only5.56 for $500: ( mini-14)?? any advice re: mini-14s?? Perhaps Id be better off finding 7.62x39 AK Dunhams sports has two under folder double stackers for $499
mini-14s are cute but I can never hit the broad side of a barn with them, they get real hot real quick and the poi changes as it heats up. You can blister your fingers on the barrel after a couple of thirty round mags. I am of the opinion that you get a lot more bang for the buck out of an AK, mags are cheaper and easy to find, ammo is half the price, and then there is the "cool" factor. I keep trading off my mini-14s every time I get one because I think I want one then I remember why I don't like them.
Careful, Some think the mini 14 is superior to say the AR-15. True the mini has it's draw backs but is truely a good reliable weapon system. Not a match weapon but damn reliable. http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86
Ditto! They are fine for a short range gun, but I am not that crazy about them. Mine was mag and ammo sensitive. My ARs pretty much feed and eat anything.
Interesting view point but for me firing slow say 1 shot every 10 seconds if I couldn't hit a baseball sized target at 100 yards every shot especialy with a scoped rifle it would be worthless . Shooting the gun isn't what disrupts an advancing enemy Hitting them with bulllets does . Tango you might want to look at the Saigas last time I did a .223 could be had UNDER $ 300 . If you go the Saiga route this link may be of interest , it shows you how to convert standard AK magazines to fit a Saiga as well as how to install a pistol grip folding stock http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/index.htm#AK_top
I don't deny that mini-14s are fun to shoot and do just fine riding in the back of a four-wheeler for chasing coyotes down but that ain't a battle rifle by any stretch of the arm-chair imagination. I have had them cook off rounds after two magazines.
If you use factory Ruger magazines in them, they are reliable. If you don't pay $50 for one 20-rd mag, you are not going to have a reliable weapon. I have yet to see an aftermarket hicap reliably feed soft-point ammo in the Mini-14. I have one of my own, and have been issued one for work. If you want the best, save a little longer and get an AR15.
In my experience, Minis are reliable. Robust. But like the old argument between 'Pistol VS Revolver' Yes a revolver is on the whole MORE reliable, but when it does take a dookie, it is a good one. I have seen some dynamic parts failure in minis. Extractors blowing out of the bolt and ruining the bolt, for instance. Extremely mag sensitive for reliable operation, and most of the time, accuracy is minimal. Like Seacowboy, I trade them off everytime I trade for them, because I recall suddenly why I didn't like the last one. I just got rid of a cherry, I parked it, glassed it into a synthetic pistolgrip stock, and had a load of mags, most of which I tuned to run flawlessly. Took the money and bought AR stuff. The Saiga AK's in 5.56 are more reliable, but .223 ak mags are a little harder to find, sometimes 74 mags can be tinkered with by replacing the followers to feed ok. The difference in price makes them totally desireable for the budget minded. They can become a cool project.
I concur on the Saiga .223. You can certainly get them for under $300 which is a darn good deal for a new manufacture Russian made AK action rifle. That leaves you $200+ to put towards more ammo! Some neat accessories are available to make it a more tactical or combat ready weapon. I have read some folks reporting exceptional accuracy with them but as with most firearms it is more likely the shooter than the rifle that makes or breaks the performance bar. I do have one and love the look, feel and fit but have yet to try it out at the range. With the snow now gone the local pit may become available soon..... MS
500.00 would get you into parts and building an AR15 yourself. If your mechanically inclined, it's quite easy.