Anyone have a mini 14 or have shot one..............Reviews are wanted here!.............

 

yo. have a ranch rifle. i love to shoot it, hate to clean it.
overcomplicated compared to SKS or AK47. it makes these weird clanking noises in yer right ear when it goes off too. but its the nature of the beast. a really good shooter. if you get the ranch rifle you can easily mount a scope if you want. you can on a regular rifle as well, it just a little more complicated.
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I have 3, two Mini-14's and a Mini-30 in 7.62x39. I have had the full-auto versions previously as well. They are nice rifles, designed after the M-14, hence the name. Action is strong and reliable. I like them for carry, and for plinking, I also use them for coyotes once in a while. I have used the Mini-30 to take three deer as well. While they are nice, relatively inexpensive rifles, they are not as accurate as my AR-15 type rifles. Some of it is the length of the barrel, but I think that the AR type rifles are inherently more accurate.

 

I'm with chieftam, here. My first semi-auto centerfire rifle was a mini-14 Ranch Rifle. The dealer I went through tried like hell to steer me away from it, but I could'nt afford an AR-15 at the time. Tricked it out with a fiberglass stock, fancy scope, heavy barrel, the whole nine.... Best group I could git outta the thing was 8moa. Everbody else that shot it fared no better. Could'nt find affordable, quality magazines for it, either. Ended up takin it back to the dealer after bout a month of pullin my hair out, traded up for my first AR series rifle. Now I own a couple of em (wink, wink.) Accuracy's much better outta the AR, mil-spec magazines are inexpensive and plentiful... The modularity of the system really appeals to me. One minute I could be blastin coyotes an prarie dogs out to 400 with the 24 incher, then swap out to a 16 incher for a truck/atv gun, REALLY fast! IF you do decide to go the AR route, go with Bushmaster. Other's will concur that they're the best built AR on the market.

 

The Ruger Mini 14 is a great little rifle. It will digest anything you put in the chamber, there are a ton of accessories you can get for it, it will shoot forever, its tough, heavy, and if you want to hit a barn, you had better be standing inside with all the doors closed.

They are a great rifle but you can do much better elsewhere for accuracy.

I've had a few of them but the best accuracy I've seen with mine and reloading for it has been around 6 MOA.

 

I will have to fall right in with the others. I own a 14 and a 30. the 14 doesn't jam as much with hi-cap clips. I have an AR-15 shorty for a handy little go anywhere rifle, but when I want to knock something down for sure I take my HK-91 (.308) a bit pricey, but most big boy toys are.

Recomendations: If you want to plink, get a 10/22 Ruger; if you want a compact carry auto rifle, get a Bushmaster AR-15; If you want an economical fun to shoot rifle with some knock down, get an AK-47 or variant usually MAK-90s

Deezee

 

hmm. havent had a prob with accuracy until it heats up of course. the sights are weird, so i scoped it.

my first choice out shootin tho is the SKS or AK47, more hittin power, and easier to clean.
i cant afford an AR15 right now. good guns, but lotsa bucks for a fun gun.

a friend borrowed an SKS last year and got his deer.

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I have a Mini-14, and if you tinker around enough, you should find a round that shoots fairly accurate in it. I shoot 'skoal can' sized groups at 150 yards, which, in my opinion, is good enough for what I intend to use the rifle for, especially considering the price I paid for it. With the wrong ammo, though, it shoots pretty bad.
I have a friend, lucky stiff, who has a blued one, that shoots 'cloverleafs' at 100 yards. Sometimes, he gets a last shot flyer out of the clip, but the first 4 shots are usually touching. He claims the 181 series have better barrels than the 183 series (blued only).

I really like mine...no target rifle, but when you find the load it likes, it seems to do fine (mine likes 55 grain bullets best) it is reliable, durable, and reasonably priced. The biggest drawback I found with mine is the glut of crappy magazines out there for it. It really takes some doing to find a mag that works reliably other than the factory 5 rounder. I finally, at a friend's suggestion, tried the Millet/Eagle poly clips. They are made of plastic, and are smoke colored. At first I was leery of a plastic mag, but the 2 I use have never caused a jam yet.

If you decide to go with the Ruger, go with the Ranch. The standard has field adjustable peep sights, where the Ranch requires the use of a screwdriver, but it comes with scope rings, and the reciever is machined for them. The standard rifle costs maybe $30 less, but takes a $50 mount & rings.

 

As a matter of fact, just this morning, I got a coyote at 170 yards or so with my Mini-14 Ranch. It did a flip, & stumbled about 15-20 yards & was done!

Farmr

 

good on that coyote.!!!!!! I have been hunting them steady and i cant even get one to come in yet this year!!!! well realy no snow around here yet so that explains part of it.....yes i did buy the Mini-14 ranch rifle the synethetic black one with all Stainless Steel........(kind of expensive though) but yah good reliable gun thats for sure.! oh yah and did u get that coyote hunting or just see and shoot?????