[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Mini 14? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/10/2012 9:29:11 AM EDT
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My BIL want's a new mbr and is thinking of a mini 14.
he has no ak ,ar, etc. so what say the hive ? pros/cons ? |
| I had one and it was an ok rifle. It makes for a good truck gun but I'd never purchase one new. Find a deal on a used one or pass. As mentioned above, they're much more expensive to outfit than an AR and generally less accurate. With that being said, minute of man is plenty for a beater or truck gun. |
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The new ones are good general use rifle/carbines, but not as good of a overall deal as a decent AK 47/74 or AR type. Mags are still more expenisve, and not as udaptable. If it was my only rifle
I wouldn't feel under-gunned, but you could do better for similar money. |
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Quoted:
the Mini-14 is NOT an MBR. Exactly. It's a fine little carbine and very reliable IF you stick with Ruger mags. I've owned and shot Mini's all my life and appreciate the hell out of them. HOWEVER, unless I was dead set on a Mini due to local legalities or simple personal preference, I'd go with an AR if for no other reason than commonality of platform and parts availability. He'd be better off with something like a S&W M&P-15PS (piston). Maintenance is extremely easy and simple, accurate, common parts/magazines, reliable and an exceptional value. |
I had two, hated them. Get an AR or even an AK. If he insists on a Mini-14, make me an offer. 
They aren't accurate, they have poor ergos, mags are expensive and suck, there really isn't any reason to buy one unless you are a big fan of the A-team. There is a reason the A-team never killed anyone. |
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Quoted:
In before the diagnostic target!  Shit, I want the diagnostic target. I've been looking everywhere for it to give to a buddy that just blew his money on a Mini 14. OP, advise him against it. Two friends have them and they are lousy rifles. One had to be sent back to Ruger to have a new barrel put on it. It wouldn't group a mag at 25 yards. I could see if they were all grouped high, low, or right, left. But they were everywhere. Like the photo that will soon show up. Ruger was great about it and replaced the barrel and kicked in some goodies, it's just that with how inexpensive AR's are now and how good even lower brands are, why waste the money? |
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Quoted:
My BIL want's a new mbr and is thinking of a mini 14. he has no ak ,ar, etc. so what say the hive ? pros/cons ? I guess the question is what is he getting when buying a Mini 14 that he can't get in a better package when buying an AR or AK. I don't think that anything is wrong with the Mini but since he wants a MBR I'm guessing he's looking towards defense or SHTF rather than just plinking. So what makes the Mini a better choice? I think it would be the 3rd choice if I was deciding between and AR, AK or Mini 14. |
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Will go bang every time...
Ruger mags are easily available now. I am just as accurate iron sights vs. iron sights at 50 yds with my Mini 14 as I am with my AR... Accuracy suffers compared to the AR because of the thin barrel, and the difficult to adjust rear sight on the Ruger. It is a sinch to sight-in an AR compared to the Mini-14. That being said, the cost of a quality AR mag is ~$12. The cost of a factory Mini-14 mag is ~$25 The advantage of the mini-14 is that it "looks" less military than the AR, it might be a little cheaper than an AR, It is compact and weighs less than the AR. The advantage of the AR is parts are readily available, mags are cheaper, and more readily available, and the AR is easily more accurate than the Ruger... |
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In before the diagnostic target! Shit, I want the diagnostic target. I've been looking everywhere for it to give to a buddy that just blew his money on a Mini 14 WTF, this is the first picture found by a Google Image search for "Mini 14 diagnostic target".
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| A Mini -14 was my first rifle and i almost gave up on shooting because of it, I became convinced that I was just a horrible shot. Luckily before I gave up completely an older gentleman walked to me at the range one day and said " trust me its not you" . He then allowed me to shoot his M1A and colt Ar-15 which i did rather well with. I went back to the shop where I bought the gun and apologized to the salesman for not heeding his warnings about the gun and traded it along with $350 for a full size Colt Ar. Had I just bought the Ar in the first place it would have been about $200.00 extra much less than the ammo and wasted time I spent on the Mini. |
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I like the newer mini's, but I do not like the newer Mini price. It isn't a $700 gun. It would be the shit at $500-$550 Street price with $25 mags instead of $45.
If I were Ruger I'd be making a 14.5" Mini with a pinned Vortex, chrome lined barrel and piston parts, and original style metal folder with the AC556 style Gas Block front sight and side sling attachment. |
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Quoted: The mini is a great rifle, just not worth what Ruger is asking for them these days. They would sell like hotcakes for around $400. This. What is the price of the Mini? If it's around $300-400, then grab it. If it's around $600-700, that's almost enough for an AR; he'd do better getting a standard AR. <––––- not a Mini Hater, BTW. |
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My MIni-14 is great for the $300 I paid for it. No way I would pay comparable prices to an AR when the AR is a better gun in nearly every quantifiable way.
Technically, I wouldn't consider either an MBR, if that is what your friend is actually seeking. Maybe he should look into an M1A or FAL? |
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I had a Leupold scoped Mini-14 for years,My shooting buddy bought a AR15.So off to the range to shoot his new AR,he asked me if I wanted to try it ,sure! I said.
Mind you this is open sights on the AR and I had better groups at 50 yards with his rifle then my scoped Mini. 
Mini -14 got sold super fast and ordered a Colt 6920 so fast It would make your head spin,and have not looked back.!!!! |
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you will get alot more for your $$ with an AR than a mini14 along with the ability to use different uppers
barrel length twist diff configurations diff calibers mags are cheaper easier to obtain. you can configure it to suit your needs. tons of aftermarket parts if you like to tinker. much easier to make use of the great optics we have available today. had a co-worker who was dead set on buying a mini,I ended up taking him out shooting and showing him the benefits of the AR and the lego like ability to change parts around,he is also smaller in stature and the adjustable stock is what did it for him I think along with the weight. he ended up buying a windham arms AR |
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Quoted:
you will get alot more for your $$ with an AR than a mini14 along with the ability to use different uppers barrel length twist diff configurations diff calibers mags are cheaper easier to obtain. you can configure it to suit your needs. tons of aftermarket parts if you like to tinker. much easier to make use of the great optics we have available today. had a co-worker who was dead set on buying a mini,I ended up taking him out shooting and showing him the benefits of the AR and the lego like ability to change parts around,he is also smaller in stature and the adjustable stock is what did it for him I think along with the weight. he ended up buying a windham arms AR Add to that the ability to buy each and every replacement part you could ever want and easily replace it and you get a slam dunk for the AR. Break a mini, send it to Ruger. The Mini is a frustrating platform. It could have existed side by side with the AR as the sportsman's HD carbine with familiar ergos of a hunting rifle that would make it an easy transition for guys who usually run bolt guns. Ruger tried making it a whole bunch of things it is not. It is not a tack driver, it is not a hunting gun, it is not an MBR, yet they tried stuffing it into all those pigeonholes and it never fit. That said, I love my mini for what it is. It is a 5.56 dispenser. |
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Prepare for this:
I had one for years, sold it before the Ruger mags became somewhat reasonable in price. I learned my lesson though, don't try to turn something into what it isn't. Mini 14 is NOT an AK or an AR, that's just my opinion in terms of ruggedness/accuracy/replacement parts/ease of cleaning/etc...it is a fine little handy rifle/range toy. |
| I like my mini, but i do think my friend's Bushmaster AR is a better gun. Don't like my BIL's S&W MP15 as much for some reason though. i just sighted in my 4X scope on my mini and can get about a 2" group at 50 yards. Not too shabby for my needs. I would still recommend a good AR at any price vs. a mini if choosing 1 or the other. |
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mini-14s are good reliable guns. i own one. you are not going to be shooting dimes all day long at 50 yards, but you can shoot tennisballs all day long at 50 yards with a mini. I would not take one to war, but i would feel well armed in a katrina/new orleans/zombie apocalypse type event with one. put a primary arms 3-4 MOA red dot scope , along with a single ruger scope mount with a 50 yard combat zero and a flash suppresor/compensator and that gun is totally inside its preformance envelope for 250+- yards. a ruger mini-14 with good magazines is as reliable as an AR-15 with good magazines...probably more reliable. have him watch nut-n-fancys mini-14 reviews...yes, he is long winded but it has some educational value. oh yeah...does any one know of any mini-14 ka-booms? quick search on you tube and /google did not reward any fruit. |
| I have a 580-series Mini. Some cursory tests suggest that its accuracy is about the same as an entry-level AR. Like my AR, it has never jammed. |
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Quoted:
mini-14s are good reliable guns. i own one. you are not going to be shooting dimes all day long at 50 yards, but you can shoot tennisballs all day long at 50 yards with a mini. I would not take one to war, but i would feel well armed in a katrina/new orleans/zombie apocalypse type event with one. put a primary arms 3-4 MOA red dot scope , along with a single ruger scope mount with a 50 yard combat zero and a flash suppresor/compensator and that gun is totally inside its preformance envelope for 250+- yards. a ruger mini-14 with good magazines is as reliable as an AR-15 with good magazines...probably more reliable. have him watch nut-n-fancys mini-14 reviews...yes, he is long winded but it has some educational value. oh yeah...does any one know of any mini-14 ka-booms? quick search on you tube and /google did not reward any fruit. My Mini-14 Ranch would not hit a tennis ball at 50 yards more than twice in 10 rounds, and that was with a 3-9X scope. Went to trade it on my 2nd AR, the dealer offered me $425 and I was so happy I shit my pants right there. |
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I've owned a pencil barrel model from the 90's and shot it a lot.
Accuracy is horrible after a few rounds, but it never jammed on me once. I shot over 1000 rounds of Wolf through too and no functional issues. I don't have any experience with the new models with the updated barrels. |