I don’t own an AR few long guns I do have are principally hunting guns Savage 22mag and Savage 243 throw in few shotguns handguns always kept my attention that being said I just like the looks of the mini14 I’ve had some say it’s fantastic and then others say opposite so looking for owners to let me know experience with them. Thanks not looking to trick out just want a dependable semi rifle not for hunting not allowed in state. Yes I looked not easy task to find anything currently.

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Take it easy. Chris

newer 580 series heavy barrels are "better" for accuracy .....if you are shooting 20-30 rds fast..... than the older pencil barreled guns

I've got a "NRA" model 16.? heavy barrel .....I added a few factory 10rd "almost" flush fit mags backed up by some 20 rd factory mags and you are good to go.

Mine has a little 1-3x20 Weaver scope..... with the 10rd factory mag very non-tacitcooool looking..... but 10rds of 5.56 ready to go.

Buy it, you will love it!

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Retired trap shooter

"Yes I looked not easy task to find anything currently."

Don't understand that, these things have been discussed approximately a zillion times.

Anyway, dependable; heck yes. Looove mine. Have an AR, like it, but it's the mini-14 loaded and ready in the closet.

The Mini-14 is very dependable. Parts are hard to find, but you don't need parts for a Mini, since they rarely break.

Use factory mags.


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So very Politically Incorrect

Don't own one now, but have owned a couple in the past. Never had an issue with them, and they were combat accurate. I understand they have improved accuracy on the newer ones. Seen a guy at the range with one of the newer heavy barrel ones getting solid 1 inch groups at 100 yards. If you plan on mounting optics, the Ranch Rifle version is a better choice as it comes set up for optics.

R/E hunting use in PA. You can use a semi center fire rifle for coyote hunting, just not big game, and a semi .22 rim fire for small game. I sometimes use an AR-15 for coyotes when hunting in the daylight where I have a chance at a quick second shot.

Larry

Yes, get one, they are very handy and fun rifles.

I have owned a couple over the years, currently I have a ban era ex Branson Missouri Mini 14 GB, great rifle



I picked up one of the Samson re-issue Ruger folding stocks for it

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Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

I have had one for 30 years and have no complaints. It is not a "target" rifle, but it is a lot of fun. Ruger use to advertise it as "The world's most expensive plinker".

Just to make your decision a little harder, also consider the PC Carbine in 9mm.
Ruger(R) PC Carbine™ Autoloading Rifle Models
It's a handy rifle, cheaper ammo, and a fun plinker but also good to defend the ranch.
I LOVE mine! Taking Glock magazines was a bonus for me too.

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Ive owned a 1976 liberty edition that shot ok to 200M and a AC 556 that I sold off when MD restricted all Form 3/4 Weapons. Its a OK rifle..as Good as any. Did not like the sight system.

I'm a big fan of the Mini-14's. I've got an older stainless Ranch folder model. It serves as a truck gun. I can get 1" to 2" groups out to 50-yards using the cheapest ammo available. Never had a jam.

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Bob: I am guessing he meant he had a hard time finding one for sale, not info. I set up at a semi-large show a few weeks back and had one of only 2 in the entire hall for sale. It didn't stay long and I almost felt guilty with the amount I put on it.

That is what the A-Team used. It has to be good!

Looks like Montague County.

Correct sir!

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Take it easy. Chris

They’re great little rifles.

You can tart them up if that turns you on, but I prefer the plain wood stock and, at most, a low power scope.

You can’t use 223s for big game here, nor can you use a magazine with over 5 rounds capacity.

You can do anything with a mini14 you can do with an AR platform. Just not as tacticool.

I had an early Mini 14 GB in the late 1970's. Good shooting gun, but not a tack driver. As someone else said, buy factory Ruger mags. The aftermarket ones (at least back then) were junk.

I have an early Mini 30. It is easily the most inaccurate gun I have ever owned. I tell people you can't hit the broad side of a square barn from the inside. Yes, its that bad.

I have heard the newer production Mini 14's and Mini 30's are much better in the accuracy department.

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Bill

I have a newer model Mini 14 with the heftier barrel in 5.56 NATO. It is my favorite semi-auto rifle in my collection. There's just something about the styling of wood and steel that I find so appealing. The Garand-style action also adds to the classiness of the rifle. The AR-15 is an excellent rifle, but the Mini-14 is my favorite, despite my familiarity with both.

My Mini-14 came with two 5-round magazines when I purchased it. Since then, I have purchased a few of the Ruger factory 20-round magazines. I have had no issues with the rifle or the mags.

I had an older (mid-1980s) Ranch Rifle that grouped like a pistol on a bad day. By report the 580 or later serial prefix guns are more accurate out of the box, and a device called the Accu Strut helps. Good luck in your search.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I have a number of AR-15s in various configurations for various purposes but when to comes to general field use with a 5.56mm/.223 semi auto rifle, I take one of my Mini 14s.

I have three of them that cover a pretty broad spectrum.

1) I have on of the early 180 series Mini 14s and IMHO it was superior to the other, (181 series through the early 580 series) pencil barrel Mini 14s in terms of accuracy.

I bought it with a scope mount attached in place of the rear sight, but opted to replace the rear sight with a Tech Sights rear sight. I also added a Choate Browning style flash suppressor/front sight, partly because it's a better front sight and largely because the barrel harmonics are much better with a bit more weight at the muzzle. In that condition it's a solid 2 MOA capable rifle with M193 ammo (55 gr FMJBT at 3250 fps).





The 180 series Mini 14s have much lighter slides as well as smaller gas ports, and that shows in the superior accuracy compared to the later series pencil barrel rifles. I suspect they went with the heavier slide and .080" gas port for greater reliability and durability with the full auto variants of the Mini 14 under field conditions, but it was a step backward for the semi-auto civilian version.




2) I have a 184 series Mini 14 that a previous owner cut down to 16.25", probably in an effort to improve accuracy, as that was a common thing to try back in the day. When I bought it, it was still a solid 5 MOA rifle, which was probably why the previous owner sold it.

However with a Choate flash hider, a SOCOM size Accu Strut, a .045" gas bushing, a shock buffer, and a Tech Sights rear sight it became a reliable 1.5 MOA 5 shot group rifle with the same M193 ammo.

A Choate ventilated handguard also helps keep the barrel cooler, but I still like wood and it now sports a wood handguard. It doesn't make a difference at reasonable rates of fire.



3) I also have a 187 series Ranch Rifle that was surplused by the NC Dept of Corrections. It had been set up for a scope and had an enormous muzzle device that was a combination front sight, flash hider and bayonet lug. It weighed about 6 oz and with it installed it shot about 8" low at 50 yards with the iron sights at the end of there adjustment. But it shot 3/4" groups at 50 yards.

Consequently, I gave it the same treatment as my 184 series Mini 14 and it produces the same 1.5 MOA 5 shot group accuracy with M193.



----

One key point here is that all of my Mini 14s have 1-10 twist barrels, rather than the 1-7 twist that Ruger switched to before moving back to a 1-9 twist.

The 1-7 twist aggravates any issues with less than perfect bullets and is less than ideal for 55 gr bullets in general. The mismatch of ammo to barrel twist is one of the reasons shooters often report poor accuracy.

----

Ruger made two major changes with the 580 series.

Most importantly they replaced their worn out tooling and the 580 series and up have much tighter tolerances.

In the middle of 580 series production they switched to a heavier tapered barrel that increases stiffness and improves barrel harmonics. They are reported to shoot 2 MOA out of the box - like the original 580 series before Ruger modified the design for the heavier slide and went with the larger gas bushing.

The 580 through five eighty whatever series rifles also benefit from a gas bushing and accu strut, but show less improvement than the pencil barrel Mini 14s.

-----

For comparison purposes I have a Colt SP1 as well as a Colt manufactured M16A1 upper half on an NDS 602 lower. Both of these "M16/M16A1" style rifles also shoot 1.5 MOA 5 shot groups with M193 ammo.

In a similar configuration, both the AR-15 and the Mini 14 produce similar accuracy, but I give the Mini 14 the nod for slightly greater reliability and better handling.

Great truck gun. very handy. Maybe not MOA but makes for a very quick second shot. Solid feel, nearly indestructible. Right weight for a butt stroke. Been thinking about a mini 30. Yea or nay?

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Time wounds all heels

I think you'll be very happy with the Mini-14. I had one, never shot it, sold it for serious money during a "ban" period and after I acquired an M1A, shot that once, sold it, and became an AR fan which I swore I would never do. So weird how tastes change....

Yes, get the Mini-14.

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Come and take it!!

That's nice property up there too but this is my rural Central Texas land; 50 miles west of Waco.

I had a newer stainless one with the synthetic stock. I liked it a lot. Shouldn’t have sold it. I remember stapling an empty 9MM ammo box to the target at 50 yards and firing as fast as I could at it from 50 yards. 20 rounds with iron sights. Shredded the box. Is the AR more accurate? Probably. But not enough to matter for what the gun is for. It threw brass into the next county but I know that’s fixable with adjusting the gas block.

I’d like to get another one. But the next one will be classic wood and a stainless barrel if I can get it. I have two M1 Garand rifles and love the classic look. The older I get the less tactical I get, and I’m not that old! The days of AR’s and 50 magazines for it are behind me. I can be quite content with a Mini and 7-10 good factory mags.

Put it this way, I’d sell my AR for a stupid profit if the political winds change and happily buy a Mini and pocket the difference. And I wouldn’t feel any less protected.

Okay, it also looks like where I deer hunted for many years near Rumley in Lampasas County.

Pretty sure he/she was discussing not being able to find one for sale . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Around these parts you almost never see one for sale either new or used.

On Gun Broker it looks like many nice used ones bring in the $750-plus range. MSRP on Rugers site is $1000 and up.

I'd shy away from the early skinny barrel guns that many complain about for accuracy .... unless it was super cheap.

Nobody around here complains about the ones they own.

I regret not buying one decades ago. But I was never interested in the 223 round and the expensive black rifle that shoots it. I figured I’d be tying up money for something I would rarely shoot. But when the first new Russian Izmash saiga were offered in 223 for $259 with two mags I couldn’t pass it up. My first Russian ak/akm. Wow what a piece of machinery. I still wish I purchased the mini.

I've owned at least a dozen through the years. I have never owned one I would call not accurate. With factory magazines, I've never had a jam with all kinds of ammo even steel case. They can be ammo sensitive just like any other rifle or handgun. Most I've owned seem to like the heavier bullets. My normal procedure when I get one is to mount a red dot or scope and try different ammo until I find out what load and weight the gun likes the best. I only have one right now and it is blue with the wood stock. This piece of wood is actually quite attractive with some figuring and not plain like most I've seen through the years. While the side mounted rail is not for precision target shooting, it is stable enough to check different loads. I normally have mine with the iron sights unless I'm going hog hunting and then I'll slap on a red dot and do a quick zero. Right now I'm using a 62 or 63 grain SP pushed hard by CFE223. Don't have any in notes handy to see how many grains of powder I'm using. AT 50 yards, 1.5-2" groups are the norm and thats about as good as I can shoot with aging eyes and shaking hands. Out to 100 yards, its plenty accurate for hogs. I will never be without a Mini 14. Its the gun that is always right by my bed.

Just be sure you get the 58X series

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Charlie

I too have one for about 30 years. Ultra reliable. Burns anything I feed it. Also accurate enough, I'm not shooting much over 100 yards.

The only thing is if you buy an older one, make sure you get the Ranch Rifle version, otherwise it is difficult to mount a scope or any other optic, since you will have to use a side plate mount.

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Tony

Not sure if that was deserved or not as I never shot one. But I always wanted one and bought a late model ranch rifle a few years ago and it is a great rifle. I would never sell it. Good luck finding one right now though.

When I came to the SO as Chief Deputy, one of my ambitions was to get our deputies patrol rifles. Even more so than shotguns because we're an rural jurisdiction and I don't like shotguns very much. (We got them later.) We bought 30 Minis for patrol rifles back in 2001 before 9-11. I believe we were the first agency in GA to arm deputies with patrol rifles. We bought what we could afford, black composite stocks, no scope mounts. They were fine for that, minimally trained deputies could get COM hits at 75 yards, which is pretty well what a patrol rifle should do. In fact, our first training with them was 9-11. We paid $300 each for them, and when we switched to ARs (more accurate) the Sheriff elected to sell the Minis to deputies and retired deputies (me) for what we paid for them, so I got one in very good shape.

They're not a long range P-Dog gun, they're patrol rifles. Morale boosters. In 2001, the only magazines that worked were factory magazines and Ruger held onto them for a long time. The reason I heard was Bill Ruger didn't want his guns being involved in mass shootings. We only got one mag IIRC and couldn't buy any more for a while.

The first time we shot them, on 9-11, we used cheap ammo, I believe it was Wolf against recommendations of a range officer. He was right, they rusted the gas piston shut and had to be taken down and cleaned. Some of them you had to kick the bolt open with your foot. This was done by me and the Sheriff; we didn't have training time to teach individual cleaning then, but we did later. It was 9-12, after all, and we were highly aware of timing and very concerned about needing the fire power.

They're robust and accurate enough for Law Enforcement patrol rifles, reliable with clean ammo. I love mine. you got to keep them clean and oiled.

1. Magazines are more expensive.

2. The 20 round factory ones are the only reliable ones. Even factory 30s are hit or miss.

3. Less customizable than AR.

4. Less accurate than AR.

5. Not field repairable. She breaks, send her back to Ruger.

6. Not as tacticool as AR


I had one for years. I never shot it for fun. It was a utility truck gun. I sold it 2 years ago to fund a 6920 and don't miss it a bit.

Mags are more expensive. Not an issue for me. I used to have milk crates full of AR mags. Can only use one at a time. 95% of them never had one round loaded into them.

Factory 30 and 40 round mags never gave me a problem in my Mini. But I agree the 20 round mags are the way to go. Just balanced better.

Less customizable. Not really. You can make a Mini look like a ray gun. But most who buy a Mini don’t want to customize it. They like the classic, non threatening look. I know I do.

Less accurate. Maybe. Not enough to matter. A 3 inch target at 50 yards didn’t stand a chance with my Mjni ripping them off as fast as I could. Good enough for me.

Field repairable? How many here needed to repair an AR “in the field”. This isn’t “Red Dawn”.

Tacticool. A word for tacit-cool wanna-be’s and never-will-be’s. The Mini launches a .223 bullet at high velocity towards its target. Don’t care what it looks like.

A very key point . . . match bullet weight to barrel twist!

My 196 series has 1 in 9" twist and I've found 68gr Hornady or 69gr Sierra bullets are much more accurate than any 55gr bullet I've tried.

Russ

You don't need to repair something that never breaks.

What twist does my 195 series have. It is MO-pieplate at 100 yards with open sights-I might get around to putting an accu-strut on it one day.....

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Forum consigliere

Meh, pie plates are bigger today than in 1974 when the Mini was designed. You'll be fine.

My mini 14's accuracy if fine for what it is. I can keep all my shots inside a 3" circle at 100 yds. Mine is an older gun, but I cut off the front sight, Threaded the end of the barrel, made a short flash suppressor to thread on it. But, I also made a short sleeve that goes over the barrel and one end goes against the muzzle end of gas block assy and the flash suppressor tightens against the other, which puts the end of the barrel under tension. Whole thing sets in one of those deadly nylon stocks with a even more deadly pistol grip. Between it's high capacity magazines, flash suppressor and pistol grip, I have to keep it locked in chains to keep it from causing complete and total mayhem

If I want real accuracy, my mini 14 and AR 15 stay home. My 2 bolt action 223s will out shoot any of them.

I purchased the first SS Mini that hit the Albany area way back when. Its been a good dependable reasonably accurate gun. At first I installed a folding stock but when draconian gun laws came in I put the original stock back on.

The only other thing I did to it was to go a few drill sizes bigger in the peep sight. Heck your eyes take center anyway so this made it a bit faster to get to a shooting solution.

We get a bad SHTF situation up here and my wife will have this handy and I will go with its sort of bigger brother a M1A in .308.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Here's the best reference I've found . . . assuming it's a Ranch Rifle it looks like the change from 1 in 7" to 1 in 9" took place within the 195 series depending on serial number.

Ruger Mini 14/30 manufacture date and twist rate, UPDATE | Ruger Forum

Russ

From a Ruger site.

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Read my post above. You can get the pencil barrels Mini 14s and Ranch rifles to shoot just as well as the 58X series rifles, with an Accu Strut, a Choate flash hider, and a gas port bushing, all for under $200.

You'll find that used 58x series Mini 14 will cost you a lot more than $200 over the price of a pencil barrel Mini 14, so I would not rule out an early Mini 14 that you can find for $300-$400 when a used 58x Mini 14 will run close to $700 in the same condition.

I also prefer the looks of the earlier Mini 14s and with an accu strut they actually start to look more like a "mini" M14.


1. Magazines are more expensive new, but they were also widely used in law enforcement and show up in shops as surplus for around $20 each, usually in new or minty looking condition.

Mini 14 Magazines are however also much more durable than AR-15 magazines. The feed lips don't get bent as is the case with aluminum AR-15 magazines.


2. I agree with you that the Ruger factory magazines are the only magazines you'll find that function reliably.


3. The AR-15 is much more customizable than a Mini 14, but that's both a feature and a bug for the AR-15.

I used to shoot tactical rifle competitions and I've used three different AR-15s. One was an XM177E2 near clone (it has a heavy under the handguards barrel for better accuracy at high rates of fire). It's short, still light, and very well balanced, and accurate enough out to about 200-250 yards.



The second was a 16" lightweight carbine with a short, fixed entry stock and small M16 esque hand guards. It was very light, very fast handling and accurate enough out to 200 yards.



The third was basically one of my M16 or M16A1 clones. There was a lot to love about the original design. It could (and still can) rapidly and accurately engage torso sized targets out to 400 yards, while still being light and handling well. If the course of fire involved longer shots, it was the go to AR-15.



Note the common denominator here is that none of these are tarted up with a rail and 3 pounds of tactical-cool garbage on them. It's all too common to see someone show up with what started out as a light and handy M4gery and ended up being 10 pounds of over weight slow, poorly balanced carbine that had all the weight related negatives of a larger rifle, plus all the negatives that come with a short barrel.

In short that customizability often makes them worse and it encourages people who don't know better to add lots of useless stuff that doesn't apply to the mission at hand.

Also note that a properly set up Mini 14 will shoot just as well as the M16/M16A1 style Colt AR-15 with the same accuracy and better reliability.

4. Saying the Mini 14 is less accurate than an AR-15 depends on the Mini 14 and on the AR-15.

As noted above two of my three pencil barrel AR-15s are consistent 5 shot group, 1.5 MOA rifles with 55 gr FMJBT ammo (in my case generally hand loaded Hornady 55 gr FMJBT at M193 velocity), and the third is a solid 5 shot group 2 MOA rifle.

In comparison I have a 1-9 twist 20" bull barrel varmint AR that is about 1 MOA with 55 gr FMJs and 1/2 MOA with 52 or 53 grain match bullets.

I also have a 1-8 twist AR-15 set up as a service match rifle and it's a solid 3/4 MOA rifle with 68 gr and 75 grain match bullets.

In that regard, yes, those AR-15s are more accurate than a Mini 14.

Then I have the above mentioned M16 and M16A1 clones that are equal in accuracy to my Mini 14s.

However, I also have an M4gery and a couple light weight carbines in .223 that vary between 2 MOA and 4 MOA. They are for the most part not as accurate as my pencil barrel Mini 14s, or the current 58x series Mini 14.


5. I agree, the Mini 14 is less user repairable than an AR-15. At least in theory as I have never managed to break anything on a Mini 14. I can't say that about the AR-15.

So the question to consider is whether it's better to have an AR-15 that breaks and can be user repaired, or have a Mini 14 that never breaks in the first place.

A further consideration is that the the AR-15 will fail to function under conditions where the Mini 14 won't. Low crawl through sand mulch or bits of bark for 100 yard with each and then tell me which one still shoots without having to clean it.

6. Agreed. But that's a bug not a feature. It's also one of the major reasons the Mini 14 is on the exempt list of almost all ban legislation while the AR-15 is not, even though the Mini 14 has a higher cyclic rate and can be converted to a binary trigger with just an office staple.

I have a 580 series which is one of the newer ones. I put a VX-2 (1-4x) Leopold scope on it.

My impressions;

It needed a trigger job. Did that.

It needed a new gas bushing to reduce the high velocity ejections. Did that.

It needed a sling. Did that.

Mine has never had any issue with extraction or feeding. Probably has 2K rds thru it. Extremely reliable.

Accuracy is probably somewhat less than an AR of equal value, but not much. I think about 3-4 MOA which is plenty good for a carbine. If you expect more you may be disappointed. 4 MOA was the standard for the M1 carbine in WW2 which the Mini-14 resembles in many ways.

Barrels get hot pretty fast and groups open up. Probably because .223 is a 3000 fps cartridge. I've noticed that mine became more accurate with use. Barrels seem to be hard to break in so be prepared for that.

In summary, they're a very good alternative to an AR. There is no issue with gas residue in the bolt carrier because it uses an op rod like an M1 instead of a gas tube.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Something else to consider; some, like me, just don't care for an AR's feel. I don't deny they are superb machines, but gosh darnit I want something that feels like a RIFLE. A Mini does, albeit a smaller one!

Just my 2 cents

Mine is an Old Ranch Rifle, with a Vortex red dot sight and a barrel strut. Put some TECH sights on it. I just love it, can pull the trigger all day long with out any failures. I use 20 rounds factory magazines, and TAPCO 30 rounds, they all work really good.

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"lets be careful out there"

I have an older ranch rifle. I did do a trigger job on it which it really needed. It isn’t a match target rifle, but I like the way it looks and feels. It has always been reliable. You do not want to be on the right side of one at the firing line. It ejects brass with enthusiasm. All I’m all, it is a really neat rifle.

Thanks for all feedback now to locate one!

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Take it easy. Chris

You can change the bushing in the gas block to suit your ammo and preference for how far you want your rifle to sling brass. Mine only goes about 5 feet. The bushings come in a 4 pack of different diameters and it took me about 15 minutes to change the factory bushing. The factory bushings are small and will sling brass into the next county. People complain and brass is lost.

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That's just somebody talkin.