ruger mini 30
 

I was reading the ak in cali thread below, and saw a suggestion on the mini 30. Being in california myself, I am looking at a good practical rifle to own. Please provide opinions, suggestions, and other possible options.
I own a shotgun for protection, but want a fun rifle to use at the range. I live in an apartment now, so not a high probability of me using the rifle for protection, but in the future I may buy a house somewhere rural.
What are the prices on 7.62x39 ammo?
Mini 14 or 30?
Thank you.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Have both, great guns, ammo best prices I found on sportsmansguide.com let me know if you know of cheaper both .223 and 7.62x39

Re: ruger mini 30
 

7.62x39 can be had for generally between 17 and 18 cents a round right now, more expensive than it used to be but still less expensive than many alternatives.

People talk a lot of smack about the Mini's. The first rifle I bought for myself was a stainless Mini-14 shortly after the ban, never gave me any trouble. The Mini line has recently been reworked and the new rifles are reported to be better than the old ones but I haven't had to mess with them because I do own an AK. The chief complaint I've heard about the Mini's is the old accuracy and shot stringing as the gun heats up, fwiw one of the main features of the new rifles is a beefier barrel which should reduce or eliminate this.

Ruger was funny about selling you parts for your gun, I have heard they are still that way. The old work around was to pull the bolt and the trigger group out of your rifle, send it back to Ruger with a note saying "I'm such a clumsy oaf I lost my bolt and trigger group when field stripping my Mini at the range." While you'll be out of your rifle for a short while it will get sent back with a factory fitted spare trigger group and bolt.

Then there's the magazine issue. Either buy factory mags or search out a DIY article on how to mod an aftermarket mag for reliability, assuming your aftermarket mag has problems. I bought a bunch of the stainless Pro-Mag 30rd mags around the same time I bought my Mini. They never gave me any feeding issues though I did debur the feed lips.

The Mini wouldn't be my first choice but it's plenty serviceable and a valid option for someone sentenced to life in Occupied Kalifornia.

Editted to add: If they're legal in your state you'd probably be better off the a Saiga but I don't know if they are or not.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

I didn't like the Mini-14 I had, it was not designed for scope mounting and the peep sight fell apart every time I bumped it. I would consider the Mini-30 if it had the scope mounts.
The Mini-14 is not really a worthwhile alternative to AR15's, IMO. But the AK47 leaves one major thing to be desired; it is not well designed for scope mounting. This leaves the Mini-30 to fill a niche.

I might have to look into them. I'm assuming they are available with scope rings. Having a stainless survival rifle might be a plus as well.

It's even made in USA!!!!!!

Re: ruger mini 30
 

I didn't like...

I have a couple of those for that Mini-14 gun.

Now the .223 was hard to keep on a target (in a volley), I don't think the 7.62 would be any easier.

I would want to test it first.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

the mini-14 ranch rifle is designed for scope mounting but the trade off is a flimsy folding peep sight.have had several mini-14s and customized each one with bullpup and folding polymer stocks,shrouds,flash hiders,etc.the accessory aftermarket is huge for the mini.the poor man's ar is legal in its original form in many assault weapon ban states.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Just searched around the net for mini-thirty. It seems they're about $650+ new and then when you add a couple high capacity magazines you've almost bought two AK47's. They don't come with flash suppressors.

Seems like a pretty tough pill to swallow. If I found one real cheap it might be nice to have.

But for .223 I'll stick with the AR flattop platform, thank you.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Thanks for the replies!
How about the mini 14 or mini 30 question? Pros/cons? I understand that the 14 ammo will be much cheaper, but how about power?

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Actually 5.56x45/.223 Remington will cost a tiny bit more for equivalent Russian cheap ammo. The difference is that while the cheap Russian 7.62x39 can have excellent terminal effect if you select the right options the steel jacketed Russian 5.56x45 will not perform nearly as well as the properly constructed American/NATO rounds. Then you're talking about ammot that is at least half again as expensive as the 7.62x39. There is no ammo cost savings going with the Mini-14.

The 7.62x39 and 5.56x45 have clearly different performance envelopes. The 7.62x39 will penetrate intermediate barriers such as walls, trees, car bodies and such and still be dangerous when it hits the badguy on the other side with much more regularity than the 5.56. It pretty much owns woods and urban environments and is useful out to about 200 yards for most people. 5.56x45 is a good selection if you're worried about overpenetration in an urban environment or if you realistically will need your main home defense rifle to enage targets out further than 200 yards. Choose your caliber based on your environmental needs.

There is one other important difference, 5.56x45 weighs about half as much as 7.62x39, if you need to carry a lot of ammo on foot this is part of the equation.

Other than that they'll both kill you as dead as a doornail if they hit something vital and they'll both make a mess if they don't.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Buy both, if you can afford them. :bear_smile:

Otherwise, go with the Mini-14, unless you have a specific desire or need for the Mini-30.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

There are positives and negatives for both rounds...much of the world uses .223/5.56 as a primary rifle round, and much of the world uses .30/7.62...and some countries use both.

Due to its ubiquity in the United States, the .223/5.56 is probably the better choice unless you have a perceived need for the .30/7.62.

Re: ruger mini 30
 

Great ammo info! Thank you!
I don't see the need for the more powerful round (at the moment - living in an apartment building...).
But I do want to a rifle to keep for a very long time. I don't want to get something that I will decide is underpowered in a few years.
I guess the 14 will do, I don't see myself hunting deer any time soon (or ever).
Keep the suggestions and opinions coming, this guy is with me - :withstupi (regarding guns)