Forums / Introduce Yourself / Hello and what can you tell me about the Ruger Mini-14

I have never fired the Mini, but I see it as a combination of an SKS and an AR-15. It has the look and style of an SKS, but shoots .223 like most AR's do. But from what I have heard, it is a heck of a semi auto predator gun. Anything from Ruger usually is.

Never thought of that, but it does look like the Springfield M1A that is all pimped out. What is the name of that Model M1A, is it SOPMOD?

is patterned after the m1,they shoot well,and are great farm guns for coyotes and such,if you are expecting sub moa accuracy either buy the brand new one or learn to live with 1.5 inch groups at a hundred yards.if you want more bang for the buck,buy a mini 30,same gun but chambered in 7.62x39(same as ak47)i have owned and shot both,the last one i had was a stainless steel mini 30 it worked well with a 3-9 scope on it.it made a nice fathers day gift for my dad too!

Thanks for the input. Good info. I was on Ruger's website checking out the Mini-30 too. Looks promising. Thanks again!

Do not like the Mini-14. Shot them and they are a piece of crap. They are not accurate. Ok, with a cold barrel, but you get the barrel hot, lucky to hold a 5 inch group at 100 yards. I have shot 5 of them and they all did the same when the barrel got hot. I'm talking about 30 rounds.

Wow. All 5 had that big of a group, eh? Dang. Well, fordvg, what kind of rifle do you recommend in that category?

What are you planning on shooting with this rifle? If it is hunting varmint or shoot matches? How do you plan on using this tool?

I have a Colt National Match with a heavy barrel rifle that has a 16" barrel with a 1x9 twist. If you want to do some long range shooting like 500 yards to 1,000 yards. You need a 1x7 or 1x8 twist barrel for this. I would get it in a 24" barrel for this. To save on money you can buy a Colt of a DPMS of Stag Arms in the short barrel and go to Model 1 online and order the long barrel later. With a 1x9 twist barrel you can shoot a bullet up 75 grains and stay away from bullets that are 55 grains or lighter (55 grain bullet is the lowest you can go). Hope this helps.

dont let people dissuade you,for what you are after the ruger mini series will do fine!besides when do you burn thirty rounds hunting?the rugers are not match guns but are tough,durable,truck guns.shoot lots of ammo thru it,toss it behind the seat of your truck and the next time you need it pull it out load and shoot.you cant kill these guns.just dont expect to win a match with them.as far as ar 15's go,they are great if you have a fat wallet.for a cheap shooter look into the sks (any variant)reasonable accuracy,durability,cheap ammo.or if you want a modern rifle look at the savage 110 series guns,they are bolt guns that shoot real well,are available in a bunch of cartridges and are even available in left hand bolts for you south paws.

Yes the barrel does get dangerously hot on the Mini 14.