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Any thing to Know about a Ruger Mini-14?


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I shot a friends about 25 years ago and it sucked. Accuracy was non-existent. JMO, your mileage may vary.

The consistency of the manufacture of these rifles over the years is non-existent.

You seem to either get a good one or a bad one, and not much in between.

Edited by ChileRelleno
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I have a newer 581 series. I added the tech sight rear wich was a huge improvement over the stock sight, and a accustrut wich I'm not sure how much of a difference it made. I did have a Problem with the sight running out of adjustment out of the box, sent it back to ruger and they sorted it out. It is not by any means a tack driver, but is combat accurate (minute of whatever the hell I need to shoot) where it really shines is it is a joy to shoot. There's something about it that is just fun. I was given the option to trade it recently ano declined and got rid of my .22 instead. Aftermarket mags are an issue for some (many?) but I have only run mine with factory 5 and 10 rounders. I took it out for the first time in a while the other day and wished I had more 223 with me. theyre fun little rifles

 

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I've got a buddy who is Joe Pro Ruger who said he'll do a trigger job on it and I'll love it.

I've got 2 kind of .223 and one 5.56 ammo on hand to play with.

I'm not poking holes in paper at matches anymore so even a gun that shoots 2 or 3 inch groups will be fine now days, if it shoots better great if not oh well.

As part of another trade I just dropped off my last AR so the only rifle I have is a Mech Tech Glock CCU with a very cheap red dot on it, so chances are the Ruger will be my most accurate rifle without trying very hard. Still got about 800 round of ammo that will feed it.

Kind of figuring just to play with it some and then move it on to a new home anyway I've only got about 50 yards of clear range at the house to shoot and the Mech Tech Glock CCU or even the shotgun pretty much can cover anything I need to shoot at that distance.

They are a neat looking rifle anyway. Chance are I'd have rather got a Mini-30 but that wasn't in the trade offer.

Thanks for the input folks.

Edited by the 4th Doctor
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The stock makes or breaks the rifle.  The tighter the fit, the more accurate the rifle will be.  With mine, the factory stock will give a group the size of a quarter at 25 yards.  If I put the folding stock on (fits the action tight), the groups drops to one hole and keeps it past 100.

 

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Ruger redesigned the later versions to be much more accurate. Don't know which year they started.

 

I have an old one (180 series) and the accuracy suffers (5 inches at 50 ft).

 

I believe the barrel was found to be too thin and the gas-block clamp pressure could affect accuracy. They fixed these in the later models.

Edited by Sim_Player
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I like them, but not for the money.  Apparently the newer ones have a thicker barrel profile.

 

When they were $400 for an SS and ARs were ~1100, they were a good deal. Now that you can get an AK or an AR for $399 or ~5-600, and minis are higher, plus the good magazines are over $40 each, I just don't see the point. Unless you need stainless. That's a good reason to get one.

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Newer ones are good rifles, but a poor value versus an AR. Mags, furniture, and pretty much every aftermarket part is more expensive and less likely to exist versus an AR. The rifles themselves cost more, most replacement parts can only be purchased from the manufacturer at high cost, and the older rifles suffer from a severe accuracy problem - if you only fire a few rounds in a minute, it isn't problematic. For some reason, once the rifle gets hot the accuracy goes to shit. I've fired a few older Mini-14s and an AC556 (select fire mini14), all of which suffered from the same problem. In burst fire, two or three short bursts heated the rifle enough that the spread on a shoot-and-see target became noticeably larger.

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One of my workers was a prison guard. He was in a watch tower and leaned his Mini against the open door. The stock slipped on the floor and the rifle fell out the tower about thirty feet and landed between the fences. He said all hell broke loose when he reported.(lock down and guards scurryring)

He claimed the mini shot better groups after the fall.

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Love mine, 580 series with the thicker barrel. Pro Mag metal mags run as good as Ruger mags for half the price. Shoots all the cheap steel case stuff no problem. I put a Choat handguard on mine, looks better than the stock one that covers much of the slide. Tried a scope on it with factory rings and it shot 1 3/4" groups. I bedded mine tight to the wood stock by applying layers of heavy aluminum tape to the metal receiver so it would be snug.

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I got an older one myself.  Yes if you heat it up, it will screw with the accuracy.  However mine is good to go, came with the wood stock and a metal sleeve so it fits nice and tight.  Previous owner a retired Marine put a tech rear sight on it.  It's pretty accurate.  I use some of the old mags he aquired 30 round PMI mags.  They don't always like loading on a closed bolt but it can be done if you rock and lock it real hard.  I hear that thermold Mini-14 mags are actually real good for running in the mini as well.

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Have a Mini-14, want a Mini-30.

Easy minute of coyote, jack rabbit, paper plate or bad guy at 100 yards.

I have a .30, .311 bore. I got it new right after they Ruger changed the bore dimensions. I have never had a problem with this gun. It has worked 100% and with the Accu-strut it's as accurate as any AR15. I only use steel case in it, all stainless. I have never been interested in the .223 version because of the accuracy reports and I prefer the 7.62x39 over .223 greatly. So much so that half of the AR's I have are in x39. I find it superior on many levels to .223. 

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I look at it this way, the AR15 does that caliber so much better. The Mini magazine retention design is asinine (front lug), mags are expensive, it is not well balanced, accuracy is generally not adequate for a .223 rifle that costs that much, it is not as modular or as easy to work on as the AR, aftermarket support is fairly sparse, and it looks pretty stupid if you try to modernize it not to mention absolutely afterthought (no offense, just my opinion). I bought a 14 and a 30 at the same time about a decade ago and it took me all of about an hour to figure out the AK and AR murder them when it comes to those calibers. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough and do not miss them at all. Some people love them and I will never understand it.

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I traded my Mini-14 for an AR, and I don't have any desire to go back. The mini was cool, and there are things you can do to accurize it, sorta, but I think it's hit and miss. The new ones are a lot better than the older ones. Never had a problem with mine, but I like the AR a lot better.

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I just love a Garand action.

 

Me too, which is why I have a Garand. wink.png

 

I did like shooting my friends Mini-14, but I can't comment on accuracy, we were just trying to get rid of ammo he didn't want anymore.

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OMG....I just saw the prices of these rifles.  Holy crap.  I think the last time I looked at one, I was like 17 and at a Furr's Cafeteria.  They were going for around $200 I think, maybe less.  Damn I'm old.  :(  One of my teenage friends had one...it was fun but I didn't think anything special.  I will admit though, I have always liked them.  Not for that price though.

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well did the trade and picked up the mini 14 today, it's a stainless 182 series that has seen very very little use and has been maintained like it belonged to a former Marine (prior owner was).

the factory wood is flawless and right now it has an aftermarket folding stock on it and a 4X scope kind of like the old ones made for mounting to the M16 / AR carry handle, plus a pinned on flash suppressor.

I'll get a couple of pictures before I break it down and see how I like the factory wood on it the aftermarket stock just doesn't seem to fit me just right and the scope isn't what I'm looking for right now. when and if I go to sell it this stuff may be a selling point but for my wants right now think I'll try wood and peep sights.

the trade was for my last home made 1911 parts gun on an Essex frame so in my mind I made out on the trade.

Edited by the 4th Doctor
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Users of the Mini-14 and/or AC-556:

 

Users[edit]
220px-Bermuda_Regiment.JPG
 
Bermuda Regiment Soldiers armed with Mini-14GB/20 rifles in Barbados for Cricket World Cup 2007

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_Mini-14

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well did the trade and picked up the mini 14 today, it's a stainless 182 series that has seen very very little use and has been maintained like it belonged to a former Marine (prior owner was).

Mine is a 182 series as well.

 

One nice thing on the AC-556 is that the burst resets when the trigger is released, and you have the choice of burst and full auto.  Not so on M-16/M4.  There are those times when FA is more useful than burst. (like that Hind-D taking a bead on you)

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well did the trade and picked up the mini 14 today, it's a stainless 182 series that has seen very very little use and has been maintained like it belonged to a former Marine (prior owner was).

Mine is a 182 series as well.

 

One nice thing on the AC-556 is that the burst resets when the trigger is released, and you have the choice of burst and full auto.  Not so on M-16/M4.  There are those times when FA is more useful than burst. (like that Hind-D taking a bead on you)

 

I've seen select-fire AR platforms with both a burst and a full-auto setting - they're just not standard or even common.

 

The AC556 is interesting because the safety is separate from the selector, unlike the AR and AK, where the safety and selector are the same.

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