Mini 14 vs AR15 reliability

[Welding Rod]

The AR will most likely be more reliable.

I have owned 3 Minis, and well over a dozen ARs. I have only used factory Ruger magazines.

In my experience it won't even be close. My ARs have been vastly more reliable. The problem with the Minis is the same as with any Ruger firearm - the design is sound but the execution is where the problems come in due to sloppy work in the machining operations and poor to no (it seems) QC procedures to catch the mistakes before the gun is boxed and shipped.

The Mini is a solid gun when the parts were made correctly, but that may or may not be the case on any sample.

 

[mastiffhound]

The Mini-14 is like an American version of the AK-47. Reliable with Ruger mags only though. Both are accurate to minute of man, at least the new 580 series. Mine will shoot 1.5 moa, once maybe twice I've got a 1 moa group with 5 shots. My stainless Mini-14 will clean up faster than my AR's, no question. It breaks down as quick too. Just rack the charging handle and pull back and down on the trigger guard. I have actually had trouble pushing the pin out when new on my AR's, they were very tight.

As far as reliability, I have only had problems with non-Ruger mags. AR's are just as bad, don't be fooled. I've had brand new AR mags have problems, namely a couple $24.99 CAA Countdown mags that won't hold the bolt open on last round and they were ill-fitting in the mag well. One was too loose and the other was too large? I've had cheap Colt brand mags that I bought for $12 work great though? Tapco mags seem to work well for both the AR and Mini, they are fairly cheap too. Tapco is the best aftermarket mag for the Mini, the 2nd gen mags though. You will still have problems though, Tapco Mini mags seem to not function well with steel cased ammo.

Best bet is try your Mini out. The new Mini's (580 series and newer) will surprise you, really. My friend hated them until he shot mine. He went out and got the exact same model I have. My niece likes my Mini more than my AR's. A more traditional rifle design seems to work for some people more than others. Just have fun and congratulations on the new addition!

 

[FuzzyBunny]

I have an older Mini and at 50 yards it shoots patterns and not groups. I have hated to trade or sell it off without telling folks how bad it is. Ammo of every kind performs the same way. First shot is ok but after that thin barrel heats up it is anyones guess where the round will go. This is with all weights and makers of ammo.

I have decided to keep it as a home invasion rifle with ruger mags because it never fails to fire. I figure at 20 feet I can be accurate enough to get the job done.

I would like a new Mini with a heavy barrel that shot 2MOA but for that price of the work and parts I can get an AR!

If I had to choose today for an AR or a Mini then I would go for the AR even if both shot 1 MOA. Big reason is Ruger does not sell to the public some of the parts that make the Ruger run.

Another thing that is a plus for the AR is parts are everywhere! Last month I even saw an AR upper at a garage sale. Yes we buy and sell firearms at garage/yard sales here in Texas.

One last thought and it is off topic but here goes. In a home shooting of a bad guy/guys. I would much rather have the jury look at the wood stocked mini over an evil black rifle. It may sound stupid as a good shoot is a good shoot but there is no telling what a jury may do.

 

[mberoose]

Guess it's just me that's had good luck with aftermarket mags for the Mini.

 

[Walkalong]

I have several aftermarket mags (20's, 30's, & 40's) that run 100%. Some are USA, and some, IIRC, are Precision mags. I have no clue if today's aftermarket Mini 14 mags are any good.

 

[TAKtical]

How do you tell if a mini is the newer more accurate version, or the old one? Mine is the tactical model with flash hider if it makes a difference.

 

[GLOOB]

I had several torn cases with the Mini where 1/2 the case remained stuck in the chamber and the next round jammed into it. My ARs never had that issue.

This sounds like excessive headspace. Nothing to do with the chamber finish. If the headspace is correct, the rim will tear off before a case breaks in half.

 

[ugaarguy]

Tak, just look at the serial number. It'll be in xxx-xxxxx format. 180 prefix are the earliest, and parts aren't available because they're the only ones made like that. 181 through 19x prefix are the older models but parts are still available. 58x prefix and later are the newer enhanced Minis. According to a quick a search of the Ruger forum right around 580-50000 is supposedly when Ruger switch to the heavier contour bbl aft of the gas block. Hope that helps.

 

[TAKtical]

Yes that was very helpful. I have the new version.

 

[Ash]

I have an old, pencil-thin Mini GB and it is more accurate than my SKS, less accurate than my Garand. The AR will be more accurate to be sure, but I haven't had any reliability issues with the GB - I had none with my AR's either, though.

 

[WardenWolf]

If I had to choose today for an AR or a Mini then I would go for the AR even if both shot 1 MOA. Big reason is Ruger does not sell to the public some of the parts that make the Ruger run.

If you call their parts department, they'll sell you anything, even when it's not listed on their website or available through resellers.

One thing to factor in for long-term reliability is the availability of magazines. AR magazines are practically a dime a dozen and almost all will interchange flawlessly. Mini-14 magazines, on the other hand, aren't nearly as common, and the Ruger ones are the only ones you can trust.

Honestly, I'd take an unconverted Saiga rifle over a Mini-14. It's more reliable, cheaper, and just as accurate, if not more so. And it's easily adapted to take standard AK mags. You wind up with a better solution that doesn't break the bank.

 

[RatDrall]

I've owned old and new Mini-14s. The old version malfunctioned constntly, but I was using cheap crappy magazines because during the assault weapon ban factory mags were hard to come by. The new model was 100% reliable with factory 20 rounders, I never had a malfunction in the few hundred rounds I put through it.

Quality AR15s, now, are as close to 100% reliable as you can get. Google "Filthy 14" and read about a BCM rifle that went 43k rounds with only one cleaning.

The Mini-14 is simpler, and at $700 is more reliable than any AR15 in the price range. Face it, to get an AR for that price, corners are being cut somewhere.

 

[niteowl]

I have two Mini's. A blued 580 series with the thicker barrel, and a stainless 196 series GB with the factory bayonet lug and flash hider. I also have a Colt 6520, which has the 16" pencil barrel. I'm an average marksman, and have shot all three rifles in snow, rain and shine and in temperatures between -30 to 110F. All three rifles have been extremely reliable, and all three shoot the same groups with bulk off the shelf ammo. The Colt will handle the heavier stuff better with the 1/7 barrel, but other than that, the same. I also use 5, 20 and 30 round factory Ruger magazines, so I can't comment on aftermarket magazines. I use Colt/Okay/NHMTG, and Lancer L5 magazines in the Colt.

Out of all 3 rifles, the Colt is the handiest and the lightest when loaded with a 20 round magazine, although I still love all three.

 

[niteowl]

double post.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Mini w factory mag is a good bet for reliability. The mini is good at what it does IF you don't ask it to perform as an AR would in terms of accuracy. Keep the gas assembly free of carbon and bolt lightly lubed.

 

[Swampman]

I have an older Mini and at 50 yards it shoots patterns and not groups. I have hated to trade or sell it off without telling folks how bad it is. Ammo of every kind performs the same way. First shot is ok but after that thin barrel heats up it is anyones guess where the round will go. This is with all weights and makers of ammo.

I have decided to keep it as a home invasion rifle with ruger mags because it never fails to fire. I figure at 20 feet I can be accurate enough to get the job done.

I would like a new Mini with a heavy barrel that shot 2MOA but for that price of the work and parts I can get an AR!

If I had to choose today for an AR or a Mini then I would go for the AR even if both shot 1 MOA. Big reason is Ruger does not sell to the public some of the parts that make the Ruger run.

Another thing that is a plus for the AR is parts are everywhere! Last month I even saw an AR upper at a garage sale. Yes we buy and sell firearms at garage/yard sales here in Texas.

One last thought and it is off topic but here goes. In a home shooting of a bad guy/guys. I would much rather have the jury look at the wood stocked mini over an evil black rifle. It may sound stupid as a good shoot is a good shoot but there is no telling what a jury may do.

I sincerely hope you meant ANTI home invasion rifle.

Things could get messy in a hurry if too many 'bangers carrying Mini's started kicking in doors!

 

[EMS_92]

I have no experiance with the mini-14, but I can say I have only hd one AR jam on me , and that was an M4 with the M16 blank adaptor, firing blanks (Duhh). Other than that every other AR I used had no malfunctions. Also, when an AR does jam, 75% of the time a simple pull of the charging handle is all that is needed to get it going again (In my experience). My 2 cents.

 

[aka108]

I had a Mini 30. Never jambed but was about as inaccurate as you could get. Sold it. No experience with AR's but have seen many at the range being cleared of some mal function by their owners.

 

[Jeff White]

They aren't built to stand up to hard use. I have yet to see one make it through the hard shooting of a good carbine class.

I would have to say it depends on your intended use. If you are going to use it for it's intended purpose, plinking, varmint shooting, then it should be fine.

If you are going to train hard with it, a couple thousand rounds over a weekend then it might not be the right weapon for you.

 

[benEzra]

If you call their parts department, they'll sell you anything, even when it's not listed on their website or available through resellers.

This is a change then, because when I had my mini, I recall that Ruger would not sell you a spare bolt unless you shipped the rifle to them.

As to reliability, it's a wash; I have owned both. The AR has never failed on a steady diet of Wolf and Tula steel-case and occasional cleaning. The mini never failed using good ammo and magazines, but I had an overpressure reload a friend gave me lock up the bolt once, the bolt carrier froze in the forward position once after a couple days in my car trunk in Florida humidity and it took a good whack on the charging handle to open it (my stainless gun rusted, go figure), and I had a couple of aftermarket-magazine failures. But I'd trust either. John Farnam has said that the mini doesn't tolerate extended heat buildup from long shooting strings as well as the AR does, but I have no direct experience with that. I did get some long-term galling on the bolt lugs of my mini though...apparently they like to be greased and don't like to be run dry *at all*, though the rifle still runs OK.

 

[MachIVshooter]

A good AR is superior to the mini in every way.

I bought my stainless/synthetic model for $475 brand new at a time when AR's were $1,000+ and neutered. Today, you can buy a good AR for less than a mini. It's a no brainer.

Don't get me wrong, I like my mini. But I wouldn't have to think for even a microsecond if I had to choose between it and my Armalite M15A2C.

If you call their parts department, they'll sell you anything, even when it's not listed on their website or available through resellers

No, they won't. Ruger lost my business forever because they flat-out refused to sell me a cylinder for my SP-101 (and were quite rude about it).

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

They aren't built to stand up to hard use. I have yet to see one make it through the hard shooting of a good carbine class.

That's an interesting observation. What generally tends to "go south" on them in the carbine class environment?

 

[Kyle M.]

A good AR is superior to the mini in every way.
I bought my stainless/synthetic model for $475 brand new at a time when AR's were $1,000+ and neutered. Today, you can buy a good AR for less than a mini. It's a no brainer.

I have to disagree I can buy a brand new mini for $550 from my lgs, a good ar starts at $800. My dad bought his mini 14 target new for $750 and it will outshoot an armalite national match that costs $1700. Granted I've always heard the basic ranch rifle that costs $550 isn't that accurate, but for those of us who plink at all of 50 yards not too many things are inaccurate.

 

[Fishbed77]

I have to disagree I can buy a brand new mini for $550 from my lgs

Please show me a local gun store that still sells Minis for $550 new.

The cheapest price I see anywhere these days is $667 at Wallyworld.

 

[ugaarguy]

I can buy a brand new mini for $550 from my lgs, a good ar starts at $800.

On the Mini that's $85 less than the lowest price I can find online. If your LGS is that good on Mini-14 prices then perhaps they can still get you to $600 on the excellent S&W M&P15 Sport, like they were last year, rather than the $650+ current going rate. The lower cost of a few spare mags for the AR vs. the Mini will make up the price difference either way.

My dad bought his mini 14 target new for $750 and it will outshoot an armalite national match that costs $1700.

First, $1700 is $322 over MSRP on the Armalite M15A2 National Match. Second, those rifles have 2.5lb two stage match triggers, screw in aperture match sights, and free floated triple lapped barrels. The dampener on the Mini 14 Target is there to counter the barrel vibrations imparted by the reciprocating mass of the op rod. If it can overcome the lack of free floated bbl, the stock trigger, and the stock sights that's a miracle. I'm extremely skeptical.