ORIGINAL: Nic Barca
I was under the impression that the mini-30 shot .30 carbine bullets. So did many people I know. When I was younger, I was shown a gun with the .30 carbine bullets which was called a Mini-30 by the owners. Now I look in the ruger catalog and finally noticed how it's caliber was 7.62x39mm. Was that always it's caliber or did the mini-30 previously shoot the .30 carbine and switch over?? And if it always shot the 7.62x39, could the guns that I (and friends) saw which shot the 30carbine bullets only be M1s???
It's funny because I even recal the guns that shot the .30carbine looking just like the mini-30 of the pictures. Was I just simply horibly mistaken or did the mini-30 previously shoot .30 carbine?
The Ruger Mini-30 has
NEVER BEEN CHAMBERED FOR ANY ROUND OTHER THAN THE 7.62X39mm Soviet!! However, the Mini-14 has been chambered for other .22-cal. varmint rounds besides the .223, ie., .222 Rem, etc. Ruger has never chambered any RIFLE for the .30 U.S. Carbine round, but they have made revolvers so chambered.
Any semi-auto you've ever seen of the gas-operated, rotating bolt design that you're talking about is some version of the U.S. Carbine, cal. .30, either G.I. or commercially made (Plainfield, Iver Johnson, etc.)!