If mini 14s are inaccurate why does law inforcement use them?

[SturmMackRuger]

I was reading an article about the mini 14 and the author was a policeman and he said that their police department would rather have a stainless synthetic mini 14 over a government issue ar-15 or M16.

 

[W.E.G.]

They are very good for what "law enforcement" uses them for.

Inexpensive, easy to maintain, easy to operate, and accurate enough to shoot minute-of-man at 50 yards or less.

 

[Gator]

Most cops can't shoot anyway, so it really doesn't matter.

 

[trueblue1776]

They retooled two years ago, they are much better now.

Not quite as accurate as a high quality AR, but better than an AK. More than enough for an average marksman IMO.

When they first retooled the Ruger rep did a demo on the outdoors channel, he shot between 1" and 2" with the new gun, around 3"-4" with the old one, a HUGE improvement.

I'm not a huge fan of the company, and their politics, but it still a good rifle.

 

[Jeff White]

If mini 14s are inaccurate why does law inforcement use them?

Because they are cheaper then the competition and decisions about things like that are more often made by beancounters then shooters.

Jeff

 

[CajunTim]

Its the government and they dont make much sense most of the time.

 

[SturmMackRuger]

Because they are cheaper then the competition and decisions about things like that are more often made by beancounters then shooters.

Jeff


Actually the author said that a government ar or m16 was alot cheaper to obtain than the mini 14.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Maybe so they aren't all scary lookin' and such?

 

[Geronimo45]

They're cheaper... but so are AKs...
Part of it is appearances. ARs are scarier than Minis. Minis are 'wooden rifles'. Therefore, they don't jump up and start murdering people, unlike those nasty ARs and AKs.
I'm guessing that the classic image of terrorists with AK-47s would lend towards negative press with AKs (stormtrooper cops murdering everyone they can find, etc).

I do know that Mas Ayoob seems to think well of Minis. The 'lack of accuracy' isn't so major in the comparatively short distances where firefights take place in the US, I guess.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Law enforcement gets them incredibly cheap!

You can outfit more officers with less money by buying Rugers - and anyways they do work well enough for what is required of them.

Same with Ford Crown Vic's - cops get them cheap; last I heard a Crown Vic cruiser cost about $10,500.00, nevermind the fact that they blow-up when they get rear-ended, when you have limited resources you do the best you can with what is available to you.

Same with Glocks... they are cheap! (and reliable).

 

[trueblue1776]

It's much more mundane in appearance than an AR-15, there are a few PD's who don't want to be Spec. Op. (I think)

 

[Jeff White]

Actually the author said that a government ar or m16 was alot cheaper to obtain than the mini 14.

Yes you can get M16A1s from DOD on the 1033 program. However, they are limited, the last time I did the paperwork, they were only providing them to a certain percentage of the sworn officers. IIRC it was 10%.

So yes, when you can get M16A1s for free, Mini 14s do cost more. However the chances of getting enough to equip your department in a reasonable amount of time is zero. It took 9 months for the last one my old department got.

If you are faced with buying weapons, the Mini is cheaper.

Jeff

 

[SturmMackRuger]

Geronimo45- Mas Ayoob was the author of the article it was in Special Weapons for military and police. That article made me want to go out and buy one just like the one in the article.

 

[Frog48]

Does it really matter? A patrol officer isnt going to have the chance to say "Excuse me Mr. Badguy, please wait here a moment while I go get my rifle."

 

[alucard0822]

6" at 100yds is plenty accurate enough for policework, even the old minis could shoot better than that. Almost all police "sniper" shots are taken from within 200yds, and most within 100yds. The minis are cheaper, easier to care for, and don't look quite as "evil" as AR pattern rifles. Just think if you were going to outfit a depatment with rifles that would be constantly abused, but only used occasionally. 14.5" or 16" M4 pattern rifles run $1200, minis run about half the cost, and the conventional stock fits in the trunk rack better.

last I heard a Crown Vic cruiser cost about $10,500.00, nevermind the fact that they blow-up when they get rear-ended

pray tell where this came from, The crown vics make a fantastic cruiser, powerful, durable and cheap, definitely no pinto. Most of the old timers preferred their caprice's, went kicking and screaming into the 2 intrepids the B-more TA had, but they all fought for the Z-28 camaro. (I used to repair/service vehicles that overflowed from the state shops, and worked on the "specialty" vehicles)

 

[armoredman]

We had Minis, but switched to ARs, actual Colts - still haven't gotten an answer to why. I know we use Grock because they prctically give them away to LE.

 

[Deaf Smith]

The thing is, like the AK the Mini-14 does not need much maintenance. It's a simple short range carbine.

The AR is more if a 'experts' gun. It requires more knowledge and maintenance BUT if one knows the weapon it is miles ahead of the AK or Mini-14 (and I say that cause I own the AR, AK, and Mini-14! I fact I've owned several.)

For a local police department the Mini-14 will do fine. 100 yard shots are rally rare but the Mini can handle such.

The AR, when properly set up, is a wonderful machine. Capable of hits way way out. But, like I said, it takes someone with more than just a bit of knowledge about the weapon and how to keep it running.

Oh, and I do prefer the AR, if you know what you are doing and can shoot.

 

[Frog48]

Almost all police "sniper" shots are taken from within 200yds, and most within 100yds.

A while back, I read an article that compiled info regarding "sniper" usage by law enforcement, and the average shot was approx 50 yards. Most were well within 50 yards, with only a handful of really long range shots skewing the mean.

 

[NC-Mike]

Never mention sniper and mini-14 in the same sentence.

Those two words don't even belong on the same page.

 

[trueblue1776]

Never mention sniper and mini-14 in the same sentence.

Accuracy systems made their name on tuning minis.

http://www.accuracysystemsinc.com/index.php

 

[R.W.Dale]

This is the same government that paid $640 for a toilet seat in the 80's

 

[atblis]

They do? I've never seen the cops around here with them.

 

[GunTech]

Interesting reading on police snipers:

http://americansniper.org/new_page_12.htm

"What is the average distance of a police sniper shooting in the United States? When most people in the tactical community are asked this question, the answers tend to be in the range of 70 -77 yards. When asked about the source of their information, almost all allude to "the FBI statistics." Would it come as a shock to you to hear this is a myth?

The American Sniper Association tried to obtain a copy of that report to study and evaluate. We checked a variety of resources and followed referrals to people who would have the report. Much to our surprise, we discovered the report does not exist. According to the FBI, they do not, nor have they ever, collected that kind of data.

For thirty years, that "70 something" number has been reported as fact. Schools, manuals and articles refer to it to this very day. It has been used as the justification for training, equipping and deploying snipers for decades. The foundation for all of those beliefs and practices does not exist."

 

[GunTech]

Accuracy systems made their name on tuning minis.

Almost $800 buck for the sub MOA conversion, plus the cost of the rifle. Hard to get excited about that.

 

[Coronach]

Does it really matter? A patrol officer isnt going to have the chance to say "Excuse me Mr. Badguy, please wait here a moment while I go get my rifle."

I don't think you really understand how LE operates. Response to immediate, unexpected threats is only a part of the job. Many times you know in advance that a rifle will be required (shots fired runs, shootings, etc). Cops have carried shotguns for how many years now? Pretty sure it's triple digits. The patrol rifle is supplanting the shotgun in that role for a number of reasons.

And I've never seen a cop around here using a Mini-14. M14? Yes. M16? Yes. Ruger mini? Nope.

Mike