AR vs. AK vs. Mini 14

[merlinfire]

They're all good guns. They have all been used by 1st world militaries to great effect, or in the case of the Mini, are based on a design that has been (Garand).

 

[JustinJ]

If the world ends or zombies masses come I would say and ak74 chambered in 5.56. I luv my ak74 and the 5.45 round but ammo would be scarce in the US post apocalypse. AR15's are great for a large mechanized military with plenty of resources to maintain them but for the guerilla ARs cant compare to the reliability of the ak. On the other hand, due to price, its easy to maintain a large supply of 5.45 ammo if bought in advance of catastrophy.

 

[Tonedeaforphan]

Ar 15 has no place in a survival situation. It gets dirty its over. the mini can be stripped down with zero tools and has a self cleaning action. It is durable and heavy enough to club something to death. Any survival situation I get into would be on American soil. How many rounds would you find in the abandoned hunting cabin for the ak over .223? Most likely none because people don't hunt with ak's mostly because most are utter crap. So an ar15 is more accurate but not more dependable. Look at our troops in the sandbox having to put plastic bags over the pieces of junk to keep them firing. If I was goin for accuracy for my survival trip none of these guns would be on the list.

 

[bri]

+1 AR.

The whole "ARs must be kept squeeky clean" myth is getting old, very old. It's inspired me to NOT clean my Spikes Middy for at least the next 5000 rounds, I may even start a thread.

In a "survival" type situation there will be numerous sources of lubrication (motor oil), which is all you'll need to keep an AR running smooth, right along with the combloc rifles.

I have zero experience with the Mini's, so no opinion there...

 

[benEzra]

Ar 15 has no place in a survival situation. It gets dirty its over.

Not the case, if the AR was assembled right. Here's an AR with a cheap Model 1 Sales upper after 15,000 rounds of Wolf steel-case without any cleaning, just occasional lubrication:

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/06/09/a-clean-wouldnt-hurt/

The mini can be stripped down with zero tools and has a self cleaning action.

All 3 choices (mini, AK, AR) field strip without tools, though a round or a fired case can be helpful in punching the AR's pins or pulling the mini's trigger guard to unlatch it. They're all three designed for easy maintenance.

My main concern with field-stripping the AR in a rough setting would be losing the cam pin or the little cotter key if you disassemble the bolt carrier group.

How many rounds would you find in the abandoned hunting cabin for the ak over .223? Most likely none because people don't hunt with ak's mostly because most are utter crap.

.223 is definitely one of the most common rounds in the United States (it's the #1 selling centerfire rifle caliber in the USA, so there's a lot of it around), but 7.62x39mm is probably #2, and you can find it pretty much anywhere, including Wal-Mart. Around here, it's more common than .30-30, I suspect.

Also, if you think you might need defensive ammunition (or anything else) after a disaster, buy it ahead of time; it will be hard to come by in a crisis, as demonstrated by Katrina. And you'd be plenty upset if you evacuated from a disaster and headed for your cabin in the woods only to discover that thieves had ransacked it and stolen your supplies before you got there.

So an ar15 is more accurate but not more dependable. Look at our troops in the sandbox having to put plastic bags over the pieces of junk to keep them firing.

I'll bet Iraqis wrap their AK's in sandstorms, too. AK's are pretty tolerant of dirt, but sand in the bolt lugs or inside the bolt carrier can certainly lock one up.

 

[Myles]

Mini-14, without a doubt. I own at least one in each platform.

Best combination of reliability, common cailber, ease of maintenance, without looking like a Rambo wanna be, if you need to go to court.

 

[Gorgeous Gun Nut]

Mini 14 hands down! I own one, and I just love the way it shoots, 500 yards every time!

 

[impartial]

my saiga .223 so i guess I'm taking the ak platform with the .223 ammo .. i can put 10 rounds of decent brass case ammo (american eagle tactical) in a 1.5inch circle at 70 to 100 yards .. . I don't really need much more than that.

 

[kalashnikov74]

AK-74 but would prefer AK-47

 

[Art Eatman]

Six pages is enough for this umpteenth iteration of this exact subject. Re-read the thread, think about it, and offer some different notions next time.