Mini-14; been there and done that. Magazine cost and magazine quality: yuck. Pencil thin barrel needs to be replaced to get any decent accuracy. But while one figures that out he invariably spends hundreds of dollars on hopeful mods that don't improve anything.
If Ruger were to modify the mag well to accept AR15 magazines, and if they were to put a bull barrel on it with the right gas block for a bull barrel, at 16 to 18".... and if it were priced in the range of 400 dollars to maybe 500...
I might buy one.
But then mounting an optic and getting good cheek weld is mo harder than an AR...
So the AR wins hands down. Without a doubt on every count.
A lot of your complaints have been addressed by Ruger. The barrel is now heavier (typical MOA is now between 2" and 3" right from the factory), and they come ready for Ruger's proprietary scope rings. Also, Ruger has been selling their high quality twenty and thirty round mags to the general public for a while now, i.e., they are no longer "police only," so you don't have to use cheap, aftermarket, high cap mags.
I've owned at least a half-dozen Mini's and personally, never had a problem with one. They weren't very accurate. However, I've never owned one of the upgraded models they are currently selling. I would not be afraid of one at all.
The problem for me comes down to dollars. As somebody else said, I'd rather have a DPMS Sportical or the like for less money than I can buy a new Mini for. The AR is probably the most tweaked platform of any gun in the USA. Ruger finally got around to addressing problems that should have been addressed upon the Mini's release, about five years ago. That plus the fact that AR mags are very easy to obtain and while the Mini's usually aren't hard to, they are much more so than AR's. To wit, the Sandy Hook sellout. Try finding a Mini magazine after that debacle, whereas AR's were available. Maybe not Magpul's, but ones that were completely reliable and serviceable were available.
But Mini-14s have a retro cool factor the AR doesn't.
So would a Chauchat, but I wouldn't want to depend upon one of those either.
Originally Posted by Mannlicher
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
I actually like the looks of the Mini-14 and wish they would shoot as accurate as the AR-15. The Mini-14 are just to inaccurate to spent the money they want for one. Rifles that won't group well have no place in my home. I guess the Mini's have their purpose with MIN OF HUMAN ACCURACY . The only time i have ever heard of a Mini working well was in the Famous FBI Miami Shootout, but it was up against short barrel 38's and the 9mm's which are no match for any rifle. One other thing about the Mini is , they are the loudest rifles i have ever fired , right up there with the Ruger 30 carbine Blackhawk Pistol
A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
Rifles that won't group well have no place in my home.
The problem with the Mini 14 was the narrow barrel. They'd heat up fast and start stringing the groups. They've resolved that. They now come with a hammer-forged heavy barrel.
I had a 180 prefix mini-14 for 30 or 40 years. It always worked and would function with whatever I put through it. Accuracy was never anything to write home about, but okay for practical gunfighting purposes. I never could warm to it and when an old fellow at church mentioned he'd like to have one I put it in his car with a couple mags and some Lake City green tips one Sunday. I like my AR's better.
I had a 180 prefix mini-14 for 30 or 40 years. It always worked and would function with whatever I put through it. Accuracy was never anything to write home about, but okay for practical gunfighting purposes. I never could warm to it and when an old fellow at church mentioned he'd like to have one I put it in his car with a couple mags and some Lake City green tips one Sunday. I like my AR's better.
Yeah, the Mini 14, M1 Carbine, M1 Garand, M14, type open action is apparently prone to being put out of commission by mud and gunk. I've seen torture tests where the AR is put through this kind of thing and keeps churning them out.
There is good info on both I have both (I really like Mini 30s) That being said If they took Pmags great idea(Minis)...... Minis sure are not sniper rifles but to take kids out and get them into shooting and teach safety not bad. The are just for fun no question Equating the AR to a 350 is so true You can really make it yours Being able to have a lower and a 15 in upper and 20in heavy barrel must be worth something
Had to pick one AR without a doubt
Hank
They get compared all the time I dont see them being the same to me they are quite different
Last edited by boatboy; 04/05/14.
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if the mini barrels were just crummy barrels then pencil away, however two pencil barreled black guns sub MOA with handloads tells me pencil in the barrel was not the main reason.
While I'm sure there are exceptions, my experience with Ruger Mini 14's is "dinner plate accuracy" at best, at 100 yards. I would pick the AR-15 platform hands down.
However, if you happen to be "behind enemy lines" (ie: in NY State), the rational (insert sarcasm here) politicians have deemed Mini14's ok to own without registering, yet the EVIL (sarcasm again) AR-15s have to be registered. The logic of Liberal politicians is mind boggling. -TomT
First, I have no dog in this fight. I own both a Mini-14 and AR-15 and like both. I actually prefer the AR-15 in some regards due to how it handles and where its point of balance is. I fully expected the AR to be more accurate. There are far more profitable uses of one's time than lying on the internet to get people riled up.
His results pretty much mirror mine in accuracy with the new 580 series rifles. maybe a little tighter but not much. I know this flies in the face of what many want to believe though.
I'm not a mini hater, I actually like the guns and have owned 6 at least. I have not owned or shot a newer version but the past mini's I've owned have never shot close to MOA, well one shot just over.
Are they fragile? Not a chance. They are fairly reliable but I've yet to see a test showing the AC556 run with an M4 or M16. I have run a mini to its limits and have seen one with problems. Same as AR's.
My problem with the above article is he doesn't say who's barrel the home built AR is using. And his limited testing of just 2 types of ammo, neither which are known for accuracy. Irons at 50 does not show me anything for accuracy. One gun of each does not disspell the experiences I've had either. And lastly, shooting off bags like he showed can be easily manipulated to show the AR as inaccurate.
Just buy whichever one you like and be happy, who cares if anyone disagrees with your choice.
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