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

thoughts on this as a SHTF rifle. just not a fan of AR style rifle.

It’ll go bang every time. I’ve a 580 series that will hold 2 MOA. You aren’t going to win any matches with one, but that’s not what you’re asking of it. You could do a lot worse.

There are tons of YouTube videos pro and con. Magazines are more expensive then AR or AK. Some say they aren’t reliable and often not accurate enough. Newer seems better in both regards.

I just picked up a new Ranch Rifle in .223 and it hasn’t bobbled anything yet. Four hundred plus and no issues. I would call it a 3 inch rifle at 100 yards with issue peep. Haven’t played around with a dot or scope yet just wanted to break it in. I’m happy with it.

Google will net you more reading and videos on this than you could possibly fathom. Like anything else, they have their ardent fans and haters.

I’ve used both the old pencil barrel and the new models extensively. They are a light and handy rifle, and I find them very ergonomic (assuming you grew up with a traditionally stocked rifle). I really *want* to like them, and I generally do.

Cons: You will pay nearly twice what you do for an AR, and you will end up with a rifle that is not as accurate, reliable, or durable as the average AR. Both of the ones I owned had to go back to Ruger for reliability issues, and I had to fix one myself. Parts are proprietary, and you must use the expensive Ruger factory mags for reliability. Stick with the 20 round Ruger mags, the factory 30’s are awkward and unreliable. They Chuck brass 40 feet, and aftermarket support is nearly nil.

Pros: They are super handy, *especially* with the factory 5 round flush mag. Basically a 6 shot 5.56 10/22. You can get a true folder, but they are expensive. Optics are pretty easy to mount (but not as easy as an AR, and they do well with a low powered scope in Ruger rings. They are also available in stainless, which is nice. A light is pretty easy to mount with a barrel clamp picatinny rail, and they are generally viewed as less ‘threatening’ than an AR. They are also available in some ban states.

I’ve had a ball shooting mine, but they have also caused me to want to pull my hair out chasing reliability and accuracy issues.

I like the Mini, too.

This one has had a lot of work, fortunately back before this kinda stuff got so expensive.

Accuracy Systems did a major upgrade on this one. I did the stock.

It has their three point bedding, trigger job, barrel, brake and gas block.

https://www.accuratemini14.com/

DF

The difference between a Mini 14 and the AR platform is you can invest a lot of money and time trying to turn the Mini into a 1 MOA rifle, where you can generally pick up a $800 - $1000 AR that is already a 1 MOA or better without any headaches.

Geeez I just looked the Ruger site. $1,300 to $1,400 for a Mini!!!! HFS For that kind of money you can have an AR shooter plus scope and ammo.

True.

AR is an accuracy bargain. Lot of performance for the buck.

But to those who really like the Mini platform, those rifles can become pretty interesting. It just takes money.

DF

You can always add wood to an AR - http://www.blackgunswood.com/

They are accurate enough, its the first shot that counts, they will run any ammo and they just work.
They were not made to be moa.
Accuracy systems can improve the trigger, and if you don't want brass ejected to the next zip code, they can help with that too.

Neither of mine ‘just worked’ without going back to Ruger. One would rip the rim off of the case and leave the empty in the chamber. The other would fail to eject and try to feed the empty case along with the next round.

Ruger claimed they replaced the bolt on the first one, and the ejector on the second one. They didn’t do a good job fitting the replacement ejector, so I broke down and ordered a part and fit it myself. In contrast, I’ve had zero functional issues across multiple AR’s.

I like the Mini a lot, but I don’t think I would buy a new one at todays prices.

They used to be "the poor man's AR15". Now, it's completely the other way around. The price is up there pretty high now. I bought my new one several years ago for like $750, and now they are around a thousand dollars. If I were to spend that much money on a Ruger rifle now, I think I'd get one of the brand new Ruger/Marlin 1894s in .357... I just saw two of them in a gun shop with a price tag of $999.99, and they were nice.

I honestly think that if it weren't for the more oppressive states where AR's are generally not available, Ruger would have stopped making the Mini14 years ago. I expect that they keep making it mostly because of these states, where they have a captive market, basically. I think this also helps explain the rather high pricing today.

For SHTF, you can (will) do a lot worse than AR. A sub $500.00 PSA will kick the snout of most mini 14 out there.

I have about 50 varmint rifles. I always grab one of my mini's first. They are just fun to shoot. I dont care about 1" groups, the coyotes and fox we hunt are usually running anyway. Group size doesnt matter then. I guess I dont know why everyone thinks that you have to have such small groups for a hunting rifle.

Have a 580 series mini 14, got a vortex strike eagle 1x8 on it and with 60 Hornady v- max it's a 1/2" or less gun at 100 yards off bags

https://www.ptr-us.com/product/ptr-63/

This might interest some folks.

My Mini's shot horrible with the skinny barrels and factory ammo. There was a big learning curve. My 3 Mini's have the factory heavier barrels (not the target barrels) or an ASI barrel on it. They also have had an ASI trigger job done on them. The best thing I did was get a Hornady case comparator and load my ammo for them. I wish I would of had the comparator with the original barrels. My bet is I would of been absolutely surprised at the headspace numbers. I use the comparator for all of my reloading.

None the less, they are a real handy rifle for those of you who prefer not to keep or use an AR. In many States the people have no choice since AR's are forbidden or are completely "dumbed down" to fit the politics of the left.

kwg

This is my 181 Mini that has been completely disassembled then polished, fitted and accurized in my shop. Went from a 6" old charter boat gun to a .3" group shooter. Has a recoil pad for longer LOP, a trigger job, glass bedded, Wichita scope base, polished rod and parts, fitted gas piston, cut barrel, lathe recrown, front sight removal, 8" barrel shroud. Stock was refinished after 20+ years on a fishing boat. Pretty much builds lke my social 14 that I built.
So far a couple of coyotes and a 300# wild hog. It is a fun gun, and I have a few mags.

it would be a fun gun for $300, but like the other man said, buy a cheap PSA and your already a light year ahead. The only reason to buy a mini is that you just like the looks and they are the red rider bb gun of your heart. Worst one I had which was a SS version, would not hit a 55 gallon drum at 150 yards or so with XM193 off a rest. Finally none of the ones I had were unreliable, at least they went bang all the time, I guess Ruger has improved them.

Beautiful guns, but there's a reason the A-team never hit anyone.

Touchè!


Nicely done….. that made me laugh.


I like the point-a-bilty and handling of the Mini but the horrific accuracy sent all mine down the road. I preferred the ergonomics over an AR, especially for a hunting and truck gun, but that dang lack of accuracy was a game changer. I keep hoping Ruger figures it out. Yes, I’m aware of Accuracy Systems but it shouldn’t require that.

They are effing POS.

i've been reading and watching videos saying the 580 series solved a lot of the accuracy issues.

What about Ruger’s Mini Target Rifle?

They’re supposed to be pretty accurate. I’ve never handled one.

DF

HaHa- nobody ever hit their target with pray
and spray except John Wayne and Lucas McCain

I bet

I have a Mini14 target model I bought 10-15 years ago. I took it to the range shortly after buying it, and it was like shooting a shotgun. I put it in the back of the gun vault and it sat till last fall. I was going to put it up for sale. While looking it over I found a loose scope ring. Thought I might as well go shoot it before selling it. I have a 10 shot target at 50 yards that a nickle covers every round. All thoughts of selling it have gone away. All I can say is sometimes you will find one that shoots.

Oh yeah

A lot, maybe most of the criticism on accuracy is based on early specimens. Mine is a few years old, and while it won’t win any matches, it’ll do 2moa or so with ammo it likes, especially if you discount the first round flyers. Other than a couple failures while testing different size gas ports, mine has never, repeat never failed to function. It will hit what needs hitting. I spent $100 on a trigger job and got a decent 4-pound pull.

I find it odd that AKs get so much love despite their notorious poor accuracy, while Rugers are damned for the same level of precision or even better. My previous AR, a Springfield Saint, was no more accurate than my Mini, and far less reliable. I watch a lot of gun tests, in particular mrgunsngear and Honest Outlaw, and based on those I think the accuracy of ARs is often overrated. Yeah, they can be very accurate, but run of the mill carbines seem to be, like current Mini 14s, usually “service grade”.

This video features, among other stuff, a session with Saint Clint, who says the Minis are fine, as long as you use Ruger mags and not cheap knockoffs. I read that elsewhere and OEM mags is all I own.




Current street price seems to be just over a grand, and you can buy or build a pretty good AR for that much, no doubt. OTOH, the Mini has pretty conventional ergos, especially with 5-shot mags, is IME extremely reliable, and if left in the corner or behind the seat of your truck for months without cleaning or other maintenance, it’ll probably go bang on demand.

Good post. In a different thread, there was a guy bragging about how good his mini 14 shoots. Something to the effect that it will outshoot any/most AR15's. Wondering how much money he has in that one?

Maybe a little harsh, but not far from the truth.

Amazing.

I've owned a bunch of Minis (and M1A's which are cousins). That design of action-to-stock lockup generally "needs" bedding if you want to get down to around, say 1.5 MOA. The stock to action fit is just pretty loose and can move around in a bunch of different directions. Also, Mini's are often overgassed but that can be fixed by replacing the generously sized factory gas port.

I like the design and I also like how they look with wood stocks.

Agree that bedding helps. Accuracy Systems three point bedding seems to be a very good approach.

Someone mentioned “over gassed”. If designers are going for function as the number one feature, you want a robust gas effect. The AK-47 isn’t known for match accuracy but they go bang every time.

Accuracy Systems has a gas block that can be tuned. Mine doesn’t have it, but I can see how tuning the gas for least disruption and vibration, dropping cases where you want them is desirable.

But as mentioned several times, an AR out of the box is going to out shoot a Mini out of the box.

I have both, still like the ergonomics of the Mini.

DF

I've had a 14 and a 30 but switched to Ar platforms.Both the Rugers were average shooters but adding the adjustable gas block sure helped---that is a must add feature if you're keeping a Mini

I bought the port kit from AS. It definitely helped tame the ejection, and the accuracy a bit. I’ll probably get the adjustable one when the smoke clears a bit from all the other stuff I really needed of late. I have some notions I’d like to explore, and for the price, that’s a more convenient way to go over more port swapping.

I’d like to try bedding as well, but shipping is such a PITA and risky, so I’ll probably look into a DIY approach. Still, the current level of performance is completely satisfactory for that rifle’s purpose. I see lots of AR carbine shooters on the 50-yard range nearby, and they’re not doing any better than I am, often worse.

Doesn't a 1" rifle give you a better chance of putting the bullet where you are aiming than a 4" rifle does?

Maybe missing is part of the sport?

I’ve bedded a bunch of rifles, lots of bolt guns, even a Win. M-100, never tried a Mini.

DF

I like them for what they are. My old one is a stainless 188 series pencil barrel Ranch Rifle which was our ranch truck rifle. Cracked a couple of windshields with it shooting coyotes and hogs.

With that rifle I've shot several 1 inch 3 shot groups at a hundred but only did that with first round shots over several days. Trying to shoot groups other than first rounders would go 3-4 inches.

About six years ago when our northern Nevada Walmarts still sold guns I found a 583 series on closeout using Brickseek. One of the stores had two in stock @ $399 and my intention was to buy both.

Got to the store and was talking to the guy who was in line in front of me and he had the same idea. This was the year they were closing out Weatherby Vangards @ $249 for synthetic stocks and $299 for wood. Bought a bunch of those too.

The guy in front of me was a gentlemanly sort and didn't hog both guns so I bought the last one. When we got it out of the box to log the serial number I noticed the stock was cracked at the wrist. I was going to pass but the manager offered a 10% discount so I bought it for $359. Ruger customer service being as good as they've always been to me sent a new stock.

It's just sat in the safe unfired but I need to send it to AS for a trigger job, bedding and a adjustable gas block. Might even put on a mini strut. It should still be way less $$ than a new one.

Yeah.

DF

A lot of people gripe about it being "overgassed" and flinging their precious empty cases 20 yards away. I personally don't care where my empties go, as long as they're not hitting me. I say let them suckers fly. I don't find the .223 cartridge to be a terribly economical cartridge to reload anyway.

The challenge with the Mini is getting a better fit without affecting the ease of takedown. AS drills holes in the stock and if I understand it correctly, fits pins to the action that mate with metal sockets in those holes. A roll of Gorilla tape might work just as well, if not as elegantly; just strap that sucker in!

Been looking a bit at piston ARs, mostly the Adams Arms P2, or rather the upper since I now have a lower. They run cleaner and cooler than the DI ones, except for your hand holding onto the forend which can get pretty smoked up. Better than the face I guess.

I doubt Gorilla tape will anchor the action in the stock as rigidly as those three screws. AS will epoxy threaded inserts in the stock to receive Allen head machine screws.

I took the factory stock, cut the top quarter off on a table saw, glued a piece of wood, sculpted the now higher comb for better cheek weld. I then painted the stock with crinkle rattle can black paint.

It’s held up pretty well.

DF

Hell yes it does!!!



I've never seen a mini shoot that well. Post them up, if you have them.

Probably not many quarter MOA mini’s. Mine as posted is approx a half MOA gun. And that’s after a bunch of expensive Accuracy Systems work.

Quarter MOA is not easy to achieve, even with a well tuned bolt gun.

I’ve posted that an AR out of the box will most likely out shoot a Mini out of the box. Their Target Mini with some load development can be pretty interesting.

But if you’re comparing tuned up Mini with tuned up AR, AR likely to win again.

DF

Unfortunately the target model was .223 only. Not an issue for some, but I’d rather be able to run 5.56 in a mini. There is also a big difference between putting up a single fluke 1/2” 3-shot group and being able to repeatedly shoot repeated 5-shot groups of a specific size.

Bought this one from a Texas State Trooper going to Louisiana to work Katrina. I've got $500 in it, plus mags I've bought for it. Shoots minute of bad guy, eats anything I put through it, and goes bang every single time. I've been meaning to send it to AS to have them work their magic on it, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Other stuff keeps getting prioritized ahead of it. Great ally gun for family, friend or drop over the fence to a neighbor to help them keep their place safe.

AR every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Accuracy, price, CHEAP priced mags of top quality and accessories beyond your imagination. Mini 14? Still a dog turd by.any stretch of the imagination. You asked..mb

Mini 14 is the biggest POS Ruger ever made. Most AR15's will shoot circles around a mini.

That was a joke, of sorts. Mine is fine as it is for its purpose. The adjustable gas block may or may not tighten groups up, but groups aren’t the goal.

I’m wondering if shutting the gas off completely will affect POI, maybe make every shot a first-round flyer? For certain, no having to chase brass would be a bonus.

I understand that in the UK you can have a Mini but it can't shoot semi auto. They plug up the gas bushing and now it's a bolt action with a straight pull bolt. This supposedly makes for an accurate Mini. I never could get better than 1 1/2" inches with a skinny barrel Mini and that was with a lot of load development.

Getting the right load helps a Mini shoot less than 2" especially in the new barrels. (580 series with the .625 barrels) I think the key is getting the case sized right and a faster burning powder. RL10 or AA2015. I have tried heavier bullets than the 55 grain but I can't seem to find the right one. I've also had good groups with IMR 3031, H335 and AA2230. I've had no luck with any powder slower than AA2460. Winchester 748. Forget about it. IMR 4895 No way.

The advantage of the faster burning powder is the cases don't fly so far. The fix for that is a new gas bushing or an adjustable gas block if you want to spend the money. It seems if you have a well broken in Mini that misfeeds or rips the heads off of cases it's because the bolt is moving too fast and the magazine can't get a new cartridge up fast enough to catch the bolt going forward.

Slow down the bolt speed
resize your cartridge case to fill the chamber
find the right powder and the right load
trigger job.

You can bed around the action in a wood stock in a traditional manner or in the case of the plastic stocks we use a small piece of old credit card to hold the actions a bit tighter in the stock.

That's the key to a more accurate Mini 14 but they will never be a prairie dog shooter. The skinny barrels require a "strut" if none of the above work.

kwg

I see by several of the comments many people are still years behind when it comes to the mini-14...

Unlike a cheap ass AK or a decent AR, Minis don't have chrome lined barrel, chambers or even gas systems. The gas system is, contrary to popular belief, based on the M1 Carbine, not the M-14. The heavy slide banging against the gas block all but guarantees less than stellar accuracy.
They are always overgassed and beat the [bleep] out of brass, the worst part being the rim lifts.

I think of them as a powerful 10/22 - useful at about the same ranges, but with more power.

By all means show us some updated results. I'd pick one up again if they were still light, handy, affordable and now accurate. I have to say the first mini-14 I had had the wooden op rod cover but it shot well enough with the peep sight, that a couple of my friends wound up buying one. Then the Ranch Rifle came out and we just had to have them with scopes on them and found out how unaccurate they were.

Best one I had would put 4 in 1.5" which would've been great but the first shot was always 3-4" away from the rest.
AR's are half the price, almost half the weight, twice as accurate and more reliable.

Well, weight depends on the AR. but the other points do have some merit.

DF

Don't mess with it. Those have some serious demand. The front sight in the middle of the barrel stops some of the harmonic vibration and they typically give better accuracy than a standard skinny barrel Mini.

kwg

kwg, it has shot well since I got it. I have not messed with it. It is minute of bad guy at 100. That's all I need it to do. It does not jam. It does not Short Stroke. Feed it quality 55 grain ammo and it just runs. And you are right. It is not the skinny barrel. Nowadays, its role is more of an ally gun. Something to hand family or friends, or I can hand it over the fence to a neighbor who needs to protect their Homestead, too. For $500 and some mags (all Ruger factory), I figure I'm good. It is mechanically and cosmetically pristine. I also have an Inland 1944 M1 carbine that suits a similar role. Even in the hands of a small female or a 15-16 year-old youngster, they and these rifles are quite capable.

for the price I'd still stick with an AR. but I do have a Mini -14 bought in 1982.

Mine is SS, and the barrel hammer-forged, so chrome isn’t missed. A gas port kit from AS is $35, buffers $15. They also have a stronger guide spring for $18; might get one of those, but the buffers work well.

That TFB video shows Lawyer James engaging targets out to IIRC, 400 yards with his, which isn’t modified AFIK. The vintage of the Minis definitely matters, and it’s not just about the barrel weight. They spent a lot of time and effort improving them. I wouldn’t bother with an older one myself as there’s just too much to deal with. I spent $150 on mine, trigger job, buffers, and gas port kit. It’s accurate enough for hunting, and social work, and totally reliable. I took it down for cleaning once, but there wasn’t enough there to bother. I put a drop or so of oil here and there once in awhile, but the manual warns against overdoing it because it holds dirt. I think it would run just fine totally dry.

The OP asked about it as a SHTF piece. I think it’s about perfect, although I’m also thinking my Bear Creek .22 mag fills the bill too, and the ammo is much lighter, so a feller could carry a bunch.

Going to have to check out James' video.

I have been shooting a 188 series Ranch Rifle for over 20 years now. It has had a trigger job and a few other things done to it. It's a solid 2 inch at 100 yards rifle. Most of the time I shoot milsurp M193 in it, but it handles my handloaded 64 grain Winchester soft points well. Like virtually all Mini 14s, it is totally reliable, no matter what some folks think.
I was given an elderly, and broken AimPoint 5000. The factory did a complete refurbishing job on it, and it's like new now. The sight and the rifle are much the same age and go well together.

Great report pappy
I would skip the stronger spring. It just bangs the gas block that much harder. If you have slowed up the speed of the op-rod with smaller gas bushings, you don't need the stiffer spring. The next thing I would buy for my Mini is a scout mount rail from Ultimax. Some of the guys who own Mini's on Perfect Union have bought the scout mount rails and put a red dot on them. Save the money on the spring and get the scout mount.

kwg

The most loved/hated carbine ever.

All this talk of the mini 14 is good I suppose, but what about the mini 30, now let’s talk mini’s

Mini 14 discussions are always interesting.

MIni 30's. Get a second firing pin with a bit more protrusion, skip the extra power hammer spring and stop wasting your money on Wolf ammo.

kwg

Okay, about that SHTF ammo weight, just for grins. Kitchen scale, so ounces and grams.

50 round box Fiocchi .223 1#5.8oz Single round 12grams

50 round box .22 Mag Fiocchi 40gr 9.1oz Single round 4grams

50 round box .22 Mag Hornady 30gr 8.1oz Single round 4grams (obviously the scale ain't all that accurate at that weight)

A single round of CCI Mini Mag weighs 3grams for comparison, again subject to the crappy kitchen scale accuracy.

Previously I weighed a box of 5.7 and IIRC it weighed just over 12oz

My notion of SHTF would be being mobile, maybe limited to what I could carry, and not looking for trouble, but rather avoiding it and trying to make meat along the way. .22 mag is much more effective than .22LR, weighs less than half of what .223 weighs, and the ammunition is much more resistant to weather and handling than LR as well. In addition, we now have some pretty good .22 mag pistols, so one ammo type can work for both. If we eliminate the heavy plastic boxes the rimfire round comes in, 3x the ammo can be carried if .22 mag is chosen over .223 for the same weight penalty.

Just something to mull over. If the doody hits the fan, I’ll stay put if at all possible, being old and creaky, and thus have all kinds of stuff available.

Hmm my 882 Marlin ss bolt gun in 22 mag is a good shooter with Hornady 30 gr Vax load at $20 / box. Normal 40 gr fmj or jhp not near as good. 35 to 40 cents a round about the same as 55fmj 223. The mags for the 882 were hard to find and cost 3 to 4 times as much as a 30 rd ar mag. That's infrastructure that doesn't exist for my 22 mag or mini 14's but you can go damn near anywhere and buy ammo , magazines, and all the parts A to Z for an AR. The commonality of AR's availibility is overwhelming compared to anything else with only the common 10/22 comparable. I had 2 different mini's, ar for the win.
Mb

In your doomsday scenario, if you need more gun than a .22 you can always shoot the guy with a bigger gun and take his ammo. That's how you rock after armageddon.

speaking of firing pins, do the mini's have a reputation for breaking them?? Then ruger will not send you one, and you have to send the gun in to them? I am not speaking from experience on this subject, but what a crucial part to have break when you needed it most.

Not that I’m aware of. I’ve dry-fired mine a lot. AS sells them, OEM and “improved”. Haven’t checked Ruger, Brownells, Midway, etc. AS also has complete bolts and some other parts. No idea if fitting is required.

I had forgotten that, but AS will help. They’re a good bunch to work with. Sending a “worked over” Ruger back for repair, not a good idea. They’ll do their best to make it “factory” and at your expense. No thanks.

DF

Bob, how long since you bought .223? I haven’t seen any $.40 in a long while. Just checked ammoseek and there’s a lot for $.44-$.45, shipping extra, and cheap crap I wouldn’t expect to get good accuracy from. No sense picking an AR for its accuracy and ending up with it shooting like a Mini because of cheap ammo.😛 I sure wish I could go back and scarf up some of that Fiocchi I used to buy loaded with VMaxes for $20 for 50. Still have some 40gr. The last I bought was just over $30, with free shipping. Pretty good stuff. Costs more now, but still a good deal.

You’re right about AR stuff being all over, and cheap. How long that will last under SHTF is anyone’s guess.

I’m not saying Minis are better than ARs; that’s just silly, but a good one is a good capable rifle, and they have some advantages, flush-fit mags is one, for me anyway. Low to no maintenance is a pretty big one.

Fun stuff, this. Lets hope it stays that way……

Parts for old ones are either limited availability or unavailable from Ruger according to their website.

My SS Ranch came with a rail that screws to the receiver flats. I’ve run red dots, prisms, and scopes on that. Might someday replace it with one that clamps to the dovetails. Now it’s wearing a SWFA 1-4.

One other thing I did was to drill out the swivel bases to accept regular QDs. That gas block is harder than woodpecker lips.

M-Lok is a huge plus on ARs. I already have three small ones on my BC upper, a swivel stud, and ones for a Streamlight and tiny CT green laser.

can get a new AR for 500 bucks...thats enough reason not to buy a mini. Granted if the tool fixes the problem thats all that matters.

Check out the rail on the AS worked over Mini I posted earlier. Works well.

DF

rost, I've got plenty of ARs. One mini. Don't need a $500 AR.

I have one Mini, the one shown, more AR’s.

DF

wonder which would last longer under heavy use of $500 AR or mini??

AR.

IMO

DF

And are we comparing a $500 retail AR to a retail Mini, or a "deal" $500 AR to a Mini? Retail-to-retail I'd def say the AR.

AR is a military grade rifle designed for full auto.

Mini not military grade, a sporting grade semi auto that can be made to go full auto.

DF

I can understand getting a Mini 14 for a project gun to see if you can make it shoot well and be reliable.

If you are looking for something dependable when SHTF then the AR is light years ahead and a much smarter choice.

Bedding a wood stock Mini is similar to M1As and the wood is going to move. Hardly something one wants to deal with when the chips are all out on the table.

Add in the open top of the Mini allowing dirt, ice, and debris into the action.

I would take a $500 AR over any Mini 14 for serious things.

Guys are grasping at straws to defend their poor mini's. I'd take one of these way before a schidt show shooting mini14:

The Mini 30's were breaking firing pins, especially after the owners installed a stronger hammer spring. It appears that the firing pins on the Mini 14's that shoot commercial or military ammo were breaking far fewer times than the Mini 30's. I am not aware of any Mini 14 broken firing pins. Not that it couldn't happen.

It seems after some guys did the research on the Mini 30 firing pins, they could not set off some brands of Russian and Chinese 7.62x39 ammo. Or they could only set off the ammo after hitting it a second time. Some of that ammo has the primers set deeper than American commercial ammo. There was a company that was selling heavier hammer springs and people were buying them so they could use the cheap Russian and Chinese ammo. This resulted in lot's of broken firing pins specifically on the Mini 30's.

YES, you do have to send in the whole gun if you want Ruger to replace it. Keep in mind, that Ruger would also replace the hammer spring, putting a factory spring back on the trigger group. Those guys who were doing the research at Perfect Union started getting a second firing pin just in case the first one broke. Ruger charged a premium for that service. For years there was only one company making firing pins and they were junk. (Glendarms) There is now a company that will sell you a firing pin (a good one) and the guys at Perfect Union added a bit more protrusion to the pin to hit those hard to reach because they were set deep primers. Keep in mind the primers are Berdan primers and are made for AK47's and SKS's to set off. Not Mini 30's.

I'm sure it's possible to break a Mini 14 firing pin but I haven't heard of that happening. It was the Mini 30's that were breaking and as far as I know, it was because they were trying to set off the Russian and Chinese ammo and many were adding the stronger hammer spring.

kwg

My guess is the reason the MIni's are so expensive is because of the States that do not allow AR's to be sold. I understand there are waiting lists in some of those States for Mini's. Supply and demand at work.

Maybe the Supreme Court will fix some of that in the near future.

kwg

Yeah, that AR pistol grip stock makes’em more dangerous.

Mini looks more like a regular rifle, less menacing.

DF

One advantage to a wood stocked mini, is less jail time if you ever have to shoot someone.

I can be a bit stubborn. I used to be a huge Ruger fan and have never been a bandwagon type. I have had 3 Minis. None of them shot worth a piss. Finally said screw it and hopped on the AR bandwagon. There's an AR bandwagon for a reason.

Found a factory plastic stock for a mini 14 for $25.00, now I know why they sold it, wasent going to do the accuracy job on it as I did the wood stock

Yeah, looks less lethal to a jury, more like a typical hunting rifle, not a military, people killing rifle.

Crazy world.

DF