(Dionysusigma)
Because some may not be able to, and [the AR-15] is an inferior system.
Inferior to what? Certainly not the mini-14.
Yes, the AR-15 gas system is dirtier in the bolt area than the Kel-Tec's and the mini's. But the mini's uber-heavy gas piston that blows off a lightweight gas block cantilevered off a pencil-thin barrel is the worst possible arrangement from an accuracy standpoint.
If a piston is important to you, the Kel-Tec, AR-180B, gas-piston AR variant, or a civvie AK-74 lookalike (SAR-2 or whatever the current iteration is) would IMHO be superior to the mini.
The mini's gas system is probably as reliable as an AK's. But that's about all you can say for it, IMHO.
(FWIW, I own a 188-series Ranch Rifle.)
(MechAg94)
A Ruger might be better if you like that style. I might be the least likely to be added to AWB lists in the future.
Too late. The mini-14 was banned
by name in S.1431/H.R.2038 (2004 session), the "revised and expanded" AWB that helped cost Kerry/Edwards the election in '04. Even the wooden-stocked, 5-round-capacity models. The Violence Policy Center, which created the "assault weapon" bait-and-switch in the first place, loudly proclaims the mini-14 to be an "assault weapon." And since fewer people own mini's than own AR's and civvie AK lookalikes, don't think its popularity will save it in the event of a new AWB.
Any bill that bans the SU-16
will ban the mini-14. You can bet on it.
Besides, if the mini were
not going to be listed on some hypothetical AWB, that would be a good argument for getting an AR instead--because if it wasn't being banned, you'd always be able to get a mini, but not an AR.
(nomad660)
The industry had no choice but to agree to a self-imposed limit of 185mph, at that time the fastest prodcution bike.
But they set the self-imposed limit at 185 mph, not 65 mph, didn't they?
If Bill Ruger had suggested a capacity limit of 35 or 40 rounds, it would have been a little less laughable than his 15-round suggestion (though no less wrongheaded)--and a bit less self-serving as well. Think his choice of numbers was a coincidence? Ruger's P-89 held 15 rounds; the Glock held 17, with the higher capacity being one of the Glock's selling points.
For small-caliber firearms like 9mm's and .223's, a 10- or 15-round capacity is the firearm equivalent of a bike governed at 60 or 65 mph. Yes, it will get you from point A to point B. No, you don't "need" to go faster than 60 or 65 mph 90% of the time. But a limit of 60 or 65 mph for a bike is unreasonably and irrationally low, and wouldn't do a darn thing about bike deaths anyway since most bike fatalities occur in under-60-mph crashes.
To address the original post:
My biggest beefs with the mini-14 are (1) generally poor accuracy, and (2) magazine cost/availability. Yes, it is possible that new mini's are more accurate than the older ones, and I have heard that the very first mini's were more accurate than later models. But as someone who has own a mini for 16 years, and has read avidly on the topic, it seems to me that a mini that will shoot 2.5" groups at 100 yards from a cold barrel is quite the exception; accurate mini's exist, but those who own them got lucky.
The best group my 188-series Ranch has
ever shot at 100 yards, with or without optics, with or without premium ammunition, from a front rest and rear bags, cool barrel, windless day, is 5.5", or just over 5 MOA:
The upside--yes, the mini will eat pretty much any ammo without a hiccup. Fit and finish is pretty good. If you like straight 1800's/early-1900's-style stocks (or live in California where they're required), the mini has one. The downsides are that good magazines are expensive, of hit-or-miss quality, and are next to impossible to find locally (even at gun shows) in most places.
Also, with the mini--even the Ranch Rifle--your optics choices are limited. To put an Eotech, a widebody red dot, or other CQB-style optic on a mini requires you to shell out another $200-ish for an Ultimak MIL-STD-1913 rail, whereas IIRC you can get the Kel-Tec with one. The Ranch Rifle allows you to easily mount a scope of traditional dimensions in the traditional location, but that's about it, unless you can find a red dot with a 1" tube and are OK with it mounted that far back. It's probably easier to add a light to the Kel-Tec as well.
