What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I bought a few 20-30 round magazines for this rifle some 15 years ago, but never got around to purchasing the rifle. I think I also have a bunch of ammo for the same.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

More than an AK......


500 plus.


http://gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.asp

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

if you bought the Ruger magazines, then you got quality and don't let em go for cheap. They are well fitted and were sold to accompany the AC 556 or whatever they called the assault rifle they sold to LE.

If you bought USA mags, be advised they suck and fit poorly. Might as well cut em loose for what ya can. An unreliable magazine is worse than bad it can be deadly. Never keep shitty mags, get rid of them.

Minis are fun, but what's the point, if you like 556 Nato / 223 just get an AR pattern.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

mini-14s are around $6-700 from what I've seen in stores.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I sold mine a year and a half ago for $375, it wasn't rubber either.
I've seen one or two at gun shows under $500 in the last 6 months. I didn't like mine. The peep sight is ruined every time you bump it agaist something, took special mags and it wasn't any more accurate than an AK 47.

But I think one of the "Ranch Rifles" with scope rings in stainless would be worth having if you got it cheap.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

ditto on the mags, they are good as gold if original.. sell'em, forget about the AR platform they suck. ask any vet who's life depended on one (an AR).

get a well made AK and be done with it. VEPR comes to mind.:bull-buddy-icon:

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

What would you be buying the rifle for?

If it's a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation, then you'd be better served purchasing an AR/AK type weapon. The Ruger and for that matter most civilian style rifles aren't really intended for high volume fire and also require tools to field strip whereas military style weapons generally don't. Personally, I'd sell or trade the magazines for AR/AK mags in this scenario.

If purchasing for plinking or hunting, you really can't go too far wrong with any Ruger product. Well designed and relatively inexpensive firearms.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Probably just use it for plinking, or not. I have a Marlin 22 that is great for putting holes in cans and with the Bushnell scope is accurate way way out. For hunting I have a Remington 30-06.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I was just over on the GD forum thinking about this and I'll tell ya, IMO forget the Ruger. If I were making a purchase right now, I'd go for the AR. Like any weapon, it's only going to be as accurate as the individual using it and the AR is plenty accurate (why I would favor it over the AK). Also, you never know when an 'assault rifle' ban would be enacted. If you go for the Ruger, you may not have the bucks to get an AR/AK before such a ban was enacted. Also, the AR will do everything the Ruger will, but the opposite is not true.

As far as reliability goes, old news that was not the weapons fault, but rather bureaucrats who changed the powder that was used in the cartridges. While the AR used to have some reliability issues itself, they have been worked out of the system and it's as good or better than just about any other rifle of its type. The only real weakness that it has right now is the gas system, which admittedly is a little dirtier than other gas systems, but even with a modest amount of cleaning, you would be just fine. Somewhere on the internet there is a video of a company field testing the AR in mud, sand, you name it and it ran with the best of them.. Sorry I don't have a link, but you may be able to locate it on You Tube. Also, remember, there are 2 million+ people who have been killed with this weapon since its introduction...can't be too bad of a weapon.

If you decide to go this route, I'd suggest either a Bushmaster or Olympic Arms AR. Have one of each and they run great. Another thing you may want to consider, and something I did with my Bushy, is to piece the rifle together from parts over time. That way you don't have to take a $600.00 hit all at one time. The only thing about going this route is to get the barrel fitted to the receiver at the factory (usually a $25.00 or so extra charge but worth it, believe me) so the head space is correct. Very easy rifle to work on with a TM to guide you.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Exerpt from some guy's experience at Thunder Ranch:

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Oh, and get an AK. WASR-10's cheap but cycles lead the same :bull-buddy-icon:

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Some guys experience...he,he,he. I'll say. I can't get that web page to load so I'll just comment on what you posted.

Well, first of all, I've used AR's for over 30 years, qualified expert with a POS rifle with a badly pitted barrel, used them all over the world and a couple of those 'experiences', I've never even heard of, let alone seen.

Problems clearing the weapon...pull the charging handle back and eject the round. Sounds to me like the individual might have used the forward assist to drive an oversize cartridge into the chamber, jammed it and wound up with this problem. NEVER use the forward assist. Eject the round and carry on. Simple, and no more time consuming than using the forward assist.

Finger sweep the chamber to see if the round went into the barrel? WTF???? Don't have a clue as to what he's talking about. If the mags loaded and the bolt is released, you have loaded a round into the chamber. Sound like BS to me.

A round stuck above the bolt? Don't know what he's talking about again, but physically impossible if I'm getting what he's trying to say.

Now there is a kernel of truth to water in the barrel. The 5.56mm round is of such a size that if the bolt is closed and the barrel submerged in water, it is possible for water to stay in the barrel similar to putting a straw in a glass of water and then plugging the other end with a finger. Solution? Pull the charging handle back slightly, the water drains out and you're GTG. This problem is a function of the diameter of the cartridge, not the weapon itself.

I'm going to have to look at this web page tomorrow at work, still can't get to come up at home, but frankly this guys experiences, such as they are, are bull. Actually the writing is in the style of Gun Kid. Like to check on just who this guy really is that wrote this. Like they say, don't believe everything you read on the internet.

That being said, both the AR and AK family of weapons, just as all weapons, have their strengths and weaknesses. AK's overall are slightly more reliable, simpler in design, and fire a slightly more powerful cartridge for instance. On the other hand, they suck from an ergonomic standpoint, are more rust prone, have very loud safeties, and are less than accurate weapons. AR's are more accurate, from an ergonomic standpoint are world class, have better sights and less rust prone. On the other hand they are somewhat more complex and have a dirtier gas system.

No one weapon is the best at all tasks so you must weigh the positives and negatives of each weapon when purchasing and select the one that fits your personal requirements the best. You can't really go too far wrong with either weapon, but personally I prefer the AR series because I'm most familiar with them.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Found the culprit, typed the URL wrong :confused_ma:

But yeah, I'm not the one saying this, just sharing what I found a while back. None of my friends getting back from Iraq or Afghanistan have anything positive to say about the M16/M4's they use. Some of them have very nice AK collections now :tongue_ma:

Personally, I see no reason for myself to have one. I'll stick to AK's and get a decent bolt action for anything the AK can't reach out and touch. Maybe a good .308 MBR but no .223's for me. Just the way I feel, do what you'd like SilverCollector

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Yea I see what your saying and can't disagree. I think that the AK is more of a single purpose weapon...put a lot of lead downrange, period. If defense is the sole goal and accuracy isn't a top priority, go for an AK and you will be well served.

For someone like SilverCollector though, my personal opinion is that he would be better served by selecting a multi-purpose weapon like an AR. It's accurate enough for plinking purposes but also able to fill more serious roles.

Good discussion. Nighty, night. I keep weird hours, so off to bed I go.:D

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I had the M-16A2 inflicted on me. I will say it is fairly easy to clear, never had to do the wild stuff in the "experience" repost. At the same time it was not uncommon for the rifle to become a mag fed bolt action with an akwardly placed handle when I was in the dirt. I had Colts, FN's, Bushmasters... Bushmaster was the best. There is more wrong with the design than the powder used in cases long ago, but if you're determined you can make it work. AR's go down a lot even in classes but it's like the 1911's, hear no evil/see no evil/speak no evil.

Ergonomically there are only two bright spots to the AR design, the safety and mag release. The charging handle just sucks, as does the bolt catch which seems more like an after thought. In theory the magwell is a good idea, in practice it's too easy to not properly seat a magazine and even if it is seated correctly if anything is applying pressure to the mag it can occasionally cause misfeeds.

The work thing on an AK ergonomically speaking is the paddle style mag release. Fortunately this is easy to modify and it was changed on its spinoffs, the Finnish RK/Valmet series and their Israeli knockoffs. Most Americans just have no clue how to run an AK, try to run it like an AR which has a totally different control layout and of course you'll have problems.

The Mini's get a bad rep probably because of Ruger helping get the high cap mag ban going. The rifle itself is ok and the newer ones have modifications to address heating and accuracy issues. The sights are different now, too, they're all ranch rifles from what I heard. They're lightweight and very reliable if you've got good mags for them. I would generally favor the Mini over the AR for its reliability and steel construction, but AFAIK the steel is still just case hardened which is a bit of let down, not that it effects performance too much. I can't see much point in getting a Mini over an AK unless you're just trying to save on weight.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I think about $500 for a new one. This is the first rifle I purchased way back in 1976. A 180 Series for about $200. The rifle will vertically string once the barrel heats - but other than that, its ok I guess. What everyone else is saying about the mags is correct. OEM mags work great, but aftermarket - watch out. Many years ago, the factory mags were a restricted sales item. I don't know about today. I hope this helps.
Take care,
Mod1

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

um I have and its not quite as pat as you put it there. I still think they're better choice than the ruger mini for about a hundred obvious reasons

oops I see some others in the thread has run that down pretty well. very good, the GIM mind meld is functioning properly today. I wish my pc was working that well this morning.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

my mini was an early model and it's got plenty of problems. I was going to send it back for service-- Ruger has great warranty service, though I dont know if they call it that-- but I shipped a mark 2 back once with a problem and they fixed it and upgraded something at the same time for me, really nice-- and from what I hear they'll do a fine job on any ruger piece you send back

the biggest advantage to having an AR in the usa is the obvious abundance of replacement parts and ammo. This is not a small thing if you think that you may actually end up using it for something more than fun or regular civilian self defense.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

I saw a blued and wood stock Mini 14 at WalMart yesterday for $581. These rifles seem to be a bit overpriced in my opinion, but what can you do?

I work with a guy who wants to sell a Mini 14 ranch rifle that is finished in stainless and a black synthetic stock, 5 20 rd. mags(Ruger) and 800 rds. of ammo for $800...........pretty tempting to me.

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

interesting offer, since the ruger mags are prolly worth $50 each if they really are OEM. check and make sure they have the insignia stamped on the follower, memory tells me the ruger ones do.

JG sells em for fifty each. any aftermarket make besides this is junk.

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info....oducts_id/1060

so you could get the one at wallyworld new, get the 20s from JG, and get just as much ammo for the same price, why buy used? you could offer the guy $500, or $600 if he met me at a range and allowed a testfire. If you that the time for that kind of thing.

say that reminds me, do all the rugers have the same barrel twist to take the 55gr bullets or have they been tooled up at all for the heavier ones like the SS109s?

Re: What's a Ruber mini-14 cost these days
 

Save a few more pennies and get an M4 type carbine. Ive been down the mini-14 route. They are reliable, but without some custom work, accuracy is lacking. The barrel heats up quick too. You can put one together yourself for around $650 or less, by getting the upper and lower from different sources, then putting them together. Yes, the AR has its faults, but all firearms do. As others have said, the AK would be a better choice also. Currently, 5.45x39mm ammo can be had at "reasonable prices compared to 223 and 308.

Read this to wet your appetite
http://www.ar15.com/content/articles/idealRifle/

then this (note there are 3 pages)
http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/st223_120606/