Ruger Firearms....

reconseed

reconseed

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Sep 23, 2006
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...today at work, I wrote in 5 brand new Mini 14's by Ruger. I have seen these in the shop before but never really paid them attention until today. The truck brought in Rugers today for some reason, it seemed. I wrote in a few GP100's, an SP101, and the above stated 5 mini 14's. So I think I caught the Ruger bug, for better or worse... Heres my situation. I have never owned a Ruger firearm. My friends have owned them and had nothing but great things to say about them. I am thinking about getting one of the Ruger revolvers tomorrow (GP100 in a 4inch barrel or the SP101 in the 2 inch barrel) and bringing home one of the Mini 14's. Here are my questions for the fellas who have owned ruger firearms and swear by them? Are they as rugged and tough as they feel? I mean they feel like a block of steel (which they are) and I hear they are among some of the toughest double action revolvers on the market. I like them because they are VERY basic. they are not nearly as nice and pretty as my Smiths, not anywhere close, but they feel tougher. Can someone tell me about these firearms and about the Sturm-Ruger Arms Company in depth from experience? The customers that come in asking about them know exactly what they want and seem to know them well, I just have no experience with these guns and would like to get some info on them before spending some serious money tomorrow. Thanks fellas.


Here is the Mini 14 I am referring to for anyone that doesnt know.
204L.jpg

traditional rifle style, with the ability to get high cap mags shooting the .223 cartridge. whats not to love, at first site?
 
I've owned several through the years, never had a problem . I owned a ruger mini-30 years back , put a lot of different FMJ and never had a failure.
 
I own a Ruger 10/22 and it’s awesome and I have fired a few Ruger revolvers. The revolvers were all very rugged and well put together so I would have no problem recommending them. I have heard bad things about the Mini line but like most things some people love them and some hate them. I have never actually fired a Mini but I have an AR and AK so don't see much reason to get a Mini.
 
I have a Ruger 77 in .270 and a 44 mag - both are great guns that shoot better than I do. Fit and finish is excellant. Rugers are generally very affordable. I bought both of mine used at bargin prices
 
yea that is what I noticed i really liked about Ruger revolvers... they are affordable even new and built like tanks or so appear that way.. i really like the Mini 14. I was just interested as to their reliability.... what were the bad things you heard? was it pretty much just naysayers who hated Sturm-Ruger or what?
 
reconseed said:
I mean they feel like a block of steel (which they are) and I hear they are among some of the toughest double action revolvers on the market.
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If I'm not mistaken, Bill Ruger was one of the first to popularize the production of firearms using the investment casting technique. This gives the guns a somewhat chunkier, and yes, less attractive (in the opinion of many), appearance when compared to the sleeker forged components of most other manufacturers because more material is required to equal the strength of forged steel.

You can read more about the process here:
http://yarchive.net/gun/investment_casting.html
 
Every Ruger handgun that I have owened (.22 Mark II, .357 Security Six, .44 Bisley) has had problems with the adjustable rear sight. Either screws stripping in the aluminum part or the pin walking out of the sight.

The .44 cylinder pin would also come loose, even after sending it back for repair.

I've also had a Mini-14 and a Mini-30, I've sold both of them.

I would rather have an AR or AK. Still have my tang safety M77 .308, with Timney trigger, though.Patrick
 
Last year they changed the Mini 14 apparently making it better especially for accuracy which the older one was not noted for. Ruger pioneered the use of investment castings for firearms which are now used extensively in the industry.
 
appearance when compared to the sleeker forged components of most other manufacturers because more material is required to equal the strength of forged steel.
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I'd just like to point out that's not what the article says, at least how I read it

Consequently, Ruger can use materials of a very low sulphur or selenium content with a high hardenability which provides greater tensile and compressive strength than the lower alloys other manufacturers much use because their manufacturing processes require
use of additives like sulphur or selenium to obtain acceptable machinability.
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I'm guessing the reason they are a little more chunky is that it's easier to cast in a less detailed mold.
 
I've got a Ruger M77 MKII, and a 22/45, and my Dad has a Redhawk and MKII pistol. They all work very well and have held up well over the years. They aren't as refined as many other firearms on the market as you've noted, but they work well and don't cost much.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to buy the GP or the SP if both are to your likeing. They are solid firearms. Very reliable, and well built. Not the prettiest pieces, but very functional.

AS for the mini 14, I would think twice. If you want a .223 semi plinker, spend the money on an AR15. Extra mags for the Ruger are expensive. I don't have any expereince with the new and improved Mini, but as it has been mentioned here already, it wasn't known for accuracy. But how much it has improved would be a big question to me.

Smith
 
I've had a mini-14 police carbine for a few years. Kind of an impulse buy, but hey how many more are gonna be around with the LEO on the side. The rear sight aperture was wobbly so I had it removed and replaced. That was my only issue. After that it shot nicely (1 1/2-2") especially with hornady V-max. Not that I put much of that through it, it's almost always surplus ammo. Reliable as they come.
 
I've owned a number of Rugers over the years and shot even more. By and large they are solid, maybe even overbuilt in some cases and generally a good value for the money.

In the case of handguns, you will probably want to spend some money with a gunsmith working on the triggers, they have a history of lawyer-legal triggers.

I've never owned a mini14 but it has an excellent repuration for durability and reliability. What it does not have is a reputation for stellar accuracy although they recently made some changes and have even released a "target" version with a barrel weight that was favorably reviewed.

These aren't target guns but then, no 2" revolver is. I think you'll enjoy the Rugers. You might even find some good deals on used Rubers as well.
 
Bad things I have heard range from poor accuracy, expensive magazines and them breaking and having feeding problems. The less than stellar accuracy is pretty well documented but breaking parts and feeding problems pop up at some point with almost every firearm I would think.
 
I only owned one Ruger, one of their bull-barreled target model .22 autos.
A really nice pistol for the money. Fired thousands of rounds through it of the most mismatched, funky old .22s I could find, and never a misfire or failure.

Accurate as hell too.
 
Every Ruger mini-14 I has shot somewhere between 6" and 2 1/2" so they are not very accurate. I have 3 and 1 is scoped they all shoot pretty inaccurately. They are however very fun. I have a sp 101 357 mag and I love it. It is claimed to be one of the strongest snubbies made. It make a great concealed carry piece. I am carrying one right now as a backup to my sig 229. I have shot the gp100 and they are good but I prefer my S&W 686. I also own 10-22's and ruger super blackhawks and they are all great Ruger is a good company.
 
My one and only Ruger (22/45), so far. I don`t care for the break down to clean, but its fun to shoot.
 

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dig-it said:
My one and only Ruger (22/45), so far. I don`t care for the break down to clean(could they have made it any more difficult?), but its fun to shoot.
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Phuckin' A, the breakdown/reassembly is a bitch and a half!:mad:

On the other hand, shooting the mother is too fun!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
You might notice many of the negatives of the thread mention sights...historically the metal sights have been the weak link for most Rugers. The Mini-14 has been through many iterations. The first edition had the worst sights and many other problems. They then beefed up the design; but usually made the sights poor for any sort of distance shooting.

A second thing you might notice is how so many mention the expense of magazines. Part of this is due to the Clinton gun ban and partly due to Ruger no longer selling >10 round mags to anyone other than LEO. This drove Ruger factory mag prices through the roof.

Since you presumeably work in gun store, you are most certainly aware that many after market magazines are of poor quality. Since hi-cap factory mags were too expensive many folks "cheaped out" and bought poor quality after market hi-cap mags. I would bet just about any reliability of feeding issues experienced can be directly linked to crappy mags. A semi-auto is only as good as its magazine.

Good luck on your future Ruger Clark, they are a blast. (buy good mags)
 
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