Female non shooter - AR15, AK47, or Mini-14?

[Benelli Shooter]

Which would you choose?

I have all three. I want to bring a female non shooter up to speed quickly on one of these. She already can operate my Ruger GP100 decently. Each one of these rifles has pros and cons for a non-gun female.

1. AR15 - low recoil, more complicated manual of arms.
2. Mini-14 - Same as AR15.
3. AK47 - More recoil. Less complicated.

What do you think?

(For any gun person, all three of these are ridiculously simple to operate and shoot)

 

[Pulse]

bring all 3, let her chose.

 

[3pairs12]

Do any of them have optics? What is your primary goal to get her fimiliar with it as self defense gun or for fun? If for fun I would go with which ever you think would bring the most sucess when shooitng, well I guess that can be true for SD.
For me I would take the AR my 11yr old girl loves shooting the AR.

 

[Shung]

AR..

 

[Sam1911]

If she's really non-gunny, I'd go for the Mini. Manual of arms is VERY simple. Recoil is very light.

And, it looks friendlier to the uninitiated. She'll probably learn to love AKs and ARs eventually, but a Mini looks tame and non-threatening and that might be a little less of a distraction to her learning how to shoot.

To explain further, I'm sure she's not SCARED of the AK or AR, but if I'm there to instruct her I want the conversation focused on the safety rules and the principles of marksmanship -- not wasting time with the "oooh is this an assault-rifle?" conversation.

-Sam

 

[Marcus5aurelius]

Why dont you just ask her and have her give an opinion? Or better yet just go several times bringing a different one each time. Women are better shots then we give them credit for. Just remember to have her first shot with a single round in the chamber to get her accustomed to the recoil (for the AK at least) it's not all that bad but better to be extra safe.

 

[Evenflo76]

AR.

1: Lightest recoil

2: Most Accurate

3: Lightweight

I don't believe the manual of arms is too difficult on an AR. but thats me...

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

non shooter

[....]

She already can operate my Ruger GP100 decently.

Does not compute. If she's a non-shooter, then she should be on .22 lrs ONLY to start with, then move up. How much experience with various longguns and handguns does she actually have, besides the GP100? Was she shooting .38s, .38 +Ps, or .357s? What bbl length in the GP100?

 

[ny32182]

I'd go for the AR or mini rather than the AK... First of all, the AK, imo, is not less complicated than the other two (more so probably) and it also has more recoil.

AR is the easiest to use, light recoil; if you've got any sort of optic on there, hitting paper off the bench should be an absolute breeze... the goal should probably be to make sure the first experience is a good one and she will be more likely to want to try it again.

 

[benEzra]

The mini and AK are equally uncomplicated. The AR isn't really more complicated if she isn't disassembling it.

I'd say, let her pick, OR bring whichever one has an optic instead of just irons.

 

[Benelli Shooter]

Good advise. Bring all three and let her pick. This is for a SHTF scenario.

 

[DHJenkins]

The mini is real simple, but it only took an afternoon at the range to get my wife up to speed on my m4gery...

 

[Duke of Doubt]

You lost me at "quickly."

 

[Benelli Shooter]

Quickly means not being able to get someone up to speed on a weapon without multiple range trips and lots of training.

Some people do not want to become 3 gun competitors. Therefore, the one that is the easiest to shoot and the easiest to operate is best.

 

[Zach S]

bring all 3, let her chose.

Agreed.

My wife chose the AR. But it could be "fitted" to her due to the M4 stock.

 

[ArmedBear]

If the AR has a collapsible stock, I'd consider that for easy fit.

If the AR has a 20" barrel, I'd consider that for less blast.

A Mini-14, with the right .223 ammo, is a user-friendly carbine. With 5.56, it can be pretty startling when it goes off. Lots of flash, blast and noise. Otherwise, I think the Mini has the easiest point-and-shoot handling of the three.

The AK would be my last choice, particularly if it has the $5 canoe paddle style wood stock. Recoil can be bouncy, and the ergos suck.

 

[45B@cav]

AR for sure.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The AR, if it has an adjustable stock. A .22LR upper or conversion kit would be nice, too.

lpl

 

[IndianaBoy]

Does not compute. If she's a non-shooter, then she should be on .22 lrs ONLY to start with, then move up. How much experience with various longguns and handguns does she actually have, besides the GP100? Was she shooting .38s, .38 +Ps, or .357s? What bbl length in the GP100?

This.

An AR with a 22 conversion would be perfect.

Actually for learning the principles of marksmanship and correct sight picture, a bolt action single shot would be perfect.

There is no replacement for learning the fundamentals before leaping towards a centerfire autoloader.

She will likely enjoy shooting more as well, and shoot more accurately if you start her off right.

 

[Polar Express]

As to the thread topic, my input would be to bring all 3, and let her choose. Start with one round at a time, but let her try all 3. I think that a .22 rifle is an excellent tool to teach general shooting safety, and marksmanship concepts, and to practice those concepts with. However, if your lady's safety is ever in jeopardy, I strongly advocate that she is as familiar as possible with whatever tools she may need to use. ---- personally, I'm kinda looking for a .22 upper for my AR so we can practice and enjoy the shooting skills on much cheaper ammo., but keep the weapon stored in the 5.56 configuration.

 

[Huddog]

Why not start her with a Ruger 10/22 then you can transition to the Mini-14 when she is ready.

 

[Benelli Shooter]

Our current problems can not be compared to anything that happened in the 19th Century. We will see a worldwide economic collapse the scope of which the world has never seen. America will disintegrate and cease to exist as we know it. The biggest bubble in the history of mankind just popped and there is no reflating it. It is not a conspiracy. It is simple math. Debt.

 

[HorseSoldier]

AR is the most ergonomic of the three, and will give the fastest learning curve for both marksmanship and non-shooting manipulations.

Only change I might consider making from a standard AR for a female shooter is possibly putting an extended charging handle latch on it (if you're teaching charging it with the non-firing hand and if the woman in question has any trouble running a standard charging handle that way).

Really, though, for basic, minimum fluency with a rifle, any of the three will get the job done well enough.

 

[shaggy430]

SKS is half the price and half as complicated.

 

[FlyinBryan]

definitly the ar.

if you were trying to sell her on the idea of driving a car instead of using public transportation, what would you prefer her first experience be in? :

a. a lexus (ar)
b. a chevy (mini)
c. a vw bus (ak)