Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Mini-14 or AR-15?

There was a movie about a bank or armored car robbery that starred 'Starsky', in which he used a Mini-14 and raved about it...
Anybody remember the name of the movie?

AMEN.

BMT

Interestingly enough though, they are a mini take off of the M14 and somewhere Ruger dropped the ball badly, every new rack grade M1A I've shot, not bedded or anything, was capable of around moa accuracy with the right loads, I've never really seen a mini come that close without work.

The newer ones are very close in accuracy potential to the M14. The new 581 series rifles with the new barrels may very well hit the mark.

I respectfully disagree with your comment about Ruger being anti-gun. The man wasn't very politically savoy and tried to make a deal that would save the majority of his product lines during the gun grabs of the Clinton administration. His pitch was to restrict magazine capacity to 15 rounds. It was a bad move but it wasn't anti-gun. He was behind the 8 ball and he knew it. He's dead now anyway and this American company employs thousands of workers. I see no need to boycott them or their products.

I whole hartedly agree about getting an AR-15 over a Mini-14 if you're only going to have one. I would say the same thing if the choice was an AR-14 and M14 too.

Oh BTW, thanks for turning me onto that book BLACK MAGIC. I'm about half way through it and find it a fun read.

Terry

If you are a pretty lousy shot and will settle for 3 or 4 MOA for accuracy get a cheap mini 14. Otherwise follow the good advice the 'fire provided.

Wayne

3 or 4 MOA? That's a load of crap.

If I could only have one it would be an Ar-15, that being said though I have owned a couple mini-14's and a mini-30 and have never had any problems with reliability. I currently own the new mini-14 and like it a lot. The sights have been improved IMO and the rifle shoulders great for me.

For quick handling I would grab the mini

For 100% reliability and ease of take down I would grab my Colt AR.

If the gun is to be an insurance policy in the event of social unrest I would not choose either. I would go with an AK. All you guys worried about tight groups will be much more interested in reliability if the crap hits the fan. Sure ARs and the Rugers are fun to trick out and many ARs are very accuate, but in a dire situation the AK has no equal!

more silliness.

Shades of the A team! If you like the Mini 14 buy it, buy some ammo and shoot it! Get back to us and let us know if you still like it after you have had it for a while! I did this 3 times! All kidding aside the NRA rag reported 2-3 MOA IIRC, if this is OK with you and you like the gun then buy it!

3-4 moa is not far off, if I were after a mini for sure, I'd buy about 4 at a good price, find the most accurate and sell the rest.

We had a warden here that had one that jammed constantly, but I think thats far from common, I've shot them a fair amount and like them but never was impressed with lack of accuracy.

If the SHTF, I can manage whatever gun I need pretty quickly.

Jeff

TC, I"m reading backwards tonight, have not tried the new ones, but now that you say it, I think I read they were reworked to get some flaws out... you are probably right and I stand corrected, I'm limited to older ones and ranch rifles....

as to the anti gun thing, I hope the bastard rots in his grave, all he did was cave in, and thats a liberal bastard to me. Its my opinion though, so it can't be wrong, it can be different though from others though.
I'll do my best to never buy another ruger, used if at all. The SOB should have stood with the rest instead of trying to weasel out a deal for the almighty dollar. So I choose to never again buy a new one... They do have some I could use though, but I'm sure not a 77 fan, I despise that rifle... I've had many headaches with them period for others.

I will leave this that ruger isn't the only bastard company out there, but they rank the same as that bastard gunwriter a while back, I've luckily forgotten his name by now.

Hope Black Magic is informative, I got an email from Walt Kuleck about their new AR???? book the other day and just burst out laughing at the thieves efforts.

Jeff

Jim Zumbo, just to help you out, Jeff.

And I don't understand those guys who are still mad at S&W for what happened when they were owned by that damn British company. New people now and have been for a few years.

I only wish I only had $ 300.00 into getting my rifles to shoot...

Get what tickles your fancy. I like both but for different purposes:

Get one of each: AR-say a 20 inch flattop DCM rifle with the lightest fluted SS barrel you can get to work with the floated handguard.

Mini-14; a 16 inch Mini with the two 20 round factory magazines and the heavier barrel. Get a Flash hider put on it, a bedding job and a trigger job.


AR's-

A flat top AR makes up into a dandy varminting rig and it is easy to get SS barrels/chrome bores which extends life somewhat [so I am told].

A 16 inch "Mid" or one of the 20" fluted flattops of some kind fits my version of a SHTF rifle because of it's similarity to the issue weapon while fitting one of my other uses well.[mags, bayonets, etc]. Chances of survivng the frst defensive firefight
seem pretty slim though.

The M-4 types with the quad rails are fun if you like gadgets or do a lot of house clearing.

They all have excellent iron sights and the shortest sight radius known to man.

You can build your own pretty cheap.

If you want to shoot DCM or IMHO High Power they are the way to go.

Some of the AR's are quite accurate. Some are not. A lot of the light barreled one's are 2-2.5 inch rifles as they come.

The heavier barreled versions tend to be more accurate and well, heavy.

We see mostly adjustable stock M-4 flat top style weapons at our range. The extra heavy varmint rigs are popular as well.


Mini-14-
I like my SS Synthetic Ranch Mini-14. A lot of that has to do with a gunsmith at Great West Gunsmithing in Salem, OR.

It shoots the first three into 1 1/2 inches or less and after that it strings them a bit.That is considerably better than some CARs and SP-1's that I am around.

They make a good knockabout gun for off season use. Light, short and rust resistant.

Mine have been very reliable. Much more so than the early M-16's and I do mean much.

With 64 gr Power Points I am comfy with killing a deer if I decide to. It will kill a coyote as far as I can hit without a rest and it doesn't bloodshot sage rats much.

I can lock it up.

It fits in a saddle scabbard.

It fits in a pickup gun rack.

I can shoot it prone as low as I can get without resting it on the magazine.

I can carry it on my shoulder with a sling and not have the magazine did me in the ribs.

It is glass bedded, shortened to 16.5 inches and has a flash hider from Choate that looks more like an M-14's [it also serves as a muzzle weight].

Also, the gunsmith fixed an earlier trigger job by an outfit in Connecticut.It was doubling.

I also had him drill a hole in the safety tab so I can lock it like an M-14.

Detachable sling swivels too.

I have an upgraded rear sight to put on it as well.

Have fun!

Gary

early on the light barrels were not accurate as heavier, the last 10 years or so I've not seen an inaccurate light AR barrel, one that with some load work would not shoot moa... I have a friend that has one though, bought the cheapy route model one sales type and it shots moa but took 40 grain bullets to do it.

FWIW.

Jeff

shades of the A team? Give me a break.:D

I like my Mini-14, and shoot it often. No, its not an AR15, but its a fun rifle, does what I want it to do, shoots 2 inch groups all day long, and has never had a failure to fire.

I have an early Colt AR15, Two Bushmasters, another Colt, an HBAR Match Targer, and a nice little Armalite.

I also have AKs, SKSs, a nifty little AR180B, two M1A Springfields. I have fun with them all.

so far as Bill Ruger and his decisions on magazines, parts and service, he is dead, and there are probably going to be changes made. S&W, and a number of other manufactures are probably not 'pure' enouth for some either. Run your life under whatever guidelines you feel fit. I just don't care, ya know?

ya dont' care, but we can both have our opinions as until and hopefully after november its still a free country.

Do you like your AK? I have one and won't get rid of it just because, but its the biggest most innacurrate POS I own. But it has gone bang each time... I"d rather have the SKS any day. Much more accurate, and extremely reliable.

Of course to be honest, I'm far past the plinking/blasting stage for whatever reason, I just happen to like accurate guns basically...

But have this urge for an old lever gun and some cast bullets...

Jeff

what type of ammunition does your Mini 14 like?

It is partial to the 55 grain Q3131 Jimmy. I shot a ton of Guatamala stuff through it as well, with nary a hicup.

Jeff, I have one AK, an older SA93, and it is about as accurate as most folks say their Mini is. I have two SKS Tula Arsenal rebuilds marked 1950, and 1952 that are a joy to plink with.
I am a sucker for an older Marlin lever gun, regardless of the caliber.

If I sounded out of sorts with any of this, rest assured I was not. I try to limit my being a butt head to the campfire forum.

Sam
Anyone from the airboat capitol state is ok by me! We all hit the butthead label at times... I"m no exception. I didn't take it that way here though, just a circular thread.
Jeff