Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Thinking of a Ruger Mini 30

I had a recent one. It ran perfect. Way overpassed though. It fed everything but you really need the longer aftermarket firing pin if you want it to ignite ALL the potential steel case ammo you come across and you need a smaller gas port kit. Accuracy of mine was about 2 MOA. This was a 2016 model.

I gave Century a chance despite their low reputation. It was a mistake. I bought a C39xV2, the milled reciever AK. The bolt and carrier immediately started to deform, their metallurgy is pure [bleep]. After I decided to sell it and went to remove the gas tub for cleaning I noticed the little lever that holds the handguard in place had literally snapped in half on it's own!!! I probably had less than 500 rounds through the gun total. Never again.

I have a few 30s I think they are pretty cool and fun

But I learned you are best with OEM mags
Maybe there is some very good aftermarkets out there but I have not found them yet
Had a bunch of Tripple K and they didnt function at all They never replaced those but they sent me a bunch of newer 10rd ones I have not tried them
they have been sitting
I pretty much only shoot steel they eat them just fine

Personally I think they are just fun guns
Hank

SKS really are not heavy triggers that I"ve fired. Same with my AK. But they have a lot of movement. You have to get used to that part, kind of like shooting a Glock or a clone. Once used to it plenty good.

We used to shoot ball through SKS and no problem hitting 2.5 gallon herbicide jugs out to 300 and 350.

OH.... wouldn't I love a modern mini-30 in BO, with the old school factory wood and SS folder....that took AR mags and had trijicon night sights.....
SPLOOSH!

A-TEAM, B1tch!

I used to have a Mini30. The magazine situation was pretty bleak back then in the '90s. I even welded latch lugs to aftermarket magazines in an attempt to get them to function reliably. They never did. The only ones I found that worked were some clear plastic ones (Eagles IIRC).

As a counter point one wants to ask if you wanted it because you had a ton of 7.62 x 39, that's cool I guess with the right magazines, if you wanted it "just because" then have at it, if you wanted it because you could not shoot deer in your state with a 5.56 that's cool as well, OTOH if you were trying to get something that would out perform a 5.56 on deer and other medium thin skinned animals you would be wasting your money. A cheap PSA 16 inch barreled AR15 with its ubiquitous magazines, and off the shelf 64 grain WW power points will do the same thing if not more. Even for other purposes the 55 grain FMJ bullet is capable.

I had the same thing. It was pretty cool except for the mediocre accuracy. I tried a bunch of loads, and they all shoot mediocre.
Stock was really solid on mine. I even got an aftermarket scope mount. Kinda miss it, but Ar15s were a step up.
If I could get one cheap, I would for nostalgia.

most all will shoot minute-of-five-gallon bucket accuracy.

You got to have the right mindset for them. Think of them like a big, powerful, .22 plinker. Good for about 100 yards max.

As said, if you want a serious rifle rather than a project and AK's are out...SKS. Trigger freaks go elsewhere.

Agreed.

Palmetto State has an AR pattern rifle in 7.62x39 called the KS-47, which takes AK mags. I have one and it shoots well. They have a lot of good options...nitrided barrels, M-lock forends & such.

They are also building an AK now, but I'll leave it to others to judge if they make a good AK.

Had one of those for a while. Actually worked very well and much more accurate than any Mini-14 I ever owned.

The one Ruger Mini-30 I owned shot decent. 2 MOA 3-shot groups at 100 yards. The only problem I ever had with it was with the magazines. Anything other than the Factory Ruger 5 or 10 rounders did not work well.

Like I mentioned before, buy a Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39 with Factory Ruger 10 round mags. Accurate, Reliable, and very handy little Carbine.

On a related note, my LGS just took a original Norinco Mak-90 in on consignment that’s still new in the original box. I think they priced it at $999, if any ones interested, I can give you there phone #

Yep. I once had a Russian SKS that would shoot 1.5” 3 shot groups at 100 yards with open sights. With the cheap ammo.
Gave it to one of my nephews.

Yep. They did look COOL !

My father just bought one. Another member of our hunting party has one, too. They are light and easy to carry, and accurate enough for woods-distance hunting.

They're in NY, so an AR/AK/SKS is not an option without ridiculous-looking modifications.

I have a stainless Ruger Mini 30 with synthetic stock in 7.62x 39 . Good condition, never hunted with. I inherited it from an elderly relative. It has a 2.5x7 Weaver scope mounted. Shoots reliably about a 2MOA rifle. Not my kind of rifle. What is it worth?

If you do most of your shooting from the hip

I grew up hunting with a Mini-30, killed my first few deer with one. I don't know that I would ever buy another one but I am not letting go of the one I have. Not an ideal target rifle or battle rifle, but does fine in the woods at typical hunting distances.