Could anyone please let me know what you think of Ruger? I had their 10/22 when I was young, it was a good little gun. What do you think of their Mini-14, Mini-30 and their handguns?
Thanks
The Mini-14 is a fun plinker, and probably has the best reliability of any .223 semiautomatic rifle, since it's cut to looser tolerances. While it's probably not going to give you out of the box MOA accuracy, it's also quite inexpensive, and for combat purposes, has plenty of long gun accuracy.
The only real knock I have against it, is the thin walled factory barrel. It heats up rather quickly, and can throw off your accuracy as a result. The gun is basically best used as a slow-fire rifle.
That being said, if someone finds the Mini-14 to be lacking in accuracy, he can always go for one of Ruger's AR rifles, which are very, very nice.
Their handguns show quite a variety...
I've owned a P89 and P95, and can attest that the old P-series guns are bulky, blocky, and heavy. They're not really the concealable type, and have the ergonomics of a brick. That being said, they're also exceptionally durable and reliable, being able to digest bunny fart lead ball reloads, all the way to the hottest NATO-spec loads. They're actually great handguns for someone who wants to fire his / her first centerfire pistol, since they're quite forgiving of even the limpest of wrists.
The other beefs I have with the P-series is that the grips are slippery. The P89/90/91/93/94 series have slick Xenoy plastic grip panels, although this is easily remedied with the use of a Hogue replacement grip (doesn't add any real thickness to the grip). The P95 / 97 uses a one piece polyurethane frame, and is also slippery, and you'd probably want to use a slip-on grip such as a Hogue Handall overgrip. Also, the magazine release button on the P95 is a bit too easy to engage, that a casual bump can sometimes cause the release to trigger.
The newer Ruger handguns are a different beast entirely, thanks to the fact that Bill Ruger is no longer around to impede progress. They now make a wide range of polymer framed handguns that are ergonomic, lightweight, and still have the excellent reliability. In addition to this, they're finally come out with truly pocket sized guns, such as the LCP (semiauto) and LCR (J-frame sized revolver).
Their .22 LR pistols are famous for their excellence. The best way I can describe them is to shoot them at the range, and see for yourself.
Ruger has come a long, long way ever since the last decade. It's no secret that the traitorous old man was stonewalling any progress that the company could have made, and now that the son is leading the company, Ruger has taken a very bold step forward into becoming a much more complete company.
