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I had a Ruger Mini 14 back in the eighties. It was very disappointing. I bout a Colt HBAR and it was like night and day. Reliability, accuracy, quality- all much, much better. I would not consider another Ruger mini 14 or ranch 30.
I'd fork over the bucks for a Springfield before I dropped a dime on a mini..
I had a Ruger Mini 14 back in the eighties. It was very disappointing. I bout a Colt HBAR and it was like night and day. Reliability, accuracy, quality- all much, much better. I would not consider another Ruger mini 14 or ranch 30.
I'd fork over the bucks for a Springfield before I dropped a dime on a mini..
That isn't a valid comparison. The COLT HBAR was a premium offering from Colt. For an apples to apples comparison, you'd need to compare the Colt HBAR to the Ruger Mini14 Target.
Using your comparison is like comparing a Volkswagon Golf to a Porsche and saying the VW just wasn't as fast.
I own a Mini 14 and a Mini 30, neither of them are as accurate as I wish they were. The later Mini 14 with that huge chunk of metal on the end of the barrel is fairly accurate, but the rifle feels like a club. Any of my AR's shoots better (more accurately)than the two Ruger rifles, my Sig 556 being the most accurate.
Back then the Colt HBAR was only slightly more expensive than a Mini-14. Hell my service M-16 (which was early 70's) operated and shot better than the Mini-14.
It was a lead slinger- I wouldn't even hunt ground hogs with it.
It's not unlike the early Ruger P-85 9mm semi-auto's. That handgun was a piece of slop in a box. Had that for about, oh, 6 months before I said screw it. I went back to a 1911.
Unless Ruger drastically changed those designs, I would not own anything other than a Super Blackhawk or Redhawk (I own a Super Blackhawk and love it).
Back then, Ruger wasn't making the target version of the Mini-14.
A comparison is only valid when the things being compared are classified or accepted to be equals. In this case, because there was no enhanced version of the Ruger, the comparison is invalid.
I am not saying that the AR-15 and it's variants aren't more or less accurate than a Ruger Mini14. I am saying that so far, what we have here are anecdotal comparisons and obvious bias without any standards to make the statements worth more than a he said she said.
Sure to follow will be some pictures of targets and so on. Means nothing without verification of shooter capabilities, through testing of the ammunition and all the other conditions, including those of the firearms in question.
Some guy goes out and shoots firearm "A" and for whatever reason, can't hit the side of a hill at 25 feet. He complains and complains to everyone. His buddies all believe it. They recall the stories and their buddies believe it too. Soon, lots of people are talking about it yet only one of them every shot one for themselves in more than a casual load er up and empty er out type affair.
You read and hear about those who can't stand brand X or this or that but few can prove much, it is all talk and what they like.
Used to be Colt vs S&W and oh boy, the trash talk about this and that model. You could give them a Colt stamped S&W and they'd swear S&W wasn't as good. Go figure.
I have a Mini 14 which I purchased in 1979. I have literally 50K+ rounds through it and it has NEVER malfunctioned. I do have an aftermarket polycarbonate stock and a scope on it. With my sling and yes, I have dreaded 30 round magazines too. I spent maybe 800 dollars on the whole thing? My scope being the most expensive part of the rifle. I believe I paid $300.00 for the rifle itself.
I also own two separate AR's. A COLT and an LWRC. My COLT is over 30 yrs old and I have literally 100k+ rounds through it. It is starting to show the wear and tear and malfunctions from time to time. I have just now ordered a new upper receiver for it.
I guess my point is simple: What do you want a Mini 14 for? An "AR system?" What is your goal? If you want a rifle to "plink" around with and shoot squirrels, etc. Save your money and purchase the Mini 14. It will serve your purposes well. Albeit a tad bit more finicky then an AR system.
If you want something which "looks cool," and makes you feel like a weekend warrior/ninja, hell go with the AR system. That is of course, if you can still buy one now. They are pretty much sold out all across the country; as are Mini 14's. By the way just a tad bit of worthless knowledge: The Mini 14 was one of few rifles not included in the California Assault Weapons Ban.
This is actually a good example of just how completely unconcerned the gun bans are with function and how they are obsessed with cosmetics. Of course, obsession with cosmetics is what I would expect from a CA senator.
I had a Mini-14 up until 1994 and it was a reliable rifle, since it has the M1-Garand and the M14 style action. The accuracy was adequate for a rifle with such a short barrel.
If I remember correctly, I have heard of or seen Mini-14s with stainless steel barrels, this was in the early 1990s, I'm not sure if they still make them, but I think they were supposed to be more accurate than ones with regular steel barrels, and I think the stainless steel barrel had a tighter rifling twist rate, which of course will make the accuracy better.
I put a 22 inch Kreiger barrel and had the trigger worked on my mini 14, I also put trijicon night sights on it as well. my mini 14 is a darn good tack driver now out to 300 meters.
I will be upgrading to a comp M2 sight and put a military stock on it as well. it still shoots quite well.
The mini, in my experience, is no more temperamental than many other rifles. I've been shooting for almost 40 years now, had a mini 14 for the past 27 of those. If you reload, you will find that they are very particular to powder and bullet combinations. I have thousands of rounds through mine, settled on a combo that yields 3/4" groups at 100 yards with open sights. All a matter of what you want to do, but reasonable accuracy for that type of action.
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Ruger mini 14
