[Dan The Man]

Possibly a Ruger mini-14. Performance, ammo cost, scope mount available?

[Dillinger]

Define Expensive.

You might want to check out this thread from the very knowledgable guys over at Sniper Country. They pretty much spell it out for a guy wondering close to the same thing.

A Mini 14 is NOT an M4/AR or an M14 - Don't expect to get the same quality out of the former in comparison to the latter without some extra cash being laid out....

[Dan The Man]

I am looking at spending $700 for a rifle.

[hillbilly68]

Dan you can get a great AR for around 700. It wont have all the lickies and chewies that you can get on one, but it will damn sure be better than a mini 14. ANd will give you plenty of room to improve, a mini is what it is essentially. Cant throw a 20" bbl and then a 16" bbl on amini in a matter of a few seconds and have two very different rifles. You can "build" one yourself with very little research then slap a completed upper on her and save some serious $. Good luck.

[Dillinger]

Sorry for the curtness in the first response, I honestly had you confused with a recent troll of a damn near identical name...

For $700, you can build a very good AR platform. There is a guy here, my young AR Padwan, named Junho who built a very good one for around $600 and he has a complete parts list in his thread on the subject.

Now, if you are looking for a Mini 14 because you like the model, great. There is some stuff that you should know.

The Mini-14 is an op-rod driven action and on top of that, it has a skinny barrel. Both of those factors lead to less than great accuracy. Can you make it accurate? Sure. Out of the box will it hit Minute of Bad Guy all day long out to about 300 or so yards? Absolutely. Will it hold Minute of Angle out to 100 yards? I highly, HIGHLY doubt it....

Now, for $700, current price hike not withstanding, I could probably build you an AR platform that would shoot the living daylights out of the Mini-14.

Now, there are those that will immediately tell you that an SKS would be a better choice for a "battle/assault" style rifle and I would agree. The AK/SKS/Mini-14 are all Op Rod driven, which means they will run dirty and they will run cold and they will run when you pick them up...

Now, there are also people who will tell you an AR is maintenence heavy, it won't run dirty, it's a pain to take care of and that if will fail you when you need it most. Don't believe those people.

If you know how to take care of your weapon, which includes routine maintenence and cleaning, anything that "could" go wrong will be discovered long before it does go wrong. AND, in the unlikely event you find yourself at the range and your firing pin breaks ( never seen it happen ) or your extractor fails ( rarely if ever seen it actually happen ), or any of the other "horror" stories around the infamous Black Rifle happen to you, you will have the knowledge to fix it yourself instead of relying on someone else.

JD

[Dan The Man]

Thank you both, I would love to build my own and am more than capable so that is the most appealing option to me. I will look at the drawings to see. As for the curtness, I think nothing of it. I assure you I am not the aforementioned troll. Just a very concerned young American.

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by Dan The Man

Thank you both, I would love to build my own and am more than capable so that is the most appealing option to me. I will look at the drawings to see. As for the curtness, I think nothing of it. I assure you I am not the aforementioned troll. Just a very concerned young American.

Dan - I was the one who was off base. There was another with the exact same name, but with no spaces, and I answer and/or view almost every thread to monitor the goings on, so I was the one in error and apologize.

I would be happy, as would many members here, to help you build your first complete AR, or at the very least, your first lower so you could buy the AR upper of your choice.

I assure you, building your first lower is quite easy and doesn't require a hell of a lot of tools or "special" knowledge....

[Dan The Man]

I look forward to getting help from anyone willing to give it. I am sure that once I start I will need guidance. My wife is already worried.

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by Dan The Man

I look forward to getting help from anyone willing to give it. I am sure that once I start I will need guidance. My wife is already worried.

Building an AR Lower is quite easy. Can you replace a shower head? Can you change a tire on your car? Yes, you too can build an AR Lower...And the Upper isn't THAT much harder.

Here is a great how to guide sponsored by our good friends at Brownells

[Dan The Man]

So let me get this right, Can I throw any random gun topic at y'all and get a similar plethora of info? Either you have these sites at hand or are a quick on the draw in terms of research, either way I know where consult for info. Thanks again!!!!!!