If you want a Mini-14 buy one.

If you want a carbine for a specific purpose, however, and provided have access to virtually any other modern carbine design, pick just about anything else. I say this not to disparage Ruger or the people who own Minis, but because it’s difficult to ignore the Mini’s limitations compared to other, more modern designs.

We at TFB are no strangers at all to cool guns that are not as practical as they could be. TFBTV has done run-and-guns with obsolete military bolt action rifles, not because they are the best possible fighting tool today, but because it’s fun, and we want to. If that’s where you are coming from with the Mini-14, then by all means, indulge yourself. And there’s good reason to like the Mini, despite its flaws. I do. It’s something I’ve lamented previously that there are very few decent “domestic” looking selfloading rifles on the market today. The Mini-14 is one, and one of the very, very few that actually works well.

As penance to Mini enthusiasts everywhere for writing this article, I give you a drawing I did in high school. To this day I like the Mini, but unfortunately there’s no excusing my taste as a teenager.

Others have driven the issue of the Mini’s practicality into the dirt. They are inaccurate, difficult to disassemble, break often, jam more frequently, and handle dust and debris much more poorly than more modern designs. They are plagued with issues stemming from their origins in John Garand’s 1920s-era design, some of which have been exacerbated by the economization measures taken during the rifle’s development. If you don’t believe me, you can ask any number of experts on the Mini, from Greg Ellifritz to former Ruger quality assurance manager Ed Harris.

Not only that, but in an era of sub-$400 AR-15s, Mini-14s aren’t even remotely comparable in cost to their competition, much less cheaper as they used to be. So, for someone looking for an inexpensive, decent carbine for work, not pleasure, the Mini makes no sense. Why bother?

But pragmatism isn’t the reason most guns are bought, nor, do I think, should it be. Pragmatism should be a factor in the selection of guns like EDC handguns, LEO carbines, etc, but for every gun bought on the basis of cold, hard facts, there are probably 2 or 3 bought just for the hell of it. And there are a lot of “for the hell of it” reasons to want a Mini. They are unique looking, attractive, iconic rifles (especially the “A-Team” model) which have a style that more modern carbines lack. No mystery there why someone might want one.

Where my eyebrow comes up is when people have a hard time separating these two categories. Often, guns are bought because the owner wanted to, but then justified with a long list of forced logic as “pragmatic” purchases – which is silly, since everyone’s entitled to like the things the like, and that should certainly be true within members of the gun world. To be honest, people like me probably don’t help. We reflexively call out folks for straying from “the facts” as a matter of course, and that makes them defensive and just aggravates the problem. Please be patient with us. Having said that, honesty is the most important with oneself, which is why it’s Number 1 in my list of nine tips for new gun buyers.

None of this stops gunwriters and bloggers (including us) from writing fluff pieces about the Mini and other rifles, but these are mostly harmless, I think. As long as people understand why they want a particular gun, then this kind of internet validation is unnecessary for them. The Mini-14 isn’t the best carbine you can buy today, not by a long shot. But if you want one anyway, then by all means, go get one.