Gun Review: Ruger Mini-30 Rifle
The weight of the Mini-30 is a little over six pounds and the full length is 37.25 inches. Barrel length is 18 ½ inches. An owner can stick to the original stock or use black tactical stocks if legal in one's state. The Mini-30 fires the same rounds as those fired through the traditional AK-47. One should use cheap foreign ammo at their own risk as such could cause corrosion/damage to the firearm.
Magazines are somewhat easier to find for the .223 model than for the Mini-30. Avoid cheaply made magazines as these will cause the rifle to jam, I learned this the hard way. Magazines made by Eagle tend to perform well under most circumstances. The factory 5 round magazine is adequate for basic shooting or long range target practice although many prefer at least a 10 round magazine with a semi-auto rifle.
While the Mini-30 has not seen as much use in military or police units as the Mini-14 it is popular among civilian shooters due to its affordable price and relatively low cost of ammo. It was introduced in 1987 and is a choice for some deer hunters. The Russian round is also able to penetrate more deeply than the .223 round but may not be as effective as the .223 in a self defense role due to a smaller permanent wound channel.
The rifle has a hand guard for protection from excessive barrel heat and better handling. The sights on the model tested were standard adjustable iron sights. A quality scope may be mounted if desired. I would recommend getting tall scope rings if getting an extended range scope to clear enough room for the front of the optics.
Recoil is pleasant on this model. In fact I would say the recoil is relatively light. It does not absorb recoil as smoothly as a well built AK-47 but it is light enough to keep one on target. I could shoot a Mini-30 for hours while a standard 12 gauge shotgun would leave my shoulder sore after a box or two. Purchase multiple magazines for the Ruger and you can do some serious target practice at the range. Some ranges will allow you to do controlled rapid fire and the Mini-30 handles well under such conditions.
The model I tested has a wood stock and a blued metal finish. Ruger does make an all weather model that comes with a synthetic stock and stainless steel upper receiver. Ruger is also now offering a model using the 6.8mm Rem SPC round. Regardless of the calibers or models you try I'm sure you will recognize quality firearms comparable to other semi-autos. Try a Ruger rifle out at the range to see if it fits your needs.
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14 Comments
Post a Commenti own an older mini-30(purchased in '97)ranch model in SS and have found it to be a reasonably accurate and very reliable carbine.The only issue I have ever had with were the cheap aftermarket 30rd. mags I bought. After comparing them to the factory mag I noticed the the feed lips on the 30 rounders needed to be re-shaped which I did with caution and a small mallet. Still not as good as factory mags but better than they were.
great rifle, easy to use, light recoil, accurate to 150-200 yds. Ive shot a couple of thousand rounds, like the highland round nose for goats and fallow, psp highland for red deer.
I have the ranch rifle in .308 and I made my own reloads for the gun when I purchased it. I have gotten deer, fox and other game with it. I can fire copper .311 ammo in the gun if I don't plink a lot as the heat build-up is too much. Don't use the steel as that will kill the barrel. All in all I like the rifle as a walking gun in the woods. I reload so I am set for plinking and hunting. I was told to reload when I purchased the gun.
owned one for several years, took a couple of deer w/it. had trouble w/military grade ammo. would pop out the triger mechanism. very annoying. anyone else notice this.
Tested it today with factory iron sight. All I can say is wow! Accurate at 25, 50 and 100 yards. Low recoil, inexpensive to shoot, take down is simple for cleaning.
Also, you should know ruger factory 20-round steel mags are finally available for the Mini-30. The demand has been so high they are on back order, but they are taking orders.
http://shopruger.com/Magazine-20-Rd-762-X-39-MM/productinfo/90338/
the latest model with the contoured barrel, has a .310 bore not a .308 so it fires the military ssurplus ammo without overheating.
However I did get some light strikes with the militry ammo. But a Wolf extra-strength replacement hammer spring fixed that.
If you replace your hammer spring, it is a bit of a trick. getting the old spring and guide out is easy - just pull it out. But to get the new one in you have to notice that there is a little hole in the guide rod. Compress the spring down and lip a nail in the hole to retain the spring, drop the spring and guide back in, then pull the nail out and the spring expands.
Suggest you read some reliable tables when comparing the 7.62 to a 30-30 cartridge. The only thing similar is the three-tenths of an inch bullet diameter. External ballistics are somewhat superior in the 7.62.
As a mini 30 ranch rifle owner I can say that if you expect to fire inexpensive milspec ammo with this, think again; firing pin too weak. I only realized it does not fire milspec ammo until after I purchased it and read the manual, despite the fact that the salesman told me that it fires the cheap stuff. You have to use the expensive stuff at around $1/per shot. It also overheats very easily due to the .308 diameter barrel. I found it deceptive that a rifle that bored for a popular military round cannot fire popular military rounds. (I cannot find a gun store that sells US made 7.62 ammo, so only buy this if you reload your own ammo, or buy a cheap but reliable sks)
Just got used one today....w/scope and some extres I forget what they are called plus light and sniper pad...sweet shooter 150 yd bulls eyes ..5 out of 15 shots...very surprised..pleasantly..curious about longer shots...will try later..love it so faren