Mini-30 or AK47 with Wolf ammo

[22/22mag]

If I had to pick one rifle is the AK 47 a better choice to for a SHTF then a Mini-30?
Ruger says no Wolf or milsurp ammo in mini-30 only US made ammo .Is this a weak firing pin and can this be changed or fixed?

Is the Mini-30 worth the extra price when Wolf 7,62x39mm is so cheap?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

For SHTF, the AK has the significant advantage of easily available, high quality magazines holding more than 10 rounds. In contrast, decent mags holding > 10 rounds for the Mini-30 are few and far between. The AK is also easier to field strip and generally more robust, and will eat any 7.62x39 you put in it.

Note that I'm not one of the board's Mini bashers. I have a Mini-14 and like it A LOT. But good mags are easier to find for the Mini-14 than the Mini-30, and without good mags, a semiauto rifle is an expensive club.

Aside from that, unless you buy used, a new AK that will run 100% is probably about half the cost of a Mini-30.

 

[lee n. field]

But good mags are easier to find for the Mini-14 than the Mini-30,

That must mean they're really hard to find for the -30.

 

[Sewerman]

I would go actually I did go, with the Ak as a shtf ( actually 2 Saigas) magazines ar 12 bucks a piece for 30 rnds and ammo is 110.00 for a thousand rounds of wolf. so for $2040. i have 2 rifles 20 30rnd magazines and 10,000 rounds of ammo.

 

[longhorngunman]

The mini-30 was built for people who feel they really need to spend more money than they have to.

 

[wile326]

Ruger says not to use no Wolf or milsurp ammo because they use a standard .308 bore on the mini 30. Mil surplus and foreign made ammo is loaded with I believe is a .310 or .311 bullet. So it would raise chamber pressure. US made 7.62 x 39 is for the most part loaded with .308 bullets. I know several people who have and continue to shoot mil surplus and wolf ammo in their mini 30's with out any ill effects.

 

[MAKOwner]

You could get a really nice VEPR or other higher qaulity AK for the same price as that Mini-30 that would be superior in just about every way IMO... I'm a cheapass myself and am perfectly happy w/ my cheap Romanian AK for a 7.62x39 rifle, absolutely zero problems in somewhere between 2 and 3 thousand rounds fired (of the cheapest surplus commie ammo around at the times, at least 1k of Wolf)...

There is alot to be said for the simple yet robust design of the AK, and that doesn't stop w/ the rifle itself. Even the best Mini-30 mag you could find wouldn't be half as well made as the average AK milsurp 30 rounder from any number of countries that sell for ~$10 here usually...

 

[LooseGrouper]

That must mean they're really hard to find for the -30.

Absolutely correct. It is much harder to find good mags because, as I understand, Ruger never made mags larger than 5 rnd for the mini-30. Everything you find for the "30" is aftermarket, and almost all of them are POS.

The first rifle I ever purchased for myself was a mini-30. I chose it over my other option (an SKS) because I liked the ergonomics better, it was lighter, and it was american made. That was before I new that >5 rnd mags don't work (I've tried 5...one works MOST of the time). I use it as a short range deer rifle. It does pretty well in that role, but if I had to do it again I would go with an SKS or maybe an AK.

LG

 

[beerslurpy]

The Mini-30 is the retarded cousin of the AK.

Not only is he useless, but he costs more to take care of and isnt very popular.

Why you would pay 500 bucks for a mini30 when you could pay 100 for an SKS or 500 for an incredibly high quality milled or RPK receiver AK I dont know.

 

[wardog]

Totally agree with what everyone else has said about the mags.

I had a Mini 30 and really liked it. Choate folding stock and a 6X42 scope. It was fun and would generally put the rounds where you wanted them.

I sold it due to not being able to get any decent large mags. I had 5 or 6 different ones and none of them proved 100% reliable.

Get the AK. Mags are easily found. In fact, Sportsmans's guide had 10 for $24.95 as of last week.

For the AK, I'd stay away from the Century Arms $350 AK's. Spend a hundred bucks more and get a Vector.

 

[kirkcdl]

I have owned a Mini14,but I currently have AK's in 5 calibers,3 Romanian SARs in 5.45X39,.223 Winchester,7.62X39,.308(custom Saiga),and 12ga.For the $500 quoted as a price here,I'd get the Romanian SAR1 from AIM Surplus(who also has the 223 and 5.45 versions again) for $329,and buy 2000 rds of Wolf to shoot in it....Use the money you would have spent additionally on mags for the Mini30,and buy 3 times as many mags for the AK,and maybe a scope also...

 

[dacat]

I have a Mini-30 and like it, have good hi-cap mags too. However, I will still say the AK is a better choice for SHTF, unless you can't stand it for some reason and like the ergos of the Mini better. I would stay with the better makes of AK such as AK-USA and stay away from the SAR stuff. Better quality will make it more fun to shoot and you will likely shoot it more. Practice is more important than which rifle you choose.

The bore on post '93 Mini-30's is 310-311 so no prob there, but Ruger does not like you using Berdan primed ammo as it is harder on the firing pin.

Wolf ammo for me is the most inaccurate and likely to have duds. I stay with Barnaual, Uly, the Bears, just got some Portuguese will try that out.

 

[blackhawk2000]

I can't really bag on the Mini's, as I have never owned one, but with what is on the market right now I can't understand why people would pay the price for a Mini 14/30. An SKS or AK seems like the better choice, instead of the 30, and the SU16 or even some AR's could be had for the price of the 14.

What exactly is it about this lineup that people keep buying them for? I mean they aren't very accurate. They certainly aren't cheap. Maybe people like the looks better than the others? (I don't, but that doesn't matter) That's really the only reason I could think of to go with the mini.

 

[MechAg94]

I think it is because Wal-Mart, Oshmans, Academy, and other stores that only sell "hunting" rifles always have Mini's. They don't have AK's, AR's, SKS's, or Saiga's.