[Guest]

Which do you prefer and why? I have about $800 to spend.

 

[Guest]

Both are fine, reliable rifles. I prefer the Ar-15 for ergonomic reasons.

 

[Guest]

AR's are more accurate, from what I've read Mini14 barrels are too thin and once they heat up they lose accuracy.

 

[Guest]

Your joking right??????????



steve:wink:

 

[Guest]

AR's are more accurate, from what I've read Mini14 barrels are too thin and once they heat up they lose accuracy.

I've also heard that as the bbl. heats up, the groups start to open up. However, based soley on my experiences shooting a Mini-14, I cannot say this is true.

 

[Guest]

The Mini is a little more like an AK. It's loose but it'll work no matter what. That's my experience anyway.

 

[Guest]

The Mini 14 Is about the worse rifle/carbine I have ever used or seen. The thing is total junk, piss poor accuracy. There are no longer good 30 round mags made for it,only 20s and they are high. IMO never again ever even thing of buying a POS mini 14

The AR has been a trooper I would go that direction.

 

[Guest]

The Mini 14 Is about the worse rifle/carbine I have ever used or seen. The thing is total junk, piss poor accuracy. There are no longer good 30 round mags made for it,only 20s and they are high. IMO never again ever even thing of buying a POS mini 14

The AR has been a trooper I would go that direction.

 

[Guest]

I owned a mini14 for a while and sold it due to stringing
shots during rapid fire. I replaced it with a Colt AR15 lightweight and had similar but not as pronounced problems. The Colt upper was replaced with a Wilson
heavyweight bbl. (16") and all is good now. For me thin
bbls. don't do well in semi's with 30rd. mags. .After
all the "horse trading" I ended up with a 400$ .223 that I like.

nunnya

 

[Guest]

The Mini-14 is the worlds most expensive plinker.

In order to be accurate the Mini-14 needs to have its barrel stabilized. Clark Custom created such a stabilizer, yet it only reduces the groups a little.

The AR-15, by design, will always be more accurate than the Mini-14. These days you can get an AR-15 for 650-700. Do that, as there are more upgrades for an AR-15, out of the box its more accurate and working on an AR-15 is much easier than the Mini-14.

 

[Guest]

Another plus for the AR's is that you can easily change uppers. This allows for long varmit bbls. or even caliber
conversions easily swapped on the same lower.

nunnya

 

[Guest]

I am not sure how anyone can say that a Ruger product is inferior?
I never met a Ruger that I didn't like
First of all the rifle is intended to be used in this configuration (for civilian use).

Basically a 5 round magazine. I have personally experienced poor accuracy when the barrel heats up after as many as 20 rounds rapid fire. Within that 20 round range I think the rifle is very accurate. I've noticed that recently made Mini-14s have different sights on them than their earlier models and more in line with a M-1 carbine's sighting set up.
For reliability (similar to a AK), the Mini will beat a AR hands down. It just plain works in nearly all conditions. The AR will stop if it's not taken care of.

Getting back to the original question, if I had a $800 budget I would get a AR-15. Still, the Mini is a classic and a very well respected Ruger product.

 

[Guest]

You are correct. In it's original config. it's fine.
I am also a big fan of Ruger.
It's just that 30 rd. mags are so much fun it's nice to have a rifle which will put the last three rounds where the first three went during rapid fire.

nunnya

 

[Guest]

We used to have 2 in the stable. They never gave me a bit of trouble, probably partly due to using good mags. Poor mags have delt the rifle a big blow. Yes the barrel is thin, but mine overall was good. I did have the triggers done by Connecticut Precision Chambering, and that helped quite a bit.

Eventually they were sold off and used the money for AR's. In the end, the AR fits my wife better, and I shoot the AR better anyway.

-Bidah

 

[Guest]

There has to be someone makeing aftermartket barrels that are made better. I have never owned a mini but have shot a few and they are great fun. I have thought of getting a mini but my cchoice would be an AR

 

[Guest]

I own one that my dad bought me used when I graduated HS. Came with 4 30 round mags and 600 rounds of .223. I love that gun, it is so fun to shoot, I have never had a problem with accuracy. We only paid like 450.00 for the whole deal, so I was real happy.

I used it mostly at night with a laser to help kepp Grandads crops deer free on the farm. All in all I think that between my brother and I we took 16 deer all at night, all with one shot, never failed.

That said, I have never owned or fired an AR, but they look damned cool, and I probably wouldnt hesitate buying one.

 

[Guest]

I think in the end, the mini 14 is made for a different purpose than the ar15. I've seen security personnel with mini 14's, when they really only intend on taking 1 or 2 shots. in fact a show about a prison that I watched last night, the guards had mini 14's. But they didn't have reason to fire off a huge amount of rounds. Their purpose was to be able to take a shot or two to put down an individual.. which they did just that on the show. Also mini 14's are popular ranch guns. A lot of farmers I know have them for coyotes and other animals they need to take care of on the farm. Again, they aren't shooting a lot of rounds with them.

The guns are two different guns, made for two different purposes.

I recently took my AR out to sight in my scope I got for it. I know I put at least 40 rounds through it without letting it sit to cool any. At 100 yards I was still putting shots into a group barely bigger than an inch.. some of the grouping was much closer.. same holes. And I know before that, I had shot it enough that the barrel hadn't cooled properly like it should have, not for precise accuracy. And not a single problem with my AR since I've got it. I've put probably 600 rounds through it.

I don't know of many people who have used their mini 14 personally, to do much more than taking care of varmints and predators on the ranch. I'd be interested to shoot one like I've shot my AR and see how it does.. if the accuracy goes to crap when it gets hot. Because my AR doesn't seem to be bothered by the barrel getting hot.

 

[Guest]

Consider this. There are enough complaints about the Mini14 that Ruger is right now revamping the entire design and assembly line to build a new version. It will come with a slip on allen bolt attached harmonic balancer on a thicker barrel to improve the accuracy issues.
If I were to buy a Mini, I would wait for the new models to hit the shelves. In the meantime, I would go with an AR. More options to fit what you want to do with it, more accessories if you want to modify it, much better accuracy if you want to do long distance shooting. You can build your own AR for a little more than $500 bucks if you do some good shopping.

 

[Guest]

Find people who have actually owned a mini-14, and ask them how big their groups were at 100 yards. Occasionally there is an exception, but the majority will tell you 3-6", if they are honest. I feel bad, I just talked a friend on mine into having work done on his mini so he could shoot 3 gun with it, and it still shoots 3" groups at 100 yards. Makes it pretty hard to hit targets at 500 yards. Now if you abuse your gun, and drop it in the mud alot, and need something that works after a failure to properly care for it, I'd get a mini. Then you too can be in the Ruger Mini-14 kool-aid drinkers club. If you don't mind cleaning a gun every 1000 rounds, and AR will work fine.

 

[Guest]

In the meantime, I would go with an AR. More options to fit what you want to do with it, more accessories if you want to modify it, much better accuracy if you want to do long distance shooting. You can build your own AR for a little more than $500 bucks if you do some good shopping.

Big +1. The possibilities for customizing AR's are almost endless.