mav 459 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Am I the only Mini 14 fan here? I have the Ranch Rifle model, I have installed an adjustable trigger, and a dragunov stock, Love this thing, so much that I sold the AR. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
22_Shooter 1,560 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Sold and AR in favor of a Mini? I've never heard of such a thing! Just messing with ya. I don't personally own, but I've heard a lot of not-so-great things about their accuracy. That's really the only thing that has kept me away from them. I handled a PG'ed Mini-14 at a gunshow, and it felt good. How's the accuracy on yours? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
THE_HUNTER 2 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I have one in stainless and i love it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elvis christ 451 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I bought a stainless ranch rifle at the pawn shop one time, because the price was right. It was having magazine issues, and I looked at the price of mags and nearly shit. I did like the rifle itself, though. The rear peep sight was pretty nice, the gun itself shot good. I think they feel more solid than the AR, personally. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mav 459 Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Sold and AR in favor of a Mini? I've never heard of such a thing! Just messing with ya. I don't personally own, but I've heard a lot of not-so-great things about their accuracy. That's really the only thing that has kept me away from them. I handled a PG'ed Mini-14 at a gunshow, and it felt good. How's the accuracy on yours? Mine is around 2 MOA, sometimes more, sometimes less, just as good as my light barreled AR was. But the MINI is infinitely more reliable, kinda like an AK, it will fire stuffed full of mud, and it is more accurate than your average AK. Mine has taken many 'yotes, and deer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
22_Shooter 1,560 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Sold and AR in favor of a Mini? I've never heard of such a thing! Just messing with ya. I don't personally own, but I've heard a lot of not-so-great things about their accuracy. That's really the only thing that has kept me away from them. I handled a PG'ed Mini-14 at a gunshow, and it felt good. How's the accuracy on yours? Mine is around 2 MOA, sometimes more, sometimes less, just as good as my light barreled AR was. But the MINI is infinitely more reliable, kinda like an AK, it will fire stuffed full of mud, and it is more accurate than your average AK. Mine has taken many 'yotes, and deer. Glad to hear yours runs good. I can barely afford to feed my 5.56 AR as it is, so something else in that caliber is out of the question for me, as of now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
termite 463 Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 I've got the one with the matte stainless bull barrel, laminated stock and big honking damper on the end of the barrel. If you tweek the damper, it'll group 1" or less at 100 yards. Nice shooting gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vindo310 0 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I have never shot an AR but I like my Mini-14 Ranch Rifle. It is not the most accurate and it heats up pretty quickly but it is not picky on what it eats. I have the 181 model and I believe mine was made in like 1983. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PinkFloyd 63 Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I'm going to agree here... Mini 14's are much nicer to shoot than AR's. Something about them that's just right. They're not super accurate, they're not super tactical, they're not infragable or easy to work on. But the Mini my father gave me was a dream to shoot. recently sold the gun to buy a Beretta Cx4... yeah call me crazy but he also left me a 92fs that was his baby and I have a bunch of mags from it so I wanted a carbine to shoot the same rounds with the same mags. Incidentally that 92Fs was one of the original NATO officers guns that his sister got him when she was stationed in Germany. She bought it off a guy who wanted a Sig back in the 80's. It's got the old single dot sights and straight dust cover, which IIRC are pretty rare in 92Fs'. Great gun, shoots like a dream, no recoil and VERY accurate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
555JM 10 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I like 'em, Mav....that should make you worry I've had a blued 187 series for around 20 years. Not great for accuracy (around 3moa, with a scope) but a good reliable gun that's given me no problems and is fun to shoot. Recently picked up a stainless 580 series with the heavy barrel. Haven't shot it yet. Price dang near gave me a nosebleed. The first one was kinda steep too. What was fairly cheap was my Mini-30. Bought it new at a gunshow in the '90s for under $400 as I recall. It wasn't very accurate either but was reliable....and stayed cooler than the Mini-14. Wish I'd kept it. But if I had, I might not have ever gotten into Saigas. Things happen for the best. Has anyone fired much of steel case ammo in their Mini-14? I just bought some Wolf .223 and would like to know if it'll cause problems. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
555JM 10 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I'm going to agree here... Mini 14's are much nicer to shoot than AR's. Something about them that's just right. They're not super accurate, they're not super tactical, they're not infragable or easy to work on. But the Mini my father gave me was a dream to shoot. I think this is a big reason why I've no desire to convert my Saigas. The Mini-14 IS a lot of fun to shoot in its "sporter" configuration. Other than being a bit more muzzle heavy, the unconverted Saigas are much the same. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janusthephoenix 24 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Way back when, I considered picking up a Mini-30 instead of a Saiga and the biggest reason I didn't is because I found my Saiga at a gun show; I was expecting to have to have it ordered online. I've shot my buddy's Mini-14 a couple times, and it's lots of fun. It does heat up really fast though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mstranglr 9 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I put my mini-14 in the same catagory as my keltec; fun and cheap plinkers, but not a high round count weapon. Isnt it Pat Rogers that said in all of his years doing carbine classes, a mini-14 has never made it through without breaking? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
555JM 10 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I put my mini-14 in the same catagory as my keltec; fun and cheap plinkers, but not a high round count weapon. Isnt it Pat Rogers that said in all of his years doing carbine classes, a mini-14 has never made it through without breaking? What breaks? Springs? Castings? FCG? Extractors? Firing Pins? ....? They're not quite as simple as an AK, but not bad. Like all Rugers, they seem robust. Thought they were based on a proven design....or did Ruger mess it up somewhere along the way. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 They are fine little rifles in .223 as long as you have a semi-auto. I had a AC556-K and it was a one of the worst rifles I ever owned. Sorry, They are not the gun that a good M4 is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cma g21 3 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I put my mini-14 in the same catagory as my keltec; fun and cheap plinkers, but not a high round count weapon. Isnt it Pat Rogers that said in all of his years doing carbine classes, a mini-14 has never made it through without breaking? What breaks? Springs? Castings? FCG? Extractors? Firing Pins? ....? They're not quite as simple as an AK, but not bad. Like all Rugers, they seem robust. Thought they were based on a proven design....or did Ruger mess it up somewhere along the way. Bob Extractors and firing pins seem to be the weak points, especially (mostly) with steel cased ammo. The bad part was (until recently) Ruger would not sell replacement firing pins even to gunsmiths (you had to send in your Mini for repair), and the aftermarket firing pins sucked. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PinkFloyd 63 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Never had a problem with my Mini and it's going on 8k rounds. Heats up quick but I've never had a problem with it. Gotten it to the point where smoke rolls off the barrel but it just keeps chugging along... I have top impressions of Ruger products actually; love my little 10/22 and Ruger Blackhawk. Great guns. Not a fan of the newer models tho... SR9 is like... omgwtfbbq? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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