I could only get the factory Ruger 20 round mags to work... nothing aftermarket was reliable for me. Have since sold it and moved to an AK.
Ruger's Minis are Garand-style semiautos.
Ruger originally announced that the new Mini would be in .308 (back in the 1980's), but apparently never got it to work right and ended up with the 7.62x39 (like the AKs).
Uhhhh, no. Garand is a long stroke piston, Mini is short stroke. It's closer-related to the M14, but only very loosely based on that.
And very much lacking the reliability and accuracy of either of the other platforms.
That was referring to the barrel diameter. 7.62x39mm uses a .310" bullet. As long as the ammo isn't loaded too hot, it'll work fine in a .308" diameter (NOT .308 Winchester CHAMBER!!! - safety note) barrel.
OP: Just buy an AK. More reliable. More accurate (really). More better.
Dammit Sage!! I really wanted to do this. I guess I'll take your advice and put my money else where
That said, the AK is a better choice for 7.62x39. Regardless of platform, it's still a mediocre cartridge.
No, I wasn't referring to the barrel diameter. Ruger heavily advertised their "new" Mini in .308 and I knew several people who preordered them only to be severely disappointed when Ruger dumped the .308. I had planned to buy one myself.
An AK is very reliable. Nobody SANE considers them to be "accurate". That said, the AK is a better choice for 7.62x39. Regardless of platform, it's still a mediocre cartridge.
I have my mini 14 since 82 and have never had a complaint. It is not a match grade weapon but gets the job done on man / hog sized targets. It is not finicky on ammo or on mags either. But I usually use the factory RUGER 30 round mags I bought with the rifle.