MINE TOO! I bought my Mini 14 after one of his videos ... Thank GOD I started early when my 18.5in was $789 OTD at Walmart in 2015 !!! If he does an ATLAS or MP5 I'll be homeless!
Another enjoyable father and son havin' fun video, Mixup! 👍👍 Always like it when you put hominy to its best and highest use. In my experience the Ruger Minis have never been obsolete. Not even close. 👍
Get a scout scope on the other one. Several scope mfgs. have 2-7 and even some 3+x variables. I put a rail on my M-1 Garand(sacrilege I know) and a 2-7 on it and it REALLY makes shooting fun.
Samson makes an identical rail that will fit the older Series 181 Mini-14s. Check out their website here: www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HannibalRail
I’ve been strictly an Iron sight guy but watching this video has made me want to have a forward mounted Red dot ; but i have no idea on how to sight one on my Mini 14 any help would be appreciated
@@dakotamaiden4331 The AR platform was designed in the late 50’s!! And originally produced in the mid 60’s!!! The AR is an upgraded model of a rifle built before the mini 14. Before rail systems were even used to mount things. Your argument is dumb.
That's got to be the absolute best mini setup going, like a scout rifle. I had a mini-30 and didn't like much I also had a mini-14 about 30+ years ago. But yours has me re-thinking the mini-14
The 580's models and up are MUCH BETTER accuracy wise! If you want "Accuracy", the wood stocks seem to be inherently better according to an experiment by GunBlue490on Y/T !!!
My Ruger Mini-30 has been sitting in the back of my safe, unloved, for years. It's currently wearing a Butler Creek folding stock and a red dot on a picatinny mount over the ejection port. In this cheapo "assault rifle" configuration I never enjoyed shooting it, and I had no reason to reach for it, there were always better options. After seeing this video I'm dusting off the Mini-30 and it's getting a make over. I've ordered a new Hogue stock for it, a mini reflex sight, and the Samson rail reviewed here. What a handy configuration this rail creates. My Mini-30 will now make an excellent truck gun or ranch rifle, and be useful for many tasks. Thanks for the review, and thanks Samson for breathing life into an old design.
I have an Ultimak rail on my Mini 14. It doesn't have that RMR pattern like yours. It is just a Picatinny rail. It mounts in the same way though. I also have a Holosun with the circle and dot reticle. I too had scopes on my Mini's over the years with so so results. I really like the forward mounted red dot setup! I can ring steel out to 300 yards all day long! If you own a Mini 14, you need one of these!
It's good to see that Ruger improved the mini14 with thicker barrels. I recall that the barrels would really heat up, and the accuracy seemed poor. It was then that I decided to ditche the mini adopt the AR platform. Although, I really liked the mini for its ruggedness and wood stock, I might now have to reconsider. Thank you for the video. The more knowledgeable that we become, the better it is for the sport.
I also have my share of AR carbines but the fun factor with a Mini-14 can't be beat. A red dot on a Mini also adds to the fun. I hope you do reconsider but just know that the retail price of a Mini is now over $1200 !!
I was at the range with a friend and his Mini-14, back in the 1990's. I remember him telling me that Mini-14's were not considered very accurate rifles.... I see, it depends on who's shooting it! ☺..... Nice shooting! and nice views of the beautiful country side!
The 580 SNs and higher had adjustments to improve accuracy. Honestly I think people get overly hung up on accuracy when they probably can't shoot as well as the gun.
There are lots of things you can do to Mini's to improve accuracy. (Trigger job, barrel stabilizer, different gas bushings to slow the action down, tighter fitting Choate stock)
Most people make that claim and have never shot a Mini in their life. The early Ranch Rifle wasn’t as accurate, especially if you fired it a lot at one time, but it wasn’t that bad. It was very accurate at distances that most people could see using iron sights. I have had fun outshooting my friends that have ARs, the looks on their faces is priceless. I still have an old Ranch Rifle that I keep on my side by side, and it is great at dispatching coyotes and snakes.
I got a rifle in the 90s is stainless for hunting deer’s. The state changed the rules to needing 30 caliber minimum for hunting deer. I have 223/556 rounds labeled for hunting deer. I already had 30/30 and 12 gauge for hunting deer. It didn’t stop me hunting,but my wife planning vacations during hunting season did.
The Mini 14 was the first centerfire rifle I owned. Bought it new in 1977 for only $275 and had years of fun despite difficulty getting 20 round factory magazines.
@la_old_salt2241 He is speaking about scopes, not read dots. Col. Coopers scouting rifle concept. Placing usually a fixed scope further towards the barrel.
I got my first Mini-14 in 1976 when they first hit the scene, (Series 180) and on the side of the receiver was engraved 'Made in the 200th year of American Liberty' My father was a Police Officer with the Sheriffs Dept. at the time and it came in handy several times during the time i had it. You just didn't see weapons like that in the hands of the Police in the 70s and all the other Officers were jealous.
@@gregmccaslin7400 I had a 181-series made in 1980. I have a Blackhawk .357 Convertible with “Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty” down the barrel.
I agree, the retail price of a new Mini is ridiculous and Mr. Ruger would not be happy if he were alive today. Ruger retail prices increase every year so just think of a new Mini as a long term investment.
I had that picatiny rail cover on my mini but it heats up real fast. I now have an all walnut stock and heat guard and no discomfort. I also have a barrel stabilizer and adjustable gas block. It now looks like a miniaturized M-14. I use Ruger rings when I have the LPVO mounted but usually go with irons.
That rail solves the problem if rigidity. Looks like that new rail system screws down securely and doesn't move around like the old barrel shroud. That's an improvement!
The stand is very easy to assemble and disassemble. Here is a "beginners guide to steel plates" video I did several years ago and it gives a better look at the target stand: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fo6gIV-z00Q.html
The mini 14 has never been obsolete. Especially after improvements were made. So many jumped on that AR train that now the mini is seen as some kind of joke. My main problem has been magazines. The mini I am familiar with is picky. I’d recommend only buying Ruger brand magazines for them. Would I pick the AR over the mini for just about every situation? Yeah. Probably. However, that doesn’t mean that the mini isn’t good or “obsolete” necessarily. I’d choose the AR because I am likely to find more parts for it and more magazines that I can use for it easier than I will for the mini. The AR is also lighter. Minis are FANTASTIC though. Awesome firearms.
If Ruger would update/modernize the Mini-14 a little, make it take AR15 magazines, and get more reasonable on the price it would make more sense. $1000+ is a tough sell for the reasons you listed.
@@Hornet135 That would be an AWESOME improvement. Make it compatible for AR mags. I’m not sure how they could implement that in to the ones already owned though. May not be able to. 1000+ is for sure too much as well.
Mags are the Mini 14’s weak link. Tapco and John Masen made good aftermarket mags, but all the rest are unreliable at best or flat out junk. I wish Magpul would take on the Mini.
@@latigomorgan Exactly. I’d stick to Ruger brand mags. I know they’re a bit more pricey but they seem to work MILES better than any other brand. I don’t exactly see why Magpul doesn’t take that up. Maybe they see other companies fail at making them so it’s intimidating to them. They may not want to make mags that are just as bad as the others and ruin their rep. Or maybe they don’t see enough market in it. I’m not sure. It would be awesome to see them go for it though.
@@latigomorgan look into the Thermold mags. Samson sells them on their site. They run great. I've never had an issue with them and I've got thousands of rounds through mine
I always wanted a Mini since they first hit the market. But the price was always unreasonably high, and the customers were not allowed to order a single factory part, not even a simple firing pin or bushing washer. Now, after forty years of making mostly the same design on mostly the same tooling they are priced higher than ever? Uh, no thanks...........................elsullo
I like my Ruger firearms, but I will admit they are getting very pricey. And I'm noticing many stores that used to sell them at the allowed discount price are now charging MSRP. My hopes of buying a Ruger Marlin lever rifle are shrinking (I bought Henry's).
Flame away -Ruger is trash, not willing to bet my life on them. Totally ripoff when you can get a Colt Patrol or M4 for 700 all day long. Please. Have a fun time ordering parts when shtf.
Thats exactly my problem with the mini 14. I really want one but why would I buy one when ruger themselves sells a rifle that fills the same niche for significantly cheaper in the form of their ar15 offering
@@tylerleavitt2715 funny, I own nearly 50 firearms with well over half of them being Rugers and I haven’t had a single problem with any of them. Most people that say Ruger is trash haven’t ever shot one, let alone owned one. Both of my Minis shoot any ammo that I run through them without any jams, unlike my other AR rifles. And I have literally run thousands of rounds through both of them using even the cheapest steel cased ammo. As for accuracy, who cares about how small of a group you can shoot, just so long as you can hit what you are aiming at. And all of my Ruger handguns out perform my friends that own Glocks. And they are also not picky about the quality of ammo I use. My P95 is the most reliable gun I have ever owned, nothing even comes close to it. I have also outshot my friends that have 1911s that cost over $2k with my SR1911. Maybe you should actually shoot a Ruger instead of being “one of those guys” on the internet saying they are garbage.
I bought mine. Went to go shoot it. Forgot the mags. Shot 20 rounds single shot. Then blackface banned them because it is dangerous for me to own one. So I need to keep it locked up because thats safe now.
I know exactly who you are taking about and I'm sorry that you are slowly losing your ability to own most firearms. I won't give up mine either if they are ever banned.
I've been debating for MONTHS on what set up I want for my Mini 14. I have 3 stocks,the wood original, the Butler Creek Folder, and the Choate Collapsible M4 type. I go back and forth between Wood, and the BC folder... The Choate I don't like. GunBlue490 did an experiment with a 580 plus model Ruger Composite and the Wood factory and shot ~ 1.5 MOA with the Wood and 2.5-3 MOA with his best of 3 ammo types . I have been stuck on whether to buy a Samson, Amega, or Ultimak rail for my 'Build". Your video has me leaning tword the Samson as it seems to work well (in your and Jr.s hands anyway 😯) with a Micro Red dot which may be Ideal instead of a 15- 23 oz LPVO or my scout scope with one of the other two more 'Pic Rail" style scout rails Great video on one of my favorites! I like their ATeam stocks too !!!
I have an old folding stock made by Ramline, which was made in the 80's, and it is very similar to the original Ruger folding stock. I just installed it on my Mini/Samson carbine shown in this video and I will probably do a video on it in the near future. I have a Choate folding stock for my 10/22 which must be at least 25-30 years old. I don't think you will be disappointed with the Samson rail if you decide to buy one.
I also purchased the Samson rail and really liking it. For the optic, I chose a PA SLX RS10 and it works great. My only issue with the rail is that it gets extremely hot, way too hot to touch. It needs better ventilation .
I bought the A-Team stock and first gen Hannibal rail from Sampson and love the look of both. Just a heads up though, if you run a lot of rounds thru your mini that rail gets nearly as hot as the surface of the sun. I've cooked one red dot to the point of no return and a second kinda medium rare. It comes on but I'm unable to adjust brightness at all and If I run it too long its starts to cut on and off. I mounted an old 2x7 long eye relief scope on it and it works like a charm. Glad I learned what that about the rail before buying a second for my other mini.
Thanks for the heads-up on the damage to the red dot optic due to excessive heat. I will keep that in mind whenever I take my Mini out to the range. 👍😎
I really like the Ruger Mini platform but have never owned one. I especially lust over a Mini 30 but the price point has been holding me back. Here in the Peoples Socialist Republic of New York State the best price I've seen is $1199. Pretty stiff for a fun gun. You're extremely lucky to have a place to throw some lead like that.
I had a Mini 30 but I sold it to a friend about eight years ago and I'm still kicking myself in the butt. Here in Nevada we have millions of acres of public land that is open to shooting, hiking, hunting and exploring. I don't think I could live anywhere else. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment on my video.
Great vid as always! I like the Mini 14 - especially now that they increased the barrel diameter and other changes to improve accuracy. That's a nice rail and sight combo. My biggest beef against the Mini-14 is that it only takes Ruger mags - there are aftermarket ones but they suck. I realize AR mags have a catch notch that would necessitate a magazine "boot"... Thanks!
Whoever invents a cheap, reliable way to convert AR mags to work in the Mini 14 will get rich. Tapco made a decent polymer mag for it. Wish I would have bought a case of them.
Mini 14 never was obsolete. It just fills a different role as an AR15. Think mini van vs pick up truck. Both will haul, just not the same things as the other. Nothing wrong with either as long as it fits your needs. Putting too many things on a mini is like chopping the mini van and putting a bed on it. Putting a straight stock on a AR15 is like hauling people in a pick up truck in the rain. Both "can" be done, but neither "should" be done. Nothing wrong with a mini, but I am too invested into AR's so I couldn't justify the spare parts and magazines of ANOTHER platform. Plus I can replace any part on my AR without a gunsmith (especially the barrel) compared to the mini.
I didn't shoot enough rounds to cause any heating problems but I see where there can be a big problem since the rail is directly mounted to the gas block. I will do a follow-up video if I have any problems with excessive heat.
It’d look even better with the wood stock. My inner Fud likes the wood stock. I’ve been eyeing these rails for the mini for some time. The addition of the dot platform makes me happy I waited. I think I like that Holosun quite alot as well. A stabilizing brace, this rail and sight, and a Wilson Combat bushing, and it’s done. Well, I also wouldn’t mind finding a way to attach some pieces of rail to the fore grip for a bipod and sling. Thought you were in SONV when the video started.
I've had a Vortex Strike-fire Red/Green dot scope on my Mini for years. It just mounts on the rail that came with the gun that attaches above the chamber port. There's a lot of heat generated up front on a Mini from the gas piston where this plate you show mounts which can't be good for anything electronic. That rail plate looks cool though.
I put an Ultimak scout rail and Primary Arms micro dot on a 185 series Mini-14 several years ago. Nice combination. Glad to see Samson is supporting the Mini as well. The more the merrier!
Looks cool but I'd be worried about the heat build up on that rail. The stock plastic guard over the barrel can get pretty hot, even with the heat shield, after a few rounds especially in the AZ sun..
Hello sir, nice 14. The rail accessory with the green dot is an awesome upgrade. It honestly never occurred to me that a dot optic could sit atop a mini 14. Sweet!! By the way, hopefully you got to see the aurora last night. Stay safe and blessed friend.
Hello Michael. I have several old unmarked magazines that I occasionally use when I'm out plinking with my Mini-14. I don't use them in my videos simply because I don't know who made them. When I do a review on my Mini-14 I only use original factory mags for the sake of reliability. Today I only buy Ruger magazines for my Mini so I really can't give you any advice on other brands of magazines.
Holosun, I learned my lesson with them. Never again. Thankfully the toy optic they pedal as being as good as the real thing, failed on me at the range. Not during a self-defense encounter. Aimpoint, and Trijicon if you want the real thing. If you want a toy, buy from the brand that loves to compare itself to the real thing while swearing they're just as good for a fraction of the price. Also, I'm a firearms instructor. I tell my students to buy the real thing.
My son takes photographs of them and I take video. I have several snake videos here on youtube. Just know that we never cause any harm to the snakes, including the rattlesnakes.
I didn't have any problems with the small amount of ammo that we shot in this video but I can see a big problem if someone where to put several hundred rounds through the carbine in a short time frame. I will definitely do a follow-up video if ever have any problems with my optic due to excessive heat.
I have a newer Mini 14 with a red dot ( TRS-25) which mounts with the regular short rail 4 inch--the scope 3 inch sits 1 inch in front of the trigger guard at the very back of the rail (even with back of rail) Bushnell trs-25 I love it---very accurate---on my rifle no worry about pinching fingers the heat shield covers the area your rifle doesn't. Same battery had it for years. I got extra batteries --easily found. Thank you for this video !
Would this work on an older 181 series mini? Granted, I've always kept my father's rifle all original, but just a simple upper handguard replacement would be great. I'd feel better about being able to set the old one aside in a safe place. It's been an amazing rifle; might not meet accuracy standards for some, and by far not the most accurate rifle I own, but it's certainly one of the most sentimentally valuable I have in my collection.
Yes indeed, Samson also makes an identical rail for the 181 series Mini-14. Please let us all know if you decide to buy the rail and a micro red dot for your classic carbine.
I've had this exact setup on my Mini-14 for the past year.... its the perfect combo.... earlier, I bought Ruger 30mm rings and tried an lpvo... that just didn't work... ...and, then i tried a regular 3x9 scope which is cool (with a cheek riser), but, its kinda a waste since I cant get consistent sub 2 MOA... But, my Holosun 508t with the Samson Hannibal rail is perfect!!... my 16" Mini-14 is tuned and set up for sub 200 yard 10" target mayhem
I want the Hannible rail but I already have the Ultimak rail which is also a good rail. I love Samson MFGs products though I have a lot of their products for the Mini and 10/22.
Yes, it is a Hogue stock. My Mini is an NRA Special Edition which came with the Hogue stock and there is a nice NRA medallion factory installed in the bottom of the pistol grip.
The rail looks great and there's always room for another Mini video. I really like Samson products, especially the Samson ATM stock. This rail may be getting ordered today, lol. Nice shooting as usual guys. Stay safe. 👍🤠
I prefer the traditional stock pattern to that of an AR and really want to like the Mini 14 but I've had two, as well as a Mini 30, all early 90s vintage, and they all were horribly inaccurate. I don't know how many times I've almost bought another but that past experience always stops me.
Samson makes a handrail and a rear sight rail but they are not similar to the Mini-14 mount. Here is a link to their website: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x9bu6pldbgl1st89dv6io/2024_Samson-Catalogue_web.pdf?rlkey=jc1l5l6wpcgi0dhtf1tmzcvif&e=1&st=uth859d0&dl=0
I don't care much for trying to modernize a platform rails and mlok. That's why we have modern, superior, advanced, AFFORDABLE, firearms. Just looks goofy, unnecessary, and blasphemous. If that's what people wanna do, cool. Just don't get it
Nice! I had one of those 90's stainless models (LE trade-in) but I let it go.... I have a couple of AR's now which fills the niche for me. As always, enjoyed the vid!! Glad your son made it on this one.
If you install a Samson rail on the Mini-14, watch your clearance with the bolt carrier. I had to remove some of the material from the underside of the rail with a Dremel sanding wheel because it was rubbing the carrier so hard it was delaying the bolt from opening. Easy enough to fix.
