Mini 30 or AK?

[Stretchman]

Am I correct in assuming they shoot the same round? Which one is more accurate? Better built? Will one of the wasr AKs compare to the Mini? Saiga?

Are bulgarian AK mags easy to get? Can a stock Saiga shoot anything more than a 10 round mag?

Are Mini 30 20 round mags available to the public?

I know. More stupid Qs. TIA.

 

[MudCamper]

Yes they both shoot 762x39. I used to own a Mini-30. Now I'm usually a big Ruger fan. I have several other Ruger model rifles and pistols and love them all. But the Mini-30 is IMO not a very reliable firearm. The AK? Probably one of the most reliable in the world.

 

[Will Learn]

Get the AK

 

[BADUNAME13]

Arsonal AK.

Mini 30's are bored for the .308 diameter, not the .311 of the 7.62x39 round.

Parts and mags are also an issue.

 

[Cato the Younger]

AK

Reliability
Durability
Cheapness of parts- especially magazines.

 

[g5reality]

I like the mini's but I'd say get the AK

 

[rbernie]

A Saiga is better than a WASR which is better than a Mini. A Saiga must be modified slightly to accept traditional AK magazines, and may need to be updated to use a specific number of US made parts to be technically legal for use with hi-cap AK mags.

The only hi-cap Mini0 mags I've seen have ben unreliable aftermarket units (either ProMag or TripleK).

 

[Vaarok]

Saiga > AK > Mini

They stack up like that in reliability, value, and accuracy. Though, the Saiga does have the aforementioned small-capacity mags and needs a little tweaking to take standard AK mags.

 

[_N4Z_]

I've had occasion to use both.

Mini 30 was fun and the one I used seemed reliable and more than accurate enough for what it was.

I own several Ruger products but in this case I have a Vector AK and would not switch.

 

[AZTOY]

AK

 

[SVT93]

AK gets my vote.

 

[Car Knocker]

I think I see a trend developing.

 

[rugerdude]

You can save some cash and get an SKS.

I have mine setup so that it has all of the features of the mini-30. Aperature sights, detachable 10 round mag (that works), a heat shield, and a composite stock with cheek pad. All for a total cost of 285 bucks (that's cheaper than any standard capacity AK, and it's more accurate).

You can also get good detachable 20 rounders from tapco.



Get a saiga, or an SKS if you want accuraccy (the siaga is by far the best, but you will need to do some drilling to get it to take AK mags IIRC). Get the AK if you want to have a lot of blasting fun, and get the mini if you want an over-priced but O.K. rifle.

 

[poor_richard]

I've got a Saiga in .308 and it shoots well enough. My limited understanding is that they are better than the WASR because they are Russian made and have a chrome lined barrel. Most people modify the gun to accept standard AK mags, but you can also just modify the mag and go without modding the gun.

Arsenals are a different animal. If you ever handle one, you'll understand. I think some people will prefer them over a Saiga, but the advantages are beyond my limited knowledge. You'll also pay well for the milled version.

 

[MPFreeman]

I haven't had much luck with accuracy in either platform. My neighbor had a mini-30 and I found it no better than the AK in accuracy. The trigger of the Mini was better, but it did fail to feed one time. Where as I have a few AK's and not even the Maadi's have ever malfunctioned. The AK's I have, all have made up of composite sponge and rubber band. But they just don't fail. The parts for an AK are all over, the mags are cheap and today you can purchase a complete parts kit sans receiver from SGN for under $200. AK's IMHO are just fun.

Ruger Mini 30 mags are more expensive.

Every one should have a couple AK's IMHO somewhere in the safe.

I prefer the folding stock AK's because the fit better in the top shelf of the safe.

 

[Badger Arms]

I'm tired of the Reliability knocks the Ruger Mini-14 takes. Bottom line, I've NEVER had a failure of my MINI-14 to fire with FACTORY MAGAZINES and Brass ammo. Feed it WOLF from a USA brand magazine and then blame the gun? BS.

 

[Loanshark]

Saiga!!! If you shop around you can find them for $250 or so.

 

[mr..plow]

Long Term Support as in relibale cheap mags and parts I would get the AK.

The Mini Series is a good gun but picky and mags are expensive if you like to have more than 1-2 mags.

I like the SKS also. In the spirit of Ruger "No honest man needs more than Ten rounds" so the SKS is ruger approved!

 

[flinglead]

Im with rugerdude on the sks. Save yourself a lot of money. If you like the form of a real feeling rifle and open sights get an sks. A butler creek stock will make it feel right instead of sawed off and for me improved the accuracy of two of my norinco's. Took a little fiddling. Phoey on the other synthetic stocks for me.

I get 1.75 to 2" groups open sights at 100 yards with both of them using wolf 150 grain SP Consitently. My mini would do that sometimes two shots in a row and in between 8" flyers and 5" groups. My sks's do it over and over and are more forgiving when it comes to ammo selection IMHO.
The mini (14 and 30) were a great idea. Ruger just butchered ..er ...executed the design with too little giva s**t.

The AK or SKS either one will certainly be more liquid. Check out gunbroker and see all the minis that sit there unsold. Don't buy one new or you'll get hosed for sure if you dont like it and decide to sell. Did that.