M1 Carbine vs Mini 14

[Ghostrider_23]

Not another debate
YES, but this one hasn't been discussed before
Which would you rather have a mini 14 or a M1 Carbine and why????
Ammo in 223 is not that much cheaper than 30 carbine?
Which one has better accuracy and reliable?
Less recoil and goodies to add?
More fun to shoot?

 

[Yakko]

M1 Carbine.

I've shot both. Like the M1 a little better. What really tips the scales in it's favor???

The history of the M1.

 

[Rabble-rouser]

M1 Carbine


I prefer the M1 over the Mini 14. I find the recoil less for the M1 eventhough the accuracy is better with the .223 round. From what I've read, the accuracy for the 30 Carbine round greatly deminishes at 75 yards.

Overall, if you're not trying for a kill and just target shooting, I think the M1 is more fun.

 

[SigfanUSAF]

When in doubt, buy both. Personally, I have probably shot the rest of the life out of my Inland Carbine, and prefer it over any firearm I've ever owned for general plinking. It's hard to picture a platoon of German Wermacht coming at you through the sights of a mini 14!!!

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

M1 Carbine

 

[keystone hog hunter]

have both and while both are fun to play with neither would be even close to first choice..m-14 not very accurate,flame throwing ,ear ringinglittle bullet throwing fun little noise maker........m-1 cute well behaved under powered fun gun wish ammo was still cheap

 

[Dr.Rob]

The Carbine feels like a pop-gun (or a .22), and considering it has the power of a 357, that's a good thing.. light, handy, hi-capacity. Good in tight quarters. Home defense anyone? Harder to find ammo. Good quality magazines.

The Mini has a much longer op rod, which has rapped the fingers of many a shooter. Better at longer range, more bullet choices. Cheaper. Ammo can be found anywhere. Harder to find quality hi-caps.

The Mini doesn't have near the mystique of the carbine, but it's a pretty good rifle.

Guess it depends if you want to hunt varmints or blast paper targets... both will fill the defensive role. The Mini is more powerful, the M1 is handier.

But the mini didn't fight in 3 major conflicts.

A slight edge to the M-1 for historical value.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

M1 Carbine.


I can't stand Ruger or their products, both for political reasons and simply because I don't like their designs and methods. With the exception of the 10/22 maybe their cowboy revolvers, there's nothing in their product line that some other company doesn't make, which is either lower-priced or higher-quality and most of the time - it's BOTH.


While .223 is more powerful, and offers better range - there's nothing wrong with a soft-point .30 carbine inside of 150 yards.

 

[MartinBrody]

I will go with the carbine for everyone's previously stated reasons.

I mostly agree with DTOM. If Ruger made a new high cap factory mag for the Mini-14 I think you would see a lot more mini fans out there. An american made assault rifle for around $500 new, who wouldn't love that? But no, they call it a "ranch rifle" and sell it with 5 rounders leaving us to scrounge up old after market high caps that don't work.

 

[CarbineKid]

I also think the Carbine is the better choice, but the Mini does come in stainless. Theres also the new kid on the block in the Kel Tec Su-16....I believe it will take away alot of Mini sales.

 

[HorseSoldier]

M1 carbine. Fun to shoot, powerful enough cartridge for home defense use (and at home defense ranges) and, as others have noted, a fascinating piece of history.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Get both.

I have an early-80s Mini-14, an Underwood M1 and a Rock-Ola M1.

The Mini-14 shoots a round with more FPE but bullet choice will really make the most impact when considering terminal effectiveness. .223/5.56MM ammo is generally cheaper than .30 Carbine.

.223/5.56MM has a flatter trajectory than .30 Carbine, but this only matters when trying to hit small targets at long range.

Without a flash hider, the Mini-14 has a visible fireball when fired during daylight. I added an Eagle HK-style flash hider/front sight to mine, which also greatly improved on the factory front sight.

With the demise of the AWB good Mini-14 magazines holding more than 10 rounds are now available. USGI 15 round Carbine mags can still be found but are starting to dry up (it only took 60 years). USGI 30s are hard to find.

Both are reliable and easy to maintain. You can get the Mini-14 in stainless steel if the rifle is going to be exposed to harsh conditions. The Mini-14 has a simpler gas system (stationary piston, no piston nut that should be stake in place). The Mini-14 may have an edge in reliability because the design vents more gas than normally needed to work from the barrel.

An M1 in a repro M1A1 folder will be shorter than a Mini-14, even if the latter is in a folder.

Mini-14 Ranch Rifles are designed for easy scope mounting. Mounting optics on regular Mini-14s or M1 Carbines isn't as easy. The best way to do so is in a scout configuration using an Ultimak or Amega Ranges mount (replacing the handguard).

Most M1 Carbines are already fitted with a bayonet lug.

 

[Byron]

My choice would be the Mini 14. There is no comparison between the lethality of the 223 (M193) and the carbine. Byron

 

[Fosbery]

M1 carbine. It's the plinkiest gun I've ever shot

 

[Ghostrider_23]

I am surprised that the mini 14 hasn't had more votes. Then again from what I read about the accuracy after 10 rounds the gruops open up badly. I like the M1 carbine but have never shot it past 50 yards. How does it groups at a 100 yards?? Outdoor range does not open up until Mid september so I am kicking around getting rid of it my ak 47 and my ar 15 for either a FAL or a Socom 16.

 

[MechAg94]

I would rather have an M1 Carbine simply due to history.

However, if they were both new guns that just came out, I would probably get a Mini-14 with no other choices.

 

[Harley Quinn]

I have an MI carbine in 5.7mm Johnson

It is a reissue made by the Israel company. They went out of business for good reason. I had to rebarrel it and have some other work done to it, so it would function correctly. The chamber was really messed up.

I am going to have the chamber rebored to a 221, later with a different M1, I have a parts gun and am going to get it done in the near future. Problem is the down time with the gunsmiths.

The 5.7 is a fast little round but it is not as versitile as the 223 in the Ruger.
But it is nice little shooter and hits 3000 fps with a 40 grain bullet.

HQ

 

[HorseSoldier]

I like the M1 carbine but have never shot it past 50 yards. How does it groups at a 100 yards??

Last time I tried pushing the range on my M1 carbine, I could reliably hit a steel chest plate at 225 meters, but had quite a bit more trouble with a 300 meter target.

 

[Ghostrider_23]

Horessoldier, you shot your M1 carbine out at 245 yards???? That is nice, what type of ammo were you shooting with?? Now with post like that it makes me want to keep it.:banghead: I can't wait to get to the range. Did you have a scope or iron sights??? Anyway I am thankful for your input

 

[WinchesterAA]

my first rifle was an m1 carbine. I killed 2 deer, both between 100 and 120 yards. Put over 8k rounds through it within about 14 years, and only had a handfull of malfunctions.

The kill count on various other critters is astronomically high.

accurate, mid weight, ammo was always avalible (although only a couple boxes in stock at a time) at a wallyworld down the road from me, and easy to maintain.

Spare parts abound too. Good gun, mini-14s I didn't like so much. Shot two different ones, both jammed occasionally.

 

[Plain Old Bill]

Carbine for sure...

The reason Ruger puts a curved buttplate on those Mini-14s is so your hand doesn't slip off while you're throwing it downrange in a futile effort to hit something, anything at all......(let the flames begin.. )

 

[gila_dog]

2 cents worth...
I have two Rugers. A 1969 vintage 10/22 and a mid-80's Mini-14. I have never even shot an M1 carbine but would love to. After 25 years and thousands of rounds the 10/22 started stove-pipe jamming. No amount of cleaning helped. A local gunsmith messed with it and made it worse. So I sent it back to Ruger. They wrote back and said it needed a new receiver, which they would replace for free. Sounded ok to me so I said to go ahead. They fixed and returned the rifle and it has shot perfectly ever since.

The Mini-14 is lots of fun and reasonably cheap to shoot. I drilled out the hole in the rear sight a little bit to let in more light and make it easier and quicker to pick up targets. Out to 200 yds I can lay down some serious firepower with it. No beer can or coyote is safe at that range. But it broke after about 20 years and maybe 1000 rounds. I noticed a crack on the top of its bolt. Back to Ruger it went. They fixed it for free and returned it. It's working fine now.

I don't know about Ruger's politics, but I really like their rifles and the service after the sale has been excellent. The 10/22 had been used hard, but not mistreated. The Mini-14 just had a weak bolt. But I doubt if any other manufacturer would have fixed my rifles for free.

 

[1911user]

Tough choice, but I'd take the mini-14 for most practical purposes. Good 20rd mags are available and .223 is a better cartridge especially beyond 100 yards. The option to mount a low-power variable scope is a plus. I'd rather have an AR-15 cabine over either choice, but the mini-14 wins this theoretical exercise for my use.

 

[weregunner]

Corbon is making a new DPX load for the M-1 carbine.This may have been said many time here but this isn"t that hard to figure out.Both are easy on the shoulder and easy to learn to shoot or just plain shoot.Firing out to 50 to 75 yards? Go with the M1 carbine.Firing at targets past 75 yards and need to put a critter down ? Go with the Ruger mini 14. Both are fun to shoot.Just plinking at short range? Either will do.Again the M-1 has the vote.At least mine anywho. I own a Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle and enjoy the accuracy{No it isn"t a AR15}. And since I don't shoot highpower rifle competition the at 100 yds. will be hit square and solid. Such hard choices. Sheesh.But this is all in fun.Got a quarter to flip.I have a 2 headed one you can use.Goes with my two tailed one.

 

[grimjaw]

M1 carbine. I don't think I've ever picked up one that I didn't like.

jmm