A Pair Of Ruger Mini 14 Tactical's

[billt]

I picked these 2 up a couple of days ago. Both are the newer Tactical Mini 14 Models, one in Stainless, and one in blue. Both are identical except for finish. The blued model has a slightly longer over all length.

I have a NRA Edition Mini 14 I got a couple years ago when they came out. It has the Hogue Overmolded stock with the gold NRA Medallion set in the pistol grip. Both of these have the standard synthetic stock. The Ruger Mini's are some of the most pure "fun guns" out there. The blued model came without scope rings and 2, 20 round magazines. The Stainless model came with rings and one 20 round magazine. I'm planning on not scoping them, and running them with iron sights. The sights supplied are adjustable, large aperture, front protected blade type.

 These newer models have the thicker barrels, along with Ruger's improved method of attaching the gas block that is supposed to help eliminate tweaking and stress in the barrel itself. This caused a lot of the older models to walk all over the target as the barrel heated up from a lot of continuous rapid fire. The newer models are much more stable, and more accurate in that regard. The guns are typical Ruger and built like a tank, and the actions cycle nice and smooth. I've handloaded a ton of .223 / 5.56 MM so I'm anxious to get them to the range next week. The weather is finally starting to break here. It was just 63 degrees this morning. It's time to get out and shoot after a long, hot Summer!

[Hazcat]

Will you adopt me? 

[alfsauve]

I'm with Haz.  As much as I don't care for the Mini-14, I'd be more than happy to be your "gun bearer".

Those look cool and probably shoot much better than the junk I had 30 years ago.   I will admit that over the years Ruger has improved on this base and is turning out some decently accurate guns now.

[billt]

I will admit that over the years Ruger has improved on this base and is turning out some decently accurate guns now.

There are 2 guns in the firearms world that I did a complete turnaround on over the years. One is the Glock, and the other is the Ruger Mini 14. For years I regarded them as useless, inaccurate, and offered nothing that an AR-15 couldn't do more of, better than. I always liked the looks of the Mini, but hated the inaccuracy, and the fact Ruger wouldn't sell Hi-Cap magazines to the public. I was being overly judgemental. I finally gave in to temptation when Ruger realized the error of their ways, and started offering 20 round magazines to the public, after years of having to tow the line enforcing Bill Rugers foolish, outdated policies that weren't ever in step with gun owners.

If Bill Ruger is turning over in his grave with these new high capacity Tactical Models, so be it. The guns are what they always should have been. The Mini 14 begs to be shot, and shot a lot. Aftermarket magazines never worked worth a damn in these rifles, and most likely never will. I think if Ruger would have offered them all along they would have sold a lot more of these weapons. I remember when they first came out, they weren't even offered for sale to the general public, only law enforcement. Now it's one of the companies best selling models.

It's not the kind of rifle you would take on a 300 yard prairie dog hunt, but for fun at the range it's pretty hard to beat. It's rugged, reliable, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to shoot. It seems the older I get the more informal, general target shooting appeals to me. These new Ruger Mini 14's are just what the doctor ordered. I'm guessing they'll be going through a lot of ammo in the months to come.

[blackwolfe]

Bill, What gives the blued one the slightly longer overall length?  Does the stock make it longer, or is the barrel a little longer, or something else?

[Sponsor]

[PegLeg45]

Nice Bill, I've been a fan of the 14 for years. Built strong and reliable.....and just accurate enough.
Ordinarily, "just accurate enough" wouldn't suffice in my book.....but the strength and reliability wins the day on this rifle.  JMHO, FWIW.

[billt]

Bill, What gives the blued one the slightly longer overall length?  Does the stock make it longer, or is the barrel a little longer, or something else?

Actually the Stainless model is slightly longer. My mistake.

The blued model is listed with a 17.625" barrel with Flash Suppressor, and an
Overall Length of 36.5".

The Stainless model of the same exact rifle is listed with a 18.5" Heavy Barrel with Flash Suppressor and an
Overall Length of 37.5".

[billt]

How the Ruger Mini 14 is meant to be shot.

[billt]

I had both of them out yesterday. This was shot at 100 yards, (both rifles) 16 rounds each with the factory iron sights and my 59 year old eyes. 2 different handloads were used. The first was a 55 Gr. WW FMJBT over 25.0 Gr. of AA 2230-C. The second load was a 55 Gr. Lake City FMJBT over 25.7 Gr. of H-335. I fired equal amounts of each load in both rifles, 33 rounds total. I think I loaded an extra round in the Stainless Model, I can't remember.

I never touched the sight adjustment on either gun. Both were shot as they came from the box. No adjustment was necessary. Both guns functioned flawlessly with not one single FTF or FTE. The 25.7 Gr. load of H-335 was substantially hotter. Brass was ejected about 20 feet to the right, and 5 feet to the rear. The 25.0 Gr. loading of AA 2230-C was slightly less, but functioned both rifles just as well. The wind was around 7 to 15 MPH and the temp was right around 70 to 75 degrees.

All in all I'm very pleased. With a good scope and mounts, and match grade ammunition, these guns could easily be capable of much better. I had no trouble ringing 12" steel plates at 200 yards with either gun with the factory sights. All total I put around 160 rounds downrange with each rifle. All the 20 round Ruger factory magazines supplied with both rifles performed flawlessly as well. The mags are a little trickier to remove than an AR-15 magazine, but once you get the hang of it they're not bad at all. You have to get in the habit of rocking them forward, then pull them back and out. They then come out very easily. Overall it was a good day, and there were no issues with either gun. After a good cleaning and lubrication these actions are really slick. If anyone is still hung up on the inaccuracy of the Ruger Mini 14, you might want to reconsider. These guns are quite a bit more accurate than the older models.