Accuracy of the typical ak47 vs. the newer mini14's?

[FlyinBryan]

i may be in the market for one of these in the near future and my interest is a bit peaked.......i owned one of the very early mini's, stainless, early 80's era, and it was painfully inaccurate, 6 moa at best.

i'm really not interested in a rifle that cant hold at least 2" @100yds.

ive seen dozens of ak47's at the range on the 100yd line, and honestly the best ive ever seen one do is in the 6-7moa range, and that would be few and far between. more often than not i see them printing minute of beach ball.

on the other hand ive never seen one of the new mini's in person so i have no idea what they can REALLY DO??

soooooo? if i were interested in giving the garands and ar15's some company in the safe,,,,,, and im interested in adding either an ak or a new mini14 (two actually, i buy everything in two's),,,,,,, and i want the one that will be more accurate out of the 2,,,,,,,,,

which?

 

[Solidgun]

Depends on your definition of "typical" AK. Most inaccurate AK I own is around 2MOA (NHM91). But people don't spend the money or load quality ammo to get it to be more accurate.

If you are not going to spend too much, then get the mini. But a quality AK with quality ammo can be accurate.

 

[Redlg155]

Aks in 5.45 can be extremely accurate. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 1 moa rifle from a quality builder. Even with the updates, the Mini 14 will typically get minute of grapfruit at 100 yards.

 

[Jbabbler]

If you can lay your hands on an RPK or Norinco NHM91 I don't think you would be the least bit disappointed in the accuracy you get from an AK.

 

[FlyinBryan]

Most inaccurate AK I own is around 2MOA

the most INACCURATE ONE???!!!!

that would instantly be by far the most accurate one i'd ever seen. (if i ever saw it)

 

[R.W.Dale]

When I can see the sights and I'm paying attention my m1975 AK bullpup is a solid 2-2.5" @ 100 yd gun. As was the saiga 308 I owned briefly.

The two primary things to keep in mind with reguards to AK accuracy is being able to use (or replace) the primitive handgun grade sights and knowing what ammo has the potential to shoot good and what just goes BANG (not all steel cased ammo is created equal)

posted via mobile device.

 

[CSestp]

had a norico MAK-90 i would trust for 2 MOA at 100

 

[GuysModel94]

The "Trigger's" show recently featured the AK and the shooter was a former east block soldier. The AK was only accurate out to about 60 yards in a combat trial scenario.

 

[LoonWulf]

Thats pretty average for my mini with its 4x scope. All those orange stickers and i still have an issue holding the same place for more then one shot, so some of the spread could well be me. Thats actually a total of 20 rnds with 2 sets of sight adjustments, the last group centered was a full group. Load was 62grn armscor FMJs, over 23ish (All thrown charges) of w748.

If it werent for the annoying FSFs they would have all been pretty much 1.5-2"s. I shot some 60grn Vmax that went into 1" for 4 shots with the first also about 4"s low and left.

 

[mister2]

Hmmm...emphasis on the "former". If he could only get hits at 60 yds, good thing he's not a dead east block soldier. I (reluctantly) used a SAR-1 in ACTS and was surprised at how accurate they can be when one gets the sights down. With a collimator, they're even better.

 

[Girodin]

Are you going to shoot from a bench with match ammo? If so I wouldn't get either. Are you going to shoot with irons from field positions with cheap ammo? If so mechanical accuracy is unlikely to be the limiting factor.

The AK was only accurate out to about 60 yards in a combat trial scenario.

Sounds like something was seriously wrong with the gun or guy using it.

 

[briansmithwins]

My AKs have been pretty solid 4MOA rifles. I haven't owned a Mini for 20 years and don't remember how mine grouped.

Practically speaking any rifle in .223 is going to have a flatter trajectory than a 7.62x39 rifle, making range estimation less critical.

BSW

 

[LAK]

The "Trigger's" show recently featured the AK and the shooter was a former east block soldier. The AK was only accurate out to about 60 yards in a combat trial scenario.

Did they say whether it was a Russian manufactured AK? What was the history of the gun - how many rounds through it since new? How many brands/types of ammo did the shooter try?

 

[Double Vision]

I like my Saiga in 7.62x39 but my newer Mini-Thirty is a more accurate rifle.

 

[benEzra]

An apples-to-apples comparison would be Mini Thirty vs. 7.62x39mm AK and Mini-14 vs. .223 or 5.45x39mm AK, I think.

I have no experience with the newer mini's, but I can say that my Romanian 7.62x39mm AK is more accurate than my 188-series Ranch Rifle was.

 

[nathan]

Not all AKs are inaccurate. The Saigas and NOrincos stands out as accurate AKs. My MAK 90 is 2 inch at 100 yds with Ulyanovsk HPs.The Romanian SAR 1 was 3 to 4 inches at 100 yds. The AK was not designed for pinpoint accuracy but delivery of high volume of fire, a true assault rifle. Man size targets with torso in the average of 13 inches across are easy hit at 200 yds. That makes for a dead enemy or if not that makes his day a bad day if not dead.

ARs are more accurate which is a good thing. I would love to have one of those too.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

The "Trigger's" show

You mistake here is assuming that the show had a purpose beyond entertainment. It's not as though they're conducting any sort of test that really tells you anything useful. Anyone who's fired an AK can tell you that even a crappy one is effective beyond 60 yards.

As for Mini-14 vs AK accuracy, I can't really say. I have no experience with the new Mini-14s and I think it's impossible to come up with a standard for "AK accuracy" since there's an awful lot of variation there between AK models and the different builders (not to mention ammo difference ie 5.45 vs 7.62)

 

[Lee D]

with a Nikon 3-9 mounted, my newer Mini has made people eat crow several times.

 

[Jenrick]

I saw that episode, guy was not even trying to shoot the AK with any semblance of accuracy.

My AK-74 is a Bulgarian built on a Nodak-Spud receiver. I took it out this morning actually to get it zero'd at 100 yds if I did my part, it was grouping around 1.5" using the stock sights from prone on the dirt. As it heated up later in the day, the groups did open up to around 2"-3" however. I used the Monarch 5.45 FMJ which is new production Tula ammo.

I'm perfectly happy with a 3 MOA AK, that is better then a lot of shooter grade AR-15's when you're using cheap ammo. My Daniel Defense M4v1 with cheap ammo is only a 3 MOA gun, but with match ammo tightens down to .75 MOA. Too bad no one currently produces true match 5.45 ammo.

-Jenrick

 

[GuysModel94]

The show was about comparing the foe's of the Vietnam war. Accuracy and handling while on the move. I thought they did a fair job on the range, and i doubt (as Tex does) that a good effort was not given. The AK was not built as an "accuracy platform", it is a suppressive fire weapon, much like the Thompson Submachine gun. But, since i don't own one (yes i've fired one) i will bow to the expert's.

 

[nathan]

If you are into the accuracy craze, the AR is hands down the better choice. Most engagements are in the 200 yds range. AKs work just fine. The Mini 14 works just fine too.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I own a newer 580 series mini-14. It can shoot 2" at one hundred yards which is better than i can normally do. About a year or two ago i posted a photo of many 50 yard groups with a wide variety of ammo on this forum if you wanna search for the posting. I might have done some shooting at 100 yards as well.

FWIW, IMO either are suitably accurate for self defense. Id give the AK a leg up as it is a real military rifle. Whichever you choose i strongly urge you not to make too many mods. Ones IMO that are the only necessary are a mount for a light and a ghost ring for the AK. Otherwise leave them stock. I am firmly convinced that the more you modify a weapon, the more unreliable it becomes.

 

[FlyinBryan]

I own a newer 580 series mini-14. It can shoot 2" at two yards

well, that is impressive indeed but i generally shoot farther than six feet.

i bet your groups open up a bit at 3 yards!!

 

[FlyinBryan]

If you are into the accuracy craze, the AR is hands down the better choice. Most engagements are in the 200 yds range. AKs work just fine. The Mini 14 works just fine too.

i have 2 ar15's already, and yes they are definitly more accurate than either of the ones im asking about (both of mine are sub moa),,,,,,, im just looking to diversify a bit more.

 

[mortablunt]

AK's are cheaper than Minis. It's also a battle proven platform. In terms of accuracy, they are both about the same, although a properly handled and outfitted AK can be surprisingly accurate.