Mini 14 or Saiga

[daniel craig]

I have a mini 14 and about 100 rounds of ammo and I've recently been offered a trade for a saiga in 7.62x39 with 500 rounds of ammo. This would be my one semi auto rifle for a while because I'm pretty broke. Which h would you choose and why?

Attached are the pictures of the saiga in question. This was a response to an ad I had put up on Craigslist looking for a VEPR in 7.62x54r as a possible trade for the mini.

Edit: one thing I did notice with the mini is that with how low my cheek weld is it's almost impossible to put an optic on the mini without getting a raised cheek pad or adjustable riser.

 

[GRIZ22]

I would keep the Mini 14. 223 is easier to find than 7.62x39. Accessories and parts are also easier to come by. The Mini 14 is not a tack driver but neither is the Saiga (I have both).

Unlike many others I'm perfectly satisfied with the 223 over the 7.62x39 as a SD round.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I have owned minis for years, current favorite is a series 581 tactical with the heavier barrel and accurate as far as minis go. I have also owned Saigas, wish I still did, but sold them during the gun scare a few years ago. Right now AKs and ARs are a dime a dozen with the AKs seemingly have more value right now. I am lucky I am not gun poor but definitely two different animals, I would keep the mini, soon AKs will become more available at lower prices in most places due to Trumps election.

 

[desidog]

I would keep the Mini too; unless it's a model with the pencil barrel...

 

[LoonWulf]

Even with a pencil barrel i think id keep the mini.

 

[Walkalong]

I would keep my pencil barreled Mini 14, but rifle preferences are really personal, and some would prefer the Saiga.

 

[bikerdoc]

Keep the mini.
Nothing wrong with the saiga or 7.62 x 39 but the 223 would be my choice

 

[Inebriated]

I'd take the Saiga, especially in your situation. Is it factory config?

 

[boom boom]

First, how does your Mini shoot and what model is it--some are more expensive than others? Second, is the Saiga compatible with AK accessories and scope mounts or does it require proprietary stuff (know that is an altered AK but not sure what the mods are to the Saiga other than the mag to make it a sporting rifle). If the Saiga takes major modifications to use AK mags, then keep the Mini. Proprietary Saiga low cap mags would not be good as they are consumables, especially if imported from Russia (could be caught up in sanctions). Ammo availability is a wash with an edge to cheap accurate ammo in .223. Last, is the operation of the rifle itself. Does the mini fit you, operation of the safety, ease of cleaning, etc. versus the saiga? Just some things, offhand, that you might want to think about.

 

[Jackal]

Depends on the model of the mini. 580 series, I'd keep it. Older style with skinny barrel, I'd trade. Both calibers are available at Walmart, so ammo is easy to find.

 

[Kame B.]

Depends on the model of the mini. 580 series, I'd keep it. Older style with skinny barrel, I'd trade. Both calibers are available at Walmart, so ammo is easy to find.

I have a mid 90's Ranch Rifle with the 1and7 twist barrel, it does really good with a 62grain bullet. I added a Wollf recoil spring, some recoil buffers, chop the barrel to 16inches, and polished the trigger and it is one hell of a shooter.

 

[Reloadron]

Matter of personal taste. Me? I am going with the Ruger Mini 14 over the Saiga, but that is just my taste.

Ron

 

[Browning]

Depends on the Saiga and what (if any) mods have been done to it and what model Mini-14.

Shooting I'd prefer the AK, but my personal tastes as a stranger on the net don't really mean a whole lot.

I'd look at it as a purely monetary thing and so for that it would greatly depend on what was what on those specific guns. Try looking both up in a blue book and tabulating which is worth more.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

For me it would depend on whether I felt like converting the Saiga.

 

[Wishoot]

Personally, I was happy to part with my unconverted Saiga. After the novelty of it wore off, it just felt like a cheap piece of metal with reasonable accuracy. Beyond capacity, it did nothing better than my SKS (which I enjoy shooting).

 

[kBob]

Another vote for keeping the Mini.

Better the Devil you know than the Devil in the dark , as it were.

Yeah I can see how the "extra" 400 rounds of ammo might be a temptation. On the other hand you would need to learn a whole new way of handling a rifle, a new set of controls and have no way of knowing if that AK is any good at all before you have it and played with it a bit.

You might well consider how you would mount an optic on that subdued AK for a moment. Will any system you can afford not give you the same issue with cheek weld as you have on the mini?

If it were me I would go with what you've got. If you have enough spare cash to think about optics......I would spend it on more .223 ammo and range time.

-kBob

 

[Kame B.]

Attached are the pictures of the saiga in question. This was a response to an ad I had put up on Craigslist looking for a VEPR in 7.62x54r as a possible trade for the mini.

Edit: one thing I did notice with the mini is that with how low my cheek weld is it's almost impossible to put an optic on the mini without getting a raised cheek pad or adjustable riser.

mmm, Well, I personally wouldn't trade my oldest Mini for that saiga. Price for price a new Mini 14 is in the same ball park as a VEPR, and if you are dead set on a trade, I wouldn't settle for anything less than one of those VPR-501 in a walnut full stock with thumb hole. But that is only my personal preference. http://www.k-var.com/shop/VPR-501.html

 

[Neo-Luddite]

The biggest determiner, since your gun budget is limited, might be mags and other accessories. *IF* the Saiga is not set up to take standard AK mags I'd take a pass on it altogether (I can't tell 100% from the pic either way). That isn't to say Ruger mags are cheap, but they do come in 20 & 30 rd capacity and are fairly common. Oddly these days, the little Minis (if in decent shape) hold their value pretty well, too. On most older Minis the optic possibilities are limited, that's true. AK's aren't the greatest for optic mounting either in terms of height and cheek weld. Your Mini is a known quantity, ammo is plentiful for it (and should be getting a bit cheaper for a while), and Mr. Trump will likely let the Saigas keep flowing into the country. In recent years I've become a fan of the AK but have always hung onto my little old school pencil-barreled Mini: it fits a certain niche and is still (just about I think) 50 state legal w/ limited cap mags. That's possibly something to consider.

 

[salt&battery]

I would keep the Mini too; unless it's a model with the pencil barrel...

the "pencil" barrel is a myth. if you mike the OD on a garand / M1A barrel then the mini they are almost exactly the same but mini is thicker being only a 22 hole drilled in it not 30

 

[Browning]

I didn't see the pictures of the Saiga above that show it to be unconverted until just now.

No, I wouldn't trade based on that. Your Mini-14 is worth more monetarily.

 

[GAF]

Having never owned a Mini 14 , but have owned a sportized Saiga like that one. They moved the trigger group back where the grip use to be.
It was the worst trigger I have ever had in a gun. I sold it rather than convert it back to stock. Keep the Mini.

 

[jmr40]

If the choice is Mini vs AR, I'll take the AR every time. But Mini vs Saiga, give me the Mini.

 

[Jackal]

Unconverted, I wouldnt trade.

 

[wally]

Since you are pretty much broke, I'd go for it -- 500 rounds will let you shoot more than having only 100 rounds.

IF the Saiga has been "converted" to the normal AK config, to me it would be a no-brainer, as opposed to an opportunity to shoot more when money for ammo is tight (just noticed your photo, you probably can't convert it in NY).

Details of NY gun laws may influence the decision in ways I'm unaware of -- specifically if it'd be hard to get another mini-14 or SAIGA when your financial situation improves. I think 20 & 30 round mags are off the table unless the courts overturn the SAFE act. I know my brother-in-law sent me his "hi cap" SIG P226 mags to hold for him until he retires to another state, rather than render them compatible with the law.


Adding an optic to the Saiga will be more difficult than for the Mini now that the cheap "surplus" PSOP style scope supply has dried up -- I bought a bunch of them back when they were $40-$60 each and nobody wanted that "commie junk".

 

[loose noose]

Myself I'd keep the Mini-14 and buy an AK -47 and keep both, that's what I did and don't regret it.