I want to get some input on the Ruger Mini 14. I have found one almost unfired. I had a Blued one many years ago. Pretty poor shooter. This one is all stainless steel with wooden stock. Comes with a 5 round and 20 round mag and a Silver 3-9 scope(Simmons, Burris. not sure). I like the idea of a 223 in a minimally better look than an AR. Anyone have one of the Mini's? Can buy it for 700 bucks with 50 rounds of ammo. Are they worthwhile?? I would probably sell the AR I have. Not a real fan anyway

I like them. Many do not. I have the shorter barrel "tactical" and lighten the trigger. It shoots as well as better than my AR


Depends on what you want to do with it?. Your version is not gonna be a precision target rifle.

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Still Running Against the Wind

If You want it, buy it. Around here it's about $500 underpriced.

I have owned one for years. I bought it because my agency (Ca dept. of Corrections) used it as a primary tower gun for ages. It is easy to shoot, easy to train with, and reliable. It is NOT a precision rifle, you will do well to get 3 MOA out of it. The newer ones have somewhat heavier barrels than the older ones and will shoot better. The serial number prefix will tell you how old or how new a one you are looking at.

What are the first three digits of the serial number? The newer Mini-14s are called 580 series rifles. The easiest way to distinguish them is to look at the barrel where it meets the stock. If the barrel tapers — bigger where it meets the stock — it's a 580 series. The older models have straight barrels. Important since the new ones are more accurate. The older straight barrel guns are the ones with accuracy issues. An accustrut helped mine a great deal. Also mine was a ranch rifle with rings . I took off the factory peeo sight and installed a Williams Peep. I also went "A Team" and have an old Factory folding stock on it. Today's prices for the Mini 14 are crazy. $700 sounds like a good deal to me. I'd jump on it in a heartbeat if it was a 580 series.

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Forum consigliere

The old accuracy problem is fixed. My go to range rifle. As per Caj, there are asking about $1,000 here for anything that goes bang. I imagine the most recent surge in popularity is that it looks more like a hunting rifle than an AR-15.

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Not looking for a precision rifle. I have a 16 inch A-4? Version but also a 22 or 24 inch Varminter. It shoots almost as well as the last 700 Rem. Good on yotes to about 300 yds.I'll sell or trade the 16 inch one. I only use the Varminter here on the ranch anyway. That old blued one was a terrible shooter. Just hoping the Mini would be at least equal to a 16 inch AR. That old mini shot great patterns... Like a shotgun. I consider the 16 inch ARs avg 3 to 4 inch...maybe better.but not that much

Is the version lime the mentioned580 part of the serial? I will have to check the version Any other good versions? As y'all can probably tell I'm really not up on mini14s

Just saw one at the gun range brand new with similar scope set up.

Price was about $900 for the rifle alone and north of $1100 with scope .

At $700 it is a buy now price.

Bruce

I had 2 Stainless and 3 Blue in the 80's. VERY MUCH POOR SHOOTERS! Scoped the SS were 5-6" 100 and the blue were 2-4". I 1996 I got a full-size AR. 1/4" at 100 with the same batch of ammo!

Depends on what you need. Mini's don't have the EVIL black gun look! The newer series are suppose to be more accurate than the ones I owned.

For years the Ohio Highway Patrol had a stainless, short barreled, folding stocked an FULL AUTO in most cruisers. I'm pretty sure they went to M-16/M-4 platform for accuracy. But the folding Mini's sure are nice to look at.

Ivan

You could google search yourself into exhaustion on this topic - maybe that's why you posted this age-old question here?

Anyway, I love mine, stainless steel and wood. I have an AR and some other stuff, but the mini-14 is the one I keep loaded and ready to go. There are no 1000 yard shots here in paradise, maybe your part of Wyoming is different.

They come in three basic flavors.

1) The original Mini 14 was the 180 series. It was almost an entirely different animal, with a lighter slide, a slimmer gas block and stock, and a different, external bolt hold open. It was light, handy, and 2 MOA accurate. Jeff Cooper liked it and Ruger should have left it alone. Instead Ruger developed the AC-556 and then revised the Mini 14 based on parts commonality.

2) The 181 and later pre 580 series were based on the AC-556 with a heavier slide, which drove the requirement for a deeper gas block and stock. They also over gassed the, with an .080” gas port bushing (compared to .052” on the 180 series).

The extra reciprocating mass and over gassed condition inherited from the AC-556 combined with the slim barrel didn’t do good things for the accuracy. 3-5 MOA accuracy was the norm and if anything it got worse over the years as the tooling aged.

3) Ruger re-tooled before restarting production with the 580 series. Mid way through the 580 series they changed to a heavier tapered barrel. Between retooling, the towered barrel and a smaller gas port bushing they once again produced 2 MOA accuracy.

—-

The 181 and other pre-580 series can be made to shoot well with a few additions:

- an AccuStrut to improve the barrel stiffness;
- a Choate flash hider (either Browning or M16 style);
- an .045” gas port bushing; and
- a Tech Sights rear sight.

I have a 180 series (middle) as well as a 184 (top) and 187 (bottom) series. Both the 184 and 187 series shoot 1.5 MOA 5 shot groups with those changes.

[QUOTE=Bullet Bob;141771991
There are no 1000 yard shots here in paradise, maybe your part of Wyoming is different.[/QUOTE]

Oh heck yeah...I can easily do a 1000 yards. Not with a 223/5.56 though. I shot a PD here on the ranch at 800 yds. With my 50 Barrett...Great shot? pure luck! I've done a few lucky shots over time. Anyway..I talked to the fellow...done deal. He's going to take the 16 inch AR and I give him 150 bucks. I just looked at my Varminter. Not a real heavy barrel but still fluted. It is a Bushmaster bought at the Cabela's in Pa near Hamburg. Has a good trigger!I actually paid just under500 bucks for the AR

Mine is stainless vintage 1986.

Accuracy is very good considering the reputation. With handloads, accuracy is excellent.

For $700, you'll be lucky if it's still available. Buy it if you can.

Wow BB57...Didn't know I needed to get all that info.Hey if it shoots as well as an A4 clone I'll be happy. Going to get it tomorrow.... Just shy of $650. The darn thing has a flash nicer and looks pretty good to me. I think I can get my money back if I don't like it. Next thing I want to get is another M 1 carbine.I haven't had one in years.but plenty ammo

Now you know why none of the bad guys on "The A Team" never died!

Minis were originally half the price of an AR…now it’s more or less the reverse. The early Minis also had accuracy issues due to poor barrel harmonics. It took some time for them to even care about finding the cause and fixing it. Sometimes Bill Ruger was the company’s biggest impediment.

About thirty years ago a close friend and co-worker went to rifle instructor school. He said all the students either had a Mini or AR-15. He said after a week of heavy shooting everyone with an AR was still going strong and all with Minis were ready to trash them as they didn’t hold up to the constant shooting.

On the plus side…the Mini is a very good and reliable rifle now for most uses. It has the advantage of being more “politically correct” with its more traditional appearance if it has a wood stock.

Today…the biggest drawback to a Mini is that it still uses a proprietary magazine. If it used an AR magazine it might have greater market share rather than having to purchase and stock an additional type of magazine.

Yep figured that out with that old blue one I had

I have a 182 series. I'm intrigued by the idea of having a smaller gas block installed. I have put on an accustrut and a better rear sight on it already, which helped a lot. It has always been a "harsh" shooting rifle. I like the idea of toning it down a bit.

OZ

I have a 580 series Ranch Rifle model bought new in 2012. It has the blued finish and wood (birch probably) stock. I’m not much of a sharpshooter and so have never had any interest in trying to shoot the proverbial wings off a mosquito at 400 yards. So I just bang a 9 inch steel plate with the rifle’s iron sights at 100-120 yards and that’s plenty fun for me. So much so, I’ve cranked over 9,000 trouble free rounds through the rifle so far. I don’t do much rapid fire and no “mag dumps,” and so the bore still looks good, at least to my uneducated eyes.

Update as of July 10: Crossed 10k rounds today. My “ring the gong” accuracy at 100 yards seems stable to this point.

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Really the way I feel is if it is angle of coyote at a 150-200 yds I'll be happy. And the best part is it's steel and wood...not blue steel but a real rifle kinda sorta. Something like a S&W revolver.

If the flash hider is factory it may also have a bayonet lug. That would be a Government model. More desirable for some. And more pricey!
Sounds like a deal either way.

Pretty certain it is factory. Bayonet lug I'm not sure of. That won't matter...I'm not gonna use it as a knife anyway.

The "Darkest Day of Oklahoma Highway Patrol" was around 1977 when 2 escaped convicts stole a 30/30 Winchester and a shotgun and killed 3 troopers that were pursuing them. After that they became the first Highway Patrol, I believe to issued rifles and training for all new troopers. They chose the Mini 14 with 20 round magazines and around 1984 I was in a car wreck and I remember the State trooper opening his door and there was a folding stock Mini-14, hanging upside down on two U brackets that were screwed to the door. Car doors were a lot bigger then

Picked it up today. Not a Ranch rifle but has a scope on it. A silver 3-9 Bushnell. Pretty clear scope I shot it when I got home. Just some old LC ammo I had on strippers. Only got to shoot 8 rounds before the thunder boomer made things wet. Over the hood on an old blanket about an inch and a half at 90+ yds. Sight was removed but he gave it to me too. Didn't pay much attention to the series other than a 180 something...no bayonet lug either. Flings the MTs a bit. I bought a few other things from him too...an unused Hornady AP progressive press a couple sets of dies and a Lyman die with a whole bunch of powder funnels. The price was as they say...right Another 150

I’m not sure, and I’m away from my rifle, but I think mine starts with 188. Is that possible?
Larry

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

Next thing I want to get is another M 1 carbine.

Oh boy, get ready for some sticker shock.

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That's just somebody talkin.

I just bought this Ranch Rifle a few days ago at my favorite LGS:


A friend gave me this B&L 3x9 scope at our last local gun show, at the time I knew this was going to cost me some $$$, lol


I haven't shot it yet. I've heard good things about the Accu-Strut fixture but we'll see how it shoots first before spending another $160.00.

I had a 180 series years ago. Accuracy was mediocre. Sold it. Recently bought a Talo version 580. Acceptable accuracy and doesn't scare the horses.

Have owned a total of three (3) Mini-14's, all early models, the last being a very early SS Ranch Rifle.
At the time, they were far below what AR's (mostly Colts) cost.

First thing I found was they would feed almost anything 5.56/.223, even 'cull' reloads.
I was never able to get much beyond "minute of paintbucket" accuracy from them. They were adequate plinkers, but I soon tired of trying to make them shoot better and like many, moved on to the AR's.

Still maintain a small yearning for a Mini-30. It'd be a good thick-woods deer piece for where I live, but in reality I have that pretty well covered.

Years ago, I 'Bubba-altered' a cheap SKS (remember those?) by replacing the too-short mystery junglewood stock with a synthetic adult sized stock, mounted a fixed 4x scope on it, cut barrel back about 4-5 inches and re-crowned, installed sling. It's my 'loaner' deer gun and evidently has a horseshoe hidden in the stock, as it has taken a bunch of Whitetails. And it out-shoots every Mini-14 I ever owned.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I would not buy a mini-14 . maybe I was broke in 5.56/ 223 wrong but when you own a savage stevens 200 capable of 1/2moa , From what I seen on you tube the new mini-14 well scopped is a 2.5 +++ moa shooter and that not something I'm willing to spend good money on .

I've always assemble my own AR15 and investments are about equal the price of a mini-14 but with a far better trigger, barrel and with sub moa accuracy .

My son in law has a PSA PA-15 lower shipped to his ffl and 18"upper to his home . darned it is a good shooter well except for the trigger group !! Cost today for a complete lower can be 130 dollars and a 18" 223 wylde upper can be yours for 389 dollars , pin the two together they will out perform a new ruger mini-14 . OR if you want an optic they have the same upper , less flip up sights but add a vortex 1-6x24 gen 2 strike eagle and mount for 500 dollars so together you have 630 dollars in it plus an ffl fee of what , 25 bucks or less .

I have a 16""NRA" 580; don't shoot it a lot but it will do at 100yds.

Factory 10 rd mags are available and almost flush fit for a "non-tacticoool" look ..... but still 10 rounds in the gun and a couple of 20rd mags as backup. Mine also has a 1-4 Lupold scope.

IMHO a nice SHTF setup.

The Mini 14 was not designed to be a match grade rifle . Some of the comparisons and expectations here are just silly .

Bought one of the first ones in the late 70s. It was a lot of fun, but it was not a target rifle.

All that being said and some is actually correct..I already have a Bushmaster varminter as said. it is almost as accurate as my used to be 700 Rem...But the Bushmaster is a rifle...a bit heavy a bit ugly but acceptable. I have had 4 or 5 A4 style carbines..my wife's shoots ok and was essentially a free"purchse". I also have another A4 style carbine new upper and lower I have about 350-375 in. It shoots ok also. I have never seen an A4 style that shoots a whole lot better than the Rugers(except some of the original Rugers). yep you can make 'em shoot better but not match rifles. Neither are the Rugers. I guess the reason I wanted a Ruger is kinda the same reason I always liked the M-1 Carbine. It's mostly steel and wood. And they don't have the "hate" attached to them by many non shooters. BTW the Carbine isn't all that accurate either...but people love 'em too. I'm really not anti anything either.

I can't comment on the Mini-14, other than to say they do not appeal to me, AR's either.

I guess my question is, why would someone lay out the money for the gun and scope when there are known accuracy issues? But then it is not my rifle or my money, but one would never have a place in my safe.

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I don’t own one but for that price nowadays I might.

Congrats on your new rifle,
I have a ss gun from around 1981 ish,
My shooting buddy had same gun in early 80's and he loved it right up until he shot my 1979 Colt Sp1, he sold the 180 series got a ranch rifle, After shooting against my Sp1 he sold it a finally got an Ar15.
Imo when they were cheaper than the Ar15 they made sense, today not so much, as u start putting parts on them and they cross the $1000 line if u hate the Ar15 platform my alternate take is the M1A.

Just read this article which pretty much sums up the Mini14 and pretty much agrees with the comments above.
The Ruger Mini-14: Let's Get Real -The Firearm Blog

Btw have seen one other 187 series like BB57's bottom gun in post 12 above,
Great looking gun but my bet is the upgrades push its cost past a factory M1a or a nice old Ruger 44 carbine.

On a side note Samson makes Ruger accessories and replicas of the factory side folding stock, they also make one for the 10-22 for around $350.
Samson Manufacturing

My early model Mini Ranch Rifle was an impulse buy at a gun show many years ago. It's not a target rifle, but its accuracy is certainly acceptable for any real-world scenario...and it's been 100% reliable.

I'm also amused that people who get a case of the vapors over the AR don't bat an eye when they see a Mini-14...I'll never get rid of it.

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

As someone said, the 180 series was sort of the beta test of the design. Back in the 80's we used industrial quantities of the 181/182 Mini. I/we never saw one that grouped as badly as many claimed. UNLESS you had some hard surface under the fore end. Or the unplated bore had eroded from use. Supposedly, at the time, we used the Mini harder than anyone else in the country and Ruger was re-barreling ours gratis for the use data.

I bought one myself in the early 80s, it had about 40 rounds through it (got the unused ammo too) and the original owner had put a bipod on it. When I test fired it before purchase, I discovered 2 things: the guy didn't know what the rear sight was for, and the bipod did really weird things to the groups. When fired from prone, it held tight groups. When later bedded like the M-21, it was a <1 1/4 MOA gun all day/night. We can still do 2 MOA today, maybe a tad better.

ETA: Over the years we whipped a lot of AR butt at 3 gun matches.

I checked some years back and at the time Ruger would re-barrel an older Mini with the current barrel design (and other required changes) for $300. Not bad.

The 187 series was an NC DOC surplus gun acquired for $400.

The Choate flash suppressor was $50, the Accu Strut was around $100, a gas port bushing is around $8, and the tech sights rear sight is $80. That’s $238 on top of a $400 rifle.

Even at the time (5-6 years ago) you could not have come close to an M1A for $638.

Several recent completed GB sales of skinny barrel Mini 14s averaged $765. Add $238 to that and you are right at $1000.

Looking at GB completed sales for M1As I found one that sold for $1175 and another for $1299, and the rest were north of $1500.


—-

I have a Samson folding stock on my 184 in the post above.

- Superb reliability, without having to constantly break ot down for cleaning;
- Nice balance and handling; and
- looks that don’t scare people like an “evil” AR-15.

There are known issues for the 181 to 580 series Mini 14s, but there are also known solutions.

And to be fair, there are a lot of M4geries out there that don’t shoot any better then a stock skinny barrel Mini-14, and both my modified Mini-14s shoot just as well as my Colt SP1 (1.5 MOA 5 shot groups).

——

To put the reliability issue in perspective, I own Mini 14s, AR-15s an AR-180B and a Galil in .223.

If I were in a situation where reliability was essential, I’d choose the Mini-14 or Galil in that order followed by the AR-180 in a distant third placeand any of my AR-15s would be in a distant fourth place.

I bought one of the 1st "SS RanchRifle" on my FFL. Shot it a lot when .223 was $3/box 20. Worked as intended. Sold it maybe 15 years ago for $600 and bought a Colt's 6920 for maybe $1100. Now the Ruger is worth double and the AR is worth half. Story of my life; sell low, buy high. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

I had no idea that those flat heel 187 series wood stocks were oem, totally changes the look to be more like the M1A.

Been tempted to install one of those Choate long birdcage on my Mini but gonna keep it oem

Nope...and it wasn't marketed as one. My 187-series Ranch Rifle is nowhere near as accurate as my Colt AR-HBAR, and I don't expect it to be.

My Mini-14 shoots into about 2" to 3" at 100 yards...that's acceptable real-world practical accuracy, useful for hitting anything bigger than an x-ring.

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

You can do your research and make your own mind up so if you feel the current run of mini-14's serves your need just buy it . I meet a guy at a area range with a brand new mini 30 a couple years back with some 3-9 scope on it he had several brands of ammo to hunt with and he was pleased with the hornady ammo shooting 1.78 to 2.14 groups inch groups so they are what they are far to often .

I'm 67 years old and never had an AR15 till about 11 to 12 years when I assembled a couple of AR's ,one for me and for my wife using Aero Precision uppers and lowers when they first went publif with uppers and lowers only . Tool craft BCG as there just down the mountain , Criterion barrels and hyperfire trigger sets and nikon scopes all bought over time on holiday sales with free shipping back then . Nice to have a couple AR's that are very close to .500 moa shooter .

Never cared what other non-gun types think as I never run in to any when coyote hunting or hog hunting and barnes tsx bullets are hail on hogs .

I like m1 carbnes too but a would not buy one today or the ruger mini . Good luck

Good luck with your ruger and hope you find it to shoot group you can live with

The aftermarket stock was nothing to do with the accuracy - it didn’t improve when I swapped stocks, so I didn’t include it in the cost break down. Even then it’s still not in M1A territory.

I frankly doesn’t get your continued insistence on comparing it to an M1A. They are different rifles, in significantly different calibers, with significantly different capabilities, for significantly different purposes.

Compare these three against one another, sure. They were all made for the same purpose and all of them evolved from the M1.

But comparing any of them to the Mini-14 is a bit of a reach.

FWIW: Back when the Mini was first introduced, Ruger billed it as the worlds most expensive plinker. Also, Clint Smith is fond of pointing out that a 2 MOA rifle will still group 10 inches at 500 yards. I don't recall off the top of my head what the service acceptable grouping of the M1 or M14 was, but it certainly wasn't 1 MOA. Writers in hunting magazines of the 1950s seemed happy with 2-3 MOA groups.

SFA reliability, again back in the late 1980's I got tasked with cleaning the Minis we had dedicated as training rifles prior to graded response exercises. I found carbon on the gas pistons so old/hard I had to use a carbide lathe bit to scrape it off. Drill bits cleaned out the cavity in the slide, holes in the gas pipe & piston. There was other evidence of really poor cleaning practices. BUT: they'd still been running like Swiss clocks.

A later conversion to ARs produced a new dedication to proper cleaning after use.

You now...I live in rifle country. I see the same sense of superiority all the time...esp from the long range aficionados. You know the ones who want to kill an elk at 1500 yds. And are certain they can do it. 99% really can't but they consider their equipment and themselves better than most just because they have the equipment to do so. Still the good hunters usually keep their shots under 400 yds. When I lived back east I shot deer wholesale for farmers with crop damage permits. I set up a slug gun to shoot deer at 250 yds. Long range in the eastern woods where you could only use shotguns. I found though even if the equipment would do the job 98% of the time the average shot was 30-35 yds. So I just decided to wait for easy shots. Really accurate rifles are fun. had plenty. Found I wore half the bore life out looking for the best accuracy. Lot of work...and it can be fun. I don't intend the mini for 500 yd shooting. Just carrying on the 4 wheeler or in the truck. Shoot coyotes and plink around the ranch here. rough shooting...not benchrest. A 2 or 3 inch shooter is all that's necessary. I just find myself gravitating away from ARs. Do I dislike them? no of course not but the average A4 carbine really isn't a whole lot more accurate in the average shooters hands. Enjoy yours. Try 'em over the hood of a truck if you ever shoot them that way. BTW I built a M-1 carbine as a thumbhole sporter many years ago...made it pretty. lots of work. Still shot like a carbine...but I had fun with that thing...lots of fun. Literally wore it out(free ammo)

Yep, same here. Got an early model around ‘79 or so. Fun to shoot but no target rifle, even at 50 yards. Could have been me and not the rifle….but I doubt it….

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