I think a Ruger Mini 14 is in my future

[imrich]

I'm not really an AR guy, especially living in the Peoples Republic of NY. I like the look of a traditional rifle. Looking to step up from .22lr and move into medium range, 5.56/.223 centerfire ammunition and have been looking at the Mini 14 a lot. Paired with a Nikon P223 BDC600 scope, I think that would be a sweet combination. Anyone own one who could offer some feedback?

[mossy930spx]

I'm sorry to hear that.

let me know how that minute of barn boom stick goes.

[imrich]

Ok, 1 no vote.

[Dan 0351]

I LOVE the Mini's. If you're looking for holes in paper touching at 100...um...50 yards, probably not. But if you're looking for a great all-around range/defensive gun, it's one of my choices.

[MSA77]

I am a huge Ruger fan. My daughter's first rifle (she actually got two) on her 12th birthday was a Ruger. I have always liked the Mini 14, even before it became one of the non-evil rifles. I have read numerous posts, and reviews, that it is not going to shoot tight groups. I pretty sure this is true, but others here will of course give you their honest opinions. By the way, that fact that it might not shoot tight groups may not even bother you. I happen to like the way it looks, and for plinking, and stepping up in calibre, it might be just what you wanted. The only other consideration is there are other options in that price range that will be tack drivers, if you are care. You can do a Remington 700, have lots of future upgradeability, but again, this might not matter to you. Also, for extreme value, look at the Savage line. Also not a tack driver, but the Accutrigger is amazing, and you can step up the caliber from .223, or .243, to even a .308. You will spend close to $300 less for the Savage, and they have packages with decent scopes included. Of course this means nothing if you don't like the Savage, or have your heart set on a Mini 14. Good luck!

[mattyj513]

Mini is a great gun. As far as accuracy, mine is pretty good, though the internet is full of horror stories. I'm no precision shooter, but this is from 100 yards. Mini 14, Leupold scope, handloads, casual rate of fire, prone on mat, each box is 1 inch.
mini.jpg

[SHOmestyle]

Make sure you buy factory Ruger mags for them, the aftermarket mags tend to not work so well. We've seen a decent amount of issues with mini 14's in classes FWIW, although most are aftermarket mag related.

I would suggest going with an Ares SCR instead IMO.

[iceburg]

Ruger Mini 14 is a fun gun.Not really an out of the box tack driver unless you do some work to it..Also look into the Ares SCR. As stated above...

[Synner]

As MSA77 suggested, you might want to look at the Savage brand. I have an Axis XP chambered for .223 (was my first rifle) and I love it. It's low maintenance (I do clean it after each range trip though), it shoots nice and tight and it was dirt cheap. I paid about 350 for mine. It's a bolt-action, not a semi.

If I could do it all over again (I can so I will at some point - haha) I'd go with the Savage Trophy Hunter model. Better scope, nicer trigger, lighter and just feels more balanced. That will run you about 550.

Good luck and have fun no matter what you buy.

(I also was going to buy a mini-14 but chose not to do so.)

[Dank27]

Love my mini 30. Mags are pricey is the only down side.

Get one before the prices get even crazier

[HyFiveGuns]

Ruger Mini 14 is a fun gun.Not really an out of the box tack driver unless you do some work to it..Also look into the Ares SCR. As stated above...

I have both a Mini-14 and an Ares SCR. My Mini-14 has the same scope on it that you mentioned and it is great for range use. It's heavy and has a real solid feel to it and is very reliable. I like it a lot. Agree with previous poster about getting factory mags...they are finicky with anything but factory mags. As for the Ares, that gun is lighter than the Mini-14 and more accurate. I have the same scope on that gun as well and I LOVE that gun. When I want to shoot 5.56, that is my go-to gun to take to the range. Its very accurate, takes standard AR mags and you have all of the AR options available to you as far as optics are concerned. The only negative about the SCR is the pencil barrel gets hot quickly, so if you're shooting a lot of rounds, you will need to let it cool down a bit. I will shoot that for a while and switch to another gun to let it cool down and then go back to it. IMO, can't go wrong with either of these guns. Depends on whats more important to you. If you really want the look of a more traditional rifle, the Mini-14 would be it, otherwise, if I had to recommend one, I would go with the Ares.

[BLAMMO!!]

The Mini-14 is a great rifle. Excellent choice. Can't go wrong. You won't be sorry. Nice slim, compact little carbine without all kinds of things sticking out of it. Easy on the shoulder and the wallet; easy to clean, maintain and dead-bang reliable. Real fun to shoot. New ones are very accurate. Not "sub-MOA" accurate but if that's what you're looking for, get a Ruger RPS instead. The complaints you'll hear about accuracy are mainly directed at older Minis (pre 580*** S/N). Around 2006, they made some major improvements to the barrel, sights and manufacturing methods.

The only downside is the magazines. I only use Ruger factory mags but they're pricey - about $40 for a 10-rd mag. Third-party mags invariably have problems. I'd stay away. Also, the rock-n-lock mechanism takes a bit of a knack / some getting used to. Not any worse than most but not nearly as easy as AR mag changes.

I have a Ranch in stainless steel with synthetic stock. Factory sights. I've never had a single malfunction. Flawless. I keep wanting to get another in blue / hardwood and put a scope on it but other things keep pushing it from the top of my wish list. I even have the scope for it.

[hawkeye]

Going back as far as I can remember, I've always had a Mini. Never was anything but a fun/ SHTF gun and never thought of making it a .2" at 500 yard gun. It is what it is.
Many years ago you could buy 30 round (standard capacity) Mags for $10-$12 each and they would work fine. There were even combo (ar/mini) Mags and 90 round drums (MWG?) that worked okay. One thing about the mini is it is a 100% reliable gun that never had a double feed problem and was easy enough to carry, even for a young kid.
great learning tool and a great HD gun. I guess I'll always keep at least one.

[HyFiveGuns]

OK... now you guys are making me want to break out my Mini and go shoot it..

[CommackBoy]

The new Mini's are very accurate. Me and my friends bought 5 and are very happy with them. Put a good red dot site on it and you will have an excellent home defense weapon.