Picked up a new 583 series Mini 14 last Summer.

Sweet..... I've got one of the Special NRA Model with the 1/9 16" heavy barrel (2008/09)..... added a Hogue Gillie Green stock and a Weaver 1-3x20 scope for my old eyes LOL.

Ruger factory 10 and 20 round mags. ..... the 10s are really low profile.

I had 2 other minis in the 80s and 90s....... just never clicked .... only middling accuracy,,,,, and mags over 5 rds to hard to come by.

How did you find one with a walnut stock? Mine has a black plastic stock and I hate it. I called the parts department at Ruger and was told that walnut stocks are unavailable.

I am a mini 14 fan too. I never had any interest in ar's, but love the looks of the mini. Mine are stainless with wood stocks and m-1 carbine sights. I cut the barrels @ the front sight, recrowned the barrel, and added a flash hider/ front sight. Of course choate hand guards.

I wish Ruger would make one in .308, that was cheaper than the m1a.

There are woodstocks available for sale on Ebay usually, though they do not sell cheaply. Aftermarket synthetic stocks can be had from ATI, Tapco, Choate, and I think Hogue.
Ruger Mini 14 shows custom made woodstocks but I have no experience with them.

Nice rifle - looks handy.

I've always liked the Mini-14 & back in the day I got one that was a little more compact than the full stocked model ...



Called these a "Campers Special" in the Ad!

I wish they made yours as a factory offering and called IT a Campers Special.

GF

I have a Ranch mini Model 14 and I went completely the other way and went tactical on it. Why, I don't know I just got the bug to do it and I liked the outcome. I sold the wood stock on EBay and I was surprised as it sold for around $100.
The scope that is on it in the picture turned out to be junk so now it has a 3x9x40mm Leupold Vari X II Scope on it. With my reloads its a 1.5 inch rifle at 100 yards which isn't great but it's a blast to shoot at the range.

Nice looking rifle after all the changes.
Please let us know how it shoots when you get a chance to put
it on paper.
The lack of accuracy was the only reason i have not bought
one of these. They never get good reviews for accuracy
right out of the box.

Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

I own one, but have never been very impressed with them. Mine had to return to the factory a couple of times to get it to run right. Extreme muzzle blast and wandering accuracy to say the least. I think my father has it. All stainless in a dark wood stock.

OP I think your rifle looks really good. I like a shortened barrel.

__________________
Un-Reconstructed Southerner

Mine was not very accurate when I bought it and it took some work on the reloading bench to find a round that it liked. Both of my AR 15's are way more accurate then this rifle and would be what I would use if I needed one for protection. I keep this one around because it goes bang every time and is reasonably accurate and the grandkids think it's a blast to shoot. I turn them loose with 3 or 4 20 round magazines and let them shoot away.

Looks like you've really got it fixed up nice. The Mini is a gun that has had that awful barrel twist problem for decades. . .hitting a paper plate at 100 yards can be a challenge. I heard that Ruger fixed it some years ago. I bought mine back in 1978, and it definitely has that twist problem. It's a good looking gun and fun to shoot. Actually mine is more like shooting a shotgun.

__________________
Dr. B

It looks sharp. I had the chance to buy a factory folder years ago figuring I'd see one again but it never happened. I picked up another plain one a few years ago.

I have a nice higher-end AR that is great. But there is something so "right" about blasting away with the Mini-14!

Lad

I agree they are a blast to shoot and the recoil and cycling is slower and different than an AR-15. I looked mine up and it was made in 2001 and has a 1/9 barrel twist rate the same as my S&W Sport II which I've yet to zero. I was in the hospital earlier this week with chest pains and was scoped so I can't do much until next week.

I got the old factory folder from an LEO and put it on my stainless ranch rifle. Changed out the peep sight with a Williams peep. I think before I buy an AR I am going to put an Accu-strut on this one and get a trigger job and see how she tightens up. I figure it's worth $160 to see if I can save the cost of a new AR. Plus I just love that Garand action.

__________________
Forum consigliere

Nice looking gun, it does look like it handles nicely. Now we're waiting for another range report. Have fun with it, Larry

I do love the concept, the looks and have owned 4 with one being a factory stainless folder.

I think as far as shooting my youthful brain was tainted by Col. Whelen's "only accurate guns are interesting" statement.

I found my guns to barely be minute of coyote guns at 100 plus yards. I did not use it as a plinker and the lack of accuracy made me not trust it.

I have heard that the new mini 14's have newly designed bbls and are much more accurate. Does anyone here have one and have you shot for groups at 100 yards?

I'm not selling an AR 15 to buy one but trades may happen.

Thanks.

Like what you did to your mini 14. There is a heavy barrel conversion which according to the folks who make them is supposed to really increase accuracy. Frank

I like mine. It's going with me today.

OP touched on alot of the reasons I prefer it over an AR. I imagine if I put a little time in with my girl's AR that I could shoot it a bit better than my Mini, but not enough to make me want to switch. It shoots pretty well out to about 150, and after that, I attribute the drop-off to shooter error (and eyesight). I like irons personally. If I'm taking a longer shot, It's with a scoped .220 Swift.

__________________
Because of the metric system?

I've had a SS Mini-14 since the 80's and like it fine. I can hit what I aim at, but it's not as accurate as my AR. Not even close.

Very nicely done, KLYDE.

Mini 14 is a great rifle that doesn't get enough respect.

__________________
John
S&WCA Life Member

If I remember right, a 1911 recoil buffer is another fix used by some concerned about the Mini 14 battering itself.

I added an Accustrut, the stainless Socom one, to my recent production stainless Mini. While even the package says it might not make much difference in accuracy on a newer gun, I believe it offered some improvement and I also like the looks of it. With a straight 20rd magazine from CDNN locked in place, a gun with the Accustrut really does look like a miniature M14.

News footage of the Law Enforcement response to the San Bernardino shootings showed that a good number of California officers still used Mini14s as duty long arms. Presumably they hold up well enough in service.

The high dollar ar15's just never appealed to me nor the 223 round. Never really looked at the mini14/223 till recently. Two new Russian Izmash saigas were only $259 each. I went the ak/akm route. Now I'm not sure if I can own a mini14 here they banned everything since new town.

Mini14s are legal in California and some other places that would otherwise restrict ARs in some shape.