Better Built, Mini 14 VS AR15?

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wildchild2010

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This isn't about what can shoot the farthest, the most accurate thread, but best built.
You here and see a lot of ar-15 kabooms, But not so with the mini 14.
Is the mini 14 reciever made out steel or Aluminum. Seems like a lot of Natives prefer the mini 14 in the .223.
 
You can count of the fact that the build quality of any Ruger will be all over the map.

The build quality of an AR will be too. Depends who builds it, using who's parts, from what batch.

I have owned probably 200 guns over the years, almost all bought new. With the manufacturing errors and sloppiness I have found to be so common, I seriously have to wonder if the majority of firearms manufacturers have any meaningful final QC checks in place.
 
It will certainly depend on who makes the AR. In my experiences Ruger is a quality manufacturer, and it will take another quality manufacturer to compete. I have never seen a mini KB, but I don't really see too many AR KB's either (not counting the geniuses on u-tube playing navy seal and shooting with a barrel full of water).
 
You here and see a lot of ar-15 kabooms, But not so with the mini 14.
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That is because the M-16/AR-15 rifle outnumbers the Mini-14 rifle in actual use by about 10,000 to 1.

It has nothing to do with build quality.

Kabooms are caused by overloads causing case failures.
Not by the 'build quality' of the rifle the case failed in.

The M-16/AR-15 was designed to partially contain a case failure while sacrificing the upper receiver to shield the shooter from hot gas & brass. It does an admirable job of it too.

The Mini-14's open top receiver might or might not protect the shooter as well.

And the Mini-14 has a steel receiver the bolt locks into.

The M16/AR15 has a steel barrel extension the bolt locks into.
The aluminum upper receiver is just a container to hold the parts in place.

It serves no function as far as bolt lock-up or containing the chamber pressure.

rc
 
adelbridge said:
How many Nations have adopted the Mini for their armed services?
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It's pretty hard to argue with that one. I've been eyeing a mini-14 for some time now and can appreciate its value, but yeah, the M16/M4 platform has stuck around for a long long time in the hands of men who trust their life with it.
 
Can't speak for all but my ARs are better built and have better components than a Mini-14 ... because I chose all the parts and assembled them myself! :D

Now if you're talking Vulcan, Hesse, Blackthorne ARs, I can't vouch for them.
 
Never had a problem with my Minis or my ARs during several thousand rounds of shooting. The way I've used them in these last thirty-some years, I don't expect any problems, either. :)
 
the mini 14 is stronger bigger parts and simpler. the mini bolt does not have to be x rayed looked at thru microscopes like every molecue in an AR bolt. more time and money has been spent on the AR then any gun in the history of mankind.if I had 50 years and tens of millions to keep improving the mini like the AR has it would be a plasma gun by now
 
I agree the number of catastrophic failures is due in major part to the number of rifles in service.

As for overall build quality, if you were compare the Mini to a CMMG AR-15, I'd imagine most of the time the Mini would come out to be the better gun. Compared to a Colt or any number of smaller-scale "custom" builders like LaRue? The Ruger may fall a little short.

I think, all things considered, the Mini is probably "comparable" to an AR in the same price range.
 
If I were going into a situation where I needed a rugged rifle that was going to take some abuse, and my choice was between a mil-spec AR and a Mini, I sure as heck would not be choosing a Mini.

One is a proven combat rifle refined over 50 years of service, and the other is a lightweight commercial sporting rifle.
 
Fishbed77 said:
If I were going into a situation where I needed a rugged rifle that was going to take some abuse, and my choice was between a mil-spec AR and a Mini, I sure as heck would not be choosing a Mini.

One is a proven combat rifle refined over 50 years of service, and the other is a lightweight commercial sporting rifle.
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after 50 years of improving the AR and all that money some USGI's were still throwing them down and using AK's in Iraq. and a mini will take more abuse without going to a dental hygienist to clean it
 
I own both and it would be a toss up of which I like the best. One is a Bushmaster very well built, and the other is a Mini-14 with a trigger job, glass bedded over molded Hogue stock, and a Accu-Strut. I also own an A-1/Bushmaster With a 20" bull barrel in Stainless Steel, with a Timney trigger, which is a bench rest gun. Now that would be comparing apples to oranges. I just depends on which one I feel like shooting at the time.
 
How many Nations have adopted the Mini for their armed services?
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Seems the RUC carried the full auto AC-556. The French CRS carries it. And Bermuda.
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A better question is how many have actually used them in combat. Not many, if any. How many of these countries sent troups to Afghanistan carrying Mini's

The Mini 14 is a fine rifle when used for what it was designed for. It was never designed or meant to be used as a combat rifle. It was designed for a farmer or rancher as an inexpensive gun that needed little maintenence and would still work when stored behind the seat of a pick up and used to dispatch the occasional varmit. While not terribly accurate, they perform this task well enough.

When tried as a military/LE weapon where a high rate of sustained fire is used they have not faired well. Back when AR's were extremely expensive and Mini's were selling for 1/4 of their price many LE agencies tried them as an inexpensive alternative. As well as several smaller countries militaries. Almost all of them have moved on to or some other weapon.
 
an outpost in afghan got overrun and the GI's M4's went into meltdown as did their SAW's. and the army started looking at an alternative. anyway NO gun can take "sustained" full auto fire. mini parts are huge and very robust unlike the tiny easy to lose parts of the AR where a watchmaker and a dental hygienist might be employed to clean it
 
I used to be really into Rugers and wanted to like the Mini-14 so much.

I prefer AR-15s. If they do break, like a firing pin breaks, you can fix it yourself unlike the Mini.
 
Even though this isn't about accuracy or shooting the farthest I do think that it is something to take in to consideration. If the Mini 14 was built better then I don't think there would be concerns with accuracy with them. I agree that there are too many manufacturers of AR-15s to really debate this.
 
the minis had badly rifled barrels. if someone had a $2000 benchrest action and put a bad barrel on it would you say a $300 savage was built better because it was more accurate? the same people that say a mini is not built good say you must spend almost 2 grand to get a good AR
 
If I were going into a situation where I needed a rugged rifle that was going to take some abuse, and my choice was between a mil-spec AR and a Mini, I sure as heck would not be choosing a Mini.
Click to expand...

I sure the heck would. The Mini is a robust, reliable little carbine that takes a lot of abuse. I would trust it to perform as well in any adverse circumstance as any AR would. Both are nice, durable rifles that offer advantages and disadvantages when compared to each other.
 
mljdeckard said:
^^Exactly what I was thinking. I know I can detail strip an AR pretty quickly. I doubt I could do a mini as quickly or easily.
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lol try taking out the firing pin and the tiny cotter pin that holds it in under field conditions when it is 20 below zero. can you imagine an AR in Stalingrad in January while in a frozen trench?? hahahah . I'll take the mini there. it is AK reliable
 
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