Ruger Mini-30 as an all around field rifle

monster

monster

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Jun 13, 2001
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What are your guys thoughts on the Mini-30 as an all purpose field, wilderness, survival rifle? I know weight comes into play on this one but all things considered it seems pretty versatile to me.
 
I would be happy with one, either version 762X39 or 5.56 are good rifles, but from years of shooting SKS's, I kinda like that cartridge.
 
If you can live with the ballistics of 7.62 X 39, then it would be a good choice. The 7.62 does not have the range or power of a .308, another common military round...
 
charlieridge said:
If you can live with the ballistics of 7.62 X 39, then it would be a good choice. The 7.62 does not have the range or power of a .308, another common military round...
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There is nothing wrong with that caliber.( I know I'm going to hear it for this:rolleyes: ) I have shot a lot rounds from my Norinco SKS and being the SKS it isn't very accurate to begin with. Its a pretty reliable and accurate round, depending on the manufacture of the round and your skill level. You can get it a cheaper price than the .308 and 5.56 (.223). You might even want to buy 4 or more quality mags for it too.

The only problem I see is that if you don't have a stock pile of rounds for it then you will be S.O.L when the SHTF. I guess it goes for any round really, you have to stock pile a crap load of rounds for what ever caliber you have. I think the best round for survival would be the 22 cal. I can't say much about for defense, but for taking certain game, low noise level (harder to pin point the sound vs a larger round), and still be able to carry a boat load of rounds(bricks) without the weight of a larger caliber rounds. JMO though.:D
 
See now that's my other concern as far as availabilty of 7.62X39 ammo in a worst case scenario, for that reason alone would the .223 be better? It's lighter, you can carry more spare ammo, available high end accurate ammo, better range... and a compass in the stock along with a thing which tells time, sorry had to throw that in. Then again I was also leaning towards maybe a Remington bolt action chambered in .308, slower rate of fire but you can really reach out and touch game and make each shot count.
 
I have one, killed a few deer with it, now my daughter uses it and has 2 deer with it. It's O.K., but, it will not reliably fire the import ammo with steel primers. Domestic ammo with brass primers are not a problem. I like the short carbine type, accessories are easy to get. I got an old mini-14 stock for $20 and cut it down, put a recoil pad on it for her to hunt with.
 
I have a mini-14, mini-30, and SKS. My favorite is the mini-30. No, it doesn;t have the long range power of a .308, but I don;t know how in the world that comparison came up in the first place. The mini-30 is a good brush gun...enough power to kill deer and not zo easily defelcted by small branches and brush. Also, it's hard to beat the simplicity and reliability of Ruger's mini series....modeled of course after the garand.

Of the three rifles, the mini-30 would be my choice if I could only have one....in a survival situation. A .22 might be better for the reasons others stated, but your post didn;t ask for the all-around best, you just asked for opinions on the mini30. The weight difference between the mini-14 and 30 is a non-issue, including ammo. It's minimal. I think you can still get cases of Norinco's non-corrosive 7.62 x 39 by the 1000 round case. That's what I did, but it's been more than a decade. Luckily, I still have a little over a case and a half, so I won;t be searching soon.
 
However, I don't want to carry more than one long gun afield and I feel there are better all-around choices. That said, depending on your particular needs, the Ruger should serve you well.
 
I know that this is not the popular choice. Most people want something newer or more technologically advanced, but I actually prefer the SKS as a field rifle. I have owned a ton of rifles and have plenty in the cabinet now and been shooting since i was a tiny kid. I went through the phase before my 20's when I wanted to put together a ton of "black" rifles and thought that all of the high end stuff was really cool like HK91's and M4's, etc. Through the years I became less and less impressed with all of that stuff and started noticing that the more dependable and simple a rifle was while still maintaining accuracy and reasonable cost, the more I steered towards it when I would choose a rifle to run off into the woods with. Keeping AR's, Hk's, and all those others clean and feeding with no problems was a constant thing when you add the elements and shooting grime. Another rifle i tried while looking for the best "field rifle" was an AK. Unfotunately you can't hit the broad side of a barn with one from more than 100 yards away. They're the most dependable rifle on the planet, but they're just not accurate enough and if you find a really good one, you're already back up into the higher price range. I've owned somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 SKS's of all different sorts and grades and found that they were the perfect mixture for me of dependable, accurate, reasonably priced rifles. Now keep in mind, you don't just want to grab any old SKS and use it as an all the time field rifle. You have to take your time and choose one. It's best to get one of, what used to be known as, the usual SKS's in good condition. What you want to stay away from are the Yugo's and nasty user grade models. They won't have some of the finer points that make SKS's great like chrome in the barrel. They also come with useless things you don't need like grenade launchers and they weigh a ton more than good SKS's. I know it's hard to see what you're getting under all of the cosmoline, but if you know what you're looking for, you can find a good one fairly easily. Some of the things you want to look for are:

Try to find one without too many bangs on the stock and the least markings possible.

If you can find one that is a "factory 26", you'll be able to tell by the pyramid shaped cartusche on the reciever will have a 26 in it, get one of those. I've had the best luck with them.

Check the bolt and make sure that it works very well and locks all the way forward with no hangups. I've had a couple of SKS's that had a slight hangup where the gas port blows the rod throught the hole to cycle the weapon and it missed regularly.

Try to find one with the cleaning equipment still in the gun. This includes the cleaning rod under the barrel and the cleaning kit in the stock. To check for that, just push on the circle in the butt of the stock and it should pop out. You'll have to press pretty far, but don't get your finger stuck.

A couple of rare models to look for are the paratrooper model and the "D" model. If you can find either or those at a good price, they're terrific. The paratrooper is a little more compact, but still extremly accurate with practice and it will save you some space on your person. The "D" model accepts AK mags and are of unusual good quality.

Now that I've been going on forever about these, you get my point. I like them a lot. You can pick up most of them for about $100 a piece and they are EXCELLENT field rifles. I have yet to have one of my good ones jam or lose accuracy from any conditions, including being covered in mud and sand. Great guns. I carry either an old Norinko Chinese model or a Soviet paratrooper with me anytime I "get lost".
 
CSG said:
Hope it's more accurate than a Mini-14.
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Ruger rifles have not been know for fine accuracy until a few years ago. They are now making their own barrels and the quality is excellent. I would assume that goes for the mini rifles also.

Ruger is making a target model Mini-14 and the reviews have been very good.
 
monster said:
What are your guys thoughts on the Mini-30 as an all purpose field, wilderness, survival rifle? I know weight comes into play on this one but all things considered it seems pretty versatile to me.
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I've had a mini-14 for years and its been a fairly dependable rifle with fair accuracy. Best to use Ruger OEM magazines. The 7.62 short is a great cartridge and has seen service all over the world. That said, if the cost difference isn't too great, I would buy a Colt AR-15 w/collapsible stock, heavy barrel. They shoot great right out of the box.

GB
 
sorry guys....i am gonna have to pass on the mini....i had both the 14 and the 30....only rifle i ever had that could kill from two points..... barrel and the ejection port....

i got an older Iver Johnson M1 carbine and have never looked back....lightweight, compact, versitale. yeah the round aint great....but i am not looking to make 100+ yd shots either....
 
I sold my Mini-14 to a neighbor some years ago as a coyote rifle. I guess he felt about it the same way I did and got rid of it.

My choice for a similar sized carbine would be an AR-15. Now that you can get the telescoping stock again, it's a fine choice. Matter of fact, I like them so well that I have 4 of them in different configurations. Ooops, I see the OP is from California. Oh well.
 
I would recomend an AK47 over the ruger mini 30. The mini30 is very hard to find good mags for, and will jam if they are not present. The mags are also alot more money than the AK mags. The AK is more reliable, and just as easy to clean. If you spend a little money on one (AK) you can get one that shoots as well as an AR (within the range of the 7.62x39) I would recomend a VEPR...a very good shooter. On that note, this is all in consideration that you prefer the 7.62x39 round. I would recomend the 5.56, as it will be much more readily available in a SHTF situation. A mini14 is a good choice and the AR15 is a much better choice. I have found the Mini14 to be a reliable gun and with some custom work, (shorten the barrel) very accurate. The AR15 is of course the best choice for a survival rifle..the round is prevalent in every town in America (law inforcement and military, collectors) it is accurate and has good stopping power at close to medium range. I think that if you were to ask me what I would choose as the one gun I would have if I had the choice in an emergency...it would be one of 2, either a Remington 870, 12 gauge, or an AR15 A2 setup. Both easy to fix and find parts for and both the ammo and AR mags as easy to find. Gene
 
I owned a Mini 30 years back. Great little rifle that worked 100% and was accurate enough to bust clays set up at 100 yards all day long. Only sold it during the gun ban years cause I was able to make a hefty profit on it. I now own an AK47(WASR10) as I had always wanted one and now they are pretty cheap. I would recomend the AK over the Mini just based on the fact that mags and excessories are cheap and plentiful. Also I like the fact that the AK with the full stock and rod can carry it's own maintenance gear. If truly looking for a SHTF firearm, the AK is hard to beat. I know many folks poo poo the AK's accuracy but mine will do the same as my old Mini 30 would do so I am happy with mine.
 
I'd forgotten all about the new Mini-14 Target Model, now we're talking! I do believe I'll try to find a local shop that has one in stock for a look see.

Now here's another thing I thought about, matching pistol and rifle caliber? in which case a nice lever action .44 mag and my Ruger Super Blackhawk would work well. What carbines are out there that shoot handgun ammo?
 
You hit the nail right on the head there, monster. Hard to beat the .44 for a nice lever gun/revolver combo.
 
While we're on the subject of survival rifles, anyone have any experience with the Kel-tec SU-16? Equipped.org did a write up on it a while back, and had good things to say. Been curious about whether picking one up would be worth the cost ($800 and up, as much as a stripped-down AR).
 
Now you're talking. My kit holds a Marlin 1894 in 357 and a Taurus 608 which is an 8 shot revolver also in 357. The 357 chambering allows me to use 38 cal. ammo as well. And... there are some specialty rounds out there as well.
 
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