Ruger M14 or M30

[Randy W]

It is time to buy a rifle that is not a 22. I have looked at hundreds and I know every one has an opinon just like holes in our bodies. I have decided on the Ruger M 14 or 30. There is just something about the feel of that rifle in the hand that fits me. Here is the ? Is the 223 any better than the 7.26 round or vice versa and why. Price, distance shooting, accuracy, something i have not thought of. Opinions required, maybe......

[gregintenn]

It pretty much comes down to whether you'd prefer to make .223" holes or .308" holes. Not much difference in noise, recoil, or price of ammo. I have a mini 14, and after a bit of trigger work, I really love it. If I ever find one at a fair price, I may get a mini 30 as well...there's an option....get both!!!

[Guest agt.dealer]

i've owned 3 mini 14's in my life and sadly i could never make myself happy with em!!!off the bat they need a adj.gas block"will throw brass 40yards to your right!",buffer!!!!!!!!!!,and trigger work....they are nice rifles but for the price i would say go with a nice ar-15 build for the same price or cheaper and end up with a much better rifle,and you can do a 5.45x39 upper and pay $100 for 1,080 rds of surplus ammo!!!!

[Moped]

Got to agree with agt.dealer, but I've had only two. I'll not buy another one. I'd save some more money and get an AR or I'd save a few dollars and buy a Siaga and convert it. After you convert the Siaga, you will know that rifle inside and out.

[DaveTN]

Depends on what you want to do with it. If you are going to use it for a target shooting rifle (although it isn’t very good at that) I would go with the .223; better ammo, longer range. If you want to use it as a SHTF weapon I would go with 7.62X39.

If you aren’t sure I would go with a .223. It will be easier to sell when you get tired of it and you will have ammo for your new AR.

[Jonnin]

The mini tends to be inaccurate in the 223 setup, not sure about the other caliber but probably the same. It will take any ammo you feed it all day long, and is a fun short range gun, but not a target rifle. The mags are nonstandard and difficult to insert, you have to hang a peg into a hole in the mag, and it can take a lot of practice to seat the mags properly. I would say get something else, personally. If you do get one, go with the bigger caliber and make it a short range defense rifle, maybe hang a red dot on it.

[gotigers]

I've not owned one. I have shot a friends Mini-30. It was fun to shoot and had quite the penetration. for SHTF, i would get the Mini-30. Otherwise, neither. I would go AR. Currently ARs prices are very close to Mini's. ARs also have an advantage in modularity, accessories market, trigger, accuracy, etc.

As for an alternatvie, what about the Kel-tec SU16? http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/rifles/su-16a/

[Jonnin]

I have the small kel tec 223, but the only difference is the barrel length and stock, the action and all are the same. It is a good gun for a good price, and my "pistol" is more accurate than the mini 14 was and takes standard ar mags -- it is a better gun than the ruger! AR is a better way to go if you want to customize and poke at it, but if you just want an out of the box shooter, the kel tecs are great.

[Guest agt.dealer]

another great out of the box shooter you cant go wrong with is a ak platform!!ak47 and ak74 great out to 200yrds+ and have a ton of aftermarket parts,i was in the same boat and i bought a yugo ak47 and them ended up with a great deal on ar parts and built one of them,i can still hit a target at 400yrds with both rifles all day,but with the ar lower you can easily change the caliber in 15 sec. i may buy a 7.62x39 ar upper soon just to see how well it works.

[gregintenn]

"will throw brass 40yards to your right!",

True! With the mini, you have two projectiles, the bullet and the brass. Not sure why that's a bad thing unless you are standing waaaay downrange and to the right of one. I'm not sure where all the talk of inaccuracy comes from, but mine will shoot 1.5" 100 yard group with most anything you put in it. Not a target rifle, but not bad for what it is. Many bolt rifles won't improve upon that.

[Guest agt.dealer]

True! With the mini, you have two projectiles, the bullet and the brass. Not sure why that's a bad thing unless you are standing waaaay downrange and to the right of one. I'm not sure where all the talk of inaccuracy comes from, but mine will shoot 1.5" 100 yard group with most anything you put in it. Not a target rifle, but not bad for what it is. Many bolt rifles won't improve upon that.

lol!!the guy on your right will want to fight in most cases ive found!lol!!it is very hard on the receiver as well,thats why i said a adj.gasblock and a buffer are a must!best i could get was 1"@150yds,at 200yrds it really opened up!even with the mil.spec ss109 ammo,to compare,

stainless ranch rifle $600,gasblock $150,buffer $30=$780 for a soso rifle?

$150 spikes ar lower,m4 stock $50,spikes complete upper $450=$650=1"groups all day @ 200yrds!

trust me im no fan on the ar platform at all!!but for the price its fun.the mini 14 is really limited on upgrades as well,but truth be told,if you can snatch one up for a few bills its not a bad rifle!just dont be like me and buy the new top line!and only use ruger made mags!!!no other mags feed right!!

[mikegideon]

lol!!the guy on your right will want to fight in most cases ive found!lol!!it is very hard on the receiver as well,thats why i said a adj.gasblock and a buffer are a must!best i could get was 1"@150yds,at 200yrds it really opened up!even with the mil.spec ss109 ammo,to compare,

stainless ranch rifle $600,gasblock $150,buffer $30=$780 for a soso rifle?

$150 spikes ar lower,m4 stock $50,spikes complete upper $450=$650=1"groups all day @ 200yrds!

trust me im no fan on the ar platform at all!!but for the price its fun.the mini 14 is really limited on upgrades as well,but truth be told,if you can snatch one up for a few bills its not a bad rifle!just dont be like me and buy the new top line!and only use ruger made mags!!!no other mags feed right!!

1" groups at 200 yards? I only have one AR that will do that, and it ain't a sub $1000 rifle. Not saying you may not luck up, but 1/2 MOA bargain builds ain't the norm.

[FUJIMO]

What do you plan to own more of ?

.223 weapons or 7.62 x 39 weapons ?

Or ( shudders at the thought ) do you plan on just ONE ???

I would go at it from the other way. Set a price in your head and whichever you find in that range first get it and go from there.

Chances are it will be a mini 14 as they are the cheaper of the 2.

[TnShooter83]

I'd go with the .223 since the AK/SKS is cheaper and in some ways better.

I find the Mini 14/30 a bit heavy. I have shot both. As far as accuracy goes the 30 is a little better than the standard

AK but not by much. As for the .223 I find it less accurate than than any of my AR.

Price wise the the 30 is a little cheap (Wolf, Brown Bear, Silver Bear or Surplus)

Distance wise I like the .223 it shoots flatter (longer Distance) and is almost all ways more accurate.

Something you might not have thought of is resell value?

Most people will go with an SKS or AK when it comes to 7.62.

And most people will go AR platform when buying a 223/5.56

Reselling it if you don't like it might be a little hard(er).

Edited August 13, 2011 by TnShooter83

[Randy W]

You have to love murphys law. Just when i think i can pick up my first rifle that is not a 22 the fuel pump on 1 car goes out, a new radiator is needed on the other along with battery, AC system and O2 sensor. I am afarid to ask whats next. So for now the Mini is on hold. Thanks for the advise and Tnshooter i did not think about resale. They say things happen in 3s I only wish it was 3.

[Oh Shoot]

....So for now the Mini is on hold. ...

Life is what happens in between making plans.

When you do get flush enough, you probably can't do better on a Mini than through CDNNsports.com. They seem to have some special relationship with Ruger.

My recent Mini14 Tactical was $627.97, including the $30 for transfer and TICS.

They are generally the go to place for Ruger Mini factory mags, too.

- OS

[tnhawk]

I have the small kel tec 223, but the only difference is the barrel length and stock, the action and all are the same. It is a good gun for a good price, and my "pistol" is more accurate than the mini 14 was and takes standard ar mags -- it is a better gun than the ruger! AR is a better way to go if you want to customize and poke at it, but if you just want an out of the box shooter, the kel tecs are great.

My mini 14 6.8spc Ruger has been accurate and dependable. My only complaint was finding 10 and 20 round magazines.

However, for shooting at a long range, I prefer an AR or M1A.

[Mike.357]

i really want a mini 30. I don't want more calibers I have shot OS's mini 14's and they are as accurate at 200 yards as my Garand is.

The buffer is a good add on part for them.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Right now on Troy Industries website you can buy their Mini-14 223 upgrade chassis for only $200 with coupon code 50OFF til the 22nd which makes a huge improvement to the upgradeability and style of the mini 14 (its normally $400)

Gun Sights|M7 Upgrades|Tritium Sights|Muzzle Brakes|Rail Covers|Troy Industries

[Guest Xring04]

I had both the 14 and the 30. I kept the 14. The 30 would not shoot steel cased ammo. It seems to be a common problem with the 30. My 14 eats anything I run through it.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Xring04

[Guest MLC]

I had a Mini-30 a few years ago. It was by far the worst firearm I've ever had any experience with. Granted, I got it used, but it was just awful. Wouldnt cycle properly with any type of ammo or any mag new, used, factory, aftermarket, metal, plastic, I tried em all. I tried all sorts of things to get it to work right and nothing ever helped. I ended up trading out of it at a gunshow. Told the guy it had issues(felt bad pawning off my problems to someone else) but he said he knew how to get em to shoot right.

I always thought they were super cool till I owned one. Having owned one I'd advise against them. Straight up J U N K !

[Caster]

I always hated the magazine. Quick changes, even with practice will never match an AR or AK.

If you're going to spend the money, cry now, not later. If you want the 7,62x39 go buy yourself a quality (I SAID QUALITY NOT CENTURY!) AK-47. Feed it crap and watch it spit them out over and over. Want accuracy? Try Hornady or some other brass cased quality ammo and watch accuracy go WAY up. The biggest problem with the AK is poor accuracy and 98% of it is traceable to crummy ammo. Wolf, Monarch and surplus, they're great for blasting zombies, but don't expect tight groups.

If you want to go with the .223/5,56 do yourself a favor and go buy an AR. You might be upset when you have to pay for it, but you won't come back a month later cussin' me for it. Bet on it.

I love Ruger, I do. AND, with the death of Bill Ruger, they've improved an order of magnitude but the mini?? I know it's an OK rifle, but is that what you want? A rifle that's "OK"?

[hkgonra]

Have a mini-30 and it is a great deer rifle for in the woods. I just don't think either are worth what they are asking for them these days.

[Pain103]

I have owned both and liked them. Had a bad experience with the bolt shearing in half on the mini 30. I never had one problem with the mini14 but either one will do the job.

[wareagle]

I have a mini30. It has never jammed ever. It shoots Russian and Chinese ammo. 100yd accuracy with same is about 3". It is very picky on mags.