Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ruger mini-14... Poor man's AR?

I have two Mini's and two AR's. I like the Mini's much better for hunting and as a truck gun. Plus I trust the Mini's a lot more.They have been more reliable and easier to manipulate to me.

Up front, I have never gotten over the jamming and poor feeding issues I had with my issue AR's in Vietnam. After using the M-14 for three years I worked as one of the range instructors at Kaneohe getting the Brigade there familiar with the AR's. These were second generation AR's, XM16E2's if memory served and I do not recall any issues with them. As instructors we shot the course first and I actually held the range record for about an hour until the grunts showed us up.

On arriving in Vietnam I was issued an earlier version and some 20 round aluminum magazines. I was in air control so I assume we got the dregs. The ammo we were issued got the weapon filthy and tried to corrode everything without repeated cleanings. They wouldn't pick up the second round unless we loaded 16 or less in the magazines. Ridiculous.
I own a Mini-14 that I bought about in the early 90's. It was OK for the first three rounds but after that groups opened up pretty badly. I had it shortened and a Choate M-14 style front sight/muzzle brake installed. It is glass bedded and has had a trigger job.after that it was much better but still opened to 6-8" in or so when shot ten rounds or so. I then but a barrel strut on it and that cut that down to where I can go a full mag and keep them centered and under 6 in with my 55 grain handloads and 55grain steel cased Wolf.

I bought one of the newer 581 Series SS Ranch rifles a few years ago. It shoots as well as my modified early model and I have done nothing to it.

A brother-in-law, a son-in-law, my oldest son and another young man who might as wel be have all used them in the Marine Corps and like them a lot. I sucked it up and bought one a few years ago. I still have trouble warming to it but it is a tack driver.

One of mine is a RRA Elite Operator and is very accurate but heavy. I usually use it for varminting as it is more accurate than my Hawkeye. It is finicky about ammo and I have taken to using small base dies to improve reliability. I spent quite a bit more for it than either of my Mini's.

The second is new to me and was assembled by a local company called Rogue Defense. It is a lighter weight mid length, key mod rail, RRA trigger and folding Troy BUIS with tritium inserts. The BUIS allow for low scope mounting and I have put some add-on's on it as well. I haven't used it much but I think I may find it useful than the other. It too cost a bunch more than either of my Mini's.

Maybe I should have bought one of the Ruger AR-556's that my boys just got for $600.00 apiece. The triggers are a bit stiff, they lack free float tubes, the triggers are stiff and the front sights don't fold but a guy can change those if he wants.

That's an old wives tale. Ballistics tests have shown that regardless of twist, the bullet will yaw at just about the same point and create the exact wound. Simply going from a 1-12 twist to a 1-7 will not make the bullet more stable in something denser than air. Barrel twist can only make a bullet stable in the air, hit something denser than air and regardless of twist rate, the bullet destabilizes.

I can see that now. Of course "both types" was in reference to an M-14 and an M-16.

I'd say it is a poor excuse for an AR substitute. A sample of one would shoot groups at least double of a standard AR with its pet load. Most loads were about three times larger.

So in summary can we say that the mini is an over priced inaccurate yet well handling and attractive POS?

I would not stand in front of my mini 14 at 500 yards. It is not great accuracy but it will ring a gong at 500 yards.

What are the mechanical and/or functional weak points of the Mini 14? I always hear about their durability and toughness but often wonder if the platform has ever really been put to the test. The AR has been wrung out pretty well in all conditions and circumstances so it's a pretty well known and understood platform. But has the Mini 14 ever really been subjected to an unbiased test where the rubber meets the road? I've owned two Mini's and quit on them because of the terrible trigger and mediocre (at best) accuracy. I don't remember them ever failing to function.

I don't know that I'd go that far. In comparison to the AR, it comes up on the short end. On it's own as a SPORTING rifle, it's really one of, if not the best sporting semi-autos ever built. (and by sporting, I mean built to be a sporting rifle, not as a military rifle)

Generally speaking they've VERY reliable for a sporting semi-auto in comparison to the Remington 7400 or Browning BAR.

And while they're not very accurate, they're certainly sufficiently accurate for most anything you'd ask of it as a truck gun. And yeah, it can fill in as a defensive rifle in a pinch if need be.

I think the thing to like about it is it's conventional stock which gives the rifle an overall height of about 1/3 of an AR, so it tucks into your truck much better than the AR. And the conventional stock is much more comfortable for those who prefer the old school stocks.

I actually like the Mini 14 a lot. But it has gotten way too expensive while the costs of AR's have gone down. If I could pick up a Mini 14 for around $450-ish, I'd get one and be happy with it.

There is one thing on the Mini 14 that is actually MUCH better than the AR, and that's the magazine. Constant curve and steel with a good follower, it's a damn good 5.56 magazine.

Accurate, yes. Consistent, no.

They more than likely will make hits on a silhouette target from 0-300, maybe more. But would they be able to consistently make hits in the same area of the target, I wouldn't bet on it.

Check out nut n fancy on u tube, he does a good comparison.

A guy came by with an older Mini for me to take a look at it and to see "if it needed anything."

I asked how many rounds through it and the guy just laughed, and said, "Hell, I don't know...we shoot the crap out of it....thousands and thousands".

I asked him if he ever had any problems with it..."No!"

I asked him if he ever cleaned it..."No!"

Ok...so I stripped it and cleaned the barrel down to bare metal with JB and and took it to the range with some Win White Box 55gr.

It shot around 8" at 100yds.

I'm thinking that this barrel is toast.

The only other ammo I had with me was a box of my reloads with 69gr Sierra Match HP.

I fired 5 rounds and I couldn't see any new holes in the target, so I walked closer to see what was going on.

Imagine my surprise when I could see those 5 rounds grouped into 3/4" near the center of the black.

What crossed my mind was not how my ammo could be so good,but how Win White Box could be so bad!

Seriously...

Let me change it!

So in summary can we say that the mini is an over priced reliable inaccurate yet well handling and attractive POS

A BAG at least

OTOH I've NEVER had an issue EVER with 20 round AR mags, except eventually feed lips needing a retweaking. At least the AL ones don't rust like the steel ones do.

If you can't find a good follower in an AR mag, you ain't looking very hard.

Yep, but dayom they're cute.

if it was FMJ white box, I can't believe folks still expect accuracy out of FMJ bulk projectiles... generally just won't happen.

I carried one for 25 years. reliable. never missed. didn't shoot paper. when the chips were down it never failed. no double feeds or problems. in the dark it was real handy. had to shoot a man once and I have confidence in few weapons. A older Mini GB is one of them.

Yep, I LOVE 20 Rounders!!! These days the best 30 rounder is the Lancer AWM steel/synthetic!!! As good as an AR mag gets.

When did this start with pimping out the guns?
Ivory grips on Pattons .45?
I think playing dress up Barbie is for girls.
Load em and shoot em I say.
whelennut

I have Elephant Ivory on my Colt's .38 Super and it just seems kinda right to me. Ain't nothing wrong with personalizing your gun if it's done in good taste!

Stick with the factory ruger mags and load 18 to a mag. keep it clean and greased and it will do fine,. don't use wolf or any other crap in it.