Review: Ruger Mini-14 Tactical

Following up on the selection of the Mini-14 Tactical as a standard carbine for my family, this is my review of the Mini-14 I put through its paces over Christmas 2010.

I’ve read that some rifles prefer certain types of bullets, so I had a selection of 55 grain FMJ, 55 grain HP, 62 grain FMJ, and 62 grain HP, in brass and steel cased (zinc plated, polymer coated, and lacquer coated) ammunition. Brands included Federal, (edit/add: Prvi Partizan PPU M855), Wolf, Silver Bear, Tula, and some no name Russian stuff.

Long story short, we noticed no significant differences in reliability or accuracy with these different types of ammunition – 100% cycled and was accurate out to 300 yards we shot to with this rifle.

The first 100 rounds were Federal XM193 55 grain shot mostly at targets within 50 yards for breaking in the rifle. After that my brothers and I took turns with it on our redneck range, which began in a corner of our parent’s yard with targets at 75, 100, 200, and 300 yards out into a field. The area goes out to 400 yards, which we’ll probably setup next time.

We used iron sights and a TruGlo red dot sight (review to follow) at 75 and 100 yards with identical results once sighted it; at or over 90% hits on soda cans and good groups on the targets. At 200 and 300 yards we used a Nikon Prostaff BDC 4-12x40mm scope. Due to my not adjusting the scope mount correctly (not factory rings), we had a hard time hitting the 300 yard target, but had consistent grouping at 12-16” between three shooters.

[Edit: The B-Square mount it must have been installed by my a little off kilter. When I sighted the scope in at 100 yards, had to adjust both windage/elevation a lot. At 300 yards it needed to be tweaked a bit but was out of range. So we picked spots on the upper left part of the old dryer the target was on, and got the grouping in the lower right of the dryer, which took awhile to figure out. This rifle is basically 2 MOA, maybe a bit better closer in.]

Rather than the Ruger rings provided with the Mini-14, I used a B-Square mount for the Mini-14 to mount both the red dot and scope. The B-Square mounts to the side and provides weaver rail to mount optics to. Testing showed the mount could be removed and reattached without loosing zero (review to follow).

We used 20 and 30 round factory magazines with zero problems. In addition to slow target shooting, we went through a few hundred rounds in rapid succession in order get the barrel hot to see if it would affect accuracy; it did not.

It wasn’t a torture test, but we shot 1,200 rounds over several days before cleaning the rifle. Yeah, I know, but I wanted to know. The barrel and chamber were amazingly clean, especially considering all the cheap Russian ammo that was used. Only the gas port was filthy, but not in a way that affected operation of the bolt. It cleaned up relatively easily.

The Good: The Ruger Mini-14 tactical is reliable and finally accurate. At 6.75 pounds and 36.75”, it’s light and compact. It does not require prompt cleaning and is not picky about the ammunition it shoots. Decades of use have shown the Ranch version to be durable and rugged, and Tactical version seems no different. For around $600, this rifle is outstanding.

The Bad: Options for mounting optics remain limited; Ruger rings for a scope, or an aftermarket solution for weaver/picatinny rail. Ruger needs to correct this. A second issue I had (but no one else in my group) was that I twice charged it in such a way as to pull the charging handle out of the take-down groove on the side (yellow arrow in photo), causing the bolt to be slightly misaligned an jamming. I’m used to charging AK and SKS rifles and sometimes pull a bit out as I pull down – don’t do this with the Mini-14. At the time I found in forums this had happened to a couple others.

Overall I was very pleased with this rifle, especially for the price, and can recommend it for a SHTF carbine on par with the AR-15 and AK-47.

Update: Forgot to mention that we tried the flash suppressor, at night of course. It works, really broke up the flash and would help maintain night vision.

Cheaper Than Dirt Customer Service Fail

Update: Cheaper Than Dirt read this post and has corrected the issue! I think I feel a six-pack coming my way…

Original Post: Do you think the Glock Field Knife is a dagger? Cheaper Than Dirt (CTD) does, and they won’t ship it to a customer in my area because of this error. Note that the top edge of the knife past the tip is flat, not sharp or even tapered.

Over the years I’ve purchased a lot of good equipment (and some junk) from CTD, including a few knives, with no real issues. But a buddy recently forwarded me a strange email exchange with CTD customer service that has changed my view of the company. Gets into the realm of idiotic incompetence on CTD’s part. I’ll still buy there, but will shop around a lot more first.

Like me, this friend lives in Northern Virginia. When he tried to order the Glock Field Knife from CTD (their item number GLOCK-105), he got this message;

Because of restrictions imposed by local laws, some of the items in your cart can not be sold to you.

There was an icon next to the knife saying, “Can Not Ship.” He emailed customer service asking why. This was the first response;

I do apologize but due to state restrictions, we cannot ship GLOCK-105.

Ok, what state restrictions? Virginia isn’t known for being a nanny state. He emailed again asking what restrictions, “specifically.” The same CTD customer service agent responded;

I apologize but we will not be able to ship the item.

Vibe I’m getting reading the email exchange is that the customer service person is on autopilot and not really paying attention to what the customer is asking. Minimum wage, minimum effort, a little bit too much power for pay grade.

My buddy emails them back, asking again for the “specific Virginia law” that would prevent a Glock Field Knife from being shipped to him. He also did an experiment by adding a KaBar Fighting Knife (Glock blade profile is almost identical, just smaller). Guess what? The KaBar was fine, which he mentioned in the email. CTD response;

Please be advised of the restrictions for the state of Virgina below…

VIRGINIA
- Assisted-Opening Knives
- Daggers
- Throwing Knives
- Throwing Stars/Shuriken
- Starter (Blanks) Pistols
- Fuel Cans

Our system recognizes an issue with shipping the item you requested, so the system will not allow us to ship you the item. Check with your local law enforcement agency or the state legislator as we do not have detailed information on why an item is restricted.

The computer says it, so it must be true. Check the picture of the Glock Fighting Knife above – it’s none of the things on the list. They ignored his question about why the KaBar is ok but the Glock is not.

But thinking progress was being made because he has the list of wrong reasons, my buddy sends response spelling out that the knife is none of those things and asks that the error in the “system” be corrected. Pretty obvious solution. CTD customer service responds;

We apologize, but the item could be classified as a dagger. We create the restrictions based on our interpretation of the laws.

A Glock Field Knife is not a dagger. It seems the minim wage customer service agents are following their script. Buddy sends and email explaining that needs to be reevaluated since it is technically incorrect, suggests a manager get involved. CTD strikes again (bold mine);

I brought this to the attention of upper management and it may be completely legal in your state, but Cheaper Than Dirt made a business decision not to ship this item to you area. I do apologize but we will not be making any exceptions.

My experiment – went to CTD, added several knives, including the Glock Field Knife (w/o saw back, the one blocked), the version with a saw back, a KaBar, and an actual dagger. Keep in mind we live in the same area. My results;

Yeah, that’s right. Cheaper Than Dirt won’t ship a Glock Field Knife w/o saw back because their “business decision” says it’s a dagger. The saw back version is fine, as is an actual dagger.

This is a huge fail for Cheaper Than Dirt, no good excuse. They should be more careful about who they hire to interface with customers – I’d have been a lot less polite with the dolts at their customer service.

Selecting a TEOTWAWKI Carbine: Mini-14 Tactical

Over Christmas vacation I was able to put my recently purchased Mini-14 Tactical through its paces, overall with very good results. Tested with iron sights, red-dot, and scoped (out to 300 yards); and using a wide variety of ammunition. Review to follow, this post is about the process used to select the Mini-14.

The criteria my brothers and I started with in selection a group standard carbine; reliability, accuracy, durability, high capacity magazines, can use a wide variety of ammunition, weight, able to reach out to 300 yards (scoped), and price. Not necessarily in that order, we were looking at the whole rifle capability. We have Mosin Nagants for longer-ranges (review to follow).

We did a lot of research before settling on the Mini-14. While I’ve owned AK-47s and have experience with the M-16 in the military, I had not fired a Mini-14. We all read a lot of online reviews and all the “AR vs. AK vs. Mini” forum threads we could find.

While there are high capacity magazines for the SKS (7.62x39mm, like the AK-47), they are awkward and the rifle itself is larger and heavier than the other carbines being considered. We still own a few SKSs and will keep them as backups. Also looked at the KelTec SU-16C, but eliminated it early on due to concerns about long-term use of the polymer parts that are probably more apt to be bumped around than a Glock.

Something you’ll come across fairly often in forums discussing AR vs. AK is that 5.56mm ammunition will be more accessible in a TEOTWAWKI situation. While we selected a rifle in 5.56mm, I think that notion is a myth; the military and maybe police would have some but it’s not like they’re going to sell it or share it. 5.56mm might be available for a little longer, but the vast majority of ammo would become scarce at any price.

Early on in we research we eliminated the AK-47 and AK-74. They’re fun to shoot and have an undeniable track record for rugged combat reliability and durability, but the AK-47 isn’t generally considered very accurate past 100-200 yards and is a hassle to scope. The AK-74 and its 5.45x39mm ammo aren’t very prevalent in the U.S. yet, so that was also ruled out.

A few years ago I never would have considered a Mini-14 due to its notorious accuracy problems and very expensive magazines. The problem with that view is that Ruger improved the Mini-14 several years ago, adding thicker barrels, tighter tolerances, and a few different versions. Magazine prices are now also sane, at about $30 for factory 30-round steel magazines.

There are a lot of Mini-haters out there, which made forum threads painful at times. Those with no trigger time on the new Minis continued to berate their accuracy. That’s like comparing the reliability of the original M-16 to a modern M-4; apples and oranges. Nutnfancy has a thorough and bias-free review of the Mini-14 Tactical.

Having narrowed things down to an AR or a Mini-14, my brothers and I were leaning towards the AR, specifically the SIG516. Truth be told I’d like to be able to outfit all of us with these, but at about $1,350 before shipping, taxes, and FFL fees, it’s a bit too much. Additionally, there are also still valid concerns about feeding ARs cheap ammo since some ARs are finicky. Training with the steel-cased ammo is a lot cheaper, and what if the steel-cased was all that was available after TSHTF?

Sifting through the forums where people with actual trigger time on the newer Mini-14s showed the new and old to be like two different weapons as far as accuracy. Still with AK-like reliability and durability, but now with accuracy nearing the AR.

Some arguing against the Mini-14 and for the AR-15 claimed Mini-14 parts aren’t nearly as widely available as AR parts. Looking at Cheaper Than Dirt, Centerfire, CDNN, etc., that claim is absolutely true, lots more AR parts (and more accessories) out there. Why? Reading forums it seems Mini-14s almost never break (firing pin a noted issue in some Minis after high round counts).

This reminds me of another often quoted Mini-14 myth: it’s a good varmint rifle – coyotes and jackrabbits are in danger – but not a combat rifle. Right, because the 5.56mm round is lethal to varmints but won’t kill people when fired out of a Mini. These are the sorts of illogical arguments you need to sift through to find the information you’re looking for.

All our research led us to believe that the AR is more accurate than the newer Mini-14s, but we’re talking 1-1.5 MOA for most ARs vs. 2-3 MOA for non-target model Minis, at 100 yards, out of the box. And that the Mini-14 won’t normally do better than that. Accuracy was one of our critical criteria, but we felt 2-3 MOA was fine – we’re not snipers taking head shots.

We had two major concerns about the AR platform. First the repeated use of caveats when describing the reliability of the system, for example it’s reliable when properly lubricated or when properly cleaned. Some claimed to have fired a million rounds though their AR with no cleaning/lubrication (yes, I’m exaggerating), but those claims didn’t mesh well with the vast majority of credible information we read. Mini-14 users never used those caveats, just reported that it always goes bang.

Second was that ARs can be choosy about the type of ammo it cycles well, specifically some problems with cheap steel-cased ammo. This is a problem because it could potentially increase the cost of training with the AR, and in the perhaps unlikely but still possible event that it’s TEOTWAWKI and all you can get your hands on is some Wolf ammo.

However, unlike the Mini-14, ARs have much cheaper magazines (good ones for $10) and can be scoped with a variety of optics very easily. The Mini-14 has $30 magazines and using the provided scope rings (which are not quick detach, or QD) blocks iron sights. Overall, we considered these annoyances rather than deal breakers, and a B-Square mount for the Mini-14 worked out very well (w/o rings for ~$50, review to follow).

Considering our criteria and planned use as a TEOTWAWKI weapon, we settled on the Mini-14. If we never expected a SHTF situation, could afford to stock up on tens of thousands of brass-cased rounds, and price was not a concern, might’ve gone with an AR. The Mini-14 accuracy is now very good, reliability/durability excellent, can reach out to 300 yards easily, not picky about ammo, and the price is right – under $600 at CDNN.

In the end, it all comes down to your personal (or group) criteria and preferences. If you like or dislike the ergos, etc. on one or the other, go with what you like. IMO the AR, AK, and Mini can all good choices, depending on your specific needs.

Review: Midland 75-822 40-Channel CB Radio

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a substantive post. In November work, home life, and reserve duty converged in a perfect storm, followed by Christmas vacation during which I tried out a lot of equipment – look forward to several equipment reviews!

A couple months ago I purchased the Midland 75-822 40 Channel CB Radio as part of my bug out preparations. We have FRS/GRMS radios, also from Midland, but I wanted and additional bug out comms option with greater range. I was not against getting a regular CB radio, but didn’t really have space in my vehicle and didn’t want to entice thieves (this CB and antennae stowed in the toolbox).

After am initial checkout, I recommend this CB radio – it works, is compact, and doesn’t break the bank. The included antenna is virtually useless inside a vehicle without connecting to an external antenna, but all permanently mounted CBs also need an external antenna so I don’t see this as a negative. I used the Cobra HG A 1500 Magnet Mount 300W antenna with excellent results.

There are a few really nice features about this Midland portable CB. It comes with three power options; 12 VDC, AA batteries, and AA rechargeable batteries. The rechargeable battery option lets you plug-in an recharge the batteries. So you can use this while driving and use it outside a vehicle – versatile.

The CB comes with a small antenna that attaches to the top via standard BNC connector, and the Amazon site offers to sell you package with adapter to go from BNC to standard CB antenna connector. Don’t do it! It’s not needed, the Midland 12 VDC option include a dongle for a standard CB antenna, a very handy feature.

For the first test, I hooked up the radio with the included small BNC antenna and had it scan all 40 channels as I drove home from work. Didn’t pick up anything.

For the second test, I setup the Cobra antenna, which mounts to the middle of the roof of the vehicle via a magnetic mount. The cable wasn’t too thick, so I just ran it in through an open door and closed the door, no damage to the cable. Connected it directly to the CB and listened to clear conversations all the way home, about 15 miles. It just works.

If bugging out in a SHTF scenario, a CB could be useful in determining the best routes for your exfiltration. This Midland radio can also be used if you need to leave your bug out vehicle (Bov) – again, recommended.

Quotable

“I guess there’s always the possibility that by purposely devaluing our dollar it could help to drag us out of our economic tailspin. I guess by burying ourselves in an unrepayable national debt and unfunded liabilities, we could end up more prosperous. It’s never worked before – in the entire history of the world – but we could be the first.”

– Chief Instructor of Accept the Challenge, 03 Jan 2011