AR vs. AK vs. Mini-14

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I've owned a Mini14 (the only one of the three available to me in California), and it's nearly worthless IMO. Substandard caliber in an inaccurate and unreliable platform.
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I've heard this statement on forums for several years. My Mini-14 didn't listen apparently.

I bought it used, over 20 years ago. It has a Weaver K4 scope mounted. It has Never, EVER failed to fire, with milsurp, factory, my handloads, or gun show reloads (from someone I trust).

This morning I took it out to test some PMI mags bought from a fellow THR member (they worked perfectly, BTW). Shot a few 4" groups at 100 yds (10 shots). Not a tack driver, obviously. THEN, with the barrel hot, I hit a 10" triangular gong at 200 yds five times straight. That is, in my mind, "minute of coyote", acceptable accuracy for a $225 rifle (remember I bought this 20 some years ago).

As for substandard caliber, the coyotes haven't argued with it yet. Nyaah, nyaah, you should have shot me with a .308. :neener:
 
I would imagine....

An A2 style stock would make as good of a ,"club", as any other non-folding stock would :banghead: ! But since my ammo is lighter and smaller, I probably won't run out of spare mags at the same time as you would so, club shmub! My answer would be BANG! :D !
 
I cannot vouch for this personally, but the attached picture is something I came across on the errornet day before yesterday. It is supposedly what happened when a bad guy was hit across the chest with an M4. I'm not an AR basher, I have owned a half dozen and currently own 2. I also have a Mini-14 and have owned an AK in the past. I like them all and they each have a place in the world. I just think that as a club the AR is the worst. I don't really want to ever have to use any of them as a club, but the AR would be the last one I would want to use.

Also, a friend of mine was using an M16A1 during bayonet training when he was at West Point back in the 80s and the thing bent right in front of the receiver. He said if you ever have to bayonet anyone with an M16 it may very well be disabled. Again, not my personal experience, just passing along someone else's experience.
 

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Thats why I said A2 stock not telescoping ones...

:evil: :neener:

PS If someone takes a barrel thrust(no bayonett attatched) to the chest/face/groin/wherever, from a H-bar,and he keeps coming( or worse yet bends the barrel:uhoh: ...)something ain't right here :uhoh: !!
 
Well, even the A2 stock is attached with the same kind of tube so I don't think the result will be much different. Like I said, I have owned several so I know how they are constructed. I believe the AR would be the KING of CQB AND SHTF scenarios if it were not for the weakness of the receiver extension and the very thin amount of aluminum on the lower receiver at the top of the front receiver pin. In my mind those are it's weakest points. The AR is excellent in the hands of a trained team of professionals who can cover for each other and/or transition to secondary weapons if the weapon fails (which I admit is unlikely). But for SHTF scenarios, I'd rather have something that I am not going to disable because I fell on it the wrong way or something. I don't have a team of trained professionals to cover me and no armory to issue me another weapon. (Well, it depends on who you ask as to whether or not I have an armory.)

I like the M16 and I don't think the military should abandon it unless they are going to abandon the 5.56 round. I think it is an excellent weapon for a professional military. On the other hand, I think the AK is an excellent weapon for a conscript army or guerilla force because it can take the kind of severe punishment and neglect you could expect from those types.

As for the Mini-14, I think it is an excellent ranch rifle and truck gun. I owned one in the past and I have one currently. It has never had a malfunction of any kind with any ammo, including Wolf. I use only Ruger and PMI mags and they have all worked flawlessly. It is much more ergonomic than an AK. It really sucks in the accuracy department. Mine has the same accuracy as the AK I used to own. It has never been proven on any battlefield I know of, but does that really matter? I will be buying another one in the next year or so because I like them. And maybe a Mini-30 too. Also, if I have to beat somebody with it, I can club them till all the wood falls off and the rifle will still function with no wood. (not well, but all the part still work without the stock on.)

Forgive my long windedness, but I have been thinking alot about this very subject (AR vs AK vs Mini) for several weeks now and I still have not arrived at a conclusion. I guess there is no best answer. If there was, we would have all bought the All-In-One Wonder Rifle and have forgotten all about these three. That said, my SHTF rifle is an M1A. :D
 
Yeah, well, my Garand makes a pretty poor shovel. What's your point?
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That should you need to use your rifle as a club...you know, to save your life, you'd be better suited with something other than an AR.

That Garand of yours would make a great choice as it does little else well. :neener:
 
I think it would be much more effective to switch to your pistol and shoot.

But hey, if it ever comes up and I break an AR-15 over someones head and then die because my rifle has been disabled, you can say "I told you so". :)
 
People whine when an AR is made from aluminum and then can't be used as a club. They whine when you put a flashlight on it and then it's "too heavy." They whine because it shoots a "small" bullet. They whine when they can't get their hands on 30rd mags (which are only 30 rds due to the "small" bullet.)

Near as I can figure, someone's just got it in for the AR.
 
The SKS has two things going for it and that's it....

1. It has a military background, meaning it is reliable enough to fight with...

and

2. It ain't a Ruger Mini 14 :evil: :neener:
 
AR is more accurate than the AK, so you'd never need to use it as a club... you'd hit the guy the first shot or so. :p
 
Justang

AR is more accurate than the AK, so you'd never need to use it as a club... you'd hit the guy the first shot or so.

So what do you do after guy 30, when number 31 shows up early. :eek:
 
Crosshair, Well for guy number 31...

Assuming the first 30 guys went down with one shot :)scrutiny: ), I would, A) take the 2-3 seconds required to reload a fresh 30 rounder and countinue shooting or
B) Take the 1-3 seconds required(on a bad day) that it would take to transition to a sidearm and countinue shooting.... All this is assuming the person must be very very close(but not at arms length yet) or I don't have to rush my reload/transition :banghead: :neener: !!

PS AR-15 mags are not heavy when fully loaded so I can(comfortably)carry more ammo than a person with 7.62X39 :neener:.4 Mags carried 1 loaded and chambered=150 rounds. Divide 150 shots by your 30 people and each can have atleast 5 shots, but since they are dropping with only one, this is a non issue :eek: ...
 
I dont see why you have to like the AK OR the AK. Why cant we agree that the AK and the AR are equals? Reliability vs Accuracy. Ergonomics vs strenght. Modularity vs low cost.

The AK and the AR are both outstanding rifles folks, if your "anti" one or the other your really missing out. Perhaps btw, a better comparison would've been..

FAL vs AK vs AR, battle of the black rifles.
 
Hey KaceCoyote

I thought the FAL was a .308 rifle :confused:, which takes a step beyond the AK, AR, Mini 14 debate :) ... Now the FN FNC I could definitely call that a challenge :evil: ...

If you want the FN FAL comparison you would need to add the M14, the G3, and the .308 Galil to the mix :)
 
the FAL is cheap enough to compete in my mind. the G3 and CETME are quite similar so lets not go there. If ya wanna quibble about calibers there are AKs in .223 and ARs in 7.62x39mm but we're not comparing either of those. the .308 is not some super special cartridge.

Smallbore American design
MediumBore Soviet design
Big bore European design

fair enough to me.
 
Quick question since all three are close enough to compare, Kacey

Would you rather take a 700yd shot with an AK/AR(7.62X39 or 5.56X45 take your pick with either gun in either caliber) or a .308 M14 or G3
:rolleyes: !
IMHO, .308 is al little bit too much recoil and too little mag capacity to compete in the close in fighting the other two rifles were designed for ;) ...But that is just my opinion...

PS Who said anything about a Cetme:barf:? And loaded mags with .308 are
heavy, no? :eek: !
 
I was speaking of the cheaper R1L1 or whatever FAL clones, nothing stamped with DSA or the like. I'm more apt to compare black rifles by price, and then caliber. Now an AR may be better suited for Task A, an AK for Task B and a FAL for task C. However without designating what use the rifle is for specifically I think its more constructive to compare all three rifles.


Sides, I just ordered a PSL for that 700 round shot.
 
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