Mini 14 vs. AR 15, your thoughts?

[bloodnguts]

I was about to start an AR build, but yesterday was I at a gun shop and saw a Ruger Mini 14. Been a while since I held one and remembered how I like the feel of them. So I'm posting this thread to see the pro's and cons of both before purchase.

thanks!!

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[speelyei]

wow...

new to the internet?

 

[cbzdel]

mmmm.. love me some mini14

This one looks like the offspring of a AK and AR lol

 

[Russianfist]

wow...

new to the internet?

Dude!.....Really?

OK, Bloodnguts It the same old drill on what your taste is.
Drawbacks of the mini is price and parts are expensive and limited but they look nice.
Also if you're getting a mini you want a new or Newer one. The old ones had some barrel issues.

Drawbacks on AR's are that they can be tempermental but you can get any part combo you want.Money is your only limit.

I have shot them both and I like them both but if given a choice I would go AR. A 6.5 Grednal if money was no limit

 

[tonyspdx]

I hate the non-Ruger magazines, but the Ruger mags cost a fortune. Honestly if you buy a Mini-14 its because you want to save $200 bucks against an AR. They are a pain to clean and field strip. I bought one for $400 used a couple of years ago and they are ok. Not very accurate. Buy one if you cant afford an AR. Its better than throwing rocks.

 

[Redcap]

Mini-14 = minute-of-barndoor.

AR is a FAR superior platform, and if you shop around, not much more expensive to build.

 

[Reco]

Mini-14 = minute-of-barndoor.

.

LOL nice

 

[willamette valleyfirearms]

both are great weapons ,both are easy to service,the mini 14s are very robust and have a better operating system than your run of the mill ar-15, also everyone dosen't have one ,having said that, there are some great ar-15s i would hold out for a gas piston system as these rifles are more reliable and run cooler !!

 

[cyclesarge]

I vote AR, not only the reasons posted above. You can also get (or reconfigure) an AR in SO MANY different forms, from pistol to 24" heavy barreled tack driver. Also, .22LR kits are readily available to save money on ammo.

 

[coctailer]

Mini-14 = minute-of-barndoor.

AR is a FAR superior platform, and if you shop around, not much more expensive to build.

The new mini-14s have about the same accuracy as the average AR.

 

[coctailer]

YouTube - Ruger Mini-14 Tactical: "Arrival of the Underdog" by Nutnfancy

 

[gunnoob75]

AR has a nicer magazine system.

Other than that, it's all about what'cha like.

 

[deen_ad]

The new mini-14s have about the same accuracy as the average AR.

a long scope mount that stiffens the barrel up and helps accuracy a bunch. Cost is about $139 as I remember from the magazine article.

 

[giddyupgo55]

I have both and like the AR over the mini. As stated after market mags don't always work and factory cost a lot. If you want something to toss behind the seat of your truck or in the trunk of what ever you drive and don't care about how it looks the Mini 14 is a great rifle to do that with. It comes down to what you want.

 

[Bruce]

When I was at an NRA firearms instructor school there was a fellow student that had a Mini-14 that the op-rod came off of the bolt not only once, but again with the spare rifle he brought. I'm sure it was something simple like not using grease on the bolt roller or something but still embarrassing as he was the only one out 30 or so that did not have an AR. No immediate action for that.

 

[bloodnguts]

wow...

new to the internet?

Haha Speel, anyways, I kinda figured most people would be for the AR( seems to be the new black nowadays). I just wanted to know what members thought of the pro's n' con's. Thanks everybody for all the information.

 

[kenno]

Stainless mini ranch with a barrel strut and trigger job!

 

[speelyei]

I'm glad you didn't take my comment as malicious... And, try as I might, I can't fight the urge to throw my worthless opinion...

I've had limited experience with both, but my experiences fell right down the established party lines.

The Mini-14 I had never failed to operate, and wasn't real precise, and it threw brass so far you couldn't find it. Bought it for $200, sold it for $450.

The AR's I've shot both jammed, failed to cycle or had some other issue, but looked so neat and cool I still daydream about buying one. When I can piece one together for less than $400, I might do it.

if the world ended and the last two guns in the abandoned hardware store were a Mini and an AR, I'd take the Mini.

 

[The B]

The AR's I've shot both jammed, failed to cycle or had some other issue, but looked so neat and cool I still daydream about buying one. When I can piece one together for less than $400, I might do it.

get more familiar with the AR/M4 platform, and your opinion will change. you cannot piece together an AR for <$400 and expect anything other than a $400 paperweight. but you can build a perfectly functional example, that will be as reliable as any other weapon on the face of the earth, for <$900.

---

the mini was the first auto rifle i ever purchased, after i joined the army. the m16 was, at that point, the only auto rifle i'd ever fired, so it's all i had to compare. i was really disappointed in the mini- since they were comparable in type and caliber, i just figured they'd be very similar. but the mini recoiled significantly harder, groups were significantly larger, takedown was a pain in the ***, the weapon was heavier than it needed to be and constructed entirely from cast parts with ground flash all over the place, there was, at that time, no aftermarket 20-30 round magazine worth owning so you were stuck with 5, it was significantly louder, my extractor broke after about 400 rounds...

so i put it in the back of the safe, and have been building and shooting ARs ever since.

and my ARs do not malfunction- quality of parts, and attention to detail during assembly, makes the difference between a gun that will run and a gun that will not, in any category. ARs are no different, yet people somehow seem to think they are.

 

[Andy]

I've argued this in my head a hundred times and it comes down to one thing - accuracy. If you like to shoot beyond a hundred yards - and hit your target - then go with the AR.

I like the look and feel of the mini14, but that alone is not enough. You can spend loads of money to accurize it, but if you're going to do that, just buy an M14 or a Socom.