Love my Stainless Steel factory folder Mini 14, fun gun to shoot and plink and have done some close (100 yard) groundhog hunting, I have a full length wood stock and a little 90 rd drum!!
BUT, I had to vote for the AR, much more accurate, but a little more picky on its ammo!! Fun to buy more uppers and different stocks, I can turn mine into a .22, carbine or a scoped sniper!! I built each upper and the lower from part kits, I know ever spring,screw and detent in it and have no problem fixing it should a rare problem arise!!
__________________ Alcohol Tobacco Firearms
Should be a convenience store, not a government agency!
well then just for giggles whats better a mini 30 or an ak?...the fact that ruger has made a quality rifle that compares to both on the same platform and sparks such a heated debate speaks volumes to the design. also siagas are notorios for BAD workmanship; bad spings,plastic parts that should be metal,terrible fit ect. and terrible customer service... now rugers might be great but it is acceptable.as for a slap together ar from like 7 different manufactures,good luck especialy b/c some if not most say using parts other than thiers voids any waranty.
I disagree with all of this.
Saiga's are known for excellent quality.
Bad AKs generally work great.
Custom built ARs are usually considered the bees knees if you know about the parts you are using.
Love my Stainless Steel factory folder Mini 14, fun gun to shoot and plink and have done some close (100 yard) groundhog hunting, I have a full length wood stock and a little 90 rd drum!!
BUT, I had to vote for the AR, much more accurate, but a little more picky on its ammo!! Fun to buy more uppers and different stocks, I can turn mine into a .22, carbine or a scoped sniper!! I built each upper and the lower from part kits, I know ever spring,screw and detent in it and have no problem fixing it should a rare problem arise!!
Underfolder mini is AWESOME!
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Get the largest caliber you can fire accurately, rapidly, in the largest gun useful for the purpose.
What other gun can you buy that allows you to shoot 6.8 spc, 300 blk, the wssm's, 762x39 and 545x39 all in the same day? Mil spec ar's can be had for $700 ish. The money comparison isnt so lopsided for the mini.
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The right to bear arms is WAY less ludicrous than the right to arm bears!
Custom built ARs are usually considered the bees knees if you know about the parts you are using.
ive had 3 saigas in my possetion over the last 2-3 years.each had problems.the 12 blew apart after 6 rounds down range due to a "millwork defect"whatever that means.the .223 had a gas block or piston problem that couldent be worked out w/o being sent overseas and a friend sold me a 410 that had a melted extractor it was plastic! had to buy new american made parts just to break even on it. also have fun dealing with thier customer service as the only thing they really say is ship it back we fix.at your cost. i am not alone in this it is pretty well known that these cheap quickly made forgien carbines are full of problems.now they may have fixed these early problems but i still have a bad taste in my mouth over there customer service
i do agree that a cheap ak is an equal option to a mini 30,thats why i brought it up.
and again im not comparing an off the shelf mini-14 to a custom built ar-15. my point on that is that waranties are full of loopholes and a big one is"are you using it with the XXXXXXXX that it was intended to be used with?no? im sorry but we are not resposible for damage othercompanies parts may cause on our product."
Love my Stainless Steel factory folder Mini 14, fun gun to shoot and plink and have done some close (100 yard) groundhog hunting, I have a full length wood stock and a little 90 rd drum!!
BUT, I had to vote for the AR, much more accurate, but a little more picky on its ammo!! Fun to buy more uppers and different stocks, I can turn mine into a .22, carbine or a scoped sniper!! I built each upper and the lower from part kits, I know ever spring,screw and detent in it and have no problem fixing it should a rare problem arise!!
i feel that im being a little to one sided in my last few posts.let me clarify:
i think that the ar 15 is a good if not great rifle.it has ALOT of good things about it the front runner being versitility.quickly swaping out an upper gives you an entirely different firearm,and all the accesories make it a great platform for almost anything that you can or will encounter.also(and i personaly asked a member of the batf) a tax stamp on a lower covers ANY upper you attach as well as anything under the barrel(think 870 masterkey).
ars have more options than any other rifle and are know to be accurate way farther out than a mini 14. that said i like my mini and it has NEVER had any major issue that couldent be solved quickly with minimal replacement parts
The Mini-14 is a cool gun to have in the garden, but I wouldn't buy one unless I already had an AR. Virtually every show I see on TV about prisons, the guards are armed with the Mini 14 so they have obviously proved themselves in reliability and the enough accuracy to shoot humans at less than 100 yards...
But let's be realistic here, I own a few AR's and they always shoot when I pull the trigger, always. The whole "Mini-14 is more reliable than an AR-15" argument comes from what? Can you even imagine a real life situation where the lack of reliability of an AR (?) causes you a problem and you wished you had a mini 14 instead? I clean my guns after I shoot them, so talking about which is more reliable when dirty... that's just silliness.
On the other hand, yes the Mini can lose a little accuracy when they get hot. But when (other than shooting at the range) will that ever be an issue? Unless you plan on having a raging gun battle with rifles or needing to shoot 23 coyotes in a ten minute period when will that come into play in a real life situation?
If I have to pick one, I pick the AR... I don't own a Mini 14 but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. They're both fun platforms, pick the one you like most then plan on buying the other one down the road.
ive had 3 saigas in my possetion over the last 2-3 years.each had problems.the 12 blew apart after 6 rounds down range due to a "millwork defect"whatever that means.the .223 had a gas block or piston problem that couldent be worked out w/o being sent overseas and a friend sold me a 410 that had a melted extractor it was plastic! had to buy new american made parts just to break even on it. also have fun dealing with thier customer service as the only thing they really say is ship it back we fix.at your cost. i am not alone in this it is pretty well known that these cheap quickly made forgien carbines are full of problems.now they may have fixed these early problems but i still have a bad taste in my mouth over there customer service
i do agree that a cheap ak is an equal option to a mini 30,thats why i brought it up.
and again im not comparing an off the shelf mini-14 to a custom built ar-15. my point on that is that waranties are full of loopholes and a big one is"are you using it with the XXXXXXXX that it was intended to be used with?no? im sorry but we are not resposible for damage othercompanies parts may cause on our product."
I only know of Saigas bought in the last few years, most of them customized anyway, or rebuilt in the US, and all of those have had PERFECT reports, the best reports of any AKs.
__________________
Get the largest caliber you can fire accurately, rapidly, in the largest gun useful for the purpose.
from what ive been hearing this is now the case and explains the recent price hike(when i bought the 12 it was about $250-$275 now around $300 minnimum) that there being ordered and basicly rebuilt with better parts
Was I wishing for a mini-14 in particular? Nope. Just something, anything, that worked.
Tap, rack, bang, is the mantra of the M16/M4/AR.
Could you expand further on your experiences please (maybe even a post just about them in the AR forum)? I know you are in the military so I am interested to hear your thoughts on the AR.
Could you expand further on your experiences please (maybe even a post just about them in the AR forum)? I know you are in the military so I am interested to hear your thoughts on the AR.
Have to make this fast, internet keeps timingout, bandwidth issues.
Only shot one AR in my life. All others been M16A1(ROTC), M16A2, M4.
Mags: GI mags are a common point of failure and my "OH! ****!" moment.
Cleaning: DI action makes cleaning a nightmare. Talking IG, or turn into the armory clean.
Full lenght M1913 rails: Uncovered they are sharp and catch on webbing (CH46, CH53, C130). Have a few uses, but mostly a waste of material. The top rail is the only one for optics most need.
Lights: Unless you are kicking in doors, I am not, lights out in the rural area will give away your local.
Lasers: see above.
Weight: Stock M16/M4 is light. Then I see yahoos with 5lbs of crap hanging off the front.
Grip pod: Another "tacti-cool" item to get tangled, obstruct , or hinder use.
Heat: It gets hot under full auto use. Heard more than a few of some quitting to fire, but may be RUMINT.
Sand: talc like sand gets in everything. Frequent cleaning. CLP makes the sand clump, nasty grinding feel. Till I got here never had to use the forward assist. Had to use it twice at the range. Both times got pulled from the line to perform a field cleaning before I could return to the firing line. Mag release same gritty feeling, really have to mash the button, lost of grip.
Upper/lower fit: Lose, rattles. However these are DoD service grade, not safe bunnies.
Charging handle: dont like where itis.
Selector switch: Needs to be longer or designed to manipulate in all modes easier.
Have to make this fast, internet keeps timingout, bandwidth issues.
Only shot one AR in my life. All others been M16A1(ROTC), M16A2, M4.
Mags: GI mags are a common point of failure and my "OH! ****!" moment.
Cleaning: DI action makes cleaning a nightmare. Talking IG, or turn into the armory clean.
Full lenght M1913 rails: Uncovered they are sharp and catch on webbing (CH46, CH53, C130). Have a few uses, but mostly a waste of material. The top rail is the only one for optics most need.
Lights: Unless you are kicking in doors, I am not, lights out in the rural area will give away your local.
Lasers: see above.
Weight: Stock M16/M4 is light. Then I see yahoos with 5lbs of crap hanging off the front.
Grip pod: Another "tacti-cool" item to get tangled, obstruct , or hinder use.
Heat: It gets hot under full auto use. Heard more than a few of some quitting to fire, but may be RUMINT.
Sand: talc like sand gets in everything. Frequent cleaning. CLP makes the sand clump, nasty grinding feel. Till I got here never had to use the forward assist. Had to use it twice at the range. Both times got pulled from the line to perform a field cleaning before I could return to the firing line. Mag release same gritty feeling, really have to mash the button, lost of grip.
Upper/lower fit: Lose, rattles. However these are DoD service grade, not safe bunnies.
Charging handle: dont like where itis.
Selector switch: Needs to be longer or designed to manipulate in all modes easier.
We were taught Slap, Rack, Tap, Bang in the Marines, with the added step of "Tap" being the use of the forward assist. That's so ingrained into my mentality I would never buy an AR without a forward assist.
The A1 designated the addition of the forward assist to the original M-16, which greatly reduced problems with Jammin' Jenny. I was a little shocked to see an AR without a forward assist (DPMS I believe) a few years ago. Knowing the history of the AR I find it ridiculous, and perhaps a little irresponsible, to even make a model like that today.
There is a jam unique to the AR-15 / M-16 that no drill will clear, though. In the case of a double feed where the second round rides up over the first and gets jammed above the gas tube in the upper receiver the rifle becomes inoperable.
Slap, Rack, Tap will not result in a Bang in this case, and will actually make it worse. Racking the charging handle and tapping the forward assist only drive the bolt carrier group into the base of the cartridge, and wedge it in tighter.
The only two ways to clear that jam:
1. Lock the bolt back and pry that round out through the ejection port with something like a cleaning rod, knife, or screwdriver.
2. Push out both the takedown and pivot pins, and slide the upper receiver forward until the bolt carrier clears the buffer spring tube. Then you can remove the blot carrier, and pry the round out from the underside of the upper receiver.
In either case the rifle is going to be completely down for a couple of minutes. And don't forget that there's still a live round in the chamber!
I also agree with Deckard that they get crazy hot in full auto. Cook off's are not uncommon with M-16's. I had a round cook off on me after live fire at Twenty-nine Palms, and that was an A2 limited to 3-round bursts.
It's a scary thing to have your rifle fire all by itself. Good thing it was laying on a berm and still pointed down range when it happened.
In four years as a grunt I only had that double feed jam happen to me about 3 times, and I only had one cook off, although I witnessed others.
I've had that jam once with one of my personal AR's, and never had one get hot enough for a cook off since they're all semi-auto only.
I also don't get all that Picatinny stuff either. Those rails and accessories are crazy heavy for whatever benifit they're supposed to provide. But that's just my old school opinion.
__________________
The human is a beautiful & terrible creature, capable of limitless compassion & unfathomable cruelty
Over the years, I've had three mini's... poor accuracy, less than quality machine work, and relatively heavy triggers, led me to sell 'em all. In boot camp, I was introduced to an M-14... loved it, and still do, but the mini is a poor substitute for it. It took me 35 years to soften up enough to buy an AR..... and they're nicer now than in the late 60's.
I'm glad we have a choice... and I'd choose the AR.......
The Mini-14 is a cool gun to have in the garden, but I wouldn't buy one unless I already had an AR. Virtually every show I see on TV about prisons, the guards are armed with the Mini 14 so they have obviously proved themselves in reliability and the enough accuracy to shoot humans at less than 100 yards...
But let's be realistic here, I own a few AR's and they always shoot when I pull the trigger, always. The whole "Mini-14 is more reliable than an AR-15" argument comes from what? Can you even imagine a real life situation where the lack of reliability of an AR (?) causes you a problem and you wished you had a mini 14 instead? I clean my guns after I shoot them, so talking about which is more reliable when dirty... that's just silliness.
On the other hand, yes the Mini can lose a little accuracy when they get hot. But when (other than shooting at the range) will that ever be an issue? Unless you plan on having a raging gun battle with rifles or needing to shoot 23 coyotes in a ten minute period when will that come into play in a real life situation?
If I have to pick one, I pick the AR... I don't own a Mini 14 but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. They're both fun platforms, pick the one you like most then plan on buying the other one down the road.
Yes...Republic of South Vietnam, 1968 - 1975...I would have preferred ****ed near anything over the M-16 POS!
IMO, Stoner was an idiot.
I got a bad taste for the AR which still lives with me.
__________________ If ya don't know where I've been and ya don't know where I'm going, your opinions of me don't count.
Last edited by oldjarhead; 02-16-2012 at 07:40 AM.
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I clean my guns after I shoot them, so talking about which is more reliable when dirty... that's just silliness. 
NRA Lifer. God bless our troops.
