Ruger mini 30/14 (rancher)?

Question

I was wondering what are the good and bad experiences with these two type of guns.

Don't give me a "its a pos" answer unless you're going to give me an explanation of your experience with it. thanks.

Answer 1

I have owned a mini 30 for years and love it. The gun shoots well, and I have killed deer with it. I bought it because it was a great plinker due to cheep surplus ammo at the time ,and it is legal to shoot deer with in CT. with it.

I was told it was not an accurate gun when I bought it, but I beg to differ. I can hit an 8 inch paper plate at 100 yards every time, from a prone or kneeling position. I generally make 5 inch groups with a rest at that same distance. Keep in mind it has iron sights.

Anyone who tells you the gun is not accurate does not have a realistic view of accuracy.  It is not a sub MOA precision rifle, but will place a 30 cal bullet into whatever you need to kill or eat, in a compact package. Most people shoot game inside 100 yards.

COR-BOR makes a really nice 110 grain barnes x round that is as fast as a 308, out of that tiny gun. This will give the same trajectory out to about 250 yards.

Lets keep in mind that the 7.62x39 is an assault weapon round. By this I mean they were developed as an alternative to a full power battle rifle cal like a 30-06 or 8mm mauser etc. Aside from the Mini 30, where do you find this cal except in the AK's and SKS. These guns dont compare to the Mini 30.

All in all, the Mini 30 is a great gun to get for a resonable price. I got about 1 to 2 thousand rounds through mine, and have yet to have trouble.

I also have 2 ruger revolvers. All rugers I have had experience with are sturdy guns.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I own both, and so far both have been utterly reliable with a few thousand rounds down the pipes,  With the mini-14 I have a wider choice of ammunition and magazines, and it's about a 1/3 lb. lighter than the mini-30 with less felt recoil.  On average the .223 is a more accurate and flatter shooting round than the 7.62 x 39. For mostly  plinking, I'd go with the .223 but if I wanted to go hunting with it then I'd go with the 7.62.

a good forum which deals mainly with the mini platforms can be found at  http://www.perfectunion.com

Heres a few threads discussing the very question you're asking by guys who actually own minis:

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthrea...

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthrea...

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthrea...

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthrea...

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthrea...

Answer 3

I have the Mini-14 and I love it I use it for everything from deer to turkey hogs and varmints the 223 is a great round for most situations it has great range and accuracy with enough power to knockdown most small to medium size game the only drawback to the mini is it being semi auto therefore it doesn't have all the power a bolt or single shot would have but you don't lose a whole lot either

Answer 4

#1 availability of factory mags holding more than 5 rounds is extremely low, and these guns seem to be finnicky with a lot of third-party produced magazines.

#2 ruger's mini-14 line are known for their lack-luster accuracy.  Sure, it has enough accuracy to get most things done, but still, it is pretty sloppy.

#3 looking at the price point, the Ruger mini-14 is just a little bit cheaper than low priced AR-15s, with not near the access to good capacity magazines, and with much less accuracy.  On the other end, you can get an SKS with pretty much equal accuracy for half the price of the mini-14

#4 Bill Ruger said 'civilians have absolutely no reason or right to own magazines that can hold more than 10 shots' and then co-operated fully with bill clinton getting the assault weapons ban law passed.  Bill Ruger, I hope you are burning in h**l right now.

Answer 5

The 30 is fairly in accurate at over 75 to 150 yards depending on the length of the barrel. I personally prefer the 14.

Answer 6

I am an owner of a Mini-14, Mini-14 Target, Mini-14 6.8mm and Mini-30. Please disregard all references concerning the inaccuracy of these rifles with the exception of the 6.8 SPC cartridge. The Mini-14's and the Mini-30's have good accuracy. You will not shoot sub-MOA groups, but for most people, that type of accuracy is not necessary to the purpose. With good ammo, 2 inch groups at 100 yards is attainable.

I used my Mini-30 as my deer-hunting rifles for many years and I have taken deer at ranges up to 150 yards. The ballistic performance of the 7.62X39mm cartridge is very similar to that of the .30-30 cartridge, so 150 yards is close to the upper range on that rifle.

I would advise you to stay away from the Mini-14 in 6.8 SPC due to the fact that Ruger is have tremendous problems with the accuracy of these rifles. We have had more of these rifles sent back due to accuracy than we have ever had in a model.

Answer 7

I own both the Ruger Mini 30 and Mini 14....  These are the finest carbines money can buy... Pay no mind to anyone that runs these guns down... And also pay no attention to anyone that says get an AR... An AR is a totaly different animal and the Ruger shouldnt be compared to it...... These new Mini 14 580 series rifles are just as accurate as any $900 off the shelf AR Bushmaster.......  Accuracy comes up as a concern when some folks mention the Mini 14 or 30.... First off they are not a bolt action rifle and should not be compared to one.... Sure they arent a sub MOA rifle but will take Coyote and other medium size critters all day to 150 yards for the Mini 14. I could probably get longer shots but havent really tried........  The Mini 30 gets a serious bad rap for accuracy but thats because most people dont understand the cartridge it uses. The 7.62X39MM is a short range 30 caliber bullet. It is fairly flat to 150 yards and has an 8 inch drop at 200. Its similar to the old Winchester 30/30 in ballistics...... The 7.62X39MM still has the required 1000 foot pounds of energy required for white tail deer at 150 yards..... The Ruger Mini 30 is very capable of taking deer and hog to 150 yards but I would refrain from taking longer shots..... It Is Not a long range rifle. Its a short range rifle and if the cartridge is understood this Mini 30 will produce excellent results....... I installed a Nikon Prostaff 2-7X32 shotgun scope on my Mini 30....  The gunsmith asked why I picked that and my reply was its perfect for medium size varmints / deer / hog shots to about 150 yards. I could not see putting a more powerful scope that could see beyond the capabilities of the rifle...... I have absolutely not been disappointed.... Another nice thing about the Mini 30 is the ammunition is cheap cheap cheap...  And surprisingly I get better groups with that cheap steel cased Barnaul than the expensive Remington brass??? Dont know why that is but that inexpensive soft point Barnaul is fairly accurate.... The Mini 14 on the other hand has given me a tiny bit of grief firing the cheap laqaer cased steel ammunition... Every few hundred rounds a casing gets stuck in the breech and the extracter tears the case leaving the gun jambed.... Some guys get really upset about this.... If this happens just put the rifle away and shoot something else until you get home and clear it.... No sense getting all bent out of shape..... Brass is better in the Mini14 and the 30 digests anything...  The only other thing I have noted is every few magazines you have to put the rifle down and let the barrel cool. I see some guys blast thru a couple of hundred rounds fairly quickly and heat the barrel / rifle up to so hot you cant touch it. I cant see overheating a $700 rifle. Just bring another gun or shotgun to play with if it gets hot.. Use Loctite on the scope bases... They seem to shoot loose on these 14 and 30's...

Answer 8

I like the round 7.62 x 39... in the ranch mini 30.. The mini 14 shoots the 223 not my favorite!  I think that they are a good sound rifle and a good choice if that's what your thinking to get............ you can Tact them out as well. The A team carried the Ruger mini 14 in 223...

Answer 9

actually they are pretty decent carbines. The main differences are: the standard mini 14 chambered in the .223/5.56 round and was not designed for a scope. Later models changed the angle of ejection so a scope could fit, they refferred to them as "ranch Rifle".

The 7.63x39 is a better cartridge for pigs, and deer.

The negative to both are that ruger would not sell spare firing pins for them to anyone not a ruger certified gunsmith (I don't know if this is still true today), and although a general field strip is not terribly difficult, a detailed strip and clean is a little difficult for the average shooter.  Accuracy is not bad/ not fantastic but I liked them. Compact, rugged, dependable, all good points.

hope this helped

Shoot safe

Answer 10

I think you would be better served with an AR platform, for the money.  The Ruger's are not known for their accuracy.