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CAVU | 01-15-2009 10:47 PM
Hows the mini-thirty? Just browsing and saw a mini thirty. Have experience with a mini-14, but the mini -thirty is 7.62x39 not a .223. Is it any better(or worse) than the 14? http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...=5806&return=Y

Glass | 01-15-2009 11:26 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...ducts/199L.jpg

electric-amish | 01-15-2009 11:33 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I would appreciate some insight on this as well. I've got the hankering for a high capacity 308. E-A

TheNocturnalEgyptian | 01-15-2009 11:41 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? This was the companion I was considering getting to go with my Ruger 10/.22 Hi-Cap .308 says hello!

Rumplestiltskin | 01-16-2009 12:19 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Quote:
Originally Posted by CAVU (Post 1514321) Just browsing and saw a mini thirty. Have experience with a mini-14, but the mini -thirty is 7.62x39 not a .223. Is it any better(or worse) than the 14? http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...=5806&return=Y
What are you looking to accomplish with the larger caliber?

CAVU | 01-16-2009 12:39 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Might use it as a back up deer gun to a .270 Ruger. Just wondering if anyone has experience with the mini thirty, the mini 14 I used jammed on me a few times. I was shooting in the snow /rain though.

smullen | 01-16-2009 02:25 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I've had one and shot a few... I like it better than the SKS, but less than the AK... Decent gun...

Victor | 01-16-2009 07:51 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? No factory high cap mags for them as of yet. 5 round mags only from factory.

Burl Ives | 01-16-2009 08:06 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Not any more accurate then an AK. High cap after market mags are of questionable quality and questionable function. Essentially the same build quality as the Mini 14. As previously stated, no high cap factory Ruger mags, only after market (and avoid ANY non-steel mags for this rifle). Good potential for a 100 yard deer / brush gun though, but might require lots of time in load development to achieve suitable accuracy with handloads. As easy to break down and clean as a Mini 14, as all the parts are the same, just sized for the x39 round. An AK offers much more then the mini 30, imo.

smullen | 01-16-2009 08:48 AM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? The A-Team always used them so they gotta be good.... :) Kidding aside, I still prefer the AK or AR, but I'd gladly take one if I found a pretty good deal on one...

Lars Ragnarsson | 01-16-2009 12:41 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I have an older one I bought second-hand, so it's probably 15-20 years old. I got three mags with it, a 10, 20, and 30 - obviously none of them factory. I can't get any of these mags to feed properly. The other issue is that it doesn't like Berdan-primed ammo, translation: the cheap stuff - Wolf, Barnaul, etc. I get about half the rounds that actually feed into the chamber to fire. The rest, the pin strike doesn't have enough force to ignite the primer. I didn't shoot the thing until recently, and my dealer warned me about this when I mentioned I was taking it to the range. Sure enough, this is what happened. I don't know if the newer ones are any better or not. I mean, I could probably get ahold of some 5 rd factory mags and buy a bunch of Boxer-primed 7.62 x 39 at $500 per 1000 to make it work. Or I could sell it and just stick with my AKs. Tough choice....

EE_ | 01-16-2009 12:51 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I think the Mini 14 was designed for the .223 round and a 762X39 round is hard on the reciever. Buy a Mini 14 in .223 or an AK in 762, or move up to all the many fine rifles chambered in 308

latitude22 | 01-16-2009 12:59 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Quote:
Originally Posted by smullen (Post 1514524) I've had one and shot a few... I like it better than the SKS, but less than the AK... Decent gun...
That's pretty much how I would describe them.

SilverCity | 01-16-2009 01:17 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Russian and former combloc 7.62x39 mil spec ammo (.311-.312 dia bullets) has HARD PRIMERS specifically designed for SKS and AK-47s to prevent slam-fires and is not as reliable in Mini-30s for some. The newest Mini-30s with the thicker, tapered barrel are getting decent groups in the 1-3 inch range with handloads and quality (.310 dia) U.S. factory ammo like Winchester, Remington, Federal, etc. all made with softer primers... The biggest complaint seems to be the lack of quality higher-capacity after-market or factory mags.

Fullpower | 01-16-2009 03:05 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? You couldnt GIVE me a minithirty. The 7.62 x39 is a good intermediate range plinker, and surplus commie ammo was once cheep to shoot. The Ruger chambered in the 7.62 x 39 leaves a lot to be desired. If you want a 7.62 NATO/308, then get an M14, FAL, AR10,G3, Galil, Valmet. plenty of examples of reliable full power self loading rifles out there.... the minithirty is not even half way there. If you need or want a nice lightweight carbine, get an AR15 they are reliable, easy to feed, easy to build, good parts availability.

StrawMan=Corporation | 01-16-2009 03:11 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Ask and ye shall receive. Pre 1989 Galil 308 ARM.. Check the Sig line for a link to pics. Quote:
Originally Posted by Fullpower (Post 1515122) You couldn't GIVE me a minithirty. The 7.62 x39 is a good intermediate range plinker, and surplus commie ammo was once cheep to shoot. The Ruger chambered in the 7.62 x 39 leaves a lot to be desired. If you want a 7.62 NATO/308, then get an M14, FAL, AR10,G3, Galil, Valmet. plenty of examples of reliable full power self loading rifles out there.... the minithirty is not even half way there. If you need or want a nice lightweight carbine, get an AR15 they are reliable, easy to feed, easy to build, good parts availability.

Fullpower | 01-16-2009 03:18 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Nice rifle strawman. Have you a supply of magazines with it?

StrawMan=Corporation | 01-16-2009 03:39 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I have about 4 or 5. Nothing like the hundreds of FAL or HK mags I have but then this one I dont shoot its LNIB (Like New In Box) no more than 25-30 rounds through it. Comes with all you see in the pics with the exception of my sons Sand box. Mags are somewhat hard to come by but the ones I do have are very high quality. Even if the buyer does not shoot it its an excellent investment vehicle. Quote:
Originally Posted by Fullpower (Post 1515138) Nice rifle strawman. Have you a supply of magazines with it?

Usury | 01-16-2009 07:59 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Not bad, but not good. The aftermarket mags SUCK. Also, it won't shoot surplus or even the new cheap military ammo from Russia and such because the firing pin spring is factory designed for softer primer american made ammo (i.e., Winchester, Federal). If you want it to shoot a few rounds of American ammo for hunting then you might be on to something--although I can think of a hundred better guns for that too.

gypsybiker45 | 01-16-2009 08:15 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Nothing wrong with the mini 30 except its very expensive for what it is.as noted by others, better performance from AKs than a mini 30.If you like the Mini as a rifle, get the mini-14, then you get M1 carbine size with M-16 punch.Just to clear the waters, a 7.62x39 is NOT a .308 Nato round (.308 winchester). so dont try and compare them. balistically the 7.62x39 is close to a 30-30 for punch.7.62x39 also doesnt have the accuracy or range of a .223. If you want a .308 battle rifle go with a full size version, M-14,BM-59 or FAL.(British commonwealth or Israeli are best)AR-10 will jump around like a bunny on fire, and a supressor will make it too loud.Mini 30s also were made to digest american made ammo, before COMBLOC ammo became widely available.

luft97 | 01-16-2009 08:28 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Quote:
Originally Posted by Usury (Post 1515476) Not bad, but not good. The aftermarket mags SUCK. Also, it won't shoot surplus or even the new cheap military ammo from Russia and such because the firing pin spring is factory designed for softer primer american made ammo (i.e., Winchester, Federal). If you want it to shoot a few rounds of American ammo for hunting then you might be on to something--although I can think of a hundred better guns for that too.
My Mini-30 is great. Not sure what you are talking about here with the rifle not shooting surplus... Mine eats that stuff up all day long.... Steel case? No problem for me... IF you know which aftermarket mags to buy it is not a problem. I have 10 (10) round promags that are 100% reliable. Below is a photo of what they look like. http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/s...res/112202.jpg

AZLiberty | 01-16-2009 11:01 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? It's worse. Ruger uses a .308 caliber barrel on these. The .762x39 actually uses an .311 bullet. Now, generally this would be unsafe. What Ruger does is puts a very long leade on the chamber, effectively swaging the .311 bullets down to .308. This is NOT conducive to accuracy.

wallew | 01-17-2009 12:44 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? One thing needs to be mentioned here. EITHER of the Ruger Mini's will shift their point of aim if shot a lot. LIKE IN A FIRE FIGHT. Having said that, I'm pretty sure that even when it does shift it's POA, it's still fairly reliable. And at least as accurate as an AK. Which means you should be able to hit a man sized target out to at least 100 yards. Maybe further if you get good with it. But it you are expecting ANY kind of accuracy after the barrel heats up, forget it.

BullionVince | 01-17-2009 01:32 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? I was looking at picking up some Wolf "Military Classic" rounds for my SKS from cabellas when I came across this review. "Last 2 batches had many misfires. I had the Ruger mini 30 checked by a gunsmith and it worked fine with hunting ammo. The last batch of Wolf ammo I bought (1000 rounds), has an ubelievable approx. 70% failure rate. Totally useless. I cannot reccomend this product." This sucks because now I am torn between the deal and this review. I am thinking it is his weapon that is the problem and not the ammo. Interesting to hear what you guys think.

Lars Ragnarsson | 01-17-2009 01:36 PM
Re: Hows the mini-thirty? Quote:
Originally Posted by BullionVince (Post 1516259) I was looking at picking up some Wolf "Military Classic" rounds for my SKS from cabellas when I came across this review. "Last 2 batches had many misfires. I had the Ruger mini 30 checked by a gunsmith and it worked fine with hunting ammo. The last batch of Wolf ammo I bought (1000 rounds), has an ubelievable approx. 70% failure rate. Totally useless. I cannot reccomend this product." This sucks because now I am torn between the deal and this review. I am thinking it is his weapon that is the problem and not the ammo. Interesting to hear what you guys think.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I posted about my experience, and SC explained why - the Russian stuff (Wolf) has hard primers to prevent slam-fires in the SKS and AK. I took the same box of unfired ammo that had a 50% + failure rate in my Mini-30, and sent them all downrange with my AK. With accuracy and 100% reliability. It is the gun, not the ammo. If they have the ammo and you think you're getting a deal on it, jump on it while you can! Edit for PS: I mentioned this problem to the gunsmith I deal with. Now he's a competition shooter, and doesn't mind plunking down big bucks for ammo. On the other hand, $300/1000 is too much to pay for 7.62 x 39 as far as I'm concerned, so I sure as hell won't fork out $500+/1000 for the quantities I want. Anyway, his answer was, "Stop buying cheap ammo. Or sell it." I like Option B.

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