What do you know about Mini-30's?

[hittman]

I've spotted one locally. 189-62xxx puts it about 1994 production. Stainless, flash hider, somebody replaced the wood stock with a Ruger factory black polymer stock. A cheap-o Tasco stock is mounted on it. The magazines show no makers name and look like high polished stainless bodies.

The owner says he had no problem cycling steel cased ammo through it and, there's 20 :!: of those magazines included.

It'll take $700 to get it.

Would this be a nice compliment to my MAK-90? Any pro's or con's to be aware of? Priced about right?

 

[9x19]

My first mini came about 5 years later than that, and it was reliable. The mags could be anything, from Ramline to ProMag. I never had any luck with 30 round mags, but after-market 20s ran OK (might be why Ruger only offers 20s these days?). The two Mini 30 Tacticals I've owned (2012 & 2014 production) proved to be better shooters than the 1999 SS version I owned.

New Minis are just under $700 these days, and the Tactical versions come with two 20 round mags... Personally, I'd pass, but if you just want a vintage Mini, with the mags included (if they are truly reliable) that's not a bad price.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

I do not think that the rifle came with a flash suppressor.

I think that the era that this rifle was made was not threaded for a suppressor.

Might be a cheap add on with a set screw holding it in place.

Bill

 

[Passtime]

I own a 582 Mini-30. For the price you mentioned I would pick up a new one but then again I am not a collector. I use mine for hunting deer, hog and plinking and it works great for all three.

 

[DGW1949]

I've spotted one locally. 189-62xxx puts it about 1994 production. Stainless, flash hider, somebody replaced the wood stock with a Ruger factory black polymer stock. A cheap-o Tasco stock is mounted on it. The magazines show no makers name and look like high polished stainless bodies.

The owner says he had no problem cycling steel cased ammo through it and, there's 20 :!: of those magazines included.

It'll take $700 to get it.

Would this be a nice compliment to my MAK-90? Any pro's or con's to be aware of? Priced about right?

To me, the only attraction to an older stainless Mini-30 over a new one is that Ruger no longer offers 'em with a wood stock.....which the one in question seems to have lost.
I never had much luck with any aftermarket Mini-30 mag, except for the John Mansen 10-rounders....which were painted black.....so that doesn't seem to be what the gun in question comes with.

Will it make " a nice compliment to my MAK-90" ?....I dunno....I guess it depends on exactly what you're asking. As far as I can tell, the only simularity of the two is that they both happen to be chambered in 7.62X39, and being's how Mini-30's are known to be problomatic when used with steel-cased ammo, I'd have to say that even that might not work out to be be much of a simularity.

T'were it me, I'd offer the guy $475 and tell him to keep his scope and mags. Other than that, I'd pass...but that's just me, and I aint you.

DGW

 

[96/44]

I'd say $500 would be about tops for that gun. The Tasco scope adds no value, and of the 20 magazines you would be doing good if a couple of them are reliable. You can get a new one with the heavier barrel and better iron sights for about what he is asking. I have never had an issue with steel cased ammo in a Mini, but other folks have.

 

[hittman]

Thank you all, I appreciate the input. And I'm beginning to feel this deal just isn't quite right, all things considered.

 

[Passtime]

Since it has been mentioned, I must add. My Mini-30 shoots anything I have thrown at it. Steel cased and brass, Soft points and FMJ, 122gr, 124gr, 123gr, and 154 gr. All without issue.

 

[jor-el]

Since it has been mentioned, I must add. My Mini-30 shoots anything I have thrown at it. Steel cased and brass, Soft points and FMJ, 122gr, 124gr, 123gr, and 154 gr. All without issue.

Ah, but what is it? 189, 580, 582 series?

Astonishing what a mini 30 adds to your arsenal, I recall owning a Polytech subfolder that had problems with the early HP and SP ammo of the late 80's. Had to give it up with the AW bans of NYC and NYS. The minis were designed to feed SP and HP better considering their intended role as a hunting arm.

I don't have time at the moment to check the web but it shouldn't be too hard to find photos of factory ruger mini magazines that have feed ramp cuts at the front of the lips with the intent to improve feeding of other than FMJ.

 

[jor-el]

Since it has been mentioned, I must add. My Mini-30 shoots anything I have thrown at it. Steel cased and brass, Soft points and FMJ, 122gr, 124gr, 123gr, and 154 gr. All without issue.

Ah, but what is it? 189, 580, 582 series?

Astonishing what a mini 30 adds to your arsenal, I recall owning a Polytech subfolder that had problems with the early HP and SP ammo of the late 80's. Had to give it up with the AW bans of NYC and NYS. The minis were designed to feed SP and HP better considering their intended role as a hunting arm.

I don't have time at the moment to check the web but it shouldn't be too hard to find photos of factory ruger mini magazines that have feed ramp cuts at the front of the lips with the intent to improve feeding of other than FMJ.

 

[chefrob1]

FWIW (which ain't a lot) i had a 189 series that pretty much lived on the commie ammo and it did just fine....no broken firing pins and such that some complained of. i did end up selling it for more than i pd during the panic and i already had a MAK90 so i sold it and picked up a couple of other items.

 

[jor-el]

The broken firing pins problem seems to be a combination of berdan steel cases, hard primers, off-spec firing pins and the extra power hammer springs that used to be in vogue in resolving the weak primer strikes that made mini 30s less reliable than desired.

As you all know, manufacturing tolerances mean even with mass production and CNC machining technology, if an assembly line were to make 1000 widgets, every widget would be a slightly different size. Every once in a great while, you would get a maximum size firing pin inserted into a bolt with a minimum size firing pin channel. That in turn would result in a shorter than normal distance for the firing pin to move, causing the pin to take more than normal stress when struck with the hammer.

 

[blume357]

Best point made was that for around the same amount of money the OP can get a new mini-30 with the much better barrel.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

Mine was the typical mini shooter. Minute of coffee can. It was very reliable but did choke sometimes on wolf ammo because of the filth. Keep in mind that my idea of a days shoot is 500 rounds not 50. Decent gun for self defense but if it were my 700 bucks id be looking at an ar15

 

[Passtime]

Since it has been mentioned, I must add. My Mini-30 shoots anything I have thrown at it. Steel cased and brass, Soft points and FMJ, 122gr, 124gr, 123gr, and 154 gr. All without issue.

Ah, but what is it? 189, 580, 582 series?

Astonishing what a mini 30 adds to your arsenal, I recall owning a Polytech subfolder that had problems with the early HP and SP ammo of the late 80's. Had to give it up with the AW bans of NYC and NYS. The minis were designed to feed SP and HP better considering their intended role as a hunting arm.

I don't have time at the moment to check the web but it shouldn't be too hard to find photos of factory ruger mini magazines that have feed ramp cuts at the front of the lips with the intent to improve feeding of other than FMJ.

The Mini-30 I was referring to is a 582.

 

[WAYNO]

I had a newer Mini 30 with the improved barrel contour. FMJ or soft point, zero malfunctions ever with brass case or steel case ammo. As has been mentioned, hollow points are a different story without modifying the magazines so the point of the bullet doesn't hang up on the magazine. And pleasingly accurate. Then I traded it off, only to miss it. :roll:

Just bought another one to replace it. Awaiting delivery any day now. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

 

[WAYNO]

this is a re-print of a similar post I made a year ago...

This thread could easily become a discussion of steel-cased ammo. I don't want it to become that, but I still have to mention it...

A Mini-14 or Mini-30 could both be considered a SHTF bugout gun, or a hunting rifle, or anything in between. With that in mind, and I'm NOT endorsing steel-cased commie bloc ammo, I still need to know if my Mini's will function with it. So, yes I've fired Wolf ammo in my Mini 30. It functions and feeds perfectly with FMJ and soft points, but my 20-round Ruger magazine will not feed the top 4 or 5 rounds of Wolf hollow points. The hollow point hangs up in the front of the magazine.

So...(Assuming you're not reloading this cartridge), domestic brass-cased 7.62x39 ammo is pretty expensive to buy if a feller is thinking of doing a lot of shooting. I kind've split the difference. Bought this brass-cased Serbian soft-point ammo, and it feeds, functions, and shoots wonderfully. The local big-box hardware store sells it to me for 13-bucks a box, and by all appearances, it seems to be good quality.


WAYNO.

 

[9x19]

This has proven accurate and reliable in my Mini 30 T

 

[Passtime]

I had a newer Mini 30 with the improved barrel contour. FMJ or soft point, zero malfunctions ever with brass case or steel case ammo. As has been mentioned, hollow points are a different story without modifying the magazines so the point of the bullet doesn't hang up on the magazine. And pleasingly accurate. Then I traded it off, only to miss it. :roll:

Just bought another one to replace it. Awaiting delivery any day now. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

Yep, I had to do a little contouring of the feed notch in the front of my 20 round factory mags. The PPU soft points were hanging up on the lip.

Nice Mini 9x19.

 

[9x19]

Thanks... it's one of my favorite rifles.