ACK!  You would be FAR better served putting that kind of money into an AR.  The cost of a Mini + folding stock puts you in Bushmaster country, and then there's the magazine issue, accuracy issue, and customization issue.

Friends don't let friends buy Mini-14s.  Did you ever notice that even the A-Team, crack Army SpecOps guys, could never hit a single badguy with their Mini's despite hundreds of rounds on full-auto?  That isn't just TV...

-Troy

Quoted: Why would a Mini have to be in assault configuration before the ban?  If your firearm is Pre-ban, can you not purchase a folding stock and put on it after the ban?  Why is there a difference between this and the AR?

As I understand it, most, but not all Minis left the factory in a non "assault weapon" configuration.  Now, if you take your pre-Sept '94 Mini and add, say a folding stock with a pistol grip, you have created an illegal  "assault weapon", same as if you had added the FS+PG unit to a post-ban Mini.  OTOH, if you had added the FS+PG combo before the ban, and had the foresight to document same, then you are off the hook.  It is also my understanding that if you should be unfortunate enough to run afoul of the BATFE or other such agency, they will demand proof from you that the weapon alteration was kosher.  In this case, no presumption of innocence on your part. Be prepared to prove your claim.

When the ban expires, I will have some work to do, not the least of which is documenting any and all alterations that the expiration of the ban will make possible and legal.

I would not rush out and buy a Mini.  However, if you already have one or get a great deal on one, there are a few not-too-expensive tweaks you can do that will render it a reliable 2 MOA carbine.  The Mini is better than most people give it credit for being.

Quoted: Why would a Mini have to be in assault configuration before the ban?  If your firearm is Pre-ban, can you not purchase a folding stock and put on it after the ban?  Why is there a difference between this and the AR?

The difference is that virtually all ARs made before the ban were in "assault weapon" configuration, and so they qualified to be grandfathered under the law.  The vast majority of Mini-14s (meaning all but the GB models) were NOT in "assault weapon" configuration, and so despite being manufactured before the ban, they don't qualifiy as grandfathered "assault weapons."

Fortunately, the AWB is about to die in about 25 days, so for folks without a state-level ban, it will no longer matter.

-Troy