Let me start this forum off by saying thanks to FoxTrot!

Fox, you're awesome.

Alright.​.. I've got an All Weather Ranch Rifle in 7.62 X 39. I would call it a Mini Thirty except I might offend some of those guys... you know who you are.

I was thinking about making it a better shooter. I would really like some opinions here. I know this rifle is good at a hundred yards but I'm really interested in knowing if there is anything farther in this guns future. Is there some actual experience out there?

I really like the Mini's from Ruger because I was always a huge fan of A-Team when I was a little younger than I am now.

So, have any of you done any kind of special mods to your Mini 30? How about some tips, pics, and... uh never mind the rest of that comment, although I wouldn't be offended if you posted some of those either.

Thanks everyone.

Just got rid of my mini 30, had the stainless version. Nice rifle but I rarely shot it any more and got in on a trade for a POS Cobray. I then had someone offer me a Bushmaster for it,so it left me. I also was a big A-team fan (till last year when TV land quit showin it) they got me always wating a mini to. http://w​ww.accuracysystemsin​c.com/index.phpis here in Colorado and they do Mini custom work, I never felt like it needed any.

Only advise I have is if you reload slug the barrel and buy bullets the correct Dia. My AK's are .312 the mini was .309 standard 7.62x39 loads are hit and miss for accuracy because of this. I cut group size in half with my own loads.

Enjoy

I had one several years ago. It wasn't stainless, but blued. I sold it and have kicked myself ever since. It was like hog-nose, poon-tang and the hole of a doughnut....you couldn't wear it out!

I miss having something that I don't have to clean so often without functionality issues and the Ruger Mini 14 is such a carbine.

Recoil

Right on guys. I've actually seen Accuracy Systems Inc and thought that might be my only choice. I do have a guy that might want to trade his Mac-90 for it. But, I'll be looking hard at Accuracy, Concealed, thanks.

Recoil, I knew you could make me laugh my ass off. Thanks!

What do you guys think of the Ruger mini 14 ? (model 182 ?) a guy is trying to trade w me

Gdawg,

It's a great piece man. Buy it if you got the extra cha-ching laying around.

Recoil

It comes with 4 20 round mags and 100 rounds of .223 - $650

Oh yeah bro! Buy it. It's dressed-up already and ready to dance. Also, you get the original stock with it!!! Awesome.

If you do a model 182 gunbroker search, you'll find configurations with less options that what he's selling for another 100 bucks!

If it's not worn too badly and looks to be in great shape, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recoil

Guys, I love my mini-14, except for the magazine design. Well, not the magazine but more the mag well and how the magazine is held into place.I find itvery difficult to do any sort of quick magazine change. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but regardless of magazine(factory 5, steel 30, Promag 30), it always feel like changing magazines is such a hassle not to mention slower than heck and not positive like the AR-15platform. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved the M1, M1A-style action it employs and like most Ruger products, it's built like a tank.

GDawg, OEM and aftermarket parts/mods are so plentiful it's hard to pass upa deal like that especially in this climate even though I have a problem with the magazine system design.

Mini-14'​s are "fun" rifles but not serious consideration for self defense firearms unless no other means. Forget folk lore about designed as battle rifle. It would require a major rebuild to be considered for that and while it kinda resembles the M14/M1A - it ain't it - I have one. Main thing to remember is don't let expectations exceed reality. It is not an AR platform and is incapable of comparable accuracy. After market magazines are very hit and miss although ProMag 30 polys have worked well in mine. GDAWG's model is older one in picture with thin crappy barrel - over heats quickly and marginal accuracy. Magazine change takes some getting used to - very old design and not totally stable - spoiled on AR design. $650 is upper end in my book despite magazines as these rifles originally sold for around $400-$500 anyways a few years back. I scoped mine and it can produce ~2-3" groups at 100yds which is par for these guns. This one has an aftermarket stock but I'm old fashioned folks - a VW Bug with a new paint job is still just a Bug under the hood. If you want it bad enough, buy it and have fun, just remember - it's not an AR.

Hey... don't forget that the A-Team couldn't hit crap with theirs. And they had full auto!

Allot of good points about a firearm I knew nothing about. Hell I missed the deal anyway , no $

I'm sorry if I implied in any way that the Mini-14 was a battle rifle. I was simply comparing the action to that of the M1 Garand and M1A platforms as it was obviously copied from them(though a "mini" version hence the name). To me, the only true "battle rifles" out there are the iconic M1, FN-FAL, HK G3(or the neutered version, 91) and BAR. And shamefully, yes, I own NONE. For me, these have no practical purpose since any fighting would take place within 100yds even in a EOTWAWKI situation so I haven't been able to justify it and spread out my calibers even more. I'm not a NFLlineman sized guy so running around withmore than 10lbs of rifle is not that practical. If I really felt I needed to reach out and touch someone(and had the money), I'd probably just get one of Ronnie's creations in .50BMG and post up on the roof.

Guys, not to cut anyone's thunder or rain on any parades, but before the "on-slaught" of the AR, the mini-14 was a staple for a lot of LEO's around the country. While not a downright "battle rifle" it is a reliable platform and does perform as expected from a carbine type rifle in the accuracy department. Sure, an off the shelf version may not shoot 1" or sub moa, but it wasn't meant for that purpose anyhow.

Let's not discount the Mini-14 too much. It hassaved a lot of LEO lives back in the day. They are a great platform and in my OPINION, a battle rifle is what I've got in my hand at the time SHTF! An AR it isn't, but it never wanted to be one anyway

Recoil

Ps. I DON'T own one right now, but I had one for many years. It wasn't fancy, just a blued model ranch. But it was reliable.

I always wondered why they never developed a better magazine well/system for the Mini-14/Mini-30 type rifles, especially given the large number of users it had/has. I was really surprised at how difficult it is to do a magazine change when I first got it and still have trouble. For me, the Mini-14 platform is something perfect for "ranch" use - plinking and dissuading predators. I'm guessing that's why they came out with the RR model?

I like the vW Bug analogy since it shares many similarities- been around forever, easy to modify, lots of aftermarket parts, etc.

Buy Buy Buy! I have a Mini-14 ranch. I bought it 10 years ago and have never regretted a minute of it. It is not accurate but that is why I have several other guns to fit that mold including 2 ar's. I have never had one jamming issue with it and it shoots consistently each and every time

My favorite rifle is my mini 14. Mines a plain jane with only after market mags is all.(wood stocks give a rifle character) The mini is a total work horse and refuses to quit on you. I've tortured mine doing reflex fire drills and I'd trust it with my life. I've put thousands of rounds through it and dare to say I prefer it over an AR.... Only short coming is the mag drop as previously stated.