In another thread he claimed to have “$50,000 in carbine assets”, is how I believe he put it.

My current grail gun. I have a Winchester Garand that needs a little brother.

I’ll give you $750 for it!

Having owned one, I'd rather have a good Mini-14 as a home defense rifle.

The M-1 Carbine was a flawed concept, using an equally flawed cartridge and bullet.  The only useful info I ever got about the Carbine/ctg was Jim Cirillo's comment that JSP bullets seemed to be highly effective as contrasted to mil-spec ball.

Sure, collectors love 'em, but that says nothing about real world utility.

Collector value of any firearm comes and goes.  Seldom goes down, though, but upward cycles come and go.  For collectability, and future worth, a certified GI carbine is the way to go, assuming it's genuine, and not mechanically screwed-up.

For practical purposes, the Mini-14 and its' 5.56 ctg, have it all over the M-1 Carbine and its' unique ctg.  This holds true in non-Free States, where both carbines are not entirely prohibited, as is the AR-15.  Unfortunately, it seems as though the ring will be tightened to exclude both the Mini and the Carbine from "allowed' firearms.

In such instance, owners of "grandfathered" Mini-14s might want to look into re-habilitating them before such is made impossible due to restrictive State laws.  For example, if one's State outlaws certain firearms, one might fond it problematic to send such firearm(s) away for factory-required maintenance/repair, and then have it sent back to original location.  Depending on how State laws are written, might be a problem.  So, consider sending away such firearms before State laws prevent such.

I long ago sent out my Mini for the express purpose of obtaining some factory-fitted spare parts.  I mentioned, in passing, that the Mini's accuracy was not what I had expected, and I was a little disappointed.  Well, Ruger fitted and headspaced a new bolt to the Mini, and the accuracy was so much improved that I began to consider the Mini in a new light.  Best thing I ever did for the Mini, as Ruger replaced the bolt with a tightly-fitted replacement, and the accuracy went up so much that I began to consider it as a real carbine, and not as a toy.

if you live in a State where the firearms climate might be changing, then consider repairing your old Mini-14.  Just sayin'

Odd. You’d think you’d have to look long and hard for someone who would crap on an iconic weapon to pimp a Mini-14.

There's no denying the vastly different natures of the cartridges, nor denying the overall superiority of the 5.56 ctg over the M-1 Carbine ctg.  Numbers don't lie.  Yu can argue about the mini all day long, but the essential take-away is the disparity between the cartridges.  Where are the serious, modern firearms using the M-1 Carbine cartridge?

Where are the serious, modern firearm users using Mini-14’s?

Whether you are a newbie or not, the quality of your post is what counts, as long as you stay within the Site Code of Conduct.  Don't ever be reluctant topolitely contradict anyone, as long as you have the facts to back you up.  That specifically includes Site Staff.

Mods and Staff should NEVER play the 'newbie' card themselves, nor allow such to go unmentioned when they see it being played.  Every single one of us was new here at some point.

Now, all that stuff aside, the mini-14 has been used in conflicts and police actions world-wide.  See this thread: https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Ruger-Mini-14-Facts-History-and-Information-/52-490595/

M-1 Carbine is dead on account of its' lackluster cartridge.  Other firearms, based on the 5.56 ctg, are going strong.