I believe so, but the consensus on them is that they're not very good rifles. Poor accuracy, poor reliability. While the Mini-14 (which is more accurate and more reliable, which doesn't say much for the 30) is the least expensive of its breed, the Mini-30 is more expensive than SKSs and most AKs, most of which are more accurate and all of which are more reliable. One good point for the Mini-30 is that it is a good platform for certain caliber conversions which, with new heavier barrels, are quite accurate.
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Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
I agree with BattleRifle...If I were you, I would get an sks, and spend the money saved on lots of ammo....I had a Mini-14 and it would shoot 4-6 inch groups at 50yrds..not good.
Alright, thanks. Couple more questions, first off, does that CA legal Yugo SKS, have a detachable Mag. Second quesion, ok, so you guys say that the Mini-30, aint to accurate, what about the Mini-14. Is it a good gun?
Mini 14 is way better than the Mini-30. More accurate, I think more reliable, and more affordable usually.
On the SKS, no it cannot take a detachable mag per CA law, BUT if you're restricted to 10 rounds anyway, loading with stripper clips is faster, easier, and cheaper than swapping out detachable mags. Even folks who can legally have 30 rounders find themselves going back to the fixed mag.
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Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
I left the 10 round fixed on my SKS. As BRG said, I prefer the stipper clips to the aftermarket junk high cap mags.
I had a mini-thirty that would pretty much hang with my SKS in acuracy and beat my AK. Maybe I just got lucky. Although, I did sell that mini-thirty, and I still have the SKS and AK. Something about it that I just didn't like. I never could quite figure out what it was.
Maybe it's that they're kind of dorky looking, Silverrun. All lumpy and asymetrical. BUT I have one I like and it is very accurate. It was early production, I think. Scoped. Can do WAY better than that Mini-14 mentioned above with its 4-6 inches at 50 yds. Ouch. Mine's probably got..3-4 inches at 200 yards or so. It has very tight tolerances in the receiver --almost too tight (it jams with cheap ammo sometimes, and DON"T use laquered ammo at all)--so if my life depended on something, as an assault/support gun, I would go with an SKS, probably. But, right now I just shoot cans. Everybody always disses the Mini-30, and I don't know why. Maybe they didnt' have good quality control. Eh, whatever.
JD
I had a Mini-14 and it would shoot 4-6 inch groups at 50yrds..not good.
I'm getting 4-6" groups @ 50yds with my Mini-30; but that's with the iron sight, firing all 10 rds offhand & rapid fire. 10 rds in 60 secs from a light sandbag rest, I'm getting 2-3" @ 100 yds. I just added a BSA RedDot but haven't tested that out yet.
As for looks- I happen to like the way mine looks (stainless & wood). The little brother of my favorite military rifle- M-14. I never even picked up an M-16 until I played Army ROTC long after my active service. (They only used M-14s on smaller Navy ships as the .223 wouldn't penetrate water sufficiently to hit sharks, though I heard that has changed.) Though they are a top-notch fighting weapon, I think the SKS is the ugliest mutha out there.
