Hey everyone. I am thinking about getting a Mini-14 in SS with wood stock, and am needing any kind of info yall could spare on the Mini-14. Any experiences yall have had with em, etc. Thanks and God Bless

I own several and like them. They are fun guns to shoot, but not very accurate. I have read that accuracy can be improved, but for the money one might be better off buying an AR-15 or Bushmaster. It depends on what you like. Hope this helps. All the best...
Gil

Had one and sold it - great at going through ammo and is very reliable but accuracy is awful. In fact my WW2 Garand without a scope would easily outshoot it. I bought a M77 in .223 to replace it and never looked back. My mini would shoot 2-3 inch 100 yard 5 shot groups my M77 shoots 1/2 inch groups at the same.

Got to join in with the rest of them and complain about the Mini-14's accuracy. If you go to extreams can get some sub 2" groups from it...need to shoot one shot, let the bugger cool back to ambiant (which can take 5 to 15min. depending on conditions), fire a second shot...etc.

Really not what a sporting semi-auto is about.

Will say that the three that have passed through always functioned (so long as the magazines were Ruger-made).
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After my first Mini-14 bought an HK SL6...odd looking little beast, but it would shoot! Still have some rapid fire targets with 10rounds under .88" at 100yards.

BNesdies a totally differnt design, the may big difference in accuracy is proabably that the SL6's barrel was nuch thicker and totally free floated...NOTHING touched it from the reciever all the way out the the crown (while teh Ruger barrel is whip thin and hog tied in teh middle by the gas system)....but those rifles had the STUPIDEST safety ever put on a rifle.

I once owned 2 of those rifles, one in stainless and the other in blue. The accuracy issue was the one that caused my turning loose of them! They shot on average around 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards. I took one to a gunsmith and he told me it would cost somewhere in the $700 to $900 dollar range to get them to shoot 1MOA. I declined and got rid of both those mini-14's.

Done several of them myself. Here's a tip that DOES help, and it doesn't break the family budget to implement:

Accuracy Improvement For the Mini-14 (http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tips/archive_tips.htm/1)

This tip, combined with a shock-buffer works wonders. If you still have a cantankerous Mini after these two mods, then a recrowning of the barrel has made pretty remarkable improvements on several of these little rifles that I had a hand in disciplining! :D

Hope this helps!

I have shot a number of the mini 14 Rugers over the years and this ranch rifle sucks ! It is butt heavy because the barrel is like a paper STRAW ! The weight makes it dangerious as the heavy butt can hit the ground and the muzzle can shoot you in the face ! The older ones shot better ! Some of the triggers were very good for an auto rifle and some hurt my finger they were so hard to squeeze ! I don't know what they are doing at Ruger these days ! As this could become a very good rifle if designed right ! I have only seen 2 of their .308 versions many years back as they were taken off the market ! And who has set these high prices for auto loading rifles so high anyway ? JAGG

I have 2 of these type Rugers, a Mini-thirty and a Ranch Rifle, definetly not MOA but pretty good since I use Wolf ammo. I like these little semi rifles.

Have had a couple of them, one with a barrel from accuracy international that will out shoot most off the shelf bolt guns. The other I glass bedded and did a little trigger work on, it would put the first shot from a cold barrel were you wanted it but the rest were like a shot gun group. Neither were ranch rifles.

I agree with Ribbonstone. I have a Mini-14 ranch rifle and a H&K 630, I wouldn't use the Mini-14 for anything except as a plinker or subsitute battle rifle. The H&Ks will shoot rings around it for twice the price, although only can be found used.
Once you get the accruracy you want out of the Mini-14, you might as well spend invest it in a 630/SL6 that'll increase in value. Don't waste your time with an AR-15, they're too much a cliche, overrated, and far too modern looking, at least for my tastes.
If do you pick up a SS Mini-14, get a synthetic and stainless folder/nonfolder stock. I belive I am thinking of the Butler Creek product... It sure beats the ugly walnut stained mystery wood...

Georgian,
I have a Ranch Rifle that gets shot quite regularly. I'll agree with everyone else that this is not the most accurate carbine in the world, but there are a few things that can help. First, don't use 55gr bullets, go to 60gr or heavier. The Sierra 65gr bullets are showing some promise in my Mini. Second, clean the thing on a regular basis. I've seen Mini's that are treated like a poor relative and shoot likewise. Third, remember that the Mini was designed to be a light-weight, small-bore carbine. It was not meant to compete with target rifles. Yeah, my short, (very) heavy barreled AR-15 will hold better groups, but for the one or two shots that will count in a working situation (popping a coy, taking a cottontail for the pot, etc.) the Mini will hold it's own.
On the definite plus side, the Mini looks less like what the ignorant would term an "assault rifle" than the AR15. Depending on where you're carrying a longarm, the AR might bring you some verbal grief from the game warden, even though both are operating in the same fashion.
Good shooting,
HP

I bought my Mini-14 as a battle rifle, and that's all I expect from it in terms of accuracy. I put a 4X Scout Scope on it and still got 6-inch groups, always strung vertically. So I figured if I'm shooting at an upright bad guy, I'm still going to hit him, just probably not where I aimed to. But giving the wounding potential of the .223, a hit anywhere is still a factor.

When I decided I needed more accuracy, I got an AR clone. Why Ruger has never offered a heavy-barrelled Mini is beyond me!

PJ

I just sold my ranch rifle about a month or two ago. Fun gun, I got pretty regular 2 inch groups out of it. Not to bad considering what everyone else I talk to gets out of theirs. I think the Mini 14 is, well, just what it is, a fun gun that isn't going to be that accurate.

You get twice the accuracy at less than 1/2 the price with a Russian SKS-45 or a Chineese SKS-56. Either one will outshoot both my Mini-14 and Mini-30. Can't say the same about a Mak-90. It shoots almost as good as a Mini-14 !!!

In my experience and others, a typical Mini-30 groups better than a typical Mini-14.

When I wanted an accurate Home Defense Rifle :D in .223, I tried about 5 or 6 Mini's and just couldn't seem to shoot any of them better than 4" to 6" at 100 yds. A stock 16" Bushy does much, much better. Same with a Tanker Garand in .308. And I've seen some Hi Power guys shoot their 20" Hvy barrel AR types into under an inch groups with iron sights.

I would only buy a Mini if I couldn't buy an AR type. and I'd send it to one of the specialty places for an accuracy job. Or just buy a good M1A type in .308 instead. Or just use one of the good hunting rifles out there....

Just my opinion.......

I've had three, two Mini 14's and one Mini 30. I still have one. It's a factory folding stock stainless, with 5 Ruger 20 rd mags. Accuracy on all three with scope or irons is about 4 MOA with factory ammo, and slightly less with handloads. It is a good, rugged, minute of human rifle that will give you great joy if you expect nothing more from it. You can accurize it, but since the stainless Mini is running around $550, and RELIABLE hi cap mags are still unavailable except at scalpers prices, it would be a better investment to go with an AR-15 type. My preference is the Bushmaster.

The BM XM-15 is all MilSpec, including a forged lower and a chrome lined bore and barrel, something which few other AR's come with now, but is important in regards to barrel life, especially if using steel cased ammo, such as Wolf, and if you're going to be shooting long strings of rapid fire. A regular chrome moly barrel will not take much of that, and a stainless barrel less still.

Most AR-15 types are also a heckuva lot more accurate than a Mini out of the box, and more versatile in accessories. Also, MilSpec hi cap mags are readily available, and cheap, and RELIABLE. Hi cap magazine reliability and availability are important if you want more than 5 round capacity. There are only two sources of RELIABLE mini 14/30 mags, one is Ruger, which will not sell them to any but Law Enforcement, and the other is PMI, which is currently out of business. Triple K, USA and Eagle are around, but are junk. Masen are available in 10 rounders. I have used all but the Masen, and the only ones that performed without stoppages and difficulty in insertion to the mag well are the Ruger and PMI.

IMO, for about $200 more you could have a Bushmaster, Armalite, or Rock River AR-15, that would be more accurate, more reliable-given hi cap mag availability, and totally MilSpec, something that the Mini series of carbines cannot claim.

Had a SS mini-14 for close to 17 years. Always fired. Had two 20 round and two 30 round magazines of indeterminate
origin in addition to the factory 5 round. All always worked well. Averaged 4" 5-shot groups at 100 yards with a 3-9X-40mm scope. Best group EVER, once I started fiddling around with it was 2.75" with FEDERAL Gold match ammo. About $700.00 would have (supposedly) turned it into a MOA rifle. Sold it and bought an flattop Armalite with 20" SS barrel. That one averages 1.25" with a Burris 3-9X-40mm on it, with FEDERAL Gold match ammo. Went through 10, 20- round, magazines from Cabela's to end up with four that would work well. 20-round aluminum COLT magazines also work well.

If 4" groups work well for you, the Mini-14 is for you, if you want better accuracy than that, go AR.