[Cole125]

Originally Posted by QNman

I WANT to love the mini. I really do. But I've owned two of the newer models and have never kept them very long. I shoot better with my AR's, parts for all AR's are easy to obtain and to install myself, and each AR can be something entirely different than the original. I inevitably end up selling the mini to sink the money into my AR's.

They are nice rifles - I just prefer my AR's.

My opinion exactly, except I like my Mini a little too much to sell it. Just a cool, one of a kind gun.

[Wyoming]

The Mini 14 and the AR 15 have little in common except caliber.

When Bill Ruger brought it out in the 70's I think he was seeing a market where M1 carbine was popular but it's cheap surplus ammo had dried up. So he made a carbine that would shoot the current military round. I owned one of the first Mini 14 at a time Colt was the only AR maker available. The caliber they have in common is an "assault rifle round" That means it is a intermediate power and not high power rifle round. I get tired of people trying to make it a long range gun. If you want long range then shoot a rifle.

I have 5 Ruger Ranch Rifles, three in 223 and the other two are in 6.8 and 7.62 X 39. At one time it was not easy to scope an AR but AR without the carry handle are just as easy to scope as Ranch Rifles. I have way more AR platform rifles and they will out shoot any Mini 14. (I have a Remington R15 that shoots .250" groups, that is better than any of my heavy barrel bolts gun!) Does that make the Mini 14 bad. No. It is very reliable and accurate enough to defend yourself to the limit of the round.

The one thing the Mini 14 series have over the AR 15 is political correctness. I would ask gun people who though that maybe they ought "control" assault rifles what is the difference between a Mini 14 and a AR 15 besides looks. They are both 223 semi auto rifles. Then they got it, if you give up "assault rifle" the anti gunners wouldn't be happy until they got more.

We have to realize that not all Glock Talk friends live where common sense exists.

BTW, I live in wide open spaces so if the SHIF I would use a Rock River LAR 8 in 308 with a can.

[smokeross]

I have a fraction of the cost of my AR into my TWO mini's. If I want to lug a 5.56 along on a wheeler ride through the mud, or up 40 miles of rugged beach, I'm not too worried about destroying a $1500 gun. My buddy had his stainless mini fall out of his gun boot on the beach. He found it FOUR high tides later. Just the sling strap sticking out of the sand. Cleaned it up. Shoots just as good as before.

[Boats]

Originally Posted by Cole125

Yeah well as most know the M4/M16 our military uses are just renamed AR15s with a happy switch and made to "mil-spec" standards.

Yeah there are junk ARs on the market, but but many companies meet mil-spec, and many surpass it. Buy a LMT, LWRC, Noveske, or Larue and your buying something better than what the military uses. In many cases A LOT better.

That was rather the case I was making. At the price point of the Mini-14 most of these monolithic "ARs" are in fact mostly trash, and no "combat rifle" at all.

Now, if you want to spend well more than a Mini on some M16 variant without the happy switch, or even more, and get yerself mo'betta, you can kick the Mini's ass.

But to do it at $650 you pretty much have a DIY project on your hands.

[Aceman]

Originally Posted by Bob Hafler

Always get a kick out of Mini 14 posts. The AR guys can't wait to jump in and proclaim there AR's to be the best ever . 223/5.56 rifle When most have never even held a new 580 series mini 14 that's being talked about in this post much less shot one. I have a new completely stock 580 mini 14 and you wouldn't want to put your smart phone on a fence post 100yds away unless you wanted to cancel your contract. I'll take the Mini 14 or M1A over the AR15 everyday.

Notice how a bunch of AR guys hating on a mini-14 don't get blocked? Yet a fairly well balanced and civil discussion of .223 vs other neighbor calibers gets locked?

I absolutely have my bias and I know what it is. But I'd generally not confuse that with the cold hard facts (as cold and hard as they can be).

Broken firing pin? Give me a break! How effing often does that actually happen to any gun? And AR reliability vs Mini reliability - this is where the fanboys and the ignorant show up. Yes and AR is way more reliable than the internet makes it out to be. But is a gun of questionable reliability period. It comes in so many flavors also that it MUST be noted what AR you are talking about. Junk, low, mid, high, Boutique all eprform significant;y differently in this area.

But any 10 AR's on average will NEVER beat 10 random Mini's on reliability. If you believe that - you should be ignored.

Honestly, I think it is a fantastic rifle (and by the way - a great caliber/platform for its use! I didn't get to post that in my .223 thread because the AR illuminati shut it down before serious data against .223 started piling up...) A .223 Mini for the ranch chores is great and a situation where I'd dig a .223 for all around use in a sturdy beater gun.


But - I have to say this: The Mini is just a touch too expensive for what it is. At $550 I'd be all over it. For $650 plus, it just quite doesn't do it for me.

And again - the AR paper/bench rest, like cleaning fans get their panties upset if it shoots over .21 MOA at 25 feet....

[Bob Hafler]

What I have noticed is you can talk AR's and the Mini 14 guys do not feel the need to jump in on there post, but if you start a mini 14 post the flood gates open with all sorts AR this and that nonsense. Happenes everytime. If I wanted an AR and tought they were all that I'd buy one, Problem is I'm not all that impressed. I own a Springfield M1 Garand have always loved the M1 carbine and M14/M1A and the Mini 14 is a distant cusin of all of them. I paid $529 for my 580 tapered barrel Ranch rifle last summer at a LGS brand new. It's a design in many different calibers that has proven itself many times over. Nothing more needs to be said.

[turbobrick]

Originally Posted by Aceman

Notice how a bunch of AR guys hating on a mini-14 don't get blocked? Yet a fairly well balanced and civil discussion of .223 vs other neighbor calibers gets locked?

I absolutely have my bias and I know what it is. But I'd generally not confuse that with the cold hard facts (as cold and hard as they can be).

Broken firing pin? Give me a break! How effing often does that actually happen to any gun? And AR reliability vs Mini reliability - this is where the fanboys and the ignorant show up. Yes and AR is way more reliable than the internet makes it out to be. But is a gun of questionable reliability period. It comes in so many flavors also that it MUST be noted what AR you are talking about. Junk, low, mid, high, Boutique all eprform significant;y differently in this area.

But any 10 AR's on average will NEVER beat 10 random Mini's on reliability. If you believe that - you should be ignored.

If you shoot ammo with hard primers its not if but when you will break a firing pin on a mini. My factory GB broke one almost immediately after i got it, and went back to Ruger, where they took issue with the shortened barrel and trigger work. Now, that was a few years back, and their policy may have changed, but I'd rather not have to mess with that. I carry an extra bolt and firing pin in the grip of my ARs, quick easy change out.

The traditional feel of the Mini, and its similarity to the M1A are great pluses, and make for a really fun shooter. Now that factory mags are reasonably priced, and the new rifles address the barrel whip that made the original pattern rather than group, I'd pick one up for the right price. Until then, I'll build my own ARs for less with superior parts/materials and get a more reliable and more accurate gun to boot.

[mickdundie]

Originally Posted by cyphertext

Be nice...everyone is entitled to their opinion...

I believe what bmoore was trying to say is that you are mistaken about the AR. The AR does not need to be cleaned after a couple of hundred rounds...closer to a couple thousand.

The AR can also be light...or you can put every tactical doo dad on it and make it weigh as much as you want.

And while the Mini 14 may be less expensive than a Colt, there are other options in the AR world that are even less than the Mini 14, such as the S&W M&P 15 Sport.

Ruger missed their chance with the Mini 14. Had they made high cap magazines available, I think they would have been more popular. You can make a mini into a decent shooter, but still no match for an AR.

My buddy had a Mini 14 back in the eary 80s. It had a high cap mag and it was reliable, and accurate. (May have been an aftermarket mag)

He shot a Beaver at about 50 yards in one shot swimming in the river. The beaver literally exploded and pelt came down on the river like rain. It must have been a hollow point. I really didn't know much about the Ruger Mini 14 or HP ammo when I was in my teens.

I like em...they are kinda like the civilian version of the M1 Garand...a classic!

Mick

[Aceman]

One thing you have to remember too is that not everyone needs 30 loaded high cap mags and another 30 in reserve. Honestly, I could pretty easily live my life with two...

[QNman]

Originally Posted by Cole125

My opinion exactly, except I like my Mini a little too much to sell it. Just a cool, one of a kind gun.

I get it. The last one I had was a Ranch with wood/blued. Beautiful rifle. AR's are beautiful, but in a completely different way. I don't hate the mini - far from it.

[QNman]

Originally Posted by mickdundie

My buddy had a Mini 14 back in the eary 80s. It had a high cap mag and it was reliable, and accurate. (May have been an aftermarket mag)

He shot a Beaver at about 50 yards in one shot swimming in the river. The beaver literally exploded and pelt came down on the river like rain. It must have been a hollow point. I really didn't know much about the Ruger Mini 14 or HP ammo when I was in my teens.

I like em...they are kinda like the civilian version of the M1 Garand...a classic!

Mick

(More like a mini version of the M14 - just saying. )

[IBreakStuff]

Lessons learned owning 2 Ruger ranch rifles. 1 keep it KISS if you want to accessorize get another platform. 2 if you want one ragged hole groups get another platform. 3 Synthetic stocks will melt (it took me 540 rds) from mag dumps. 4 not a picky eater feeds every thing. 5 easy to maintain, but use a quality gun oil or you will see some rust they do not have a military grade finish. 6 don't sell them you will regret it.

[427]

All things being equal, I'll take an AR over the Mini.

[nipperwolf]

Originally Posted by auto-5

Unlike an Ar (which I think are great rifles) you don't have to clean it after a couple hundred rounds.

[liberty911]

Originally Posted by nipperwolf

HAHAHA! That comment kinda threw me too. Must have shot a few lemons.

I love the way mini's look and the couple of times I've shot them, a lack of accuracy never entered my mind. Everytime I get it in my head to buy one they seem to be selling for pretty high prices in the $650-800 range. Plus, the mags seemed pretty high priced. It's been a few years though. I think maybe I should bite the bullet and pick one up.

[copo9560]

I have owned 2 Mini's in the past and my son owns one of the newer tactical ones now. The new ones are far more accurate than the old versions but seem to have gained some weight over time. All have been extremely reliable and have no issues shooting steel case import crap ammo he can find for $4 a box. I have tried this ammo in AR's with very limited success. Says something to me about reliability

I now shoot a 14.5 inch AR and prefer it due to smaller size and weight over Mini. With Eotech site, match trigger I also have way more money invested.

[TexasVine]

I'm kind of shocked by the negativity the original post has received. The OP was just saying the gun was worth taking a look at. I do own an AR (J.P. Enterprises) but by all means I can not be a critic of the Mini 14 because I have never owned one or shot one enough to be a critic. I often wonder how many of the posters with negative comments have any first hand experience with a Mini 14. Now the comments made by those who have, I will respect and give some type of credence to. With that being said, this thread has stirred an interest in me to go out and look at one.

[cyphertext]

Originally Posted by Bob Hafler

What I have noticed is you can talk AR's and the Mini 14 guys do not feel the need to jump in on there post, but if you start a mini 14 post the flood gates open with all sorts AR this and that nonsense. Happenes everytime.

I believe the OP originally put this in the black rifle forum and compared it with the AR. Of course AR guys are going to comment when it is posted like that.

[dooga]

I am going to get a Mini 14 because I want a 5.5mm high-capacity rifle without being a black gun it bring perceived as being a tacticool assault rifle.

[gforester]

Mine may not be a tack driver, but at 100 yards it can do this. For what it is I think it does just fine.

[carbuncle]

I was watching A-Team on Netflix last night and thinking I may need a Mini 14 someday.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

[Big Mad Dawg]

AR 15 and mini 14 are like auto pistols and revolvers some people like both some only like one and not the other.
If you like either or both good for you if you feel the need to dump on one or the other shame on you.

I personally own more than one AR 15 and have been issued M 16’s I never even shot a mini 14 but if it fits your needs enjoy.

[Bob Hafler]

Originally Posted by cyphertext

I believe the OP originally put this in the black rifle forum and compared it with the AR. Of course AR guys are going to comment when it is posted like that.

Please AR guys give there Blah ,blah opinions on how there AR's are so much better than the Mini 14 everytime out no matter where it's put . Anyone who believes that a comparable priced AR shoots better than the Mini 14 is a fool. And many times there comparing them to the old Mini 14's not the newer ones. That most have never even touched much less shot. If they did they might not want to be talking such smack to those who know better.

[cyphertext]

Originally Posted by Bob Hafler

Anyone who believes that a comparable priced AR shoots better than the Mini 14 is a fool. And many times there comparing them to the old Mini 14's not the newer ones. That most have never even touched much less shot. If they did they might not want to be talking such smack to those who know better.

I'll admit that I have not shot a newer one. My step-dad had an 80's production one that I shot as a kid. Never shot it from a bench, but was able to kill milk jugs with it. It was a fun gun, taken out to the lease for plinking and maybe a coyote or two.

From just a quick look at Bud's, it appears that the Mini 14 goes from $650 up to the $800s, depending on model. I can tell you that unless that Mini 14 is capable of shooting sub MOA, it is not going to compete with some of the ARs in that price range.

I'm fairly new to ARs, and I just bought a S&W M&P 15 Sport. It gets bashed by AR folks more than the Mini 14, I bet... I took it out for the first time yesterday, and after I got it sighted in, my last 3 shot string from sandbags had two in the bull touching, and the third a little high and just outside the bull in the 10 ring. This was 50 yards, iron sights, shooting Russian steal cased ammo. That rifle has a MSRP of $709, but many have found them for less than $600.

[faawrenchbndr]

It's been said time & time again,......a Mini 14 is not now,
nor will it EVER be an AR15!

They are non-comparable! The Mini is a small skeek rifle.
It's very capable and accurate for 3-5 shots, it is very ammo
sensitive. An owner MUST try a few brands to see what it
actually likes. A Mini will never be as accurate as an AR15
when used as a bench blaster.

It's not better, it's not worse, it's just different!