Ruger mini 14

I hear that Ruger is offering a mini 14 with a heavy target barrel. If it is accurate, the mini 14 will gain popularity very quickly. I agree that it has the most reliable action ever invented. I sure wish AR's had the Ruger action. Wow, what a rifle it would be.

 

Help me here. The Ruger has been around for decades and Ruger has finally decided to try to make it accurate. Well, they sure took their time. If this is the one I am thinking about, with the blue stock, is is the ugliest thing I have ever seen. If an AR had a Ruger action it would be a Ruger. I have a couple of super-accurate ARs. No one has a super-accurate Mini. I shot several Mini-30s for several thousand rounds trying to get some accuracy out of them to no avail. I do not hold the Mini-30 or Mini-14 in high esteem.

 

well I lovemy mini, never a failure to fire, and it gets close enough for gubbermint work...........

 

My Mini-14 does alright for the first few rounds (2"-3"at 100yrds), then as the barrel heats up. the group is all over hell. But I knew that when I bought it. It's a fun gun to shoot. Never jammed on me once. If I wanted a tack driving semi-auto I would have had to spend a lot more. JMHO regards
Ed

 

To quote Warren Page, "only accurate rifles are interesting."

 

You said it S&W-4me. I bought my Mini in 1983 used for $225. It is a blast to shoot, just a fun gun to have around when you wanna see beer cans fly.

The Mini-14, I think does what it was designed to do very well.

 

Now that I can agree with. It was designed to sell lots and lots of rifles to people who don't care that much about accuracy.

 

I care about accuracy, but not in that gun. I have some very accurate guns, including a MOA Weatherby chambered like my Mini-14 for the .223 rem. My only regret with the Mini-14, is where I live. Here in Connecticut, I can't go out and plink at cans and stuff, and my gun club only allows paper targets. No it's doesn't shoot 1/2" groups like my Weatherby, but I love shooting that gun. I also like shooting black powder muskets, not too accurate, but a hell of a lot of fun. I also have some antique guns, that I can't hit the side a barn with. I shoot my 45-70 trapdoor and wonder, "was this gun ever in a battle" I wouldn't trade them for any target rifle. There's a lot more to the shooting sport than punching holes as close together as you can. If accuracy is all that interests you then you're missing out on loads of enjoyment. JMHO
regards
Ed

 

Accuracy is not the only thing that interests me but depending on the context it is almost always in the top three. Anybody can miss a target and anybody can build an inaccurate gun. It just don't have to be that way. If an M1 rifle or an M1A can be made to shoot an inch at 100 then a Mini 14 could have been made to shoot 2 or 3 inches at 100.

It is amazing the logical gymnastics people will employ to defend the indefensible. I've heard a lot of excuses made for the Mini rifles, this one is new. I'm deprived because I don't love this pig.

 

I have a 183 series Mini-14 that I bought in 1982 and like all the others it isn't a real tack-driver. Under rapid fire the skinny barrel heats up and you're lucky if you can hold it to 6-8" at 100 yds, off-hand with iron sights. Recently I decided to do something about it, so I obtained a barrel stabilizer and put it on my gun. There are several brands that are real good like Accu-strut, Har-Bar and Mo-Rod. I got the Mo-Rod because it was better looking and was deliverd for less than $100. It gives the gun a distictive M-14 look and keeps the barrel whip from occuring and will give you consistent 2" groups. It also acts like a heat-sink and keeps the barrel from heating up so much. It's a cheap investment for something that I think really works. They come in black steel, aluminum or polished stainless steel or aluminum to match all different gun finishes. I got the black aluminum version that only adds 6.8 ounces to the weight of the gun. There's no permanent modification to the gun required by the way.

Here's a picture of my Mini with the Mo-rod:

 

[/QUOTE]It is amazing the logical gymnastics people will employ to defend the indefensible. I've heard a lot of excuses made for the Mini rifles, this one is new. I'm deprived because I don't love this pig.[/QUOTE]


No Tim, I don't think you're deprived. I'm not making excuses for the Mini-14, but as a "logical gymnast" I'm just trying to understand the need for MOA elitists to bash a gun that thousands of owners are quite happy with. BTW my MIni will hold 2"-3" at 100yrds. It only opens up after I pump rounds through rapidly and the barrel gets hot. I own some "fine" guns, and I own some "pigs". It's fun to take a "pig" out once in a while.
regards
Ed

 

Not thousands, hundreds of thousands of people are perfectly happy with their Minis. For the most part, they don't know any better. If you can get 2" to 3", that's good, if I could get that I would be, maybe not happy but less disgruntled. 4", 6" is what I've seen, and out of a variety of Minis. I'm not bashing only the Mini14, I'm also bashing Ruger. They could do better, no doubt in my mind, they could do better. And this is not just the Minis. I have had two Number 1s and a Number 3 that wouldn't shoot, I have three M77s which now shoot pretty well, having been rebarreled. I have had several other issues with Ruger. Ruger has no excuse, they know the issues, they know what it takes to make an accurate gun, they just choose not to put in the little extra effort it takes. I don't regard myself as an elitist, I just expect folks, individuals, companies and myself to give it pretty near their best most of the time when taking a customer's money. Ruger does not do that. Ruger chooses to make mediocre guns and I point it out. I do that for two reasons, first to help enlighten the unaware so they can make informed choices and second, to punish Ruger for poor performance in the hope they will mend their ways. I do find it very dismaying, when I am shooting, to be limited by the equipment, I prefer that my skill be the limit, that way I can improve. It is almost impossible to hone your marksmanship with poor equipment. In that regard, I guess I am an elitist, at least compared to the beer can busters. Not to bash beer can busters because for most of my shooting career that's what I was. Now you know why I do the Ruger bashing. Not to hurt your feelings, to hurt Ruger's feelings. So far it hasn't worked.

 

My Mini 14 (built in '90) has Never had a single ftf, or misfeed, with a wobbly 30-round polymer Promag ('08) in over 1,000 rounds. Note: the Promag was loaded to a max. of 15 rds. to reduce ammo useage.
Much better ergonomics, looks and as reliable as any AK "clone"?

It has only used newer polymer-coated Wolf and a smaller amount of jhp Silver Bear.

 

I got an older first gen Mini and it is a very good shootin rifle for the first ten rounds. I have put mine in a vise and did some fireing and found that I go from a 2 inch grouping dead center then after it gets hot it walks 7inches high right and opens up to 3 1/2 inches.