While the Mini-30 certainly isn't a new firearm by any means, Ruger has just recently announced that they are making a "tactical" version. The tactical features a slightly shorter barrel than the previous models and also uses the standard Ruger flash hider. The barrel is also fat out in front of the gas block. More importantly, the tactical ships with a factory 20rd magazine rather than a 5rd mag as sold with most other models.
The Mini-14 was probably the first .223 carbine to find a home in police armories and squad cars across the US in large numbers and many can still be found in use with police officers across the nation. Still, the Mini-14 isn't as versatile as the AR platform and has taken a back seat to the AR and AK in the last decade or so. The Mini-14 has been used by both hero and villain alike. Michael Platt probably did more to make the Mini-14 infamous than anybody else. The same goes for Gordon Kahl and his wife. If memory serves, some of the shooters at Wounded Knee also used Mini-14's. But, honestly, I think part of this diminished popularity is based on some of Bill Ruger's political decisions rather than based on any performance factors of the basic Mini-14 series of carbines.
I haven't messed with a Mini-14 in probably twenty-five years, except for a few mags I ran through an AC-556 a couple of years ago. I have some fond memories of shooting varmints with my dad and brother using a Mini but that was years ago and I've not given the Mini a 2nd thought for the most part until recently.
I initially played with a Mini-30 back in 1991 or thereabouts when I bought what appeared to be a nice condition Mini-30 from a pawn shop. The gun was very clean on the outside but the gun was filthy dirty from use. It wasn't until I got home and got a chance to run a patch through the bore that I discovered that the gun had been shot extensively with corrosive ammo and not properly maintained. Fortunately, the shop took the rifle back and gave me a refund. That ended my interest in the Mini-30 until a few months ago.
What got me thinking about giving one of these a try again is the chapter in David Scott-Donelan's book on tactical tracking operations covering weapons and equipment. Mr. Scott-Donelan writes, in short, "Its accuracy, lightness, and reliability, combined with good firepower and superior ballistics, makes it almost a perfect choice for a tracker weapon." I recently attended a class in El Paso taught by David and his crew and came away impressed. These guys have all been there, done that, done it a couple more times and lived to tell about it. If you have the need for training of this type, I cannot think of a better instructor cadre. But I digress...
The gun ships from the factory in the standard white cardboard box with one magazine, the usual paperwork and a set of 1" scope rings. While the included rings are a nice accessory, I would rather see Ruger include a coupon for rings of the purchaser's choice or maybe a padded envelope with instructions on returning the 1" rings in exchange for a set of 30mm rings. A better option might be to cast and machine short Picatinny-type rails into the top of the receiver to allow more versatility in mounting an optic.
While we're on the subject of "like to haves," I'd like to see the rifle ship with at least one additional magazine. Also, I think the magazines should be Parkerized or otherwise feature a matte non-reflective finish. While the rear sight serves its intended purpose, it is a little touchy regarding adjustment and a click-adjustable sight would be nice. One thing that would be an easy change would be using 1.25" sling swivels rather than the 1" swivels used on the gun now, to accommodate military slings.
Given the minor complaints above, the gun is nicely fitted with only a few casting marks noticeable on the receiver and op rod. The trigger is a two-stage and is a little heavy and gritty but not bad for a weapon of this type.
The fat/thin barrel profile:
The GB-style flash hider and front sight:
My wife and I went out this morning to run some ammo through my new Tactical. We took a variety of ammo and my Shooting Chrony Beta Master. Most of our groups were fired off the bench at 100yds.
Ammo used was a pretty good mix of 7.62x39. I have some Yugo M67 and some factory Winchester soft point ammo but I forgot to take these along. I guess that gives me an excuse to go shooting again tomorrow!
We started out by shooting everything I had for group as well as for velocity. I then fired an additional group with the three loads that showed the most promise and then tried the best load of the three at 300 yards. Not surprisingly, the Sako military surplus ammo was the most accurate. Really, I was pleased with the results of all the ammo used and anything that shot better than anything else most certainly could have been based on my shooting and nothing else. With that said, the Hornady V-MAX reloads and factory ammo seemed to be the less accurate of the ammo I used today. More experimentation is definitely needed.
Chrono results. Five shot strings over the Chrony:
125gr V-MAX bullet loaded using Remington cases and AA#2200 powder
High: 2533
Low: 2477
Avg: 2509
ES: 56
Sd: 23.8
123gr Hornady Soft Point bullet loaded with Remington cases and N-130 powder
High: 2375
Low: 2318
Avg: 2339
ES: 57.8
Sd: 21.2
WOLF 154gr Soft Point
High: 2232
Low: 2168
Avg: 2201
ES: 64
Sd: 23.1
125gr Brown Bear Soft Point––very consistent velocities
High: 2554
Low: 2534
Avg: 2540
ES: 19.8
Sd: 8.2
Hornady 125gr V-MAX factory load
High: 2352
Low: 2325
Avg: 2340
ES: 26.6
Sd: 13.7
Lapua surplus. VPT 79 head stamp
High: 2459
Low: 2419
Avg: 2438
ES: 40.8
Sd: 17.1
Sako surplus. SO 75 head stamp. Most accurate load tested
High: 2595
Low: 2564
Avg: 2581
ES: 30.8
Sd: 12.6
Also, not surprisingly, the SAKO and the Brown Bear ammo seemed to have the most felt recoil, followed by the WOLF 154gr stuff. The SAKO and Brown Bear ammo have shown higher velocities for me in my Yugo AK as well.
Anyway, on to the targets. Since I was trying to sight the gun in to shoot point of aim/point of impact at 100 yards, I aimed at 6:00 on my targets so these groups all look like they're lower than they actually are. I chose a 6:00 hold since I found it difficult to get a good center mass aiming point on the black targets with the Ruger's black front sight.
Here's a group of five shots with my handload using a 123gr bullet and N-130 powder. This one runs about 3 1/2", which I think is pretty darned good for open sights and a fairly stiff trigger.
Five shots using SAKO ammo. The one low is a called flier. Note the holes in the top of the target are actually shown in the picture posted above.
And five rounds of WOLF 154gr ammo from 100 yards. I was, again, aiming at the bottom of the bull's eye. Low, but I was pleased with the group.
Finally, we moved the bench back to 300 yards. Here's five rounds on paper using the Finnish surplus ammo. Not bad!
The Ruger on the bench:
My wife having a go. Note the case in the air!
And, finally, I managed to spot a jackrabbit on the way back to the house. Ammo used was the WOLF 154gr soft point.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Templar
Bookmarks