mini-14 vs SKS

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Snowjob

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I would appreciate any info and suggestions regarding my next intended purchase. I would prefer to be buying an AR-15, but as my pathetic budget dictates, at present, I am currently considering a new Ruger mini-14 Ranch with stainless finish and synthetic stock. The other is a friend's Chinese Norinco SKS (in very good condition) with factory wood stock, and Ramline synthetic stock.

Some of my questions about each rifle are in regard to cost of shooting, repairing and customizing; ballistics and tactical performance; cost and availability of 20-30 rnd. mags; reliability and durability; how far I can go with customizing either (flash hider or muzzle suppressor, folding or collapsible stock, etc.) before stepping over the BATF line.

While I have pretty much narrowed my search to these two rifles, I am open to other suggested alternatives.
 
I am currently considering a new Ruger mini-14 Ranch with stainless finish and synthetic stock.
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The prices for NEW Mini 14s are close to $600.

Figure out what you REALLY want and just save the money for it.

Find people with the guns you are interested in and test them out first.
 
The SKS should only set you back $200.

The Mini-14 would go $400 - $500 easy (unless I'm behind the times)

in regard to cost of shooting, repairing and customizing; ballistics and tactical performance; cost and availability of 20-30 rnd. mags; reliability and durability; how far I can go with customizing either (flash hider or muzzle suppressor, folding or collapsible stock, etc.) before stepping over the BATF line.
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Based on what you want to do, the SKS CAN be customized like that but reliability (especially with the detachable mags) can be iffy.

The Mini can be highly customized but reliable high cap mags can be difficult to find.

Have you considered buying a stripped lower, assembled upper and a lower parts kit for the AR? Supposedly rudimentary skills and 2-4 hours has it together. You can get reputable parts for $500-600. That sounds like a better way to go to me if money is an issue.

If super low cost is the major concern, go buy a Yugo SKS for $110 and shoot to your hearts content. Uber customize it and you still probably have less than $300 in it.
 
I'd go with the SKS.
Cheaper and ammo is cheap too.
There are various different flavors of these: Russian, Romanian, Yugoslavian, Albanian, and Chinese.
The Russian ones are very nice and fairly collectible, but if you plan on wanting to add stocks and accessories I'd go with a Chinese.

Heck if you plan on getting a few old crusty rifles you might look into getting a C&R license. Nothing beats getting the guns shipped directly to your door and not paying transfer fees.
 
Ruger makes a nice jackhandle. Not so sure about a rifle though.
Get the SKS. Rock solid reliable, cheap ammo. Fun to shoot. I have one, plan on getting more. With the C&R license I have them shipped to my door. It doesn't get much better than that.

ZM
 
If your budget is pathetic, the basic SKS is the way to go. The Mini will cost more and you can do a lot of things to it that all cost money and in the end you'll still have a Ruger Mini 14 with a skinny barrel that heats up and results in minute of paper plate accuracy if that's what ya want.

Sticking to the basic SKS with a spare synthetic stock will save ya dough up front, accuracy is better than a Ruger (typically, based on a non-worn out barrel)... tho scoping one isn't as easy or fruitful as a Ruger unless you mount to receiver (stay away from receiver cover mounts...YMMV) and mount scope far back enough (or scout mount it up front) allowing access to feed stripper clips. You can modify an SKS to accept detachable magazines... but there goes some more money that could be spent on ammo and have you ever fired a rifle prone with a 30 rd magazine hanging below one? It can be done... but why?

I've had a Mini 14 (gone now) I still own a Mini-30 (I wonder why sometimes... but I've learned to keep that which I now own) and I've got a Russian SKS-45 which I bought literally new and unused.

Way more accurate than my eyes allow me to be (and I refuse to mar it with a receiver mounted scope base). Laminated stock, minimal recoil, I prefer it to my old Polytech AKS or even my (shhhhh) Winchester 94's in .30-30 (due to recoil).

Of those three, I'll take my stock Russkie as is any day of the week. Besides, it came with a "DIE YANKEE PIG" sticker bayonet just in case I ever need to do a drive by bayoneting (with an unsharpened blade). ;)

OR

You can scrimp and save and buy an AR in 6 months and never look back.
 
A new Ruger Mini 14 Stainless will run you $550-$600.

If you have 600 clams then you can also have your much desired AR15.

$450 for JT Distributing Kit +15 for shipping = $465.00

$85.00 for Armalite/Eagle Arms stripped lower from Quantico Arms . Add $5.00 for Shipping and Approx $35.00 for a FFL to recieve it for you= $125.00.

$590 gets you a brand spanking new AR. :D

Of course if you have to choose betwen a SKS and a Ruger Mini 14, I'd go for the SKS or Saiga. You can get a new SKS and a couple thousand rounds for the price of a Ruger.

Good Shooting
Red
 
I'd go with the SKS and not have to worry about buying magazines. One chest pouch and you're good to go. Left over $ goes towards ammunition & practice.
 
I have both.
The Mini- 14 has proven itself to be fairly accurate, and after tweaking the lips on the hi cap magazines, has also become reliable. However, I owuld recommend an SKS. Cheaper, ammo is also cheaper, and magazines are easy to find. Either that, or if you are willing to spend 600 bucks on a Stainless Mini -14, save up another 200 and go for that AR-15.

If you jump the gun (no pun intended) you may be dissapointed.
 
I have a Mini-14 Ranch rifle in stainless with plastic furniture. It is a nice little carbine, albeit, not so accurate after a few quick shots. It is very reliable! I payed about $420 for it pre year 2000. That is a fair price. Todays prices are way too high.

I have a Romanian SAR-1 AK-47 which is about as accurate as the Mini-14 but really cheap, at least they used to be. Around $300 - can't beat it. This was a year or so ago. Incredibly reliable.

But two years ago, I bought my ideal auto-loading rifle. A Bushmaster Shorty 16" Hbar with standard A2 sites. Wow, I really love this rifle. It is sooo accurate, and completely reliable if you keep it reasonably clean.

Personally, if you live in a state that bans "assault rifles" the Mini-14 would be fine, even better, a quality lever action carbine like a Win 94 in .30-30. But if you live where it is legal, save your money for a good AR-15.
 
SKS, Saiga, perhaps the Keltec SU-16 (?). Mini...can make it work..if you have to.
 
To start off, I think the Saiga idea is a GREAT one!

That said, I owned (emphasis on past tense) a Mini-14. I own (emphasis on present tense) an SKS with a Choate sporter stock, and Williams Firesight setup.

As a guy that attempted in a real world way to abuse both, I'll say the SKS is the only way to go, given the choice of the two.
 
No comparison. I own both. The Mini-14 is a MUCH better gun.

Trigger - Mini-14 is better. Even with the Wolf Springs upgrade on the SKS, the mini has a better trigger. The SKS is incredibly long.

Accuracy - Mini-14 again. Chop the barrel down to 16" and you will have a 2-3 MOA gun with no POI drift. The SKS is not as accurate.

Size/Weight - The SKS is huge for what it does. The mini is much more compact and lighter.

Sights - The standard mini peep sights are day and night better than the SKS. I have the XS sights on the mini and the Mojo on the SKS. The mini is still better.

Reliability - Same. They both work all the time no matter what.

Scoping - The standard Mini with an ultimak rail mounts and Aimpoint cowitnessed with the iron. There is no good way to scope an SKS.

Workmanship - Mini hands down.

Cost - who cares? We all spend so much money on guns, ammo, and accessories. The initial cost of a gun is no big deal.
 
Thanks for your ideas. Your input is greatly appreciated.

BiMart has the Mini I described for 540.00.

A friend wants 200.00 for the SKS.

Are there ANY reliable mags for the Chinese SKS? 10 round or otherwise? I would prefer 20-30 capacity, but if only reliable in 10, would be better than messing with stripper clips. I probably need more practice with them, but at this point I really hate stripper clips and would have a better tactical advantage with removable mags.

I am interested in the concept of putting together an AR as described by iamkris,

Have you considered buying a stripped lower, assembled upper and a lower parts kit for the AR? Supposedly rudimentary skills and 2-4 hours has it together. You can get reputable parts for $500-600.
Click to expand...

and would like more info from any who have the knowledge on how to go about it...alas, I will still need to budget for the AR so am inclined to go ahead with the SKS for the time being. This will also make a larger puchase (AR-15) less of a hardship down the road.

To further muddy the waters, what is your opinion about AK's? Affordable? Reliable? Better or Worse than other "evil" options? I've been gathering information, but still haven't really learned much.

Re: C&R (curio & relic?) license

if you plan on getting a few old crusty rifles you might look into getting a C&R license. Nothing beats getting the guns shipped directly to your door and not paying transfer fees.
Click to expand...

I haven't found much info about this. What guns qualify for shipping via C&R? Do you have any concern about making yourself more conspicuous to BATF by obtaining C&R?
 
I am interested in the concept of putting together an AR as described by iamkris, and would like more info from any who have the knowledge on how to go about it...
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Got to www.adcofirearms.com and pick out the following Rock River parts:

- Complete upper of your choice Be sure to get a carry handle or back up iron sight (BUIS) if you get an A4 (flattop)
- Complete Bolt
- Charging handle
- Stripped lower (the only part than needs to be transfered through an FFL)
- Lower Parts Kit
- Gapper For AR Grip (under Accessories/Tools)
- Butt Stock Kit

Follow these directions for assembly:

http://www.ar15.com/content/docs/assembly/lower/

The only special tools required are a decent set of punches (you can get them www.brownells.com). Otherwise, you'll need a hammer, screwdriver. It's also helpful to have a set of small needle nose pliers or similar tool to manipulate small parts.


Reviewing the Bushmaster Operating Manual and TM 9-1005-319-10 (the U.S. Army M16 Operating Manual) wouldn't be a bad idea either.

The TM 9-1005-319-23 (M16 Unit And Direct Support Maintenance Manual) is a good in depth manual for the details of maintenance, assembly, and repair. However, it's not needed to assemble the rifle using a complete upper.

You can download those manuals as PDF files here:

http://www.ar15.com/content/books/

For further info, the AR-15 forum is an excellent recource for all things AR-15:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/
 
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if you want an ar but are thinking of settling for an sks or mini for the time being..why not have an ar built up piece by piece?you dont have to pay the full 800+ dollar price of a factory built ar.they can be built for round 500.if over an sks or mini..id go with the sks and a case of ammo.nothing fancy pants about an sks but they work..are fun and the 7.62 ballistic data is comparable to a 30-30 deer rifle in punch.the 223 mini has longer range but after trying to find a good one myself..the accuracy suffers when things heat up.so Ive never kept one.just have had zero luck with mini14s I guess.the chineese sks isnt bad.some of the metal duckbill mags work and some dont.the yugo sks are cheaper right now than a chineese version.
 
For the price of a new Ruger Mini-14, you can get many Yugo SKSs. I paid $79.95 shipped for my last two Yugos but I have a C&R. A new Mini-14 will run about $600 with tax while a Yugo SKS can be had for under $100 if you have a C&R. Even without a C&R, I see nice Yugos for $139.00+tax at every gunshow.

If you really want an AR-15, don't "settle" for a Mini-14 because the price is too close. If you want a good budget rifle, there is no better deal right now than the Yugo SKS. For $200 you can get a nice one and 500rds of ammo! It has been debated which is a flat out better gun, the SKS or the Mini-14/Mini-30. I have owned both and I can't say one is better than the other. They are both nice and should give a lifetime of service. Both have been 100% reliable for me and ammo is cheap for both with the Yugo shooting the ultra cheap 7.62x39mm and the Mini-14 shooting almost as cheap .223cal.

I can't see spending $400-600 on a Ruger Mini-14 when I can buy Yugo SKSs for less than $100. They are so close in quality and preformance that the better deal is the SKS by far. The Mini-14 won't do anything that the SKS can't do and vice versa. There are more aftermarket parts and accessories for the SKS but there are plenty for the Mini-14 as well.
 
This is one person's (possibly) defective memory, but:
--Ten or fifteen years ago if you wanted a semiautomatic 223, there was the AR for $700 and the mini for $450. There were a few others but they cost considerably more than the AR did, so lots of people bought the mini because they couldn't afford an AR.
--.223 caliber was desireable because you could find cheap surplus ammo for regular plinking, but you could also easily buy better-grade ammo when you wanted to shoot it and were willing to pay for it. With the AK's, you could find lots of cheap ammo, but it was all milsurp--no hunting bullets, and nothing really "match grade".
--The mini did not have nearly as many accessories as the AR had available, and was not as accurate in factory form either. Both the mini-14 and mini-30 had this problem (of a poor barrel) but the -14 seemed to suffer it quite a bit more than the -30.
--The only way to really make a mini-14 accurate was to put a match barrel in--but that would cost you at least $250-$300 more, and for that much more--you could have bought an AR that was more accurate anyway. So if you wanted to make your mini accurate, it really wasn't any cheaper than an AR. All that it had going for it was that it was the cheapest 223 semiauto you could easily find in the US.
....
But now we have a few different AK-based guns available (to most of us :rolleyes: ), and the mini really doesn't have much point, aside from you possibly simply wanting one in particular. The main justification used to be its "lowest-price semiauto 223" title, but it has lost that by a huge margin now.
~
 
I have a mini and I love the gun, it's as accurate as one can expect from that gun, and it does the job it was made for. I also picked it up from wal-mart last november for $400 out the door (stainless with wood). I really enjoy shooting it, but my AR is more accurate, oh well. At the next gun show I go to, i'll be picking up an SKS so i have one of them as well. Afterall, my sar-1 needs some campanionship in the safe. Those .223's were ganging up on it every night you see. Just save some cash, buy one. Save some more cash, buy the other. And then when you are ready, buy the AR. You'll be happy with the gun no matter what you get :)
 
The SKS costs anywhere from two to four hundred dollars less. Ammo is about as cheap as .223. They are fairly accurate. They are utterly reliable. And they weren't produced by "No one really needs more than ten rounds" Ruger.
 
The SKS is a much better gun for the money. You can buy 4 Yugo SKS's and two cases of ammo for the price of a NIB stainless Mini-14 ($550). For that you can buy quality parts to build your own AR. If you want to spend the $$$ on a Mini-14 feel free. It's your $$$.

AV1611 out...
 
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