The Compact Ruger Mini 30 is a Handy Brush Gun
The Ruger Mini-Thirty is a compact semi-automatic rifle that is chambered for the 7.62X39 cartridge. A short rifle, such as the Ruger Mini 30, when chambered for the relatively light kicking, 7.62X39, makes a surprisingly good deer rifle for those who hunt in brush and thick woods and
commonly take short distance shots at deer. Here is a review of the Ruger Mini-30 for deer hunting.
The Ruger Mini-Thirty is one of two rifles made by Ruger on the same semi-automatic action. The other rifle is the Mini-14 that is offered in a Ranch rifle version and a tactical version. The Ruger Mini-Thirty is only offered in this year's catalog with a synthetic stock, but older models can be found used with a wood stock. The weight of the Ruger Mini-Thirty is about 6.75 pounds and the overall length is 37 ¼ inches with a 18 ½ inch barrel. Compare this to a standard hunting rifle such as the Remington Model 700 at about a 7.4 pounds, a 42 ½ inch overall length and a 22 inch barrel and it is easy to see that the smaller Mini-Thirty is quite comfortable to carry in the deer woods. The Mini-Thirty is even a little shorter and lighter than the Marlin 336.
The Ruger Mini-Thirty looks quite bulky with its oversized handguard, but feels good in the hands. The Mini-Thirty points well and quickly making it a great brush rifle for deer hunting. Though the Mini-Thirty comes with Ruger mounts for scope mounting, I like the open sights for short yardage shots. The rear peep sight and post front line up quickly and deliver hunting accuracy reliably. The 5 shot detachable magazine is fine for deer hunting, but larger magazines are available to play around with though a 30 round magazine would be awkward in the deer woods! Check with your local authorities for laws or regulations regarding magazine capacity while hunting.
Most shooters are familiar with the 7.62X39 round as it is well known as the chambering of the AK-47 and the SKS. Due to the 7.62X39's use in these military rifles, cheap ammunition is available for informal shooting with the Mini-Thirty. Major manufacturers such as Remington, Wolf, and
Winchester make hunting loads for the 7.62X39. Reloading components are available to load hunting loads for the 7.62X39 as well. The 7.63X39 compares fairly well with the 30-30 Winchester. This means that about 200 yards is the maximum range for deer hunting with a Mini-Thirty.
The Ruger Mini-Thirty might not look like a conventional deer hunting rifle but it certainly can get the job done. With great availability of inexpensive ammunition to shoot with and loadings suitable for deer hunting, the Mini-Thirty is a gun that a deer hunter can shoot year around and have a lot of fun in the process.
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-Justin
World Class Whitetails of Ohio
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