Mini 14 Rifle

the ruger 10 rd mags work perfectly. i've probably put 5000+ rounds through them. they're identical to the other ruger mini mags just 10 rds. they are not made by pro-mag. the pro-mag magazines are garbage. perhaps the vendor sold you pro-mags instead of ruger OEMs?

Well if they did, then it's a giant bait-and-switch as I bought them directly from Ruger. They're shit and the product reviews show it. Also note that I said they were of pro-mag quality, not manufactured by pro-mag.

Mini-14® 10-Round Magazine-ShopRuger
 
Well if they did, then it's a giant bait-and-switch as I bought them directly from Ruger. They're shit and the product reviews show it. Also note that I said they were of pro-mag quality, not manufactured by pro-mag.

Mini-14® 10-Round Magazine-ShopRuger

if you ended up w defective magazine, ruger CS will definitely replace it for you. perhaps the feed lips got damaged? the OEM 10-rd mag should function no differently than other mags.
 
New Manufacture:
1. Very over-gassed from the factory. I put in a new gas port bushing to calm things down a bit.
2. Had the new tapered barrel (barrel is thicker throughout to avoid stringing) but grouped horribly - we're talking ~4-6" groupings at 50 yards (definitely the gun, not the shooter - I can get tiny groups from my AR's).
3. I know that you can get the barrel strut which supposedly helps... but... 6" groups at 50 yards?? Sorry.
:)


That is literally “minute of pie plate”

And I had one as well, in the nineties. It was crap. But had that Hannibal cool factor. After owning and actually shooting one. I FINALLY understood how they could shoot so much and nobody ever got hurt. I came to understand that they all actually were aiming.
 
All the mini 14 haters have probably never owned one or even shot one. The action is great and will not jamb, it spits all the dirt and fod out. It's a carbine not a target rifle. Get a bolt action if you want to shoot dime size groups. It's a fun gun to shoot.

Just buy the newer version, preferably the 16" barrel.
 
I bought the no frills Ranch rifle last year. Love it. Shoot it at 100 and 200 yards all the time. Pie plate at 200 and smaller at 100. Never has jammed. Does through brass into next week so may work on gas block. Likes 62 grain rather than 55 grain. Let my son try it. He has alot younger eyes at 20. Made it look like a tack driver at 100 yards with iron sights. I think it was $750 at Four Seasons. Just fun. I would say comparable to run of the mill ARs. My 20" AR will beat it all day long but it is a whole different animal. Want one get one. If you are thinking about it PM me I will be glad to try to set something up at Woburn Sportsmens Association so you can try it. But haters got to hate.
 
I have no hate for it... It just has its issues. Lack of accuracy. Super over-gassed. And very finicky/unreliable with aftermarket magazines. For the $7-800 they want for new mini 14's, there are better options out there.

But if you're someone who's always wanted one, get one. The old ones are cool.
 
I have a stainless LEO GB in .223. Aftermarket mags don't work well with it, but 20 rnd factory ones do. I assumed 5.56 were fine for it, but it does not extract them reliably. .223 function flawlessly. Love shooting the rifle.
 
Bill Clinton sold me a mini 30 back in the early 90's. I kind of like it. Think of it as a 30 cal. version of a 10/22. Lots of aftermarket upgrades, modest price ( at the time ), and it is a carbine, not a 26" bolt gun. I bought it to have an American brand that shoots the 7.62X39 cartridge. Accuracy Systems makes all manner of custom upgrades.
 
All the mini 14 haters have probably never owned one or even shot one. The action is great and will not jamb, it spits all the dirt and fod out. It's a carbine not a target rifle. Get a bolt action if you want to shoot dime size groups. It's a fun gun to shoot.

Just buy the newer version, preferably the 16" barrel.

Or... you may find that many of the mini 14 haters are actually X mini 14 owners.
 
Mini-14 range report for the day, 07-04-2018:

Took the Mini-14 out for a workout today.
Fired over 100 rounds. All rounds fired from the prone position, and with a clone Gi-type sling. Best group at 100 yds. Was approximately 1.25". Ammo for that group was handloaded 69gr. Sierra match king HPBT over Varget. I had a couple misfires with the handloaded ammo, but none with the commercial federal ammo. I'LL give it a good cleaning and retry. Might be a bad batch of primers.

I was having a blast ringing a 6" plate at 200 yds. Until the POS Nikon 223 BDC scope came appart. O-ring popped out and the point of impact shifted about 6 MOA out to 1 :00. The scope will be going back to the factory very soon. Might put the Tech-sights for keeps and ditch the scope. IMO, it adds too much bulk for the rifle. 200yds is plenty for that rifle. If I need to thump something further, I like the M1A, or the Scoped Savage bolt-gun.

All in all, very happy with the Mini-14, the POS Nikon, not so much.

Great way to celebrate the 4th by exersizing the 2nd!
 
Might put the Tech-sights for keeps and ditch the scope. IMO, it adds too much bulk for the rifle. 200yds is plenty for that rifle.
This is good input since I'm still shooting with stock irons. I bought a cheap pic-rail from NcStar for a cheap scope or red dot, but I'm not too keen on the way it's mounted via screw torque. The Tech sights are $73 on amazon, and I would love to know if it's 100% worth it before dropping the dough.
 
Accuracy Systems rear sight was $80 for mine. Upgraded sights are nice if you aren't going to use an optic.
 
Worth it? Depends on how much you like iron sights.

Optics have their place. My over 55 eyes remind me of that daily.

As far as iron sights go, Tech-sights are simple, and reliable. They are well made, and are way more adjustable than most stock sights. Tech-sights are basically a bolt on after market AR or Garand-type sight. They are adjustable peep sights.

Tech-sights are extremely popular with Appleseed shooters. I have installed them on several of my Liberty training rifles, 10/22s, and a Marlin bolt-gun. I have shot Rifleman scores with Tech-sights on several occasions.

Optics make it easier, however I have to date had 2 scope failures, one Nikon, one Leatherwood. And I have seen batteries die just when they are needed most at Appleseed events.

The only Tech-sight failures I can recall happen when the shooter failed to loctite the screws holding them to the rifle. I am also guilty of that!

I like irons. They don't fog, or run out of power. They don't seem to be as affected by the weather or rough treatment. But they suck at night.

They are also fairly easy to install.

Not saying they are perfect, or better than any optic, just that for me they suit me better. YMMV, of course.

I also really like the Tech-sights. Again, YMMV.
 
Optics make it easier, however I have to date had 2 scope failures, one Nikon, one Leatherwood. And I have seen batteries die just when they are needed most at Appleseed events.

Well stop buying cheap scopes. I know the gun doesn't rate it, but invest in a quality scope and it won't break on you. I've put thousands of rounds through my Leupold scopes and not one failure.

Nikon makes a decent rimfire scope, but I've never been impressed with any of their other scopes.
 
With age comes experience..in theory anyway.

The Nikon was a disappointment. I have a Nikon rimfire scope that has been great.

You get what you pay for.
 
Mini-14 range report for the day, 07-04-2018:
All in all, very happy with the Mini-14, the POS Nikon, not so much.

the mini will eat cheap optics. like an FAL or M14 that forward bolt impulse on the mini is fairly harsh. my mini ate a primary arms red dot after ~4000 rds. the electronics were toast. putting a shock buffer between gas port and op rod can help cushion the forward impulse, although I don't like the fact that it keeps the op rod from going fully forward so i've stopped running them.

the extra power springs will definitely eat your optic even faster, which is why i've abandoned the wolff extra power springs in the mini.
 
Mini-14 range report for the day, 07-04-2018:

Took the Mini-14 out for a workout today.
Fired over 100 rounds. All rounds fired from the prone position, and with a clone Gi-type sling. Best group at 100 yds. Was approximately 1.25". Ammo for that group was handloaded 69gr. Sierra match king HPBT over Varget. I had a couple misfires with the handloaded ammo, but none with the commercial federal ammo. I'LL give it a good cleaning and retry. Might be a bad batch of primers.

I was having a blast ringing a 6" plate at 200 yds. Until the POS Nikon 223 BDC scope came appart. O-ring popped out and the point of impact shifted about 6 MOA out to 1 :00. The scope will be going back to the factory very soon. Might put the Tech-sights for keeps and ditch the scope. IMO, it adds too much bulk for the rifle. 200yds is plenty for that rifle. If I need to thump something further, I like the M1A, or the Scoped Savage bolt-gun.

All in all, very happy with the Mini-14, the POS Nikon, not so much.

Great way to celebrate the 4th by exersizing the 2nd!
Best group? How many shots in that group , how many groups to get that best shot. What wouldcyou say you average group size was.
Finally touched base with my friend. He has the target model. He said its much better than his old ranch rifle. (Which used to be mine) said he was getting average of 3moa. He said his rings keep coming loose and has not got around to buying new ones.
 
1911 buffer pad between the operating rod and rear of the receiver (don't do the gas port side) helps a lot. Why Ruger insists on overgasing the rifles is beyond me .50 gas port opening is fine and yet the stock is .80! .45 is enough for quality ammo.
 
Best group? How many shots in that group , how many groups to get that best shot. What wouldcyou say you average group size was.
Finally touched base with my friend. He has the target model. He said its much better than his old ranch rifle. (Which used to be mine) said he was getting average of 3moa. He said his rings keep coming loose and has not got around to buying new ones.

Don't recall how many groups I shot, but very few were actually at paper. That group came early on, as I had fired a few groups of a commercial brand (Federal) to check zero on the scope. That group was only 3 rounds, as I couldn't see where the round were impacting though the scope. A walk downrange resulted in the pleasant surprise of the approximately 1.25" group at the very bottom of the paper, about 6" low, and 2" left. For that string, my NPOA was great, and each shot was called good with the shot breaking when the crosshairs were on the center of the target. I was not shooting from a rest, I was in prone position using a GI-type sling. Shooter variables will influence the accuracy of that system. (Is the shooter, old, fat, out of shape? Did he drink too much coffee that morning? Is he out of practice? NPOA, breathing, trigger squeeze, follow-through, is he doing those correctly? .. etc,..) Other groups were 2-3", but I wasn't shooting for groups.. and there were several pulled shots..many of which are most likely attributed to the above variables..

After a sight adjustment, and a confirmation of my 100 yd zero, I commenced to having some fun ringing the steel plates, most noteworthy the 6" gong at about 200yds. And all went well and I was having a great afternoon until the O-ring on the scope popped out, and accuracy went out the window.

FWIW- The ammo with the best group was hand loaded, with each bullet weighed, cases trimmed to the same length, and each bullet seated to the same COL. I did this for my own accuracy tests after researching others experiences and recommendations. With my rifle, tested accuracy with 55gr. bullets was, meh...but I will continue for fun to see if I can find a brand of ammo, or 55gr. load it prefers. I had better luck, as some had suggested, with heavier bullets. Again, that is with my rifle, YMMV.

The Mini-14 is NOT known to be a super-accurate match grade long distance rifle. It's a fun little carbine that will serve a purpose within it's limits. Folks thinking the Mini-14 is something more will undoubtedly be disappointed.
 
I have had no issue with the Ruger rings that came with the rifle. Mine did not work loose. The only issue I had is that the Tech-sights do not fit on the rifle along with the stock sights and the scope.
 
Don't recall how many groups I shot, but very few were actually at paper. That group came early on, as I had fired a few groups of a commercial brand (Federal) to check zero on the scope. That group was only 3 rounds, as I couldn't see where the round were impacting though the scope. A walk downrange resulted in the pleasant surprise of the approximately 1.25" group at the very bottom of the paper, about 6" low, and 2" left. For that string, my NPOA was great, and each shot was called good with the shot breaking when the crosshairs were on the center of the target. I was not shooting from a rest, I was in prone position using a GI-type sling. Shooter variables will influence the accuracy of that system. (Is the shooter, old, fat, out of shape? Did he drink too much coffee that morning? Is he out of practice? NPOA, breathing, trigger squeeze, follow-through, is he doing those correctly? .. etc,..) Other groups were 2-3", but I wasn't shooting for groups.. and there were several pulled shots..many of which are most likely attributed to the above variables..

After a sight adjustment, and a confirmation of my 100 yd zero, I commenced to having some fun ringing the steel plates, most noteworthy the 6" gong at about 200yds. And all went well and I was having a great afternoon until the O-ring on the scope popped out, and accuracy went out the window.

FWIW- The ammo with the best group was hand loaded, with each bullet weighed, cases trimmed to the same length, and each bullet seated to the same COL. I did this for my own accuracy tests after researching others experiences and recommendations. With my rifle, tested accuracy with 55gr. bullets was, meh...but I will continue for fun to see if I can find a brand of ammo, or 55gr. load it prefers. I had better luck, as some had suggested, with heavier bullets. Again, that is with my rifle, YMMV.

The Mini-14 is NOT known to be a super-accurate match grade long distance rifle. It's a fun little carbine that will serve a purpose within it's limits. Folks thinking the Mini-14 is something more will undoubtedly be disappointed.
agree... as far as good 55 grain ammo wolf gold has delivered the best over all for me but out of a 1/9 twist mil spec A2 with sub 2 moa groups slung up and prone. This was also back when my eyes worked well and i was shooting often. Now its a struggle for me to keep anything in the 3 moa ten ring.... with or with out scope and matters not how well the rifle shoots . Benched with a scope for accuracy check I got down real close to moa i was using the 1 shot at 1 1" dot method with 15 or 20 dots on the paper. hitting the dot at about a 90% rate then of course the pulled/Flyer and random what the f*** 10% shots
 
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1911 buffer pad between the operating rod and rear of the receiver (don't do the gas port side) helps a lot. Why Ruger insists on overgasing the rifles is beyond me .50 gas port opening is fine and yet the stock is .80! .45 is enough for quality ammo.

I stopped using the 1911 buffer pads because my mini just smashed them to shit after a dozen rounds anyway. Your best bet and cheapest solution is to replace the factory bushing in the gas block with a much smaller one.

Truthfully, I think replacing the guide spring was more helpful than three buffers here.

I'm a fan of the adjustable gas block, but it's a pain in the ass to get the adjustment just right. Once you do you're set until you change ammo.
 
1911 buffer pad between the operating rod and rear of the receiver (don't do the gas port side) helps a lot. Why Ruger insists on overgasing the rifles is beyond me .50 gas port opening is fine and yet the stock is .80! .45 is enough for quality ammo.

The damage to optics is not due to rearward recoil, its from the abrupt forward impact of the bolt closing. Personally I dont bother w any recoil pads on the mini but many have argued the recoil pad under the gas port will dampen the forward recoil and protect the optic a bit. I doubt its ever been studied side-to-side but logically it makes sense.

Tweeking the gas port size w a bushng wont do much to protect the optic since again its the forward recoil that is culprit. My mini that ate the PA RDS was running like a 0.045” bushing to have minimal gas. Ate the optic all the same.
 
The damage to optics is not due to rearward recoil, its from the abrupt forward impact of the bolt closing. Personally I dont bother w any recoil pads on the mini but many have argued the recoil pad under the gas port will dampen the forward recoil and protect the optic a bit. I doubt its ever been studied side-to-side but logically it makes sense.

Tweeking the gas port size w a bushng wont do much to protect the optic since again its the forward recoil that is culprit. My mini that ate the PA RDS was running like a 0.045” bushing to have minimal gas. Ate the optic all the same.

If you find a buffer pad that won't disintegrate after a couple dozen rounds worth of heat and gas and pounding, please let me know. I was thinking along the same lines as you about forward impact and tried this trick and gave up. Granted I could have been using crappy buffers.
 
If you find a buffer pad that won't disintegrate after a couple dozen rounds worth of heat and gas and pounding, please let me know. I was thinking along the same lines as you about forward impact and tried this trick and gave up. Granted I could have been using crappy buffers.

I played around with wilson combat 1911 buffers. they barely fit over the gas pipe. it was a bit weird but I found that they either cracked and fell apart pretty quickly or they lasted a while. the last one I used got flattened out but never cracked. i think the problem is they're too tight over the gas pipe which puts tension on the rest of the plastic to crack. if one were to ream open the hole a bit to fit better over the gas pipe I suspect they would last a little longer. but I agree there really is no great option for forward shock buffer. accuracy systems makes a buffer but they don't seem to use it as a forward buffer only rearward.

the rearward shock buffer lives over the op rod I have abandoned because I don't like the idea of limiting rearward travel of the bolt. while i didn't do a side-to-side comparison I felt like my gun didn't eject as reliably. i still had LSHO but i've heard some people have issues. the recoil impulse also had no obvious benefit. decreasing the gas port size did far more to help recoil, although my mini could no longer run on the weak ass steel cased 223.
 
mini-14/30 decent platform. running a few prebans with aftermarket folding stocks.
mini-30 in stainless with folder to originally meet CT law banning the mini-14 folder.
one of the only real
preban
riffles that were made in quantity and have available folding stocks still available.
has the ar15 beat in that respect.

in my opinion, on some of the accuracy loss, is they put the gas port 1/2way down the barrel, I think this allows the barrel to bend/oscillate like a guitar string. if it was some other distance 5/9 or some odd relationship, to push self resonance up to higher frequency it probably group better. some of those supports, struts or barrel tuning weighs have made a difference, but seem to be hit or miss depending on the particular riffle.

the mini14/30 is not a target riffle and never will be, but for defense gun, vehicle gun, farm gun, ranch rifle, it can't be beet.

I would agree with those who indicate a grown up 10/22 in centerfire, easy to handle for smaller frame person.
very similar to the m1 carbine in that regard.

now if they would sell them at the 10/22 price.
 
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