Best quick accuracy improvement for the 14(and maybe the 30 too)- loosen the 4 hex head screws holding the gas block together. Reallign the halves to make sure the gap on each side is equal and tighten once again each to 45inch pounds. The screws are typically set from the factory at anywhere from 50ish to 60 lbs, but they're not consistent. This allows for a much more consistent barrel whip/flex.

Chris I bought my Mini-14 around 1989. I had seen them at a hardware store near our lake house when I was a teenager. It was the Raquel Welch of guns. I remember In my 40's being at the gun range shooting steel targets at 300 yards with stock sights. A Range Office who was ex-Marine came by and bad mouth it. When he heard it hitting the steel, he said , Maybe you got one of the good ones!". FU to him and I would never sell mine. Real gun guys don't disparage others gun choices.

To be honest, it’s even simpler than aesthetics for me. I just like the way it sounds. When you’re firing the gun and when you’re manipulating the action, it has a satisfying mechanical charm to its sound that an AR doesn’t have. It’s consistent not just with the Mini-14, but most Garand action firearms. The M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M14, etc.

Wow. My Mini has NEVER malfunctioned like that. The only issues I've ever had with it was an unreliable ProMag magazine, and a Wolf mag spring and a follower from Midway fixed that mag.

I've owned a Mini since the mid-80's. I've shot it a lot; burned up the original wood handguard and replaced it with a polymer one. I use 30 round mags I got from Paladin Press (remember them?) and I use every kind of ammo from new to reloads. And I can't recall ever having a malfunction.

What always kills me is I think there is a real market for a gun that looks like this, uses AR mags, and functions better. Why doesn't it get made? Like you said there are some really advantages to the traditional style stock. There is I think one company that makes a traditional style stock lower but that still uses a different trigger and the stock is not wood.

The Ruger Mini-14 is a beautiful gun. In an age of tacti-cool I appreciate the throw back look and it helps that the gun has a non-threatening low profile.

I am saddened to hear of the reliability issues. I bought a 181 series back in 1981 and while I never got better than 6" groups at 100 yards (I was shooting 6" groups at 200 yards with my M16A1 then), I must say that out of several thousand rounds, I never had a single failure to feed, fire or eject.

I have to admit that I initially bought my AR just to stick up my middle finger at the gun grabbers. But after shooting it a few times I fell in love with it. It's just a really well designed weapon, and fun to shoot.

From what I've found on the internet, reliability issues on those generally come from the mags for most people. I have one that runs like a clock with Ruger mags, but if you try and stick any aftermarket mag in it it just isn't having it.

As a mini 14 owner who admittedly purchased due to the restrictive gun laws, I have to say I have come to admire the Ruger as it performs remarkably with very impressive handling and none of the issues that you are having with the model you're using. I'm wondering if your comment addressing an inconsistency of manufacture is indeed what you are dealing with. I suppose I'll have to consider myself lucky to own the particular rifle that I purchased at my local gun shop. I enjoyed the 2 part series and thank you for the effort.

For me, I love how different it is now days. If you bring an AR to the range nobody bats an eye. You bring a mini (especially with an archangel stock or something tactical) and people come to see / ask questions. Plus its tons of fun to shoot, something about the mechanical feeling from heavy bolt is awesome.

Great video, and I'm definitely one of those people who likes the Mini-14's aesthetics. There's a certain sameyness you get with modern AR and downstream technology, and the Ruger has a classic look which bucks that trend.

Too bad to hear you had reliability issues. I do understand you’re likely not to get the same accuracy as you can with a well tuned AR but my experience with reliability with Mini-14s has been nothing but spectacular. Never had a feed or ejection issue ever.

My mini runs like a clock, I’ve never had the bolt locking issues that you had, that’s a weird occurrence for sure. The biggest advantage I think is that it vents the unused gas during the cycling process, making it a clean running platform. Other than boresnaking the barrel you have very little cleaning to do after shooting, I do a field strip and full cleaning maybe once a month, try that with an AR! At the end of the day it’s whatever firearm works for you, happy shooting y’all!

I bought a Mini 8 years ago for the nostalgia. The first rifle I ever owned - saved up my paychecks from the steak house - was a Mini. My dad and I used to go shooting with it. I sold it not long after going on active duty. Dad passed in 2015, and when I got the opportunity to get another Mini, I had to, just for the memories.

One thing I have always liked about this channel is, unlike some others, I never feel like LuckyGunner is trying to sell me something. Channels like ClassicFirearms always feel like the sole purpose of the videos is "look how cool this is, you should buy one from us". I appreciate that these are just honest reviews of different firearms and products.

Mini 14 is very reliable, never had a single issue over 20+ years. My first AR had issues and I had to replace buffer spring.

The earlier comment by Railfanning Points 2.0 is spot on. When Bill Ruger downscaled the M14 he simplified the gas system and thereby stuffed the accuracy. I had a mini-14 until the Govt in Australia confiscated it in 1996; I tried custom, heavier barrels for limited improvement; one day I tried it as a single shot by blocking the gas port (solid plug instead of tube connecting barrel and gas piston) and the groups shrunk from 2.5" @100yds to 0.75" @ 100 yds. That's when I realised that the Ruger system causes the barrel to start whipping while the bullet is still in it. The M14 system delays movement of the parts until bullet is well clear of barrel. Added advantages; softer and longer 'push' on gas piston, which is why M14 gets by with much lighter operating rod than the Mini-14. Sure the Mini-14 gas system may be 'self-cleaning', but I'd swap great accuracy for self-cleaning any day, especially if I was shooting less than 50 rounds per session. Any 'fixes' that do not re-engineer the gas system and operating rod are just fiddling around the edges. Whoever designed the M14 made a damn fine rifle, that was hindered by weight and ergonomics. The Mini-14 could have overcome the weight and most of the ergonomic issues.

Grew up in Northern California (unfortunately) so guns like this were the best we could do. I grew up shooting the mini 14 when I was real young and I do like the 80’s nostalgia of minis in the same configuration you have in the video. I’m into collecting guns so I had to get one like yours for the sake of my collection and I appreciate it for what it is. Remember that this was the rifle during the 80’s that gave the feds hell during the Miami Dade shooting. All that said, when it comes to the business, it just doesn’t hold a candle to the Daniel Defense and BCM M4 carbines.

Would love to see part 3 - How to mitigate the accuracy and reliability issues with after market parts and are they worth it.

14:45 Haha.. nice subtle reference back to the 80s A-Team; the Mini-14 was practically a mascot for that series! Excellent Part 2, Chris!

When you shoulder the Mini, the sights are so close to the bore that your brain can easily integrate/calculate where the rifle is pointing so the shooting experience is more internally satisfying. The AR on the other hand has sights that are so high that the barrel isn't in your fov and there's a less connected feeling.

Well done on both parts!! I’ve owned 2 mini 14’s, the first one was a stainless folder with all the bells and whistles ( flash hider, bayonet lug, folding stock) and I traded it for a couple vintage lever guns to a friend. The second one is a 184 series I bought brand new in 1986 and still own to this day. The only remarkable trait of this one was the factory folding stock, I paid $325.00 brand new. In 2009 I sold just the stock for $475 to some guy in NY. Anyway, I’ve fired thousands of .223 and 5.56 through mine mini and I can only recall it misfiring ( jamming) two or three times. For what I use the gun for it is plenty accurate and has become a part of me as your boyhood .22 does. After I sold the factory folder, I picked up a marked surplus police stock and then a Choate nylon folder. I own over 30 guns and my mini is still one of my favorites. Great unbiased video, I’ll be a new subscriber for sure!!

Great break down on the Mini. While mine never had the amount of malfunctions you describe, it did have 5-6 MOA accuracy and that is why it's become a Safe Queen. Sentimental reasons (My First Personally Owned Rifle) keep it from being sold now since the 1980s. Loved these two videos!

I made some mods to my Mini-14, and it consistently shoots less than 3 MOA, and, with quality ammo, I get 1.5" groups at 100 yards. (Accuracy mods= trigger upgrade, harmonic Barrel stabilizer, recoil spring poly buffer shim, reduced gas port, glass bedded receiver). As far as cycling issues, I replaced the ejector, polished feed ramp, and keep it shouldered securely. I have AR's, but, in a SHTF, if I could only grab 1 rifle, I'm definitely taking the mini. It runs clean, field stripping and maintenance are simple, and it's a very solid rifle- zero plastic/ composites. It's plenty accurate. Jams/ cycling issues are quick and easy to fix with the open action...and it's just a superior all around rifle.. ( and you should really use a scope, not a red dot, to accurately gauge moa.)

I owned a Mini bought in the late 70s and enjoyed shooting it very much, but it was left behind at a friends house in an early 90s move across country and sold before I could retrieve it. I was finally able to replace it last year and have again thoroughly enjoyed it. There is something so satisfying about the feel and handling that is akin to driving a Harley in comparison to a rice burning crouch rocket AR.

Minor mathematical correction. If we assume rifle inaccuracy is uncorrelated with shooter inaccuracy, then the total standard deviation in accuracy of the rifle with the shooter is the square root of the sum of the squares of their separate standard deviations of accuracy. Since expected group accuracy is proportional to standard deviation, a 6 MOA shooter shooting from a 6 MOA gun would be expected to have an accuracy of approximately 8.5 MOA (sqrt(6^2 + 6^2) = 8.485).

Chris this is such an awesome series, thank you!

Very true. I've always wanted a mini-14, but never came to mind to go and buy one because I already had many AR-15s. But while visiting California I went to an auction and they had 8 minis for sale. I saw a nice stainless steel mini14 with a wood stock. I ended up winning it and transferred to a dealer in my state. I enjoyed the rest of my vacation knowing I had a nice rifle waiting for me back in my home state.

Had mine since 2000 and never had any malfunction that wasn't related to bad aftermarket mags. Thermolds were decent but ever since I got Ruger factory mags...never had a malfunction

I've had Mini 14s since 1982 and never experienced any reliability problems that seem to plague his gun and others. Groups at 100 yards were consistently between 2 and 2 1/2 inches and mini 14s back then had the thin barrels that whipped around like a wounded snake. My first one was stainless steel with a folding stock making it really compact. I lived in Wyoming and Montana and took it camping, backpacking, and fishing in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. It had a lot of miles on a snowmobile hunting coyotes. My mini been dropped in mud and ran over and went swimming a few times when the canoe flipped. I don't understand why he said "In most cases you're stuck with a 10-round mag". There are 5, 10, 20, and 30 round factory Ruger magazines and aftermarket 100-round drum magazines that run perfectly. If you want accuracy, change the 556 barrel and go to a thicker barrel in 223 and use 223 rounds. Change out the gas block for an adjustable one and shut off the gas port making it a bolt action rifle. There's some other things you can do also. I just bought another Mini 14, blue, with a wooden stock and it seems different than the first one I had. I haven't had the chance to shoot it much. I ran 10 rounds through it so far so we'll see. My question is what does an AR do that a mini 14 can't? Enlighten me.

The "the gun is always more accurate than the shooter" argument has always infuriated me. I know I can shoot at least a consistent 1.5 MOA group with a precise rifle. A 4MOA rifle is empirically less accurate than me. Period.

I love the title of the video. I work in law enforcement and my department finally got rid of the Mini-14s a few months ago in favor of the AR. I was told the reason for picking the Mini was that it looked less aggressive and it was easier for non gun people to learn. That last part might have been true 30 years ago, but most of my coworkers are veterans or already own an AR. The only reason I was comfortable with the Mini was because I have an M1 Carbine and an M1A.

A very informative video. I happen to have a mini-14. I have probably shot only about 1,000 rounds through it, but I've never had a stoppage of any kind...knock on wood. As far as accuracy goes, mine probably averages about 3-inches at 100 yards. It's not as accurate as my AR, but it doesn't carry the same stigma either.

I’m a new shooter and I’ve felt repelled from buying the AR-15 for reasons I hadn’t ever formulated from feelings into words. The description of not wanting to buy a lifestyle alongside a gun (or be perceived that way) was spot on! I’m impressed by your research.

I always liked the inside the trigger guard safety just because if you are shooting at a bad guy or dinner you can not forget to take the safety off.

The position of the safety is actually in a very good place. You won't fumble around looking for the safety, a simple flick of your finger gets things right very fast, if needed.

I installed a variable gas block on my Mini. Works great to make the brass fall right next to you. You can even turn it off completely and make the rifle a single shot. Sitting at a shooting table manually cycling the bolt keeps me from picking up brass when shooting just paper. All you do is turn a knob a few clicks to adjust it until you get what you want.

I have always been amazed how reliability can differ between Mini 14/30 rifles. Mine has been very reliable even with most off brand mags and the worst of the steel core ammo. When I bought my Mini 30 in the 90s, it did have several large burrs in the action that could have become problems. I also installed a plastic buffer and a Leupold scope which helps. My accuracy is a decent 2 inches at 100 yards with handloads for the first 2 or 3 shots but after that it opens up to 5 to 6 inches. I would pick an AR over a Mini 14/30 any day but the platform can work if you got one of the good once

I have had 2 of them for decades, and never run into the jamming issues. At least that weren't related to bad aftermarket magazines. The accuracy issues, on the other hand, are pretty much what you guys were seeing.

I dont know about others, but function has never been an issue with my stainless mini 14. I've had it since the early 80s. Bought and used in sitka alaska,Washington state,ohio,New Mexico,Florida and now resides in Texas. Minimum of 20k of rounds through it. Surely the barrel is shot out by now but still functioning without issues. Mags is the biggest issue they have.

I’ve owned 2 over the last 30 years. I shoot surplus ammo and honestly I havnt had a single jam that was related to the rifle. The last problem I had was 20 ish years ago with the funky polymer cartridges. My experience is that it’s iron clad reliable and I trust my life with it.

These Mini-14 vids are by far my favorite videos you guys have posted. It's so refreshing to see a gun video that does more than just list the specs from on a website. I'll keep my fingers crossed 🤞that you'll make more vids like this on other rifles. Thx...

Great review. And I like the end of comparing it to the M1 carbine. Which the M1 carbine is a great farm and rural defence gun for predators. But i wouldn’t mind a part 3 and discussing the mini thirty and how it was developed to take advantage of surplus ammo and shoot the 7.62x39. Along with a accuracy comparison and how it handles the cartridge with comparison to the original sks and AK platforms.

The mini 14 is still flying under the radar!!

My mini 14 has not suffered accuracy or reliability problems. But, mine is in a Sage EBR chassis. It came from Ruger with this chassis/stock an an LE model. It is not light, but it is fun, reliable, and fairly accurate. it gets 1.5-2 moa on average with a few groups using match ammo that were better.

I can honestly say that the Mini14 I owned in the 90's and the Mini30 I currently own....has never, ever not even once failed to "run" or cycle properly.

I really liked the Video. I am a New Yorker who refused to purchase a NY legal bastardized AR rifle that would remind me of my forced obedience every time I picked it up, so I went with the Mini-14. I have grown fond of the rifle, although I have found that it does have an occasional stoppage, particularly when you add the plate for the scope. I think that the Garand action is really nice. I have bought every part and spring that I can from Accuracy Systems Inc., and it has really helped make it a nice trigger pull and more reliable rifle, and their Nickel plating is amazing. So if I could, I would buy an AR platform and then get a Mini-14 as a second rifle. Accuracy for many people is not a big deal for home defense and for Plinking, but the limitations are there. My only Bill Ruger complaint is that he also should have copied the M1 Carbine Magazines that slide in easily, rather than these expensive proprietary ones, see my M1 video showing how easy they work. The biggest risk to the Mini-14 is the Supreme Court rendering the AR Ban unlawful, then the Mini would be on Forgotten weapons, discontinued but loveable. My Mini-14 setup is here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mamElruCzZmZg30.html

I never saw the placement of the safety as dangerous or problematic on the Mini. It is very similar to the Garand and M14, which millions of veterans used without problems with accidental discharges. Saying it is problematic is just a lack of familiarity and being used to the thumb lever on AR-style rifles. The mini-14 safety, just like the Garand and the M-14/M1A, is engaged by pkacing your finger OUTSIDE the trigger guard, and pushing it backward, toward the trigger. To disengage the safety and make the rifle ready to fire, you use your trigger finger to push the safety nub FORWARD, away from the trigger. So, the chances of an ND are pretty small, since the same finger that would fire the rifle cannot both move forward to disengage the safety, as well as move backward to trip the trigger - they are two separate motions by the same body part, in the same way that you cannot simultaneously pull something toward you and push it away with the same arm. Compare that to an AR-15, where conceivably, a shooter coukd have their trigger finger engaging the trigger while their thumb is manipulating the safety.

I think you got a lemon, which is too bad. I have a mini thirty and use it for deer hunting. It’s an awesome deer gun. Light and compact and more accurate than I am. Thanks for the video.

The one thing I’ve experienced differently than you was in reliability. I’ve had my Mini for over 10 years and it’s been more reliable than my AR. Maybe this is a QC issue with newer production? That is one of the main reasons I still keep mine. I’ve been able to run whatever trash ammo I can find and it still ejects the spent cases 30 ft

Some people say the mini 14 safety is potentially unsafe. Over 5.4 million m1s have that safety ad does the 6.5 million m1 carbines 2.4 million m14s Ruger has made well over 1 million min 14s and mini 30s springfield armory has made well over 1 million m1as and several hundred thousand other m1as.

My wife has a Mini 14 and we had a few problems, until we switched to magpul, and it runs smoothly no problems. I shoot a 308 so it was too much for her. I opted for the wood stock Mini because a little more weight from wood, and lighter round. I later bought an AR, but even though they don’t have much recoil, but her Mini 14 is like shooting a 22. Great rifle for plinking, and a blast to shoot.

Let me pile on with all of the other people saying they've never had a failure with their mini-14. Owned mine since 2011, fired more than a few thousand rounds through it and have never once had a problem. I clean it probably every 100-150 rounds. The issue you are describing with the stringers in your groups is probably related to barrel whip. The harmonics of the barrel are remarkably sensitive and will produce negative results down field if you have not taken the appropriate measures to eliminate slop. Like someone else mentioned below, the screws holding the gas block need to be tightened to spec. Also, installing a barrel stabilizer will reduce barrel movement significantly, creating not only tighter groups, but more consistent performance. Try looking up a video of mini-14 barrel whip before and after installing an Accu-Strut barrel stabilizer. Also, the factory trigger has a lot to do with out-of-the-box accuracy. Having it stoned, setup for 2-stage fire and a 3-5lb pull will increase accuracy.

The Mini14 or mini30 are some of my favorite guns to shoot. I didn't experience any reliability problems with my guns when I had them. The Mini14 just cost to much for what it is.

Thanks Chris for these videos, I'm always entertained and educated. The biggest draw of the Mini-14 for me would be nostalgia, 2nd would be the 'something different' but I don't own one because I like the M1 Carbine even better, though the new Ruger LC Carbine scratches that 'different' itch as well. Also, I dig the brown jean jacket you've been sporting for the 2 years or so.

Awesome videos, as usual! I've owned a Mini 14 as a "kid" in Nevada and never had any problem dispatching coyote, jackrabbits, or hundreds of cans with it and now as an "almost senior" I own a stainless Mini 30 for hog here in Florida. Always considered them more of a ranch rifle than assault rifle, but admittedly they are a scaled down and improved version of the M14. Granted there have been some evil people that put them to horrible use (ex. Norway 2011: 69 killed), but I think they appeal to a different user group than the black guns do. I don't need all the periferals attached to my Mini to gain the advantage on a hog, coyote, or jackrabbit at the ranges she's meant for. Now if there's foreign paratroopers landing in my neighborhood, might be time for a black gun...

I picked up a mini around 2007 or so mainly because I didn’t really want to be that “AR guy” at the time although times have changed now and AR style platforms are much more mainstream now. At any rate, mine never jams and has always seemed accurate enough for me screwing around in the fields. Unless the world really went to hell in a bad way, a .223 would never be my self defense round of choice anyway. Great 2 part series. Thanks.

I would respectfully point out the following: 1) I've owned a Mini 14 along with multiple AR15s for a very long time. I purchased the Mini-14 in 1990. I've used both Minis and ARs extensively. The Mini-14 is extremely reliable right out of the box. In my experience, if good magazines are used, the Mini-14 is every bit as reliable as an AR15. 2) The M1 Garand and M14 safeties work exactly the same way as that of the Mini-14. The Mini-14 safety does not simply block the trigger. It lifts and completely blocks the hammer. With the safety engaged, the trigger is rendered absolutely useless and cannot fire the gun. This is different from a cross-bolt safety, which simply blocks the trigger. The Garand style safety's design is so strong that it might be considered one of the safest "safeties" ever designed. It seems to have served us well in main battle rifles from WWII to Vietnam without being an issue. I understand that this young man doesn't like it, but that is a personally preference issue only. There is nothing wrong with the Mini-14's safety or its location. It is very safe. 3) The price comparison is not an accurate comparison. a. The Mini-14 is a gas piston gun, rather than the direct impingement of the average AR. The Mini doesn't crap where it eats. The AR does. b. The Mini-14 is offered in stainless steel. In the stainless Mini, all metal parts, including springs, are stainless steel. If you price a gas piston AR made entirely of stainless steel, you will be making a more accurate price comparison with the Mini-14. 4) In my experience, the average Mini-14 is less accurate than the average AR15. The issue is easily correctable. Still, I agree that the rifle should be more accurate out of the box. This has been a consistent problem from the beginning. By bedding the stock on my 1990 Mini-14 and adding an Accu-Strut, I got the average group down to 2 MOA using cheap range ammunition and reloads with mixed brass. With good factory self-defense or hunting ammunition, that drops to 1.5 MOA and 1 MOA depending upon ammunition used. That is well within fighting accuracy requirements out to 300 yards.

I had a stainless model. Never had 1 issue. Except once with steel cased ammo but with brass it ran like a champ I loved it so much❤

I have owned my mini since I left the Canadian Navy in 1982, I have found it more reliable than the AR platform. It is just as easy to accessorize as the AR. But those of us that use the mini just love it.

It won't die because it's a proper classic. It's good. It performs. And it looks good doing it.

We love it when a Lucky Gunner series come together. 😉

I love it when a plan comes together

I have the 183 series stainless and never ever had a problem with feeding or ejecting…Maybe because the newer models have tighter tolerances? I have the pencil barrel and added a strut which help barrel stability and with only iron open sights I get a decent 2 to 4 inch group at 100 yards…I bought this rifle new 41years ago and it’s a keeper, it has much better wood than any I’ve seen today, the wood shows patterns in it not like the all same cheap wood today…

I have an older "186" series mini that I got a good deal on at a gun show just before the "580" series were released. Its 100% reliable as long as you use Ruger mags. (I wonder if many of the people that had issues were not using Ruger mags). The accuracy issue was very real though! 4 - 6 MOA with a warm barrel, mainly due to stringing. So, this became a project gun. Working on the stock fitment, and adding a muzzle break helped but the use of a barrel strut made the biggest difference. I opted for making my own over purchasing a manufactured one but I was able to go from 4-6 MOA down to a pretty consistent 2 - 2.5, with a warm barrel. Not a tack driver but just as good as a mil-spec AR. All-in-all, I like my Mini more than my AR rifles. There's just too many parts in a AR and I'm not a fan of the direct impingement gas system. I'd love to add a tactical Mini but , its true, their current prices have kept me away.

“Based on certain features like pistol grips adjustable stocks”..... And grenade launchers DONT FORGET the grenade launchers

Thanks for this great run down on the Mini 14. I like my Mini 14 for sentimental reasons. It belonged to my father who used one at work. I have the commemorative version he received at his retirement. I have shot about 100 consecutive rounds through it without any malfunctions so it seems I got a good one. I have kept it ready for home defense sometimes when I lived in California. Now I have a different rifle rated for 5.56 and easier to mount an optic on. I just hang on to the Mini for the reasons above and in case I find myself in California again.

I own both an AR15 and a Mini14, both great rifles but I prefer the Mini 14. I like the classic looks, the wood furniture and it upsets the crazies less.I have had very few feeding issues with the Mini14 in the 40 years that I have owned it. I bought the Mini 14 from J.C Penney's in 1982 for approx. $180.00 .Just my opinion!!!

I've never had a mini 14 jam. They used to cost much less than an AR years back. Not so much now. I noticed most mini 14 owners also like, and usually own AR's. Prefered ar's for target shooting, or if in a militia, or in case of a post apocalyptic situation. But usually throw their ranch rifle(mini 14) in their pick ups or atv's when feral hogs & varmints are causing trouble on the property. AR's have way more accessories. Are slightly more accurate, but don't need to be super accurate to hit a wild boar a hundred feet away. AR's quicker to load. But there's benefits over piston vs blowback. Mini 14 's are light, rugged, and reliable. Require less maintenance. I don't get the hate. Especially when Mini 14 owners don't seem to bash Aks or ARs

As I commented on part one: The safety is in a perfectly fine spot. When you flip the safety OFF - ready to fire - you can put your index finger in the trigger guard and flip it off. Your trigger finger will then be right there on the trigger. It’s as convenient as could be. When you’re putting the safety on - you do not want to fire - you can keep your fingers out of the trigger guard entirely without a problem. There should be absolutely no issues.

Agree with most of this. AR's are restricted in some areas where a Mini may not be. Some don't care for an AR look, Minis look a bit like an M14, wood vs polymer,etc. I'd add that its also available in 7.62 X 39mm and that helps it somewhat. Accuracy is fairly easily brought to 2 MOA and can be made to shoot MOA. The AR is far easier to attach most anything you want to it. I havent witnessed poor reliability with the many Mini 14s and Mini 30's I've shot. I just havent been around Min 14's and Mini 30's that had any problems in reliability when using Ruger mags in good conditons. Poor quality aftermarket mags are a different story. Those mags are a gamble in any semi auto

I have a 181 series (1979) mini. I'm pretty sure the Mag problems appeared in later models as they tightened them up. I bought it purely for the looks as it was the first gun I wanted when I was a kid... Saw it in the gun rack at JC Penny's !! The single blade front sight is hard to find when in the sun, but I'm usually only shooting rocks in the desert.... It's a fun gun for me...

The biggest plus about the Mini 14 is training new shooters. Starting a new shooter on a Ruger 10/22 to teach them basic rifle safety, handling and marksmanship on a 10/22 and then transitioning over to a mini 14 is much easier manual of arms. The AR while superior isn't nearly as intuitive to people who know zero about firearms. I also have never encountered those reliability problems with a Mini 14. The 5 and 20 round factory mags run as smooth as shit out of a ducks ass, in my experiences. Maybe I was just lucky with the one I got? I went from loving the mini 14, to hating the mini 14 and back to loving the mini 14. I learned that in order to enjoy the rife, you kinda need to treat it exactly what what it is: The mini 14 is a vintage "all purpose" rifle from the 1970s. It is basically the M1 Carbine of 1970s. Which means it is accurate enough to bag a coyote or hog that isn't running at 200 meters (I know from experience) and is more than enough rifle to defend your home with. Its when you expect more out of it your enjoyment will drop exponentially with every accessory attempt beyond emergency improvising attaching a flashlight with a roll of duct tape. Especially scopes. The mini 14 is only one of two rifles that the accuracy gets worse the second you put a scope on it (the other is an SKS). I have never seen great groups out of any scoped mini 14, especially mine (five inches on a good day). Maybe its my rifle, maybe its the mount, its probably both. That being said, with just iron sights I don't notice any meaningful difference between group sizes with my mini 14 and ANY other rifle I shoot only using irons.

The mini 14 was a dream rifle as a kid because I couldn't get an AR-15 or an M1A1. I think I paid around 300 for mine about 30 years ago. And it has been a rifle I have kept while a lot of other rifles went down the road, I get 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards. I don't need sub MOA accuracy to pop a ground hog or a coyote at 100. It is just a fun comfortable rifle to carry and shoot. If I was going to complain about anything, it would be that it doesn't use AR-15 mags.

Ever since I've seen this video, I've gone out and bought a Mini 14 with the Samson stock, rail, and mini red dot. It's basically just like the one in the thumbnail. It's just so damn aesthetic that I had to make one!

I still like the aesthetic of the wood stocked Mini. Especially like your set up with the Samson rail and mini red dot. I have had three since the late 80’s. I sold my last one (a newer tactical model) and finally joined the AR crowd a few years ago. The deciding factor was when the extractor completely failed (never found it) during a 3 gun match. I also had to correct some issues with the factory Ruger magazines to prevent the last two or so rounds from nosediving and causing malfunctions. I’m also picky about cheek weld, and the factory stock drop at comb is too low for any kind of optics for my liking. I would limit a reliable Mini to close range work.

My first rifle was a mini-14. Born and raised in Southern California - Now, a proud resident of Florida with a gun room that would make a Californian cry. My latest rifle is a mini-thirty, put together by accuracy systems in Colorado. It is chambered in 6.5 Grendel, with an 18” medium .75 varmint barrel. Accuracy systems completely went through the rifle, harmonic balancer, trigger job, springs, glass bedded, etc.. it is now a sub MOA rifle and it looks like a light M1A. It is finally what it always should have been - if you can ignore the price tag!

Love all the subtle A-Team references! Great vid, thanks.

Some people might not like how the AR operates and prefer a more traditional cocking handle.

My original Mini 14, my 2nd one is currently on layaway waiting for me to pay it off, and I've had pretty good luck with it. It's a 581 series so it doesn't have the drilled and tapped upper for the picatinny rail mount. But I haven't had a stoppage similar to what this Mini is having, and its accuracy is around 2 to 3 moa. I do run it scoped so it's a bit better with the scope.

I bought mine used 25 years ago. It may not be a match winner, but is consistently accurate and It’s never given me a single failure in the reliability department. If that’s an exception to the rule, then lucky me. If it would accept AR mags it would be perfect.

I’ve had a mini 14 since late 1980’s. Still love it and being in NY they leave me alone.

These are ideal for what they were made for and marketed for imo...which is ranch rifles or home defense carbines. It's an M1 carbine but in 5.56 and for 200 metres and in it works great. Police, prison guards, even counter terror units and more use these guns in situations they know they're gonna fight guys with AKs and body armor...If it's good enough for GIGN it's good enough for purpose. I feel the polymer models are more accurate than 6-8 moa btw...The wood stocks are oddly enough worse performance for more money lol.

Absolutely loved this series. Thanks, Chris. I have both the mini 14 and an AR, and I also live in California, so this series really hit home for me. Your observations were also spot on. While I love my mini 14 and will never part with it, it is definitely a 6 to 7 MOA rifle at 100 yards, easily. Even my budget diamondback AR is much more accurate at range. And it’s also more reliable, as you said. Where the mini shines for me is obviously due to the fact that I live in California, and the gun grabbers are so misinformed that because it’s not a “Scary“ looking black rifle, they’re less inclined to try and ban it.

There is a way to modify this particular issue and that is to modify the barrel harmonics by placing a block under the barrel either a hard block or one that is shock absorbent. This modifies the barrel harmonics and dampening which can effect point of impact.

In the 1980's I used a Mini-14 Ranch Rifle with a Williams aperture sight in my local club's 3-gun competition when a carbine was called for. I also at times used an M1 carbine and a Bushmaster AR in those matches. I was not a contender, I participated to work on my skills and test my equipment. The M1 carbine was the most beautiful and fun but the least reliable. My Mini-14 was more reliable than either the M1 carbine or the AR, and this has left me with an abiding affection for that rifle. In the end I preferred the AR for its superior ergonomics, as I learned that its feeding problems were restricted to Winchester ammo.

I bought my mini around 2020, I did find it was extremely over gassed. I got an aftermarket gas bushing kit and run .050 and put a copper bushing to keep the op rod from smacking the receiver so hard. Good gun but even with a good scope I get fliers that turn a 2 moa group into a 6 moa. Nice review!! 👌

I’ve found the mini 30 in 7.62x39 to be actually really reliable.

I graduated from an old style military school in the day with faculty, who were WWII and Korean War vets. The Civilian Marksmanship program had enough M1s for a Platoon and probably more. These were cleaned and used at occasional trips to an outdoor range. Also anybody could go downtown and buy an M1 carbine for $100. Although I ended up a first Lieutenant as a Senior and was never issued an M1. Owning a mini-14 is nostalgia for me and being left side dominant I have Stag arms lefties too.

I love this gun because its retro, it shoots a modern catridge thats always avilable, it can do just about everything that the ar15 does and your not just some cookie cutter gun guy with an ar15 and a glock. The stock is beautiful and comfortable to shoot, and theres several different ways to have this gun including some aftermarket stock options that take away from the old school look. This gun allows you to be different and still accomplish the same thing. And its kinda cool, its like a m1 garand, and an m14 mashed together. And uses a similar gas blowback system to an ak just upside down. The saftey you can say isnt the best design but you also dont have to search for the saftey to switch to fire mode. It would be so cool to have the auto version of this rifle available on the market. I bet that things a blast!

I really enjoyed this series. While I've never owned a Mini-14 they've figured prominently in my life. As a teen they were quite popular around me (cheaper than an AR at the time). In my early LEO days, we had two issued out in my old dept. One had some huge plastic "tacti-cool" stock that was all the rage back in the '80s. Another officer had the "Mini-30" when it came out. On what would turn out to be my last trip to the range with a very dear friend and former LEO partner before his untimely death, I got to shoot the AC556 full-auto Mini14 his department had issued him. We also shot his new J-frame (lightest .38 S&W ever made ... ouch). Anyway, I've shot several Minis, never liked them enough to own one. Hated the way they seemed to blow the gases back at me. But, I can't say I don't like them. Just not enough to lay out the cash for one when I have "better" already.

Awesome series! Your knowledge, humility, and well-spokenness make all the Lucky Gunner videos a real treat yo watch. And yes, that was a great reference to the old A-Team! MAN, I loved that show....

I love that the A-team got added in because you knew your viewers were waiting for it 😄😄😄

I first shot a Mini 14 in the mid 70s. i loved it. bought a 83 model. ( not the year, the model ) about 7 years ago. i thin ive cleaned it twice. the rifle has not had a single malfunction through 1000 rounds easy. I consider it perhaps the most reliable semi auto out there. wouldn't give it up ever!

The only problem I had was with some magazines. Accuracy was a matter of finding the the ammunition that worked best, I also went to a peep sight and that improved my accuracy more. The bouncing around to different stock’s probably didn’t help you accuracy any. GunBlue490 has some good videos on his Mini 14, I guess people can’t help but to compare them to the AR but they’re two completely different things. I find it strange you said you had to keep it clean for dependability when I’ve heard so many times the opposite. If I wanted a gun that would shoot 223/556 and my funds were limited I’d buy an AR that being said by all the upgrades one usually does the cost eventually gets up there too. In my opinion they both are fun.

I'v never had any reliability issues in the 32 years and three different Mini's I've owned. With Wolf 55gr 5.56 the newest one (a 2017 ranch rifle) will shoot around 2MOA very consistantly at both 100 and 200 yards. I have always used only Ruger mags. I would venture to guess that the issues here were mag related. Even Ruger can produce a faulty maga now and then.

1.5 on my mini. As for the safety I remember many times when I was in the army that the safety on my m16 catching on my LCE and getting set to fire. I had mine on a three point sling at the time and wanted it to be ready when I needed to pull it up. It always made me uneasy. The minis safety doesn't have that issue and it will only come unengaged when you want it to.

Here’s the thing. I have an AR-15. A Ruger AR-556 free float. It’s a great rifle, I’ve made a few upgrades and it’s really quite good. But I don’t love it. And I know-I know, not think or guess or infer-that the Mini-14 isn’t as good of a gun. But even watching this, I just *want* one. Yes, part of it is because I grew up as a huge A-Team fan, but part of it is also because of why it was made in the first place-I want an M14. I can’t tell you why, but it’s my favorite rifle platform. I love the way they look and sound, in any video game since COD4 I’ve gravitated towards M14 platform rifles (including M14 EBR and M21 sniper rifle) because I just like them. But cost and power makes it impractical to own for me. So a scaled down version in a cheaper and lower powered cartridge is super appealing. And I like that it’s not just another AR. I like that I can customize my AR pretty much however I want, even adding FDE accessories to break up the monolithic blackness off it all, but it will still never appeal to me the way the Mini-14 does, especially in that A-Team style folding stock or the ATI 6 position folding stock. Old fashioned, not as accurate, unreliable. But I still want one! 😂