I gave $500 brand new price for my Mini-14 Ranch all weather model. This was a couple years ago, though. At that time an AR was $950.
Got another coyote yesterday.
We have a big hillside we can see from the picture window of the house that has a coyote trail going down it. I can see them a long ways off coming down the hill, to the neighbor's place. The neighbor is starting to calve already, and the coyotes are going from the trees in the hills over to his place. I can be watching TV in the living room, and see the hillside from the sofa. If I see a coyote coming, I have time to throw on a coat & boots, walk around the house, and get a shot off as they are sneaking down the canyon. Almost all shots are under 200 yards away. The mini is great for this purpose: a 'grab it quick' gun, that shoots accurately enough for coyotes at that range, with a quick follow-up shot if I didn't hit exactly where I was aiming. Oh, and I have a rest rigged up at the fence that gives me a steady shooting place.
Neighbor is glad that I pop at them, he hasn't lost a calf to a coyote for a couple years now. It was really bad back then. I had shot 6 coyotes in one 7 day period, and about a week before that, I got 2 within about a minute of each other. (They aren't quite so thick anymore) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Farmr

 

that would be nice to just see one some time!!!!!! around here they seem to be "smart" ....but they dont realy get hunted much.....i guess there must not be as good of land for them to live in around here... just around the river i suppose........so what kind of rounds are u using in your 223...... reloaded or just remington or somthing......i use Wolf.......good rounds just not that accurate....9 cents a round...now thats plinking ammo.....well that is cool that u can get that many coyotes!!!! around here u could throw out a piece of liver (frozen) and they wont even touch it or come close to it......just the crows eat it.....well i hope to get one some time.......spending too much money not to get one.......lol lol....... well thats it for now......

 

I get my .223 at www.georgia-arms.com
Prices are pretty good if you order in quantity, and the quality is there. They use once-fired military brass & load their own. You can get regular soft points, or premium bullets such as the Nosler Ballistic Tips (very good terminal performance).

 

Hey if you are looking at buying an inexpensive 223 semi auto then check out Saiga Firearms. They are about 190 bucks and will shoot as good as most any rack grade Mini 14. They are much more reliable than the Mini and are super easy to maintain. Built on the AK 47 reciever which has the best history in reliablity of any type of para military firearm. They are also very light weight and come in carbine configuration but they do not have the standard AK style pistol grip. The stock is a one piece unit that resembles a standard hunting rifle. With minor modifications you can use 30 and 40 round mags if you wish but they come supplied with a 10 round mag I believe.

 

what do you plan to use it for? & what caliber do you want.

 

Well i bought the Kmini 14rp ranch rifle......very nice looking gun!.......But what is the true intended use for it? it wont hit the broad side of a barn and the saftey is so loud you can hardly use it for hunting......and you have to slam the chamber to prime it and that is very loud unless you load it before you go out which is illegal.......and you cant taget shoot with it really cus it wont hit where you are aiming....but i like the gun alot otherwise.......but i was just wonder what it was originaly constructed for? Just shooting into the dirt? this gun is very reliable and you can shoot as fast as you pull the trigger too...

 

It's original intent was as a reliable 'car gun' for police & sheriff's officers. The thing you grab when in a situation that requires more than their service pistol. Police also can get Ruger factory jam-proof 30 round magazines for it, as well. For this job, it is excellent. Can hit a man-sized target @ 200 yards, and is extremely reliable & fast-firing. Keep in mind, its original design put reliability and durability far above top accuracy.
Keep experimenting with different makes & types of ammo. I haven't found one yet that wouldn't shoot chew-can sized groups @ 100 yards with the right ammo. They seem to be ammo sensitive. The wrong bullet or loading can open up the group to 6 or 7 inches @ 100 yards pretty easily. If you just can't get it to shoot good, there are places that will accurize it, putting it in about the same league as an off-the shelf AR rifle, and probably for about the same total cost.

You CAN chamber it pretty quietly. Just pull the action back slowly, and let it forward slowly. You will likely have to 'help' the action get all the way closed, and it will still make some noise, but it won't be too bad. Yes, the safety goes CLICK!, but it is in such a place you can snap it off and instantly be ready to shoot, and can tell by feel when you put your finger into the trigger guard if it is on or off. Another great feature for a 'police rifle'.

Farmr

 

yah i kind of had an idea they were used for the police and such... mine shoots about 6" groups.... i think i need to work on that some!!! for that kind of price for a gun it should shoot better than that..... but i guess i could have expected that....... but yah i like the features on that gun that make it reliable...like that nice saftey , and the rotating bolt, and the few moving parts that it has.... what i think they need for improvement is how u put the mag in... u have to put it up at an angle then find that little hole in the clip for it to sit in........ then when u do put them in they are not that sturdy.... what would be nice is if u could just push it up like the AR-15's and they hold alot better....... i have went through about 1000 rounds and it seems very reliable.......

 

Hello everyone. New to the board and I hate to reply to this thread so late since the last reply, but I couldn't help myself. I shot a Mini-14 years ago and loved it. Don't recall a single problem. I wanted one forever after that and finally bought one in December 2002. It is a GB model in the 182 serial # range. These were the semi autos designed for law enforcement which came with a flash hider and bayonet lug attached to the front sight. This one has a 1 in 10 twist supposedly making it less accurate than an AR which is typically a 1 in 7 I believe. This allows more room for using different bullet types and maintaining the best of all worlds, in my opinion. Moving targets have been no problem. Repeated shots at empty 12ga shells between 50 and 75 yards have been no problem, and yes those shots made contact with the shells. Jamming has only happened with the use of an old after market 40 round mag. Factory mags are by far the best, but forget about trying to get a high cap factory mag for any reasonable price. I have several good after market mags of unknown manufacture that function flawlessly. Once you get used to the mag insertion, changing them out quickly is no hassle, and I didn't consider it to be a hassle even before I was used to it. I think that the Mini is actually a joy to clean compaired to many other guns and I haven't been irritated by the job yet.
I guess though as mentioned before, it all depends on who has it and what they want it for, just like any gun. If you want to shoot through the holes you just made, an AR may be a better choice. Maybe I just lucked out with my Mini as I have been able to shoot holes within holes repeatedly. All I know is I won't be selling or trading mine!

 

MiJoSt:

Welcome to ATVConnection!!
Glad to have you here.

Actually, everyone I know who is a Mini-14 fanatic (I know 4 or 5 of them) will swear on their mother's grave that the pre-183 Mini-14s are the most accurate. I know a guy with an old ratty looking one, with the bluing about worn off, that shoots 3 hole groups @ 100 yards, with all 3 holes touching. Came stock with the flash hider/lug you speak of. I don't think he would trade it for anything.
Starting the 183 series, they changed barrel specs. How, I don't know, but that is what I have been told several times. There have been updates to the firing mechanism, though. The biggest of which is a buffer for recoil. The 183s can handle hotter loads better without beating themselves up. Other than that, there isn't any benefit to them, as accuracy has actually gone down a little since the change.