7.62x39 Ruger Mini-30/Ak-47 Multi Purpose Use?

Me personally, I would have just purchased a 7.62x39 upper for the AR. That's actually what I am thinking about doing for my AR...
Click to expand...
^ this is very costly. you need to grind down the feed ramps to make the mags work and stand the chance of messing everything up, you need to fiddle with springs and the extractors are especially fragile...if you do build a 7.62x39 AR then it needs to be dedicated and my brother ended up spending $1200 before he got his to work properly.
 
Personally, I'd never buy a Mini-30. It's basically a more expensive, less reliable alternative to the SKS. Mini-30's are pretty widely reported to be ammo picky, in particular disliking steel-cased ammo; leaving your only options as corrosive Yugoslavian surplus (and eventually that supply will run dry) or domestically-produced brass-cased which sells for around 3 times the price of new production non-corrosive steel-cased ammo. I'd have any 7.62x39 over a Mini-30.
 
Personally, I'd never buy a Mini-30. It's basically a more expensive, less reliable alternative to the SKS. Mini-30's are pretty widely reported to be ammo picky, in particular disliking steel-cased ammo; leaving your only options as corrosive Yugoslavian surplus (and eventually that supply will run dry) or domestically-produced brass-cased which sells for around 3 times the price of new production non-corrosive steel-cased ammo. I'd have any 7.62x39 over a Mini-30.
Click to expand...
what is this? I've actually heard the exact opposite about the minis. I know guys that have shot nothing but wolf and russian surplus out of their 30s for years and never had a single issue with them. I have an AK47 that has been known to jam just as much much as any other gun I own and it happens with that "more reliable, corrosive, yugo" and new production steel cased. I know guys that have sold their SKS because of reliability issues and I'd much rather pay the price for a brand new gun over one that has sat in a crate for 50+ years. do you have links to these reported issues so I can ejumacate myself?
 
Look it up, there's even been threads in this very forum where people have complained about their Mini-30's inability to function reliably with steel-cased ammo. The Mini-30 manual recommends against using steel-cased ammo.

General consensus is both the AK and SKS will outclass the Ruger in terms of reliability and all at a lower cost too. If buying something new matters, then there's always the Saiga option, these are current production, cheaper, more reliable. Or Arsenal SGL-21, which costs about the same as a Mini-30, but again, likely to be more reliable, and greater availability of accessories and parts.

I myself have had at last 8 different AK variants in 5 different calibers and 3 SKS's rifles and have never had a single reliability issue with any of them regardless of the kind of ammo. Some of these were new production, some a mash-up for foreign and domestically-made parts, and some were the type that have been sitting in crates for 50+ years.
 
The mini14 will absolutely run anything through it,
but the mini30 maybe completely different.
I based my expectations on the mini14.

So if I were looking into a 7.62x39 rifle, I would most likely pass on the mini30 based on the consensus here.
 
both

I've got a Mini-30 and a cheapie AK and will tell you what I can about each.

I bought the Mini-30 back in the Clinton -Reno era so its a relativley older rifle and likely bored .308. I have shot a bunch of steel case ammo through it, Norinco (chinese) and Russian Wolf and others, and it has run fine, AS LONG AS I USE THE 5-RD FACTORY MAG. The early hi cap mags for the mini-30, non Ruger, are all mostly junk. I bought several right before the magazine ban and they were just not worth it. Now that Ruger is making a RUGER 20 rd mag for the Mini-30, that is a big plus for the rifle.
I have NOT broken any parts, worn out the factory mag, or had any failures to fire, and again, as long as I use the factory mag, the rifle runs nearly flawlessly. I have also loaded for my Mini-30, and shot a wide variety of domestic soft points (123-125 through it w/ no trouble. I worked up some loads using GI 147 gr FMJ slugs, 150 gr FPSP, even 150 gr Sierra Match Kings. Bamaboy and I use the 7.62 x39 ctg for our whitetails w/ no problem, we are taking our deer inside 100 yds and at those ranges the x39 ctg (w/ quality slugs) does fine. The Mini currently wears a Leupold 1-4x equipped with a chunky German #1 reticle. One of the pluses for the Mini is that it is easily scoped and ususally comes with factory rings, or they are easily available. They have useable triggers that do not slap, and a practical safety. If not scoped, the factory peep, either the old folder, or the newer winged version, is worlds better than the short radiused AK sight which gives anything but good eyes fits. I have not kept a log on the rifle, but the round count is in 2 thousands and I have seen none of the problems you see mentioned regards the Mini-30 often mentioned by others. The rifle shoots into 2-4 MOA depending on what ammo its fed. A simple field strip of a Mini yields 3 big parts that are not easily lost. Its one piece wood and steel appearance is somewhat conventional, points like other sporting rifles and I would choose it as a hunter over my AK.

The AK is likely the cheapest AK that is out there, an MISR-90, that I tweaked up to 922r compliance. Any AK mag seems to run fine in it, I like the 20's. It is as reliable as you would expect an AK to be and I cannot recall a failure/jam. With import ammo it shoots 6-9 MOA and that is likely generous estimate. It cannot be easily scoped, and the trigger would beat you to death with slap till I put a Tapco in it. The short sight radius gives me FITS. I have hunted w/ it (5 rd mag) just to say I have, but never taken (or shot at) a deer with it. The Delta Point set up posted earlier looks great, but the mount and sight will cost twice what I have in the AK!
If I had to defend my home and property, (looks and liability aside, althoght the 870 and a coach gun stay loaded in reality) or was in a war zone somewhere, I'd grab the AK and not the Mini.
 
RickyRicks
The mini14 will absolutely run anything through it,
but the mini30 maybe completely different.
I based my expectations on the mini14.
Click to expand...
Good point, that's the basis and weakness of my reasoning as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top