Walmart AR's and mini 14

Depends on which weapons platform you prefer.

Any of them are fully serviceable, and will do a number on a coyote, if you don't mind empty cases poking holes in the headliner, bouncing off the sun visor, and falling down the defroster vents!

Myself, for a truck gun, I'd probably go with the Mini-14.

I own both, and the Mini just seems more user friendly inside a truck cab for several reason.

rc

Hmmmmm

I haven't seen them in my local Wal-Warts, but the closest W-W to me quit selling fireamrs a few years back. Next closest sold guns last time I looked, about 3 months ago

For the up close stuff. Any of the above should be good. The mini would be better as a truck gun i guess simply because it works better dirty. The ar would be my choice though because I like to shoot the more accurate gun.

if it is series 581 mini 14, they are shooters.

I know for a fact that some gun makers produce firearms differently (cheaper) just for walmart. I believe it's because they demand such low prices from the makers,they take a few shortcuts to help with the cost. I dont know about the above mentioned manufacturers.Support your local gun shop if u can,someday you will have questions,or need service.

I know for a fact that some gun makers produce firearms differently (cheaper) just for walmart.

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"For a fact" you say?

Please do prove this. I have seen this repeated 1,000 times on the internet, but nobody ever shows any kind of documentation.

Someone please upload a photo showing two equivalent weapons of identical manufacture date, one from Walmart and one from another store, which illustrates the differences between the two. Remember to include scans of your receipts.

An internal memo from the manufacturer for which you work would also suffice.

I almost purchased my first AR at Walmart (Windham?) a few months ago.

I was first drawn in, then scared off, by the price... it simply seemed too good to be true. I opted for a PSA upper/lower instead and slapped it together, works great.

About 3 months ago I bought a Colt LE6920 from my Wal Mart in Texas. I couldn't believe that it was on the shelf when I walked in the store, but it wasn't when I left . They also had a Sig and a Bushmaster on the shelf. They always have a mini on hand also.

kenken

mr.trooper said:

"For a fact" you say?

Please do prove this. I have seen this repeated 1,000 times on the internet, but nobody ever shows any kind of documentation.

Someone please upload a photo showing two equivalent weapons of identical manufacture date, one from Walmart and one from another store, which illustrates the differences between the two. Remember to include scans of your receipts.

An internal memo from the manufacturer for which you work would also suffice.

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I would also like to see this documentation.

"For a fact" you say?

Please do prove this. I have seen this repeated 1,000 times on the internet, but nobody ever shows any kind of documentation.

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A short run of 2,000 blued 586s were produced on special order for the Dick’s Sporting Goods chain midway through the first decade of the 21st century, and were quickly snapped up. These, to my knowledge, were the only 586s produced with 7-shot cylinders.
http://www.gunsmagazine.com/return-of-a-classic/
Its true, big retailers do get special order guns. I was just looking at my buddies 700 varmint variant of some sort he got from dick's. they usually go with a cheaper finish.

I know for a fact that some gun makers produce firearms differently (cheaper) just for walmart. I believe it's because they demand such low prices from the makers,they take a few shortcuts to help with the cost. I dont know about the above mentioned manufacturers.Support your local gun shop if u can,someday you will have questions,or need service.

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Wal-Mart does occasionally run firearms, e.g., one of their 10-22s, that only they sell. They're EXACTLY the same quality as any other Ruger 10-22. If you buy a Bushmaster from Wal-Mart, and it's the same model # as the Bushy in the LGS, it'll be EXACTLY the same Bushy.

LGSs have been spreading this horsehockey for years.. Wonder what their motivation might be??

I was told by a Dicks employee that manufacturers cut back on features for them to lower cost.

Speaking for the Mini-14: Just got a new one a few weeks ago. It is an excellent truck gun. With the sights so close to the bore axis it is a very flat shooting rifle.

That sight height makes a varmint gun!

For instance: Mini-14, zero at 100 yards:
40 yards : 0"
50 yards : 0.1"
75 yards : 0.2"
100 yards: 0"
125 yards: -0.6"
150 yards: -1.5"

And here is another rifle I have with the sights at 3.5" above the bore axis:

40 y : -1.5"
50 y : -1.1"
75 y : -0.4"
100 y : 0.0"
125 y: 0.1"
150 y: -0.3"

So, for a shooter from close range to 150 yards, just put the sights in the middle of the shoulder of the coyote and pull the trigger.

My local gun shops are good about service after sale, and conversation at least a good as the local barber. The LGS proprietors usually know more about guns and hunting than the usual Walmart desk clerk. One really good guy closed the shop and went with me and my son to the local range to test fire a used Marlin 336C before my son decided to buy. In 1999 when I went looking for a 336W (the plain-jane birch-stock sister of the 336C) for myself, he leveled with me, that I would be better off buying at WalMart because wholesale from his distributer was just a few bucks less than the WalMart list price. The 336W has shot as accurately and reliably as the 336C, but I still prefer to go to the LGS rather than WM , but it is not because the big-box guns are lower quality.

As far as Marlin went, the house brands they made for Sears, Monkey Wards, Western Auto, etc were equal to their Glenfield line, which internally were equal to the Marlin line, just plainer wood. I suspect house brands made for WalMart are similar. My LGS told me the diff in WalMart prices is that WalMart buys thousands at a time.

The mini would be better as a truck gun i guess simply because it works better dirty.

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This is not true and should not be a basis for making a decision.

In any case, if this is going to be a truck gun, I'd go for the mini. It's plenty accurate enough for the stated purpose and is less bulky.

I was told by a Dicks employee that manufacturers cut back on features for them to lower cost.

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I was told by a Dicks employee that he was a SEAL in 'nam and that the Chicom AKs also shot 556NATO. Point being that Im sure neither has any proof for such claims. Heck, no one does. I would love to see 2 exact same model rifles, each purchased from big box store vs LGS and see these said differences.

They do make slightly different models sometimes, you just have to look at what your buying. I have a Marlin lever which is model 30aw, which is a Marlin 336 with slightly cheaper wood and sights. That being said my local wally world has a few different AR's, sigs, etc. Looking forward to what walmart's buying power will do to the prices, I like capitalism and that's what it is all about. Competition lowers the prices period. If you don't like free market you may want to quit whining and move.

I was told by a Dicks employee that manufacturers cut back on features for them to lower cost.

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Competing retailers/distributors love to bitch moan and cry about competition and it doesn't cost a penny and gets wonderful results.
A cheaper finish/wood/sights only saves a few bucks but it allows the manufacturers to say "hey look, it aint the same gun the big boxes are selling for $50 less than your cost"

I will put my LE6920 Colt up against any other so that I can compare the quality of my Wal Mart gun to any other. I don't believe there is any difference in them. Maybe not as much wood grain in the plastic as one at a LGS.

I do enjoy mine alot.

kenken

Walmart

The only proof of my statement is my own experience.A long time ago my lgs smith told me walmart guns were sometimes made cheaper than others.i asked him to back up his statement.He did so by taking a shotgun of the same model number off his shelf and opening it up next to a walmart gun he was repairing.he pointed out a couple of pieces that were plastic ,not metal in the walmart gun.
the wood type and finish were better on the lgs gun as well.I cant speak for all manufacturers,just the one i saw.If you dont believe me i dont care.I support a few local shops.In return,they hire me when they can.(construction). When Walmart invaded my small town, they used contractors from out of town.Alot of them.Im not saying never buy at walmart, i still have to shop there sometimes.
many of the things i need, i can only buy there, because the local stores had to close when walmart moved in. Ahh, progress.
Thats my rant for today.
Fluffi

The Mini-14 will shoot minute of felon (or coyote) all day long. It is also a bit more PC looking to many folks including some LEOs, especially with the flush magazine in it.

A POS is a POS and once it leaves Walmart it is no longer a WalMart gun, it's just a gun. I doubt many manufacturers would want people buying crappy guns from them just because the seller is WalMart. If I buy a Remington from WalMart and the gun won't cycle, I'm going to be on here complaining about Remington, not WalMart.

As for the mom and pop LGS thing, I have had better service from Academy Sports and GM than I ever get from my LGS. I have to pay more at the LGS, get charged a 4% credit card fee, then if the gun breaks I get told to "send it to the manufacturer" with no offer for help doing so from them. Isn't hard to see that I am gaining nothing by buying from them.

Now, I own a mom and pop company (not gun related) so I am all about the little guy making it, but you have to EARN that. WalMart is part of life, the LGS has to step up their game to compete.

As to your question, I have heard that an AR is generally more accurate, and just as well made, as a Mini 14. I would probably go the AR route.

Todd


Sent via Todd's IPhone using Tapatalk.

Just think about the manufacturing process. Some large retailers can purchase special runs, however, I have never seen the same item number with different specifications. If anything, a buyer like Walmart has the clout to make quality demands others just cannot make.

Walmart is the big retailer and everyone else is at a loss to take them on in the marketplace. Some have stories about quality and some guy knows some guy who is the unbiased expert.

Anyway, Walmart makes certain demands of suppliers wishing to do business with them. The key objective is to integrate into the inventory control mechanism. This includes packing materials, used of RFID tags, etc. The goal is precision in inventory control throughout the entire supply chain.

Walmart can shape the word supply chain and they have. This leaves the rest of the retail world picking up the scraps left over.

My question is why anyone would expect the biggest buyer in the world to ask for lower quality? They have the power to get it all. The local gunstore has to provide greater value to make up for their higher prices. Lies told to the customer will not get the little retailer far.