Mini 14 or AR?

[kilimanjaro]

If you insist on match accuracy at 500 yards from a rifle that was never designed or intended for such use, then the Mini-14 is not for you.

It's perfectly good at what it is made for, a fast handling, short rifle in semi-auto, chambered in .223. So is the AR-15. If you want to hang a bunch of tacticool stuff off of your rifle, you can go just as nuts with the Mini-14 as you can with the AR platform.

I'll use my semi-auto .223s for what they're good for, and save the other scenarios for the big 7.62.

 

[Ura-Ki]

This actually brings up something I have been thinking about! I never liked the M-1 Carbine because of its chambering, but with a mini 14 I could have sort of a M-1 carbine in a useful round! Thanks a lot!!!!

 

[salmonriverjohn]

At least as good as the .30 carbine ura-ki.
I don't have only minis. Trust me on that. I'm only saying that I've owned more than one rifle in my life and that the newer minis are good to go.

 

[Ura-Ki]

At least as good as the .30 carbine ura-ki.
I don't have only minis. Trust me on that. I'm only saying that I've owned more than one rifle in my life and that the newer minis are good to go.

Ya all Sold me on one! haha.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Ya all Sold me on one! haha.

I'd look at what the mini .30 is before I made up my mind, unless your already rigged for 5.56
.. Nothing against the 14 though.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

I believe that NW armory's has the Ruger .556 on sale right now for $599 this week?

 

[Certaindeaf]

I believe that NW armory's has the Ruger .556 on sale right now for $599 this week?

Yep. And it's already "built", gots iron sights, a warranty and everthang.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Yep. And it's already "built", gots iron sights, a warranty and everthang.

And your point?

 

[Certaindeaf]

And your point?

That they are on sale for yada like what's your point?

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Guess just pointing at the point that I took as pointed,, s'all

 

[DuneHopper]

Guess just pointing at the point that I took as pointed,, s'all

 

[bbbass]

This actually brings up something I have been thinking about! I never liked the M-1 Carbine because of its chambering, but with a mini 14 I could have sort of a M-1 carbine in a useful round! Thanks a lot!!!!

Hmmm, maybe a bit heavier tho?

 

[bbbass]

Guess just pointing at the point that I took as pointed,, s'all

Is there a point to all this?

Sides, I thunk they always had em for that price. Lol

 

[Hal Jordan]

I bought a Mini-14 back around 2004 when I was with the Sheriff's Posse. It seemed like a good deal at the time, $400 with three 20-round magazines and a composite stock thrown in. I got some no-name magazines for it that didn't work. I bought a rail attachment for it and discovered that the attachment screw was a little too long and interfered with the "bolt lock plunger" so I couldn't lock the bolt open. I bought one of the early EOTech red dot sights, and discovered that the batteries were always dead whenever I wanted to use it. I found out a few years later that EOTech had set it up so that the batteries would run down for you, even when the power was turned off. Now that's customer service. So the initial experience was not good.

I went to Shooter's World and put a few rounds through it just to get familiar with how it worked. I was amazed at the BANG - WHACK sound as the heavy slide cycled closed after firing. It seemed like the slide was made out of something heavier than steel. In fact, the rifle itself seems heavier than it needs to be.

When I shot the qualification course, the rifle jammed on me a couple of times. Both times, the bolt failed to close. I was able to push it closed by hitting the "charging handle" (or whatever it's called) on the slide, but that didn't inspire me with lots of confidence that it would always go bang when I pulled the trigger. When it did work, I never had any problems hitting the man-sized target out to 50 yards, but I ran into the same problem as the "Hating on the Ruger Mini-14" guy because I had to shoot a certain number of rounds within a certain time limit, and clearing the jam wasted some of my valuable time.

So overall I am not happy with my Mini-14 and would like to pick up a nice reliable AR15 black rifle to replace it. Maybe the newer versions are okay but I am sort of soured on that model.

 

[bbbass]

When I shot the qualification course, the rifle jammed on me a couple of times.

I had the same problems when shooting my wife's old M1 carbine at a fun shoot. Very frustrating. After cleaning etc, the second time at it I went and bought my first AR, a Bushmaster, just after the ban lifted. Sold it to buy a boat, then missed it. Never got much use out of the boat. Sold that, and start building AR lowers and buying uppers. Fun stuff!!

 

[DuneHopper]

Reading all these post, I think I will not buy either at this point AR or Mini's :
The simplicity of the AK and SKS are just t0o had to miss and trying to out do them is not going to happen. The SKS is solid, reliable works, you can drop throw it, run it over I suppose and it would still work. The AK is even better at being abused. I like and want firearms that well fire when I need them. Why maybe there are some I could buy to slightly improve the accuracy its not going to help me much being in a SHTF I will be pretty close or B/O the opposite direction confrontation wont be an option if protecting the family, but what we have is very good at 150yds and thats about what I need. Thanks for all the feed back.

 

[Martini_Up]

Reading all these post, I think I will not buy either at this point AR or Mini's :
The simplicity of the AK and SKS are just t0o had to miss and trying to out do them is not going to happen. The SKS is solid, reliable works, you can drop throw it, run it over I suppose and it would still work. The AK is even better at being abused. I like and want firearms that well fire when I need them. Why maybe there are some I could buy to slightly improve the accuracy its not going to help me much being in a SHTF I will be pretty close or B/O the opposite direction confrontation wont be an option if protecting the family, but what we have is very good at 150yds and thats about what I need. Thanks for all the feed back.

Sounds like you need a FAL.

 

[Boboclown]

Meh, ARs really are more reliable than people give them credit for. But if you don't want either I'm not gonna stop you (or make you get one in this case).

 

[Certaindeaf]

One of the main reasons I'd not go with an AK is that it generally takes the 7.62x39 cartridge.
5.56 ammo probably outnumbers 7.62x39 by 1,000,000/1 here in the US.
Just our military has what, a trillion rounds of 5.56?
Plus, the AR is a sweet shooting machine.

 

[DuneHopper]

One of the main reasons I'd not go with an AK is that it generally takes the 7.62x39 cartridge.
5.56 ammo probably outnumbers 7.62x39 by 1,000,000/1 here in the US.
Just our military has what, a trillion rounds of 5.56?
Plus, the AR is a sweet shooting machine.

I agree, with that statement about the 223, I also wonder if bans begin if at once the 223 would be on the line we all know for what ever reason the green tips got everyone all excited.
I am not worried to much about 7.62x39 I doubt I will ever use what I have