My new 182 Stainless Mini thread

[imarangemaster]

I mentioned it in another thread, but it really deserves its own thread. A really clean, low miles 182 Series stainless Mini-14, with original wood stock and matching original wood handguard. The seller was adamant about his price $1075. That about what they go for in Northern California. In fact we often sell them at $1100-$1200.More than I have paid before, but it is really low miles. According to Ruger, made in 1981.














I ordered a Tech Sights R-200 rear sight, a Socom short Accu-Strut, and new recoil spring. I have a Ruger factory 581 series front sight to replace the horrible mile high front blade sight. Also have an extra Black Jack recoil buffer to soften felt recoil and not beat up the weapon. Also have a NOS USGI M1 carbine sling. I will post pictures as I do updates.

[Grendel Guy]

Good looking gun. I've one with a Hogue overmolded stock, and a Bushnell pistol scope (mounted so that the brass doesn't hit it) and a aluminum handguard. It is an Ultimak.

[imarangemaster]

I do have a John Masen M14 "flash hider/front sight (post and wing)/bayonet lug" combo in case SCOTUS throws out Commiefornia's silly ban. I also have a Choate Cage Recoil Compensator/front sight (also post and wing type) I may change over to, instead of the 581 sight.

[imarangemaster]

Since I am spending way too much on tricking out my new 182 anyway, I also ordered a serrated stainless steel butt plate from Numrich for $45. I remember when the were $9.95 from Fed Ord back in the day.

[imarangemaster]

There is actually method to my madness, buying this 182 Series and spending a couple hundred to fine tune it and dress it up, even just after I got my 584 Series Mini-14 in 300 BLK back. I had traded the MIni-14 5.56 Tactical for the 300 because I think the 300 BLK makes a better close up and personal Home Defensive Carbine than the 5.56.

The 300 BLK is light, handy, 1420+ ft lbs ME, and a has a "shake awake" Sig Romeo red dot on it. A perfect "Thumper" for close in.

That brings us to the 182. It will be my EOTWAWKI, WTSHTF, Goblin, Zombie, Troll, Raving Insurrectionist whacker. I am generally an iron sight guy, and the R-200 Tech Sight for the pre-580 minis is the best rear sight on about any platform, and not available for 580s. The 182 being stainless, it is less effected by the elements. The strut will mitigate the pencil barrel's failings. Its wood stock and stainless butt plate are extremely tough. Its 1/10 twist is great for 50-62 grain ammo, and would even do 77s at close range.

I debated over whether the SHTF rifle should be 7.62x39 or 5.56, and i went with 5.56. The 300 BLK Mini will fill the .30 cal hole, but 5.56 is "coin of the realm" so to speak, and will likely be more available than either .300 BLK or 7.62x39. Working in the gun shop during the pandemic and its ammo shortages, we always had 223 and 5.56. We had no 300 BLK or 7,62x39 for well over a year!

I have a light weight AR CAR-15 (5 lbs, 7 ozs), but I would want to depend on it if it fell off a cliff, want to use it as a club. I prefer the MIni as a semi-auto platform than the AR anyway. Its not that I don't like or respect the AR and AK platforms, i do. They are both fine weapon systems. Its just to me, at 72, I prefer the MIni platform.

[imarangemaster]

I'll have about $1250 into it (as I have some stuff already- like new recoil spring, buffers, and 581 front sight). That's about the retail price of a new 580 series through my dealer. As the 182 was used and in-house private party transfer, I escaped having to pay the local 7.5% sales tax and Commiefornia's new 11% excise tax on new guns and ammo (a total of $231) so I am still ahead. Even if I ordered a used 581 on gunbroker, the $18.5% would still apply. In house private party transfer is the only exemption.

The trigger has been done by prior owner. Broke at a crisp 4 pounds with the shop trigger gauge. I prefer the over gassed factory bushings, since I am not using a scope. It shoots ANY ammo, including some crap COVID era commercial "lawyer happy" pitiful reloads. I also have a Black jack buffer on the rear and a 1911 bushing on the front, that takes the "hard smack: out of the hard recoil of the factory gas bushings. .

My last 1/10" twist 18" pencil barrel Mini gave me just over 3300 fps with Lake City M193 ball, on a radar chrony. PMC 55 grain .223 JSP, was about 3250 from the same weapon.

[imarangemaster]

Got almost everything I need for the 182 make over. Just waiting on the serrated stainless butt plate. While I have a variety muzzle device. front sight combinations, I will probably stick with the 581 post and wing front sight. It works awesome, but looks a little odd, set back from the muzzle about an inch.

I have a John Masen (aka Federal Ordinance) M14 flash hider, bayonet lug, post and wing front sight, but it is not Commiefornia legal. I also have a Choate "Cage Recoil Compensator," post and wing front sight that is allegedly Commiiefornia legal as it is not marked as a flash hider, and its stated purpose is "recoil Reduction". That may be, but it looks almost like a birdcage flash hider, except the exit holr is about half its diameter (about .45"). I will do some research on it, but it may move to first choice.

[imarangemaster]

Its done! It is a "Purpose built" MIni-14. It is my WTSHTF, EOTWAWKI, Goblin, Troll, Raving Insurrectionist WHACKER.

-While I prefer the 1/9 twist, heavier tapered 580+ series barrels, the 1/10" pencil barrel can perform about as well with even a short SOCOM strut installed. Considering my round of choice for 18"-20" barreled .223 platforms is 55 grain M193 5.56 BALL (of which I have a good stockpile), the 1/10" twist is awesome. It does well with M855 62 grain ball also. It does not like my MK262 MOD1 77 grn OTM, but my 1/7 twist 14.7" barreled (with a pinned brake for 16") CAR-15 loves that stuff.

Socom Strut




-While the 580+ series rear sight is serviceable, the 181s rear sight replaced with a R-200 Tech sight is far and away the BEST rear sight for a Mini. Even the R-100 tech Sight for the 580+ series is nowhere as good a piece of kit as the 181's Tech Sight.

old sight






Tech sight:







-The mile high front post front sights on the pre-580s SUCKs. That's why I installed a 580 series front sight on the 182. I also have a John Masen (Fed Ord) M14 style flash hider/front sight/bayonet lug, and a Choate recoil compensator with post and wing sights that I can replace the 580 sight with if I am not in Commiefornia.

Factory 182 sight



580 sight on my 182





-While I have never personally cracked a Ruger nylon butt plate, I have seen several come into the shop with cracks/broken. Also, it is too "slippy" (Jeff Cooper even noted it in his 1972 review of the "New Mini-14"). Thats why I installed a serrated stainless butt plate.



-Speaking of stocks, the wood "carbine style" stocks of the pre-580 Mini-14s is my favorite Ruger stock. The new stocks are more a sporter stock and have a longer length of pull. Ruger poly stocks are a second choice. I detest the lawyer designed handguard cover of the lat 182s and on. The wood of the 180-182 looks nicer and I think protect the off-hand better. If you are worried about cooling the barrel quicker, the Choate hand-guard is great.

-I use the Mini-14 for my "go to when times are bad" weapon instead of my AR because it is tougher, and by design more tolerant of crud in the action than the AR. If I fell off an embankment onto of my AR, it would likely snap in half (yes, I have personally seen that happen in basic training!) If I landed on the Mini, it would hurt me more than the weapon. With factory mags, which are steel and tough as a tank, they are 100% reliable

[imarangemaster]

I do have other weapons, including a 300 BLK Mini-14, a PSA KS-47 G2 7.62x39 hybrid AR, a lighteight CAR-15 5.56 (5 pounds, 7 oz), a Chinese Paratrooper SKS, and I just ordered a PSA AK103. All great weapons. I just prefer the Mini-14 for this weapon.

[imarangemaster]

Decided to have the machinist at our gunshop thread the last 5/8" of the barrel 1/2x28.

Instead of this:



it will be this:

[imarangemaster]

My 182






Tech sight






Commiefornia legal muzzle brake






Flash hider from MIni-14 tactical for free state use