For a military grade non-assault rifle, this item rocks. The receiver is stamped ".223", but Ruger''s product manual states that it will handle ALL MILITARY rounds of 5.56 caliber. Changing the stock is a little different than older models, as this does not use side screws. Check your local laws before buying a folding stock, as that and high capacity mags may change this into an assault rifle. The rifle feels good in the hands and once you are used to it, is nicely accurate. I recommend using 5.56, not .223 ammo, as the 5.56 shot tighter groups, but has more kick and those casings fly a good 25'' while the .223 Remington only flew about 10''. Ruger included 1" rings with special mounts designed for the Mini line that have little crescent tabs on them to keep the mounts from slipping on the gun. If it is legal for you, get a higher capacity magazine because blowing through 4 rounds is easy. The Mini-14 works great on fur-bearing animals and varmints(buzzards too). It is not legal to hunt deer with in most states, if you want to hunt deer, get the Mini-30, it fires 7.62x39 (like the AK-47). Also be prepared to do minor alterations to aftermarket magazines, as I tried 3 non Ruger and 1 Ruger HC mag and only the Ruger fed right, all the others required minor re-machining to grab a round and close the bolt. If I could get this in 7.62x51 I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

I had an absolutely great time with this rifle. I was thinking about giving it four stars simply because I'm going to have to jimmy on my aimpoint, but the iron sights are still great! An excellent, and very fun rifle based on the M14 platform.