/k/ - Weapons

The Mini-14 is in many ways dissimilar to an M1 Garand, Carbine, or M14. The short explanation is that it's made cheaply as fuck and with mostly cast parts, because Ruger really wanted the action to be less nice than the M14's. It does recoil less harshly than the M14's action, but that's mostly a caliber difference. Basically you're paying $1000 for a $200 knockoff rifle with all proprietary parts and fucking $50 for a 20 round magazine. Good luck with repairs, modifications, so on.

Palmetto State Armory is pretty much the best option for pre-built ARs on a budget (they also make decent AKs now), but a more recommended choice is to shop for parts (PSA is also a good source for this, but don't get everything from them if you want the best value) and assemble it yourself. It takes only two special tools, really. Shopping does take time and patience, though, and an eye for deals. Colt's rifles these days cost over $2000 for basic bitch models and are laughably poor quality for the price. If you absolutely need a big name brand, S&W's M&P 15 is better.

No idea who told you the Mini-14 is worth fucking anything. Shit accuracy, expensive (proprietary!) mags, costs far too much for what it's supposed to be, little to no aftermarket parts, the list goes on. The AR15 is used by pretty much everyone on this continent, it's accurate, highly modular, it does everything the Mini-14 doesn't.

Colt is dogshit, PSA has had some spotty uppers in the past from what I heard. My first upper was a Wolf T1 piston driven 5.56x45 that I got for $400, works great accuracy is gorgeous. I have fucked that upper numerous times. Cleans easy, even for a piston. An AR15 lower gives you a wide range of inexpensive possibilities while a Mini-14 gives you fuck all. It's pretty looking. Maybe if they went for 500 they'd be worth considering, but even then that's a stretch.

>Is the mini 14 action that much better than the AR considering it's based on the M1?

The M1 action is fucking horrible, especially 70 years on, no.

Like others have said, go with the AR platform.

Any of them will work, but I recommend doing the research and building the rifle you like from the parts you want

>>627269

>No idea who told you the Mini-14 is worth fucking anything.

Rugger considerably improved the production quality any Mini-14 with a serial with a 58X-XXXXX or higher is an entirely different beast than the original ones.

It's just as accurate as any sporting AR if not better (<2 MOA) and it has basically a match trigger.

Then you add all the other advantages of the Mini14 (weight and size of an M4 but much longer barrel and better sight radius, "not scary", stainless steel, run silencers much better due to the gas system, is stupidly reliable, Rugger customer service) it more than make up for the non-STANAG mag (tapco of all people make good 30rd polymer for them).

Also it's the only decent budget rifle that you can get in fancy .300 blackout or 6.8SPC (but just buy the 7.62x39 version if you do that).

Factor in all that and for around 1000$ they're really good value for the money.

>>627308

The 6.8 model was discontinued sometime ago, older x39 models had .308 barrels leading to some piss poor accuracy unless you loaded your own.

Your best options are

>PSA

>S&W

>Ruger

>possibly Stag depending on sale, I haven't heard much about them

>>627308

>It's just as accurate as any sporting AR if not better (<2 MOA)

Where have you been? Out of the box ARs are sub MoA now. The big difference is that

>match trigger

Match trigger in an AR is less than 100 bucks, less than price difference between it and AR

>$1000

wwwwwwwwwwwww

Thanks for the advice. You guys pretty much solidified the decision I was leaning toward. So how difficult would it be to build an AR? What other tools aside from punches would I need to get?

>>627269

I was watching videos on Youtube comparing the MOA of a Mini 14 to an AR and it lead to other content explaining the differences of the actions and how the gas systems work in each. My ignorance of these rifles may have made the Mini 14 seem to have a better gas system and action than it really does. Still learning.

>>627308

That's pretty much why I was considering a Mini. But 1k is a bit high.

>>627319

Building an ar is piss easy, just get an armorers wrench, upper and lower receiver vise blocks, and some anti seize grease for the barrel nut threads+barrel extension. That should be all the specialized tools you need.

There are a few parts you should not cheap out on

>barrel

I reccomend faxon barrels, just make sure the barrel is either chrome lined or melonited/nitrided and is made from 4150 or 4140 chrome moly steel. Or you could get a stainless barrel. Ive also had good experiences with PSA.

>BCG

PSA makes fine stuff, toolcraft and brownells also have quality bcg's.

>optic/sights

Many budget red dots these days are pretty good, so a holosun, vortex, or sightmark wolverine would probably be fine. If you want a magnified optic vortex has a good selection, and i've heard good things about primary arms. For sights, you can't go wrong with the magpul buis.

Everything else should be reputable but cheap, mil spec or magpul furniture is good, cheap quad rails, mil spec triggers are fine, get the CHEAPEST recievers you can. Check the black friday thread, there are anderson lowers for $40, A2 flash hiders are great and very cheap.

>>627327

>>627319

Almost forgot, make sure that your bolt material is either carpenter 158 or 9130 steel. The bolt is part of the bcg, the bolt carrier should be 8620 steel.

>>627327

>PSA for BCGs

I don't know where they source their carriers, but a BCG is one thing I wouldn't source from PSA or Poverty Pony. Especially with how cheap Toolcraft, Brownells, and Aero Precision nitride BCGs are these days. And Faxon is without question a great place to buy barrels. Only problem is that, ever since Inrange started shilling them, they're often backordered. The initial craze seems to have died down though, but if they're ever backordered again and you don't want to wait, Ballistic Advantage and Aero Precision are decent alternatives.

>>627334

I've had good experiences with PSA BCG'S, and they do produce HPT/MPI bolts in their premium line if that is what your looking for. Imo as long as your bolt is either 9130 or c158 it'll be fine, just get whatever is cheapest.

Unless you live in a cucked state go for any decent quality AR platform. The ease of which you can get replacement parts/fix the rifle far will spoil you.

>>627334

PSA's premium BCG are Toolcraft actually. The non-premiums aren't that great though.

As for Faxon barrels, they're on sale for the lowest I've seen them right now

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ar-15-gunner-barrel-16-5-56-nato-mid-length-4150-qpq-sku100019290-88298-180088.aspx?sku=100-019-290

Use code NBM for 10 bucks off and free shipping. Alternatively add a box of

https://www.brownells.com/ammunition/rifle-ammo/black-label-223-remington-ammo-prod123839.aspx

and use FN2 for 20 bucks off the total.

>>627358

>PSA's premium BCG are Toolcraft actually.

Didn't know that, but doesn't surprise me. Toolcraft is an OEM for just about everybody, they've even make BCGs for FN's M4 contract in the past.

>>627263

You'll get far more value out of of an AR.

>lower receiver

Anderson's are completely fine, Aero's are good to. $50-$75

>upper receiver

Blemished BCM upper's are hard to beat for $60

>BCG

Toolcraft $80

>barrel

Faxon, Ballistic Advantage, Aim Surplus for budget. For a bit more, while not being really expensive, Criterion barrels or Sons of Liberty Gunworks.

>>627403

What the fuck is wrong with that retaining pin, strelok?

>>627438

It's offset, as an attempt to combat the fact that a batch of Anderson lowers had the hole drilled in the wrong place.

>>627267

>PSA

shit quality control, shit customer service. there's a reason why they're so cheap- even their lower parts are stiff, can't pop takedown pins without a tool until you've lubed the shit out of 'em and shoved 'em in and out 100 times and even then they're grainy

if you're gonna build an AR then buy parts from a quality brand like BCM, it's more cost-efficient in the end when you consider that things like barrels will last so much longer and you won't feel a need to replace or upgrade things. buy once cry once, not muh poorfag PSAshit meme. you want a decent gun? gotta pay a lil bit

if you really need a cheap AR then get m&p sport 2, don't fall for the PSA meme imo

AR thread?

https://www.stagarms.com/stag-15-retro-upper/

https://www.stagarms.com/nickel-boron-coated-bolt-carrier-assembly-right-handed/

Just got these on sale, did I do good?

>>627453

>did I do good?

Why do people insist on asking this question *after* they've bought their shit? If you're not even sure whether your purchase of several hundred dollars is a worthwhile one, you haven't done the proper research. Fucking insecure retards that want their decisions to be validated after the fact.

>>627455

technically it's not too late 'cause you can usually cancel orders before they ship at no cost

>>627453

>nickel boron

fag

>>627448

>can't pop takedown pins without a tool until you've lubed the shit out of 'em and shoved 'em in and out 100 times and even then they're grainy

Oh boo hoo, wittle babby is too weak to pop the takedown pins? is da saftwey too stiff for you?

Stop spouting your uninformed opinions, PSA is fine for a first AR, and will probably outlast any fag who buys it.

>>627759

He's also bullshitting, since I have never seen pins that couldn't be gently pushed out with a bullet tip, and in all except like three cases it could be done with just a thumb. Pins all come in the same standard size, and this faggot is whining about having to lubricate his gun? Is this a joke? It's not like a proprietary trigger group or buffer tube or something that might actually have compatibility issues with certain receivers, this is straight up just a guy who thinks his gun shouldn't resist falling apart.

>>627764

>>627759

Using a mallet to pop your takedown pins isn't normal, anons.

>>627929

>you are a Millenial faggot

Millenial has been updated to include those born during the 80s, chief.

>>628005

>You want cheap? You'll get cheap.

We didn't "get" cheap though, mini-14 a overpriced shit.

>>627929

The only reason they used mini-14's was because they handled blanks well.

>>628005

If mini-14's were cheap I'd own one instead of an AR.

>>627308

you can get ars in 300 blackout dumb nigger, or 6.8 or a bundred other meme calibers with for no more than the cost of an upper

>>627263

mini14 quality isn't nearly as consistant as ar15 from reputable mfg. I know too many people who have problems with their mini14 even recent production #s. If i wanted a traditional layout 223 semi auto today, I would get an SCR instead of the mini.

>>630385

>Did I do good /k/?

Serious question, why do people ask this after they've already spent the money instead of before? In answer to your question, you got $1300-$1400 worth of shit for $1250, so you didn't get completely jewed. You did opt for quadrails and a bumpstock like a faggot, however, so you didn't really do good.

>>630390

It was at least it was for a good cause. I wasn't going to jew down an old man trying to sell his gun for medical reasons. If I asked I probably could have gotten a bit less for it tbh. Also, if I bought everything new I'd be at $1700.

>>630396

I was going by the most common sell price of the M&P, not S&W's list price. Sure its says 1000 on their website, but you can easily find them for 600 new.

>I wasn't going to jew down an old man trying to sell his gun for medical reasons.

Well that's another story then, I wouldn't have bargained too hard in that scenario either.

>>627263

unless you live some where you cant buy an ar15, get the mini14. the mini14 is literally a cheap ass imitation of the m14.

>used ar15s go for 450

>only the oldest and shitest rugers will sell for that price

if it is 350, get it. if not, then no.

>>630503

You have no reading comprehension, didn't even check the thread, and you type like you're twelve.

>>>/cuckchan/