benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
At least if you can afford an AR, which I can't at the moment due to medical bills (my 6 y.o. son will, adjusted for inflation, be the Six Million Dollar Man when he grows up, and has several grand in artificial parts inside already).If you evaluate the virtues of these firearms, you will (in my opinion) arrive at the AR15. From the standpoints of configuration flexibility, broad availability of parts, brass availability, ballistic performance, and just about any other considerations you can think of, the AR15 is the clear choice.
If you are on a limited budget, the AK platform is unbeatable. I paid $379 for my SAR-1 and another $100 for a mil-spec QD, illuminated-reticle, waterproof, rangefinding 4x scope that I slap on there occasionally. Magazines were $10 each until recently (20-rounders were $5.99!) and are built like tanks. If price is no object, the AR certainly has its advantages--better inherent accuracy, better ergonomics, wider selection of aftermarket features, and the ability to change caliber/configuration just by changing the upper--but when price is a limiting factor, an AK will give you 90% of the capability of an AR for typically less than half the price.
There are degrees of reliability. The AR is reliable, the AK is extremely reliable. I dare say that many people on THR have probably shot more than a case of Wolf lacquered 123-gr FMJ through their AK's with zero malfunctions, since the AK is probably more tolerant of crappy ammo, fouling, hard primers, etc.The AR is supposedly less reliable but when I shot over a half case of Wolf laquered 55gr fmj without cleaning and only got a few ftf(ammo related), I hardly see any need to even call this an issue....
Regarding the mini-14--in my opinion, the main area the mini-14 shines is the fact that you can get the fantastic Butler Creek folder for it (I purchased one for mine after the ban sunset in 2004). This is IMHO far and away the best folding stock on the market for any firearm; the only reason I haven't gotten a folder for my AK is that the BC stock on my mini makes all the AK folders I've looked at look like uncomfortable junk. Personally, I think the mini-14 is at its best with a BC folder, a ~16" barrel w/compact flash suppressor, and 20 or 30 round steel magazine (someday I plan to shorten the 18.5" tube on my mini to 16.5"). With the standard stock and 18.5" barrel, the mini doesn't give you any capability that you couldn't get for 1/3 to 1/2 the price with a Saiga, IMO.