Which would you buy and why?

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FFGColorado

FFGColorado

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Pretty new guy here, fairly new guy returning to 'gun sports(last 3 years)..old guy that favors reliability, cost effectiveness and not one to muck much with a gun/rifle with how it comes from the factory.

Rifles..I have a 1022, really like it, son has a Henry BigBoy and Mini-14, other son has a Ruger 556.

Looking to acquire a 223/556 rifle with the upcoming trumpbux..Narrowed them down to
-Mini-14 ranch
-KelTec SU-16A

My goal is a reliable 223/556 to go to the uncontrolled outdoor range with sons and shoot.
Not HD, not competition except how many times I can hit that steel plate at 75 yards vs my 2 kids.

NO pistol grip AR types please..why has no bearing. But essentially between these 2 above..

Thanks
 
Based on the reputation of the manufacturers I would go with the Ruger Mini-14 ranch. I have no experience with the SU-16A. I have shot the mini-14 and like the little rifle over the AR platform. Accuracy of the rifle is acceptable for plinking and small game.
 
Get the KelTec!

Why? Face it people, everyone complains about them. Accuracy is always at the top of the list. That and the fact that they still haven't designed one to take AR mags!

If I was Ruger and needed to sell a million Mini-14's, I would design it to take AR mags!

I wouldn't buy or take a mini to save my life, to me they're junk. Now people are going to say I'm full of you know what.

Well, when I was a kid, my dad took me and my brother shooting. My brother was shooting his mini and I was shooting my .22. I hear my brother scream and look over. He's got weird marks on his face, rifle is laying on the ground... the rifle was toast.

Fast forward a bunch of years, a friend bought a mini and asked what I thought. Told him the story about what happened to my brother. He shot it for a couple years without any problems and just when I thought he got a good one... KABOOM!!!

Never seen a bolt sticking out the side of a rifle before! Looked it up on the good old interwebs and seems like it's a thing with minis.

So yeah, I'll take the KelTec.
 
Sounds like your set on a semiautomatic. I'd vote Mini-14. Why? Long-term reliability and retained value, not to mention classic form factor.
 
I would also go with mini 14. I think the kel tec is a fine gun. However I think of it as more of a companion gun to a guy who already owns an AR or two and wants another type of gun to keep around that will take the AR pattern magazines. For a guy who is buying one gun to shoot .223 and does not want an AR the mini 14 is a great option. You can buy ruger magazines that hold up to 30 rounds (although not technically in Colorado unless they are kits) that will give you plenty of capacity for plinking. It is not a bench rest rifle as far as accuracy but will definitely be accurate enough to have a lot of fun with.

One thing about the kel tec su-16a that I do not like is the front sight post. I like the sight layout of the su-16ca much better. Basically the same fun just different sights.
 
Mini is a fun gun, just make sure you get one with the newer thicker barrel and use only Ruger factory mags. Also, don’t have your son anywhere to the right side within 20 yards of where you’re shooting from, he will get nailed with ejected brass.
 
Given the choice between the so-so precision of the Mini and the fragility of the Keltec....

... can I choose the SCR instead?

Minis aren't very precise and weren't meant to be. Bill Ruger said they were designed to be a fun, cheap way to throw bullets at pop cans at the local gravel pit.

The Kel-tec is good if you need a rifle to be carried a lot and shot a little. A friend had one and it broke in half after we put a couple thousand rounds through. Kel-tec customer service was great and cheerfully replaced the rifle. Still, it broke and it wasn't abused.

The SCR is lower receiver with a Remington shotgun stock that accepts an AR upper. It costs more, but it can be configured with no "evil" features. Precision is typical of your standard AR and is fast more durable than the Kel-tec.

However, if the SCR doesn't suit you and your only choices are Mini or Kel-tech, get the Mini.
 
brunowbe said:
Mini is a fun gun, just make sure you get one with the newer thicker barrel and use only Ruger factory mags. Also, don’t have your son anywhere to the right side within 20 yards of where you’re shooting from, he will get nailed with ejected brass.
Click to expand...
Saw that when we first shot his Mini--yikes, that thing gets thrown a LONG way..
 
My Mini is about 2-2.5MOA with decent ammo. The newer models fixed a lot of the problems the old ones had with poor accuracy and moving POI as the barrel heats up.

As far as ejection goes, I prefer a gun that ejects vigorously when clean as it means I have some reserve operating energy when the rifle is dirty or when it’s cold. I don’t trust guns that just dribble brass out to land at your feet.

BSW
 
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