AR-15 vs. Mini 14

[smythe012]

I'm not trying to get any feathers ruffled, but what are the major pros and cons of each of these platforms? I own a Mini, love the Mini, but thought about switching to an AR.

Debate, GO!

 

[strahd71]

i shot my brother in laws mini, it wasn't very accurate. i'm not saying that they all are like that, but this one was just all over the place. i would think the biggest difference off hand would be that an AR is more likely to be able to shoot 5.56 and .223 where as the mini i have experience with is only .223. also i've heard that they actually take two different magazines and they are not interchangeable. i am not 100% on this and i am sure some guys with a lot more wisdom than me will chime in and correct me

good luck with you decision

jake

 

[SSGSAD]

I shot a mini, many years ago, and could not hit ANYTHING, picked up a .22 rifle, and hit every target, that I just missed with the mini, ONLY time I ever fired a mini ..... JMh Experience..... yours may differ .....

 

[j706]

I have always though the Mini line of Ruger rifles were pretty cool. After owning 4 or 5 over the years the serous lack of accuracy, scarce expensive magazines and its way too thin barrel disgusted me. I have had a couple that would do no better groups than 2" at 50 yards!!! No sense in even shooting that at 100 IMO. But they are a reliable rifle. I have not tried one of the newer and improved ones with the better barrels and twist rates.

 

[sloughfoot]

The mini will shoot either 5.56 or 223. Mine holds 3 inches at 100 yards after dumping 4, 30 round magazines. It is totally reliable and plenty accurate.

I use my AR rifles for competition paper punching. They have no equal for that application.

If I have to grab a rifle for serious use, the Mini14 will be just fine.

In front of me right now is a DVD by Tom Cornelius and Infidel media Group. It is entitled "Mini 14 Rifle Gunfighting, Just as good as any other Rifle."

You are opening up a can of internet worms by asking this question.

I already have seen the answers a thousand times. I know my answer and cannot be dissuaded.

 

[45-70]

The mini will shoot either 5.56 or 223. Mine holds 3 inches at 100 yards after dumping 4, 30 round magazines. It is totally reliable and plenty accurate.

I use my AR rifles for competition paper punching. They have no equal for that application.

If I have to grab a rifle for serious use, the Mini14 will be just fine.

In front of me right now is a DVD by Tom Cornelius and Infidel media Group. It is entitled "Mini 14 Rifle Gunfighting, Just as good as any other Rifle."

You are opening up a can of internet worms by asking this question.

I already have seen the answers a thousand times. I know my answer and cannot be dissuaded.

I couldn't agree more, the Mini-14 is totally reliable +1. I know the AR-15 has been refined over the years but I swore I'd never own one after all the trouble I had with the M16 forty years ago. Some things you just never forget.

 

[Chefcook]

The Ruger mini 14 is a copy of the military M-14. I have owned them and I must say I do love them, but I have always had accuracy problems out of the Mini 14. This is a problem one doesn't seem to encounter with the M-14. I have heard a 1000 excuses or reasons why the mini doesn't stack up as far as accuracy is concerned. I don't know if I buy any of them or not. If I were to find a mini 14 that could stack up to my AR in accuracy, I would choose the mini 14 over the AR-15.

 

[twostepadin]

shoot my fathers mini from time to time. id guess it was built in the early 80s. accuracy is decent. yes i prefer my AR but they both seem to go bang when you pull the trigger well enough. and put hits on target well enough. been trying to talk him into that troy modular chasis for the mini. :P

my only real dislike about the mini 14 system is that it ejects spent brass into the next county. which can make you sad face if youre tryin to reload.

 

[gabrigger]

I like my Mini-14, but the accuracy is not on par with an AR rifle. However, it is a fun rifle to shoot and I would never get rid of it.

 

[42769vette]

i really dont see any advantages that the mini has over a ar. im not saying they are bad guns i just think the ar is the better option

 

[redwingshooter]

From what I recall, and this may be wrong, I thought that typically only Ruger factory mags worked best in the Mini, whereas with an AR there are tons of older GI mags that can be refurbed for a fair price. I'd also say that there are a few more accessories for the AR as opposed to the Mini. I'll also mirror what vette said, the mini is a fine rifle, but it doesn't do anything better than the AR IMHO.

 

[Txlur]

The A-team preferred mini-14's. I've read that their barrels have a tendency to heat up quick and lose accuracy. I've shot one and it was just ok, nothing special.

Mount them to your van. For everything else, i'd say AR.

cue theme song.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Without owning either...and having precious little trigger time with either...

I'd say that it all depends on what you want your rifle for.

For wringing out any and all possible pin-point accuracy? Probably going to want an AR. (Or, better yet, a bolt action)

If you want an entirely serviceable field rifle... Stay with the Ruger.

For someone without either rifle and just looking to get into the game: Tough call because prices on new Mini-14 rifles seems to be right in line with some pretty good entry-level AR rifles.

Here's the solution OP: Buy an AR and keep your Mini!

-J-

 

[Leo]

It is not too hard to get an AR shooting MOA or tighter. I spent a lot of time trying to get a Mini14 more accurate, both with ammo experimentation and bedding/harmonic weights/barrel lapping, etc. I had no success. Since I am an old M1a lover, the Mini 14 gets big marks for the cool, and does fine in the reliability department, but will give no joy on target duties

 

[smythe012]

i really dont see any advantages that the mini has over a ar. im not saying they are bad guns i just think the ar is the better option

I think that with the right stock (something most people modify on their ARs as well) all accessories can be used with both platforms. For Instance, the ATI Tac Stock for the Mini-14: Ruger Mini-14 Strikeforce Package

From what I recall, and this may be wrong, I thought that typically only Ruger factory mags worked best in the Mini...

Four of my five mags are not factory mags, so far so good. The abundance of AR -15 mags is definitely a plus though.

The A-team preferred mini-14's.

You sure those aren’t Mini-30’s Hannibal? J

-

Yep, that’s what my friend said.

All this being said, here’s why I posed the question in the first place:
Gander Mountain Black Friday Ad - Page 3

 

[dom1104]

If you gave a mini-14 to me, I would turn around and sell it the next day.

 

[UncleMike]

I have a 186 series Mini, and a newer Tactical model.
The Tactical will shoot 1.5" groups at 100 yds with an extremely warm barrel.
If the shooter does his/her part.
The 186 series suffers from "stringing" when the barrel gets slightly warm.
The Tactical's new hammer forged, heavy barrel is a vast improvement over the older "pencil" barreled Minis and well worth the price.
As for mags.
The steel Mini magazines will last a lifetime if you take care of them.
My AR's get equal range time with the Minis and each platform has it's advantages and disadvantages.
Go with what you're comfortable shooting.

 

[jbombelli]

i shot my brother in laws mini, it wasn't very accurate. i'm not saying that they all are like that, but this one was just all over the place. i would think the biggest difference off hand would be that an AR is more likely to be able to shoot 5.56 and .223 where as the mini i have experience with is only .223. also i've heard that they actually take two different magazines and they are not interchangeable. i am not 100% on this and i am sure some guys with a lot more wisdom than me will chime in and correct me

good luck with you decision

jake

I've owned THREE Mini-14s over the years and they were all like that. Once they warmed up they no longer shot "groups", they shot "patterns." After some research I found out it was because of the thin barrels.

Plus, back then I couldn't really get spare parts for them. A lot of parts were "factory only" parts, and if I needed to fix something I had to send it off to the factory. The triggers were also garbage on all 3 of mine, and the sights sucked.


From what I've heard it looks like Ruger addressed these problems with the newer rifles, but I still don't think you can get spare parts.



edited: I really gave that rifle a sporting chance. Damn you, A-Team!

 

[bullet]

I've been trying to trade my mini off for a while and I've not had much luck. I've gotten a few good offers for AR's, but I have 5 AR's already.

IMO there's not a huge fan base for the mini. I think a part of the problem is Ruger as a company is lacking in some areas.
Let's face it factory mags are best and Ruger made sure we couldn't get the mags or other parts as far as that goes. This was just one of the down falls IMO that didn't help the rep of the Mini.

 

[EvilElmo]

i really dont see any advantages that the mini has over a ar. im not saying they are bad guns i just think the ar is the better option

I see 2 advantages for the mini:
1. It doesn't look like a evil black rifle. It's just a plain old ranch rifle.
2. It's cheaper than most any AR.

If those things matter to you it's not a bad choice. Definitely not as accurate though.