LE trade - in Mini 14's---worth it?

[Sunday]

Deckhandmike, what price would you buy them for?

About $299.00 They don't cost that much when they were new. It is typical gun shop rip the customer pricing IMHO

[Mossy Man]

I just saw a couple of them here at the shop: 3 wooden stock with stainless steel hardware. They look fine, for used guns. The barrels were cut and re crowned here at the shop. They are the 185 and 186 series.

late 80s early 90s production, based on 185-186. I don't think Ruger supports any 18x series rifles anymore, but call them to make sure (if that matters to you).

Keep in mind this series has better iron sights than current production models, but has no integral scope mounts so you'll have to use a B-Square or somesuch if you decide to mount a scope.

[Mossy Man]

About $299.00 They don't cost that much when they were new. It is typical gun shop rip the customer pricing IMHO

and SKS's used to be $50.

Now they are $499.

Unlike new production Mini-14s, the GB series has some collector's value and is different.

good info here on the model year differences

http://www.rugertalk.com/forum/f48/mini-14-series-725/

[Khromo]

If they are the pre-580 guns, that price is way too high!

Even if they are the re-tooled carbines, you need to consider that law enforcement trade-ins run the gamut from "rarely touched and in excellent condition" to "shot a little and treated pretty poorly." Long arms are often issued to different guys, so you shouldn't count on the responsible care and cleaning that a private owner provides. Crude cleaning practices can wreak havoc with the rifling at the muzzle, and this is very common.

A new one is a considerably more accurate gun and it has a warranty. Saving a couple hundred looks like a false economy to me.

[Mossy Man]

If they are the pre-580 guns, that price is way too high!

Even if they are the re-tooled carbines, you need to consider that law enforcement trade-ins run the gamut from "rarely touched and in excellent condition" to "shot a little and treated pretty poorly." Long arms are often issued to different guys, so you shouldn't count on the responsible care and cleaning that a private owner provides. Crude cleaning practices can wreak havoc with the rifling at the muzzle, and this is very common.

A new one is a considerably more accurate gun and it has a warranty. Saving a couple hundred looks like a false economy to me.

Technically no Rugers have warranties, but from the reading I've done, only the 180 series has been discontinued in service.

181+ are still serviced by Ruger. Not sure about government models from civvies, though.

[wxl]

I just saw a couple of them here at the shop: 3 wooden stock with stainless steel hardware. They look fine, for used guns. The barrels were cut and re crowned here at the shop. They are the 185 and 186 series.

If it's the 180 series don't get it because they are no longer supported by Ruger and it's hard to get parts. If it's a 185-186 series they are good guns and very reliable. They have the skinny barrel that may need some work to make them more accurate and they have a 1:7 barrel twist as oppose to the earlier 1:10 and the current 1:9 barrel twist. The 1:7 twist prefers a heavier bullet. I think the changes in barrell twist rates contributed to the reputation that the Mini's were not accurate, because people were using bullets that were not ideal for their barrel twist rates.

[SIGman Freud]

You guys have convinced me! Lol I don't want to run the risk AND overpay for one of these.

I'll just keep a look out for a newer one at a reasonable price plus accessories.

Thanks!

[Mossy Man]

You guys have convinced me! Lol I don't want to run the risk AND overpay for one of these.

I'll just keep a look out for a newer one at a reasonable price plus accessories.

Thanks!

Well don't discount it yet.

If you want a fun irons only rifle, this might be a good option.

Plus they have extra cool factor for the GB model which isn't available for regular people.

[REDdawn6]

What does a new improved mini cost? You can build a nice AR with their premium parts from Palmetto which is higher quality than a $600.00 mini.

Once again, the OP is asking about a mini, no about an AR.

[TMB 1]

I just saw a couple of them here at the shop: 3 wooden stock with stainless steel hardware. They look fine, for used guns. The barrels were cut and re crowned here at the shop. They are the 185 and 186 series.

You could always have barrel threaded so you could put a muzzle brake instead of flash hider they cut off if you wanted. The 185 series has 1in 7 twist and the 186 could have either 1in7 or 1in9 twist. 185 series shoots really well with heavy bullets.

[Dinosaur Jr]

As a Mini-14 (and AR15) owner I can honestly say that I like Mini-14s a lot, but let's be honest - older Mini-14s are not match-grade target rifles. While the first shot from a cold barrel is usually good for 2-3MOA, don't expect much better than minute-of-pie-plate accuracy at 100yd out of 5 rounds of rapid fire without an Accu-Strut or Har-Bar.

LOL! "minute of pie plate"!

So some folks pay extra for a LE stamped used gun? Because it sat locked up in a rack and/or rode around in a squad car trunk?

I'm typically only willing to pay a little extra for a gun that wasn't someone else's gun...just sayin

[JohnCCW]

I wouldn't pay $600 for a used/modified/obsolete one.

[Spyder]

I doubt there's a Mini14 out there I would pay $400 for.