Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Ruger Mini 14

Thats a shame. But I believe any good trial will toss that BS aside with a good attorney. Just like reloads or HP vs FMJ and so on.

I hear your thinking. I just sure hope the USA isn't at that point. It wouldn't fly in AK that way I dont think. But it sure could in areas of TX I guess.

Depends on the venue.

I’d think you’d be OK in Alaska

Look at DJT in DC, NYC and Atlanta courts. Pretty woke, all. And they’re not the only leftest venues out there.

A “jury of one’s peers” is a myth in those areas.

DF

I think they are a great truck gun, got mine from a guy I worked with in the 80’s, has been in a lot of my trucks over the years, been in my feed truck for 14 years, kills as good now as way back, always been scoped, I will say at 300 yards running coyote or hogs, it’s not as good as my AR’s but I love the way it feels and fits, at 150 yards it a killer.

Yeah, Angus, the way it handles, feels and fits can be a big deal vs the AR.

DF

I always had a soft spot for the Mini-14. Turns out they aren't as reliable or accurate as an AR and are significantly more expensive. ARs are also more easily to outfit with white lights and optics. Replacement parts are easier to find and cheaper for the AR. This is a no-brainer.

A good shoot is a good shoot, and the reference is likely to the James Reeves article, is not an apples to apples comparison.

The best thing about a mini-14 was that they were light and handy. Hanging a heavy barrel on it along with spending more on the gun than what you paid for it, just so it will shoot smaller groups is not a good move.

isn't that exactly what AR 15 fan boys do? Hanging all sorts of stuff on their rifles? Not even to make it shoot better, just to make it more tacti-kool?

Well I have spent money on barrels but only light weight tubes for me. Save a couple of Noveske lightweight barrels, they weigh way more than any pencil barrel but they shoot.

But to the point, I add a good light, good stocks, hand guards, optics, BUIS’s and now I’ve jumped into night vision so an IR illuminator and a thermal scanner…

Yeah forget what I said. 😎

I think hanging too much stuff on a rifle tends to spoil the balance and handiness. A light, optic, and a sling are about all I want. Even then, a big/heavy optic can muck it up. It’s amazing how good a bare iron sighted rifle handles. I agree that this is where the mini excels.

Legally that is correct.

Perception in some venues may be as important, or maybe even more important, than the fine points of law.

Depends on who and where, seems to me.

DF

I put a Tuner/Comp on mine that I can adjust. Went from 6-8" @100 yards to 1-1/2" .

I have a newer, wooden stock, 584 Series Mini14, bought new from Bud's when the "Great Reset" started in March 2020. I have and have had a ton more AR's over the years. I like my AR's, I LOVE my Mini! I should've bought a Mini 30-40yrs ago, but it wouldn't have the accuracy this new model has anyway. I ONLY shoot factory, bulk 55gr fmj brass thru all my rifles, with my Redfield 3x9x40 on it, at the bench, 1.25"-1.75" groups, ALL DAY LONG, at the 100yd marker. Most 3-5 groups go 1.5". BUY ONE, you won't regret it!

still $900 plus tax for a rifle with proprietary magazines, questionable accuracy, and most have no rails to put a light on, or $900 for a rifle with better accuracy, a rail to put a light on, generic magazines, and unlimited parts availability. OTOH if you love the mini, (I have had 3 of them), then go for it! I have had one rust a op rod to the gas port, so if your looking for something to be ready, then get a rifle that has been in use since vietnam, and most of the bugs have been worked out. The mini's scratch a particular itch, but they are in no way equal to a good ar regards durability, accuracy, reliability or they would have been universally adopted.

Your points about mags, parts, etc are spot on, but I’m not so sure about ARs being more ready to go, given their preference for being “wet”. I think my Mini, a SS Ranch, will run dead dry. I follow the factory recommendation of only oiling it lightly, and the piston system keeps the action clean (and cool). Since I have a lower now from another project I’m looking into another upper, but it’ll probably be a piston one, the Adams Arms P2, which has a some really good reviews from trusted YouTubers. Others, not so much.

No rule against having both!

6 pages and this thread is still going. I have both AR's and Mini's. I have a couple of Mini's with the .625 barrels. They are great rifles if you like the Garand action. I have a synthetic stock rifle and a laminated stock rifle. I like them both. I got them both a decent prices so I could afford to stick some money into them to make them better.

If a traditional style rifle is what you want or if your State mandates no AR's, the Mini is still a viable alternative. I'm sure they are not for everyone. I do like mine and my son wants them when I am done with them. That tells me they have a purpose and will be around for the future.

This one has an ASI .625 barrel on it and I put it in a laminated stock. The stock is a bit heavy but the rifle shoots well and has been reliable. The stock is cut down by 3/4 of an inch which makes it a bit more compact. It's not an MOA rifle but it's under 3" at 100 with the iron sights. It's a Mini 14 (.223) version of my 30 carbine.

I wish someone would make a side sling for the front gas block like the old Ruger GB models used to have. It would make the rifle that much easier to carry around while out on the 4 wheeler.

kwg

Swing that picatinny you aren’t using 90 degrees CWW and hang a sling swivel on it.

I thought about it but I cant help but think using the sling as a steady rest would put a ton of pressure on to the barrel.

kwg

Mini-14’s will not run dry for very long.