[OrenG]

Let me start by saying that I know that I'm about to incite a flame war, but I'm not trying to. I'm not trying to ruffle feathers, I'm looking for honest answers. Here we go:

Why is it that when someone asks about pistol grip stocks, quad rails, or other such "tacticool" items, someone always comes swooping in with the classic "stop trying to make the mini 14 into an AR 15", or some variation of that? I know that different people have different tastes, but when someone is looking for information on a product, they're not looking for an opinion about what their rifle was "intended for".

I agree completely. Just because a mini comes in a certain stock doesn't mean it has to remain that way.

Same thing goes for those who like to slap on wooden furniture on an AR. More power to them.

On the flip side, it's very unusual (in my experience) to see the same attitude on other forums. Mechanical limitations are one thing, but but as far as what the rifle can do, I think it rests more on the end user. When a mini owner asks about a pistol grip stock they get the above quoted line about what is and isn't. But when an AR owner asks about a new piston system, people usually (again, just from what I've seen) give them information about the piston system. It might be what they've read, what they've heard, a link they'll share or their personal take on it, but they don't say "stop trying to make the AR 15 into a mini 14".

I think it's because most mini 14 owners are looking for a rifle that they can stash away in a gun case and keep for the darkest of days, or something of that nature. However they see all their colleagues with ARs who can damn near stick whatever they want on it and probably feel a little jealous. But I think it's mainly the purists who just plain dislike the new age of gun accessories.

Guns are a lot like cars in that regard, and it's rather funny because a similar attitude exists between those who say keep it stock and those who accessorize the hell out of it.

It all comes down to personal opinion like you said; But why people think they can turn it into fact and change someone else's mind? Is a mystery to me.

 

[OrenG]

Both the AR-15 and the Mini-14 can put a .223 / 5.56mm round into the target of your choice, provided you do your part. When the light-barreled AR-15 is compared to the standard barreled Mini-14 with flash suppressor / muzzle brake, the two have about the same accuracy, assuming they both have the same barrel twist, about the same barrel length, and are shooting the same ammo. Now, what accessories you add onto them to help you do your part is entirely up to you.

From what I've seen, the mini needs some work done on it to shoot as good as the high dollar value ARs. However, the things you need to make the mini accurate are probably cheaper than that same top dollar AR.

However I don't want this to turn into a which is more accurate argument so I mean absolutely no ill to either party.

 

[OrenG]

The high-dollar ARs are match-grade target rifles with heavy, free-floated, match-grade barrels and crisp triggers. Comparing these to a Mini is an apples-to-oranges comparison. I have a DS Arms SA58 with a 4.75 lb. trigger, a 24-inch heavy, free-floated barrel, and match sights that shoots 1/2 MOA. Would you compare it to a standard-grade FAL that shoots 3 to 4 MOA and costs 1/3 as much?

By the way, for home defense, I grab the Mini because it handles faster and has all the accuracy I need (2 MOA) to hit someone at 200 yards or less.

What I'm comparing is the fact that for significantly less money, you can greatly improve the accuracy of the mini, compared to the amount you'd have to spend to make an AR more accurate, or to purchase a very accurate AR to begin with.

Not really talking logistics of getting them to shoot the same size groups although I wouldn't be surprised if an accuracy systems mini is still cheaper than a top dollar AR that can shoot comparable groups.

More to the point, either rifle is certainly enough to kill someone if needed which is all most mini owners are concerned about as it's either for home defense or something similar. So why people insist that one is all together better than the other is silly.