempt at adjusting it for elevation ended up breaking the heads off the tiny screws rendering the sight useless.

Today I ordered a rear Tech Sight for my Mini. I use Tech Sights on both a 10/22 and a Marlin 795 as training rifles. They work real well on those and I am hoping it will give me what I am looking for, a good set of iron sights for my M30.

What I would really like is a front post sight with the wings like they have on the newer tactical minis. Does anyone know if those front sights can be retrofitted to an older Mini 30?

PS. before someone says Minis suck and to get an AK, SKS, AR etc, just know that I have multiples of all those plus an M1A, M1 Garand, M1 carbine and a bunch of other stuff.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Minis don't suck, I like mine just fine, but the AK ( last I checked) is a more economical choice for most of the applications these rifles were designed for. And even AR's are coming down enough to make them a better option than the Mini. Field stripping both the AR and AK is significantly less of a PITA that on the Mini. Quality,functioning mags are way cheaper and more available for the AR and AK. Re-sale is much easier for the AR and AK. Even though I have the newer,supposedly more accurate, 581 series Mini, my AR's still outshoot it, and my AK's can keep up just fine.
The Mini's are great,and have fallen out of favor with many, for reasons both fair and unfair, but the fact is, unless they drop back under $500, they just won't have the appeal to keep them around for long.

 

[mac66]

My Mini 30 Tech Sights arrived today. They are pretty easy to mount...remove one set screw to take of original sight, replace with one little mounting plate and two other screws. The sight picture through the peep is great. It is smaller than the original peep and thus makes the front sight much clearer. Makes the Mini look like a military carbine as well. Can't wait to get it up to the property to wring it out.

Also bought a set of Tech Sights to try on one of my SKSs. Once mounted the SKS is like a whole new rifle. Anxious to try that one out as well.

 

[Texan Scott]

mac66, THANK YOU. I've been telling people for YEARS the 7,62x39 is NOT the same as 30-30, and for years i've put up with people whose math skills are superior to my hunting skills telling me that i am quite wrong about that. nice to see an informed opinion.

 

[mac66]

Well, all I know is what I see when I shoot deer. With a 7.62x39 they tend to run away which often means you have to track them down and shoot them again. I've found evidence of the the 123 gr bullets breaking up on shoulder shots. With the 30-30, deer just turn dead. A 150 or 170 tends to anchor them. I've tried to make the 7.62x39 into a 30-30 but it just doesn't measure up. Not to say it doesn't work, it is just not as good.

BTW, here are some pics of my new Tech Sights.

 

[1KPerDay]

I've learned I shoot my mini ranch with the OEM flip up sight better than I do with it scoped. Out to 240ish yds on steel torsos last 3-gun match I hit 6 of 7 shots... much better than I've ever done with anything else. LOL I'm going to look into tech sights simply for durability, however.

 

[Texan Scott]

Nice peep sights... i like 'em on lever guns and autos alike... those look good on the rifle, too (some don't IMO).
And yes, the mini-30 works on deer, and I might prefer it for sounders of hog- not for ballistics but for rate and volume of fire, though i've never SHOT a pig with 7.62x39. As for the bullets shattering on shoulder shots, i have to wonder if the lead isn't too ?hard? for velocity? I've never seen a cor-lokt shatter in a shoulder- they just smoosh more.

I like the classic wood stock on the mini. keeping it classy with proper peeps was a good choice, IMO.

 

[mac66]

Wood and steel do have a kind a classic look to it. While I frequently shoot AR15s I am gravitating back to conventional wood and steel rifles. The Mini does also have that classic M14 (hence the "Mini 14" tag) feel to it. The protected peep adds to the look I think and the small diopter really cleans up the front sight. I would prefer to have a winged front sight like the new tactical models as I am used to shooting those on my M1a, Ar15s, M1 Carbine etc. Kind of makes me wonder if the tactical model front sight could be retrofitted to the older (mine is a 189 series) 30. That would kind of complete the look.

BTW, I have looked closely at the rear peeps on the new tactical Mini 14/30. The Tech Sight is a much better sight than the factory one.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I've loaded the Speer 150gr sp flat base w/good results for my Mini.
as others here I'm doubting the 123 gr sp's available from winny, rem and fed as suitable for larger whitetail.
I've taken 2 does w/mine both of them with winny 123gr sp both slugs shed the jacket, does were right good size. neither in brush or at that range I would'nt have taken the shot.

 

[Texan Scott]

Contrary to popular belief, not everything in Texas is bigger. Our education budget, fo instance. (rimshot, thank you). And deer. I've never seen a Texas white tail I don't outweigh. I have no doubt a heavy 7.62 softpoint would take one. 400 lb hogs, or those antlered quarterhorse- lookin things they have up north? ima want a 30-30.

That said, given the opportunity to open up a 20-rnd mag of 7.62x39 FMJ on a sounder of hogs, just to eliminate them? A mini-30 with smooth line and unencumbered by a scope... that's a nice rifle, there.

 

[adelbridge]

30-30 commercial ammo is almost all designed to hunt with. most commercial 7.62x39 is designed for military or plinking. Check the prices, 7.62X39 is half the price or less as compared to 30-30. If you stepped up to a hunting style bullet in 7.62 I am sure you would have better results.

 

[35 Whelen]

Contrary to popular belief, not everything in Texas is bigger. Our education budget, fo instance. (rimshot, thank you). And deer. I've never seen a Texas white tail I don't outweigh. I have no doubt a heavy 7.62 softpoint would take one. 400 lb hogs, or those antlered quarterhorse- lookin things they have up north? ima want a 30-30.

In the Hill Country, yes. North and west Texas, and especially deer that come from river bottoms in these areas are another matter entirely. I've killed probably a couple dozen bucks out in the Dickens/Guthrie area and they typically field dress right at 125 lbs. In '04 I killed a buck on my property here that field dressed at a hair over 150 lbs. 20+ years ago on the Red River, a buddy of mine killed a basket racked 8-point that weighed at an amazing 175 lbs. field dressed.

I totally agree with the comparison of the 30-30 and the 7.62x39. For a more direct comparison, the 30-30 will do 2300-2400 fps with a 150 gr. bullet depending on barrel length while the 7.62x39 will do about 2100. Quite a bit of difference.

35W

 

[pbrktrt]

For hunting do yourself a favor and buy Cor-Bon 150 gr loads. They are pricey but for hunting it's all relative.

 

[LAK]

30-30 commercial ammo is almost all designed to hunt with. most commercial 7.62x39 is designed for military or plinking. Check the prices, 7.62X39 is half the price or less as compared to 30-30. If you stepped up to a hunting style bullet in 7.62 I am sure you would have better results.

Now there are a number of U.S. brand name loads with modern bullets designed for SD and hunting. Of course these will use .308 bullets which will probably tend shoot better in Mini 30s than AKs.

 

[mac66]

Well, I am a fan of both the 30-30 and 7.62x39. Heavier bullets and good velocity tend to swing in favor of the 30-30 at least where I hunt in northern MI.

I do admit that is have been along time since I hunted with the 762x39. I was not impressed with the factory hunting loads on deer back in the day so I stopped using it to hunt with. There are just a lot of better cartridges. On the other hand now that I dug my 30 back out I may try to work up some hunting loads for it. Have lots of opportunities to shoot does on my property once I've filled the buck tag.

My goal at this point is get the Mini up and running on targets out to 150 meters (max length of my makeshift range) or so with the Tech Sights. I am curious on how well I can shoot it. I've never really used it as a self defense rifle, only bought it to hunt with so I only have 5 round mags for it. May have to break down and pick of some factory 20 rounders for it. I do with Ruger made a factory 10 round mag. I would like to try it at an Appleseed.

 

[Texan Scott]

The newer (500 series) mini-30s were apparently re-tooled with a barrel that slugs .311. (prob because people kept complaining the 100 series was 'inaccurate' because they were shooting .311 combloc 7.62x39 surplus). I might expect the opposite problem in the new 500-series, (american-made hunting ammo in .308 bore x39s not shooting well out of the .311 barrel). Much of this could be solved, of course, by simply shooting several brands and sticking with the JSP that groups best, i suppose.

and 35W, you're right of course... deer are bigger up around tyler/ longview... hill country deer are tiny. a deer that field dresses at 175lbs most certainly outweighed me alive.

 

[LAK]

The newer (500 series) mini-30s were apparently re-tooled with a barrel that slugs .311. (prob because people kept complaining the 100 series was 'inaccurate' because they were shooting .311 combloc 7.62x39 surplus). I might expect the opposite problem in the new 500-series, (american-made hunting ammo in .308 bore x39s not shooting well out of the .311 barrel). Much of this could be solved, of course, by simply shooting several brands and sticking with the JSP that groups best, i suppose.

Well that really is going to fog things up for people.

Yeah, they could have avoided all this had they bored them .311 from the get go. It seemed extremely silly to me that they went with .308 to begin with knowing that millions of Com Bloc guns and ammo were in and coming into the country.

mac66,

Cor-Bon make a 123 grain DPX load now - Barnes solid copper expander (Barnes sell the X bullet separately too), Federal a Power-Shok, and Remington a PSP loading. Have not tried any of these but I bet Barnes (And Cor-Bon) did their homework with the 123 grain X.

 

[Texan Scott]

it does confuse things, it really does... which is why you shoot 'em at paper before you shoot 'em at animals. no test data like your OWN test data, right?

"First we try, then we trust." -Sean Connery, Entrapment

 

[LAK]

Very true, and I should have added "accuracy aside in individual rifles"

 

[Ignition Override]

mac66: You should see how much the Tech improves the accuracy of an SKS.

My Mini 30 was just as much fun, but maybe I should have tried to replace the old thick front post with a thinner blade (if possible).

 

[lg&m]

I like my mini 30 , I think that sight is great. Thanks for the info.

 

[mac66]

Ignition Override,

I am looking forward to shooting the SKS with the Tech Sights. I had a problem deciding which SKS to mount them on. The Russian, the Chinese Paratrooper, the Yugo, the Albanian or the regular length Chinese. I have one of those neutered (no bayonet) $69 Norincos from the 1980s that maybe has been shot a couple times. Never had much use for it but for being so cheap back in the day I couldn't pass it up.



It is in like new condition and so it won the rights to the sights. Kind of amazing how much longer the sight radius is with the Tech Sights. It went from 19" to almost 29". It is the rifle second from the right in the below photo.

And an old family portrait of my mini 30 w/scope with his foreign cousins.

 

[mshootnit]

thats a sweet looking older mini. It has 70's written all over it. Maybe early 80's. And that's not a bad thing.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Here's my 184 series Mini-30. Hogue overmolded stock and Nikon Pro-staff in AP green camo.

 

[mac66]

"thats a sweet looking older mini. It has 70's written all over it. Maybe early 80's. And that's not a bad thing."

Mini 30s didn't come out until 1987. I bought mine new in 88 or 89.