General Mini 14 Thread

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So I just crossed 1200 rds through my Ruger Mini-14 so I decided to provide my personal experiences on this rifle.

Disclaimer
This is not a definitely or exhaustive review on the Mini-14, but rather my thoughts and impressions on this proven rifle. The Mini-14 has been in existence far longer than I have even been alive, so understand that I am claiming no particularly throne here. I am providing this overview because I feel the Mini-14 is often overlooked in favor of more popular or trendy semi-auto rifles. Models such as DI or piston ARs, tavors or other .223 semi autos are proven platforms and I have no intention to insult or debate them here. So please do not create a Mini-14 vs. another rifle debate....the world has enough of those.

Why did I purchase the Mini-14?
I was looking for a semi automatic rifle chambered in both .223 remington and 5.56 NATO. For accuracy I was looking for at least a 3MOA gun (nothing higher). My cost criteria was to stay near $1k including optics and all accessories. While an AR15 was an "obvious" choice, for reasons of personal history I no longer purchase direct impingement (DI) guns. This is not an attack on DI design, but it just isn't for me. Given my cost requirements, this essentially eliminated the piston AR options. Also, I generally prefer standard rifle stocks over pistol grip designs. With regards to my family, I wanted a rifle that my woman could shoot comfortably. Lastly, I have always been a fan of the venerable M14 rifle and so the Mini-14's general similarities appealed to me (note there are substantial differences between M14/M1A and Mini-14 but the actions look similar).

General
My Mini-14 is the tactical model with traditional stock and flash hider. It is a well finished gun overall. The blue-ing has worn off over time especially in areas of high contact, but this is primarily only cosmetic issue and it can be useful to note areas of potential wear-and-tear. The rifle has a solid feel to it. The action moves very nicely. Controls are easily manipulated. Safety location is fantastic right alongside the trigger guard. Bolt is easily locked back. The open-bolt design makes the action easily observable and reachable, which I greatly appreciate. Any misfeeds or issues with the action are quickly diagnosed. For example, my woman had a stovepipe with the rifle and she was able to quickly ascertain the malfunction and clear it. She came to really enjoy shooting this gun, to the point that she actually asks me to bring it when we go to the range. The magazines are similar to the AK "rocking" system and are discussed more below.

Overall function and experience
Currently I have just over 1200 rds through my mini-14. During the first 200 rds it struggled to eject steel cased ammo as every 20 there would be a stovepipe. Quick retraction of the slide would eject the stovepipe. This has since resolved as the gun broken in and it now feeds all ammo types very well. Everything from cheap Tula/WPA steel case to match grade Hornady. Recoil on this rifle is very low. It shoots softer than any bolt action .223 or tavor. In my experience it seems a bit softer than most DI-AR15 guns - probably because the mini-14 is a bit heavier.

Accuracy
I have shot exclusively 55gr FMJ bullets. Nothing wrong with heavier or lighter loads but I find changing bullet types can complicate my accuracy assessments. I found overall that the gun was accurate to 2-3 MOA, meaning at 100 yards I could benchrest the gun and achieve a 2-3 inch group of 5 shots. Note that I was using iron sights and a red dot. It is possible that a higher power optic could improve the observed accuracy. Given the history of Mini-14 poor accuracy with the old thin barrels, I did some basic tests where I would fire 40 rounds very quickly to generate a good deal of heat in the barrel and gas system, then shoot for accuracy. I noted no loss in accuracy during these tests, but I am told that older model Mini-14's would open up tremendously to well over 5 MOA when heat-stringing became operative.
While there's nothing wrong with benchresting, I prefer to shoot in a more realistic situation. The Mini-14 was very easy for me to put into action quickly. I could walk, go prone, shoot and go prone again easily with this gun. Shooting while standing/strafing was also quite easy for me considering it's no short bullpup.

Rails/mounts/optics
This is an annoying aspect of this rifle. In stock form it has no pic rails for scope or accessory attachment. I plan to mount a small pic rail on the forend but must be cautious that it does interfere with the gas system. If you are the kind of person who festoons their rifle with lasers, multiple scopes, flashlights and other lingerie then the Mini-14 probably isn't for you. However, there are aftermarket stocks (Tapco, Troy) which look super tactical. Just not my thing.

Optics/sights
The iron sights on the rifle worked very well for me. The rear sight is mounted well behind the action of the gun and therefore provides a rather long sight radius for an overall short gun. I find them overall excellent.
The rifle comes with a set of high quality ruger dovetailed rings which fit perfectly on the receiver. They are quite heavy though. I did not use the rings because I planned on a RDS. I ended up going with a GG&G scope adapter which has worked very well. GG&G also makes a picatinny rail option which looks nice as well. My Burris Fastfire III mounted very well to the GG&G adapter. Once zero'ed this setup maintained it's zero for over 700 rounds without needing any correction. Unfortunately it obscures the rear iron sight so BUIS aren't an option w this format.

Magazines
Factory mags worked great for me. One annoying aspect is that since we live in MA, pre-ban magazines are quite expensive for this rifle. In contrast to a rifle that uses AR15 mags, the mini-14 is definitely at a disadvantage here. I can't really fault the rifle for that but it's reality of living in MA. Of note, the magazines fit into the rifle in a rocking manner similar to an AK. They are quite easy to change, but not as easy an an AR where it's literally idiot-proof. The magazine situation is something to consider before purchasing a Mini-14.

Maintenance/cleaning
This rifle is very robust and performed excellent for me despite getting dirty and minimally maintained. I purposely neglected it during my tests of the rifle and did only minimal maintenance. While the action stayed very clean throughout shooting, the gas block system in the front of the gun collected a good deal of fouling. However, it was easy to clean and never presented an issue for actual operation of the gun. In summary, I would indeed trust this rifle in a SHTF situation. If the rifle is kept clean and gently lubed, I am confident it would continue to function without maintenance for quite some time (i'm guessing here but at least 1000 rds, probably over 2000 rds, who really knows).

Final
This is a fantastic semi automatic rifle. I am pleased with my purchase and would gladly do it again. The rifle can serve as everything from range toy/plinker, trainer for new shooters, SHTF rifle and possibly home defense. If I could change the Mini-14 to improve it, I would allow it to use standard AR magazines and give it a more traditional picatinny option for mounting optics. These changes will (probably) never happen but it just highlights how much I do indeed love this gun.

Pros:
-excellent value (well under $1k)
-extremely durable in my experience - a bombproof rifle
-action stays quite clean throughout use (minimal fouling of action due to the gas-transfer bar system)
-high quality magazines from ruger
-excellent ergonomics -> great trainer rifle -> quickly became a family favorite
-solid accuracy, nothing stupendous but more than sufficient for my 100 yard applications
-cycles every type of .223 and 5.56 ammo very well (note I did not shoot anything other than 55gr in my tests and I did not test any corrosive surplus ammo)

Cons:
-magazine insertion can be tedious especially for unfamiliar users
-uses proprietary mini-14 magazines, pre-bans are pricy in MA
-optic mount is a bit cumbersome - good solution I have found are the GG&G adapters (either picatinny or mini-RDS)

OK hopefully this was helpful for at least one person. If you're looking for a semi auto .223 rifle, please give the Mini-14 a gander.

Humbly,
Squib308
 
Very well written! Thanks for sharing this. I too have a mini-14, and like it for many of the reasons that you have outlined above. My wife also loves the lightness, lack of recoil, and simplicity of operation (took a while to get the magazine insertion, but I challenge any of the AK fan boys to say theirs is any simpler). Ultimately, though I don't have your concerns with the DI AR platform, so the mini wouldn't be my first choice. Rather, it is something my wife enjoys, and since my first real semi-auto purchase (back in '81), was a mini, it has a lot of sentimental value.
 
Well written In before the naysayers. I have an older mini14 in addition to my ARs and like it just as much. Never had a problem with accuracy or stringing when hot, but the I don't do 40 round mag dumps very often .
 
Very nice review. I have what is probably a prison gun trade in. SS, and all the killy features, Leo marked. Chambered for .223. Love shooting it, the only problem I've had is that 5.56 rounds will give me ejection problems.
 
Nice write up, glade to see you have your mini14 doing well for you. I struggled with mine purchased in the early 90s. So frustrated I told my dad to bring it to kittery to dump it on his next hunting trip.... I told him why, he thought I was doing something wrong....The best 5 shot group my dad was able to achieve was just under 5moa...needless to say it went to kittery and I got 80% of what I paid.?
 
Nice review. The first rifle I purchased was a Mini-14. It's a nice gun, and I sort of miss it but I went all 7.62x39. I traded it off for a VZ58 and keep a couple SKSs around.
 
Very nice review. I have what is probably a prison gun trade in. SS, and all the killy features, Leo marked. Chambered for .223. Love shooting it, the only problem I've had is that 5.56 rounds will give me ejection problems.

Could be. I've got a Stainless GB model that was a MN prison system trade in. I've never had any ejection probs though. Even though I own a bunch of ARs, the mini is almost always included in my trips to the range. Really a fun gun to shoot.
 
Thx everyone.
yes the accustrut and other barrel improvements look nice but im not pushing the rifle past 100 yards (its got a 1x RDS), plus i want to keep the cost down.
my current project is my gunsite scout and im dumping too much $$ there as we speak hahaha.
 
Good research and review. Very well thought out. I had at one time 4 preban mini 14"s . Two were factory folders. Don't lust for one. The folder stocks are not very comfortable. Thanks again for the research.
 
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So after 3 years of experimentation and just over 4k rounds fired, figured I would update this thread with the state of my mini 14:

Accuracy
After tinkering around at 300 yards, I've given up on trying to "accurize" this rifle. even with the accu-strut installed and the rifle's favorite ammo (hornady 55gr FMJ-BT), it does not excel at range. at 300 yards it can put all shots on a 12" plate but it's not a precision rifle. so I removed the accu-strut because it was too heavy and not really gaining much. in the 0-200 yard distances the removal of accu-strut doesn't really matter. if really wanting a precision mini 14, then would be sending the rifle off to accuracy systems for a new barrel.

Gas system
The thing is terribly over-gassed from the factory. recoil is far too harsh for a .223. Brass literally fires out the right side of the gun. on some forum i read a post where guy described the mini 14 as "rifle that kills to the front and wounds to the right"....well that's no joke. The best fix I found was replacing the stock 0.085" gas bushing with an accuracy systems 0.045" bushing. it's very simple swap. just remove the gas block, clean it while under the hood, and replace the stock bushing. Accuracy Systems sells a bushing kit but from what I've read 0.040 or 0.045 works for just about everyone. the recoil impulse is also much improved, more along the lines of a DI AR-15 (i.e. soft).

With the smaller gas bushing (and new extractor parts noted below), it now ejects like a well behaved rifle putting all the brass in a pile 15 feet to the right.

Stovepipes
the gun would have failures to fully eject approx 2-3 per 100 rds. ejection was also VERY erratic. this became more obvious once I dropped the gas system down so could actually see where the brass was going. no joke with the stock gas system I couldn't even tell how erratic the ejection was because the brass was in the next zip code!

in terms of the malfunctions, the empty brass would remain under the extractor with case mouth press against the top of the breech. so I called Ruger and asked for new extractor, ejector, extractor plunger and spring. the technician agreed that my extractor might be too tight and preventing ejection. so they sent me these new parts and after installing them, the gun has had ZERO stoppages in over 600 rds.

Optics
Removed the burris fastfire III because at 200 yards I found the glass wasn't as clear as other standard size red dots. ended up installing a primary arms micro red dot ($90 on amazon) and couldn't be happier. the clearer glass and 2 MOA dot makes 200-300 yards much easier. to me putting magnified optics on this rifle is an exercise in futility and if anything detracts from it's handiness.

Stock
Factory polymer stock was OK but doesn't provide much protection from the hot handguard or provide grip on the front of the rifle for support hand. upgraded to a hogue overmolded stock and couldn't be happier with it. fantastic upgrade. it looks similar to the factory stock but performance is much improved. it does add some weight to the rifle, but it's worth it.

Overall
While I have enjoyed this rifle and the tinkering/learning along the way, for the price point Ruger should be shipping a better quality rifle. The included scope rings, pic rail and sling are nice accessories, but do not warrant the MSRP of $1089. And for the cost of such rifle, one shouldn't have to go through the trouble of fixing the retarded gas system. Also the ban-state models come with 5 rd mags, so factor in the cost of 10rd mags and it gets pricy quick.

I've seen a good # of folks frustrated with the mini 14 and I think some of this comes because of their expectations. they wanted an AR-15 but settled on a mini....yeah that's unlikely to make someone satisfied. the mini is inferior is just about every category and it's unlikely to stratch the tactical itch, but it comes with me on almost every range trip and is just fun to shoot.

All this being said, I absolutely love this rifle and intend to keep it. It's a great 0-200 yard blaster. it eats any and all ammo especially now that I replaced the extractor/ejector. it does very well on wolf or tulammo steel crap ammo and I don't have to worry about ruining some nice M4 feed ramps, bolt carrier group or internal fouling like an AR. the mini's action also runs very clean given the piston system. a few patches on the breech and chamber, then a few passes with bore snake and it's fully clean.

Mini 30
Briefly had one but as many have noted it doesn't reliably ignite berdan primed steel cased ammo. I didn't feel like screwing around with aftermarket firing pins and hammer springs, so I sold it. if the mini 30 could reliably ignite cheap steel 7.62x39, it would have been a gem. it's simply inexcusable that Ruger continues to sell this rifle with the advice of "use only boxer primed brass ammo". they were a few tweeks away from having the best alternative to an AK, and they blew it. somebody at Ruger deserves a good slapping.
 
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Thx everyone.
yes the accustrut and other barrel improvements look nice but im not pushing the rifle past 100 yards (its got a 1x RDS), plus i want to keep the cost down.
my current project is my gunsite scout and im dumping too much $$ there as we speak hahaha.

This x1000. If you are buying add ons for accuracy improvements on a mini14 you bought the wrong rifle to begin with. It's a 100 yard gun. Always was.

Squib you bought yours for your own personal reasons and sounds like you did so knowing what you wanted and knowing the limitations of the rifle.

I considered buying one for a time but can't get past that $650 to $800 price tag for a gun with those limitations. I was looking for a 100 yard range toy/shtf rifle a s settled on a norinko SKS that i dropped $350 on (half the cost of the Ruger). Very comparable in accuracy to the mini 14 as well as the reloading capability with strippers. I'm happy with my decision as for what I was looking for I got the same capabilities for half the $$$$


Good review btw
 
often we just wont take good advice and spend good money elsewhere.... i had to have a min14 after the A Team came out.... i went through 3 of them and some mods before my Dad literally took it from me for my own good...
 
[rofl]

- - - Updated - - -


So true.

Yes I tried for several years for the mini to shoot in the same area many times. My dad finally said enough enough. He went to range with it re zeroed the iron sights and when he came back from the range he said "grab the cooler and fill it, where going to kittery" <kittery trading the post or as my dad called it "the dump" . I traded it in and at the time they where still popular and I was lucky enough to get store credit for what I had into it.
bought a new scope for my glenfield 25 , a model 60 and some odds and ends.
 
the older 180 series rifles with pencil barrels are inadequate for shooting beyond 50 yards. the redesigned 580- series with thicker barrel is substantially better. still not a target gun but at least not shamefully inaccurate.

in my humble opinion, if Ruger made the following changes to the mini 14 line they would have a winning rifle instead of a project gun (which is what I consider it):

-fix the gas system
-increase twist rate from 1:9 -> 1:8
-thin the front iron sight post, current OEM is too thick
-drop the price by at least $100
-for ban states include two 10 rd mags, not the 5 rd mags

down the road I might pickup an old beat up mini-14 for cheap, then send it to Accuracy Systems for their package deal including full action re-working/tuning and match grade barrel. with a 1:7 twist it could potentially be a sweet target .223 rifle.
 
the older 180 series rifles with pencil barrels are inadequate for shooting beyond 50 yards. the redesigned 580- series with thicker barrel is substantially better. still not a target gun but at least not shamefully inaccurate.

in my humble opinion, if Ruger made the following changes to the mini 14 line they would have a winning rifle instead of a project gun (which is what I consider it):

-fix the gas system
-increase twist rate from 1:9 -> 1:8
-thin the front iron sight post, current OEM is too thick
-drop the price by at least $100
-for ban states include two 10 rd mags, not the 5 rd mags

down the road I might pickup an old beat up mini-14 for cheap, then send it to Accuracy Systems for their package deal including full action re-working/tuning and match grade barrel. with a 1:7 twist it could potentially be a sweet target .223 rifle.

they could have rediesigned it to take AR mags a long time ago... I think that would have saved its ass some also.
 
they could have rediesigned it to take AR mags a long time ago... I think that would have saved its ass some also.

in the case of mini there are many technical aspects of feed mechanism that would make such redesign difficult/expensive. the mini has no feed ramp, so the mags serve this purpose. the receiver itself does not help hold the magazine in place like an AR receiver, but rather all lockup is the front and rear lugs. and in the end i'm not sure such redesign would really even help the rifle. it's ultimately a dying design that is being kept alive by various ban states' retarded laws.

my only beef with the mini mags is they are expensive and heavy. none of the aftermarket mags seem reliable. i haven't tried any of the tapco brand mags which do seem to have a decent track record.
 
Need 10 and 30 round PMags for the mini. But there's not enough demand. More aftermarket front sights and m1 carbine style adjustable sights for the 580+ series would be nice too.
 
it's ok for what I wanted it for. a 100 yard rifleI shoot for fun . I paid $699 for mine wood stock/blued.
It was at the time(2011) cheaper than an AR15.
 
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they could have rediesigned it to take AR mags a long time ago... I think that would have saved its ass some also.
This would be a big incentive for me, and I believe others, to try a mini. Also it would need to compete with bottom end ARs price wise, say 500-700 new depending on accouterments.
 
I'm considering buying a Mini-14 and selling my AR before the Healy nonsense gets better/worse.

Once you get away from Mass dealer craziness you can pick a Mini up for $450-500 all day long. Good ones, too. Saw a preban 14GB (police model with bayo lug) sell for $480 today on Gunbroker.
 
Accu-strut seems to fix the accuracy problems when the barrel gets hot.

my experience with accu-struts has been that it depends on the rifle. for the older series 180- models it helps greatly. it minimizes barrel whip and helps stabilize the barrel in general. however for the newer 580- series rifles with thicker barrel profile, the accu-strut provides marginal improvement in accuracy. i shot many groups on my 582- series mini both with and without accustrut and generally saw an ~25% decrease in group size with the strut in place. for my purposes of 0-200 yards it was pointless.

however the strut comes at a big cost of weight. it's a chunk of steel sitting near the muzzle. the weight is very noticeable and annoying. in the future if I end up building a mini-14 for accuracy work, I wouldn't waste my time with an accu-strut. I would just send the rifle to Accuracy Systems and have them install a custom barrel. those can shoot lights out.

fixing the gas system (see my earlier post) also helps accuracy by not venting so much hot gas into the gas block, which in turns minimizes excessive heating of the barrel. it now takes approx 30 rounds to get hot whereas before it was like 10 rounds. this is subjective but noticeable.

I'm considering buying a Mini-14 and selling my AR before the Healy nonsense gets better/worse.

Once you get away from Mass dealer craziness you can pick a Mini up for $450-500 all day long. Good ones, too. Saw a preban 14GB (police model with bayo lug) sell for $480 today on Gunbroker.

other than to get $$ why would you sell your AR? and despite my love for the mini-14, it's an absolute turd of a rifle compared to even the most mediocre AR's. i would suggest purchasing and tinkering with a mini before deciding the AR can be replaced with one.
 
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other than to get $$ why would you sell your AR?

Mostly $$. I don't shoot enough to justify leaving a lot of cash swinging in the breeze. (Although I did just buy a .44 wheelgun so don't take what I say too literally.) I had a true preban Bushmaster carbine a while back and sold that too. Plus considering the laws, if they either get better or worse the AR's value goes down.
 
Bored with your mini 14? Consider sending it out to Carl at Accuracy Systems in Byers CO. What used to be a plain jane 580 series mini 14 is now a work of art. Have not yet put groups on paper, but on steel most rounds are touching at 100 yards. Then again with this barrel is should be accurate. Took ~5 months and some $$ but well worth it!

-Match grade 416 stainless barrel, 223 wylde, 1:9 twist, 18", 0.850 diameter
-11 degree target crown
-fluted barrel including under handguard
-custom handguard
-aluminum gas block
-trigger job, 3.5#
-ASI target stock with flat forend
-3 point steel bedding into stock
-operating rod re-fitted
-extra power guide spring and shock buffer

Hornady 55gr V-max, 3 shot group 0.816" at 100 yards
 

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