Poll: General all around plinking & SHTF rifle: M&P Sport or Mini 14

[andreys21]

Mini-14 has a Minute Of Barn accuracy, go with M&P Sport.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

MOB You shot any lately, or ever? Just asking, because that's an awful bold statement there cowboy when I've seen some in the hands of folks that could take your middle finger off at 100 yards.

 

[Boats]

Most AR shooters simply don't seem to understand that a good deal of the appeal of a Mini is that it is not another AR.

It's kind of amusing really. Not many slag the M-14/M1A rifle just because the easier to modify and easier to scope AR style rifles in 7.62x51 exist. Part of that is because the typical M1A is accurate. Now that Ruger has taken effective steps to remedy the main historic complaint about the Mini, will the slagging of it by AR fans abate? Don't count on it.

 

[Member 5605]

After owning both, selling mini-14... regretting it....

Tough call.

 

[Silver Hand]

Salmonriverjohn
I have weapons that will shoot 2'' @ 300 yards and hit with just under 3000 foot pounds. That is more than two times the point blank mussel energy of the 5.56 cartridge.
I never had any Idea that a gun like this shot bad Until I joined this post.
Hell I spent forty rounds witnessed by my son and grand son a month ago trying to knock down a 1'-10'' 4''x4'' standing on end [as one of our targets] and at a 45 angle down hill at 75 or 80 yards. Offhand - Thought I missed when it did not go down, till the grand son brought it back up and we counted all but two bullet holes. Must have been those flyers you guys are talking about.

I have found most people whom have nothing good to say have nothing good in the first place!













=

 

[andreys21]

MOB You shot any lately, or ever? Just asking, because that's an awful bold statement there cowboy when I've seen some in the hands of folks that could take your middle finger off at 100 yards.

How's this for a bold statement: I'm an Internet troll. Ruger makes ugly guns. Their "signature" flash hider is an abomination. The best thing they got going for them is 10/22. AR has more part/accessory availability. Mini-14 sights blow. I wanna see someone shoot minute of middle finger at 300yds with irons on it.

Hey, raise your hand if you had to send a gun back to Ruger shortly after purchase!
I'm a Ruger hater, bottom line.

 

[Silver Hand]

That is weird I never considered a Ruger 10/.22 to be accurate and have owned three of them.

 

[PDXSparky]

To me, the answer would to be buy both, but I also like the look of both rifles. I like the "M1 Carbine" look of the Mini. The $ isn't the limiting factor at my house.

 

[Boats]

How's this for a bold statement: I'm an Internet troll. Ruger makes ugly guns. Their "signature" flash hider is an abomination. The best thing they got going for them is 10/22. AR has more part/accessory availability. Mini-14 sights blow. I wanna see someone shoot minute of middle finger at 300yds with irons on it.

Hey, raise your hand if you had to send a gun back to Ruger shortly after purchase!
I'm a Ruger hater, bottom line.

That ain't all you are dingus.

 

[Silver Hand]

Come on guys lets get back to the original Post and Poll - Vote And add your comments. This is a great Post!

I know this has been done on other forums. It might have been done on this forum, but I couldn't find it.

I'm getting ready to buy a "General all around Plinking/Practical Rifle/SHTF, semi auto, rifle. I'm trying to decide specifically between the<broken link removed> and the Ruger Mini 14.

I'm mostly interested in ranges around 200 yards +/-. I'm NOT interested in having it dripping with tons of accessories other than possibly and optic and sling. MAYBE a light, but most likely not.

Points I'm cosidering.

M&P Sport: Like the Chevy 350, there are a million out there. There's a billion options and accessories for it.
Cons: More moving parts, more complicated than the Mini. Not Complicated overall..... just MORE complicated.

The Ruger: Based on a simple, proven system. I'm attracted to the nostalgic appearance of a classic rifle.
Cons: Rumors about mag availability and expense vs AR mags. And of course the infamous inaccuracy issues, which I suspect are probably mostly bunk by now.

Both are similar in overall dimension and both can be had for around $650.

What's your thoughts? I'm sure it will probably come down to personal preference, but I'm curious to see what others have to say.

I appreciate all input, but please only respond with regards to these two specific guns.

Thank you.

 

[Vantage]

To me, the answer would to be buy both, but I also like the look of both rifles. I like the "M1 Carbine" look of the Mini. The $ isn't the limiting factor at my house.

That's not an option... which is why I'm trying to make a decision.

I'm an Internet troll. Ruger makes ugly guns.... I'm a Ruger hater, bottom line.

So, I guess I can remove one vote from the AR list since we know where he's coming from.

Most AR shooters simply don't seem to understand that a good deal of the appeal of a Mini is that it is not another AR.

Exactamundo...

Come on guys lets get back to the original Post and Poll - Vote And add your comments. This is a great Post!

Thank you.

 

[PDXSparky]

That's not an option... which is why I'm trying to make a decision.

Then my answer was/is AR first, Mini second.

 

[volcomdork182]

Out of the two i would have to go with the m&p/AR.

The AR format has the edge on accuracy but that edge but the mini will serve as well, for the purpose you stated. So the mini won't drive tacks all day. It surely will hit a 16'' gong at 200 yards and that is good enough for me. The mini is a cool little gun, in which one day i will own one. But i think i like it because it is a smaller version of a m1a, which i will also own one day.

Ar in my own opinion has better ergonomics. The pistol grip makes me feel like i have full control whether firing with two hands or one hand reaching for a mag. Yes the ruger tactical mini has a pistol grip but the ar has the edge on versatility in this category. It has a number of different grips ranging in size, shape, angle, material/texture, and color.

For optics i have never shot a mini 14 with an optic so i cant answer for it there. They do come with scope ring mounts which is a plus but mounting a red dot (unless tactical or scout version) would require a mount. The Ar lets face it, you can mount your kitchen sink on it if you want.

Most people would never be able to tell the difference in accuracy unless using a bench. So If you want a traditional style rifle with classic looks decent accuracy go with the ruger. If you want a assault rifle look, near bolt action accuracy, adjustable length of pull, and a pistol grip then get the ar. Neither is the perfect choice, its more of how you weigh the pro's and con's of each rifle and make your own opinion based upon those. Where ar excels in one area the mini will excel in the other.

P.S. Ruger makes a good rifle now in days. They might have had lemons in the past but not now. Their cold hammer forged barrels are surprisingly well made along with machining and finish. Just picked up a Gunsite scout and it is now my favorite rifle. Its not perfect, and a lot of people hate it. I don't care i like it.

 

[EMP9596]

Thanks for the correction! I had a Mini-14 back in the 1980's, and it was chambered for .223. I was not aware that they were now in 5.56, and I appreciate the update.

I am sitting here looking at the owners manual for my 183 series Mini 14 and it states that it is designed for 5.56 military or commercial sporting .223 ammunition.
I have ran a lot of new and surplus mil spec through it with no problems. In Alaska I put a Choat folder on it and carried backslung as a backup for the better part of two years while working out of Barrow. It is a nice light carry that is reliable and easy to care for. For a small rifle with a peep sight with a +22" sight radius at 100yds it has done good by me.

To each his own...

 

[Silver Hand]

curse me if I am wrong but I think the difference in cambering .223 - 5.56 is a slight lengthening in throat and the military round has a considerably higher chamber pressure. I was told in about 1982 all Ruger Mini 14s were 5.56 ready. It is a .224 Bullet.?

 

[Vantage]

Out of the two i would have to go with the m&p/AR.

The AR format has the edge on accuracy but that edge but the mini will serve as well, for the purpose you stated. So the mini won't drive tacks all day. It surely will hit a 16'' gong at 200 yards and that is good enough for me. The mini is a cool little gun, in which one day i will own one. But i think i like it because it is a smaller version of a m1a, which i will also own one day.

Ar in my own opinion has better ergonomics. The pistol grip makes me feel like i have full control whether firing with two hands or one hand reaching for a mag. Yes the ruger tactical mini has a pistol grip but the ar has the edge on versatility in this category. It has a number of different grips ranging in size, shape, angle, material/texture, and color.

For optics i have never shot a mini 14 with an optic so i cant answer for it there. They do come with scope ring mounts which is a plus but mounting a red dot (unless tactical or scout version) would require a mount. The Ar lets face it, you can mount your kitchen sink on it if you want.

Most people would never be able to tell the difference in accuracy unless using a bench. So If you want a traditional style rifle with classic looks decent accuracy go with the ruger. If you want a assault rifle look, near bolt action accuracy, adjustable length of pull, and a pistol grip then get the ar. Neither is the perfect choice, its more of how you weigh the pro's and con's of each rifle and make your own opinion based upon those. Where ar excels in one area the mini will excel in the other.

P.S. Ruger makes a good rifle now in days. They might have had lemons in the past but not now. Their cold hammer forged barrels are surprisingly well made along with machining and fishes. Just picked up a Gunsite scout and it is now my favorite rifle. Its not perfect, and a lot of people hate it. I don't care i like it.

Thank you for your well thought out answer. This is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. I appreciate your taking the time.

 

[lcb97269]

While I am still a bit pissed off over Bill Ruger supporting the so-called assault weapons ban to protect his own interests, I would recommend a 10-22 over all of the competition in 22's. There are more accessories, hi cap mags, and ways to make it accurate than any 22 rifle ever made. For less than I paid for the original rifle in the mid 80's, I bought a composite barrel/stock combination (Butler Creek) that reduced the weight by about 2 lbs. and made it a reliable 1" gun at 50 yards. I would still like a better trigger, but it is not a priority.

As for the mini-14, I have owned 6 of them. The only one that was accurate was the first one bought in the 70's. The newer versions are worth the price, unless you like the spray and pray method of self defense. For a few bucks more you can get into an AR-15. The mini 14 is based on the M14 design. Very reliable. Unfortunately it is not an accurate rifle. The AR is not as user friendly, but even a low end one has the accuracy out to 300 yards better than the mini, with quality ammo (reloads). The only commercial ammo I have ever found to be accurate is Federal GM match. But it is spendy. Surplus military ammo isn't cheap today by any sense of the word (thank Obama/Holder for that), but the test standards out of a test receiver is only 2 moa. In reality it is closer to 4-5 moa when shot from most rifles. In other words, it is crap unless watermelons at 100 yards are your targets.

Nearly any AR-15 made today using with quality ammo (reloads or similar to Fed GM Match) will shoot under an inch at 100 yards. The design of the Mini-14 makes it inherently inaccurate mostly due to the barrel band, and secondly due to the lowest cost barrel they can produce. The only good thing I can say about the mini-14 is that it shoots, first time, every time. But if a rifle isn't accurate and only shoots first time, every time, then it is a spray and pray rifle.

Is that what you really want in a SHTF situation? A better alternative is on a low budget is to use the 10-22 to get the gun you need from the enemy (those who are organized and want you dead), which will nearly always have you outgunned.

As for the range I intend to shoot if the SHTF, it will be at least 500 yds. No 22 (100 yds max) or 223 (300 yds max but not with a mini-14) is going to get the job done without match grade ammo (all m&p sniper ammo) and a gun capable of using it. The mini-14 is not one of those guns.

And for those who think I am wrong, you are welcome to show me at Tri Co Gun Club using your commercial/military/reload ammo in a mini-14 vs my Bushmaster shorty with my reloads at any range you like to 300 yds. Scopes are recommended.

 

[andreys21]

Well Looky here, looks like I'm not alone after all. Thank you sir.

 

[Boats]

The vibe I am getting is. . .

. . .AR for the mall ninja.

. . .Mini for the normal guy.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

The vibe I am getting is. . .

. . .AR for the mall ninja.

. . .Mini for the normal guy.

For the normal guy that isn't worried about being able to hit a squirrels head at 300 meters, scopes recommended. No offence Lcb97269, I'm just ribbing ya!