Should I Choose the AR 15 over the Mini 14 ?

Someone trying to sell me a rifle: "Wanna Buy a Mini 14?  I have an AR 15 Rifle now, and it is a much better rifle."  (Remark started this discussion page.)

Discussion about the AR 15, and secondarily, about the Mini-14. 

Archived Articles.

"The AR-15 has gone from being the problem-plagued rifle used by the US military in Vietnam to the most reliable firearm available on the world market....The AR-15 is also capable of great accuracy. US Army users have also discovered that new rifles taken out of their packing boxes fire with the same accuracy of earlier M-14 rifles that had been extensively reworked by armorers for Army shooting teams. ...."AR-15 A2 Sporter II." This rifle is a bit heavier than the first version but has a number of good features including a new pistol grip, brass deflector, and the new 1-in-7 twist.   -from Duncan Long's  AR-15 Article, cited again below

Paul's Take: 

Seems to me that if you are wanting a small caliber, easy-to-shoot rifle, for the "ranch" , or for defense, the AR-15 may be a wiser choice than a Mini-14.   It is already in military-format.   A friend who has owned both tried to sell me his Mini-14, as cited above.   He liked his AR-15 better.

I have never  owned either rifle, but have used a Vietnam-Era M16A1.  Rifle was easy to use, and I liked it much better at long range.    The semi-automatic AR-15 will be sufficient, the "burst" or "fully automatic" features of an M16 not being needed in a survival situation, where ammo may be limited.   You can train yourself to fire one-to-three times with the semi-auto. 

Comments are below about the MIni-14.   The Mini-14 "Tuning" Article, talks about how much should be done to the rifle to bring it up to usefulness.

The AR-15 Rifle.htm  good discussion article by Duncan Long.  Patent is no longer in force, so you can have several types of AR 15s, by different manufacturer's. 

ArmaLite Manual

Bushmaster Manual

Olympic Arms Manual

ar15_blow.jpg

BushmasterAR15_LeftSide.jpg

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AR-15 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fulton Armory AR-15 General Information

Ozark Guns, Bushmaster Regular Stock1

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AR15 Bandolier Kit  Keep 120 rounds available for firing.

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Ruger Mini 14

WHY NOT A RUGER MINI 14?

Ruger Mini-14 (.223):

     I avoid this rifle like the plague! While the AR-15 is the civilian version of the M —16 automatic assault rifle, the Mini-14 is a light sporting rifle, best suited for the 5 rd. magazine it comes with! Most of them can't take the heat of rapid fire, the groups open up to several feet, as opposed to several inches with the AR-15. Some shoot ok, but you have to take them out and test fire them to be sure. AR-15's always work. Many Mini-14's are prone to slight jamming, like the bolt not closing all the way, sometimes. Just enough to get you killed! Even if you get hold of a good one, magazines cost more & you can forget finding spare parts cheap at a gun show. If you can't afford an AR-15, then avoid the cheaper Mini & get a $135.00 Chinese SKS instead, at least it's a real infantry rifle.

     When looters assault my retreat, I hope they all have Mini-14's!

From: "SURVIVAL GUNS" Date written: 2/93

found on the internet several places, with no obvious author.

From the Ruger_Mini14 Manual .pdf 

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"Fine Tuning" or just making it work?

Discussion about how much you must to to a Mini 14 to use it: .

ruger_mini14 fine tuning .htm

ruger_mini14 fine tuning .txt

ruger_mini14 fine tuning. pdf

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Targets

MilDotTarg1.pdf

MilDotTarg2aBW.pdf

AC_Torso_Target_HD_outline_22x43.pdf

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