Mini-14 or Mini-30

[TheThurmanator]

I've always loved the design of the Mini-14/30 rifles, and have wanted one for a while. With all the new nasty laws that are likely to go into effect in California, I figure it's high time I picked one up, so I'm keeping an eye out for one in my price range. But I haven't quite decided on whether to go for the 14 or the 30.

What I intend to use it for: fun range gun, possibly hunting, and hopefully never need it for a worst-case-scenario defense gun.

This gun will be my first semi-auto rifle; the only other rifle I own is a No. 4 Enfield. Normally, I'd go for the Mini-14 because .223 ammo seems to usually be cheaper than 7.62x39. However the hunting part is the bit that makes me reconsider that; if I was going to use a semi auto rifle to hunt anything, it'd be deer and wild boar, as I've already got plenty of handguns that'll suffice for varmints and I have no particular reason to hunt most of the animals for which that .223 seems to used.

Another factor is reloading, something that I know little about but I'm just starting to do the research that will hopefully lead me into getting a reloading set up together. I don't actually know if reloading for 7.62 is any more or less expensive than .223, and although I've heard reloading tooling and components for .223 are getting very expensive due to the current market conditions I imagine the same is true of every other common semi-auto rifle caliber. Also, I've been told that Minis are particularly susceptible to the dangers of corrosive ammo, which is far more common in 7.62 surplus, but reloading would probably solve that issue as well.

So, knowledgable friends, which gun is probably the better long term investment for me? Should I go for the (possibly) cheaper to shoot target gun, or spend a little more on ammo and go for the more versatile gun? In the long run will there be a substantial difference in costs?

 

[blume357]

The advantage to the 30 is you can stock up on cheap commie made ammo.... hoard it away. some mini-30s don't like certain foreign ammos though.... and the 7.62x39 has a little more 'ump' for stopping power on 80 - 200 lb critters. Still, it sounds like you don't hunt right now.... the .223 fmj round was designed to stop and disable that same size target.... keep in mind that in the 'rules of war' it is more practical to wound an enemy combatant than to actually kill him... takes at least two guys to carry one wounded.... then there is all the extra work involved patching him up.... dead take less work .....

the thing I would look at is what ammo is easier to get and practice with currently and not worry about the end of the world.... the reality is if that time comes then all the rules as well as plans will be thrown out the window.

My vote is for the mini-14, a newer one.

 

[DGW1949]

I've owned both and found pro's and con's to both.
In a perfect world, I'd take the latest rendition of the "standard" Mini-30 Ranch Rifle, stock up on factory mags, and shoot only USA-made, brass-cased, boxer-primed ammo out of it....both of which (in a perfect world) would be both widely available and affordable......but.....
Here in the real world, I'd opt for the .223/.556 version simply because factory mags, "good" ammo and/or components are more widely available in that caliber.....and cheaper....which translates to more trigger time for guy's like me who are on a budget.

Which is best for hunting?...from my experience, either will do...(depending)...but...your local game laws might dictate the .30 Cal., so ya might want to check before plunking down your money. That, and do some soul searching as to your own skills/needs before venturing afield with ANY certain firearm.

Just in passing;
I've hunted deer/hogs with quite a few guns over the years, but have yet to find a better tool than my old 30-30 for that particular job....and...they are legal to hunt with anywhere that rifles are allowed...and...half the price of a Mini.

Your money though, so it's your decision.

DGW

 

[BlackEagle]

Both! I have been wanting one for a good long while now but still don't own either. I do have other semi autos in both calibers and reload them. From a reloading perspective the 7.62x39 is definitely going to cost more. While "cheap" surplus ammo is available I don't use it in my guns. It may be worth getting some if you want to stock pile it and wait for an emergency or just to hold it until the prices rise enough that you can make some money on it. I buy the reloadable brass cased 7.62x39 ammo and shoot it, then reload the cases. The real price difference is going to depend on how much you shoot, if it is just a few hundred rounds a year the actual cost difference is pretty small. I like both calibers but I like the 5.56 more for accuracy and this platform probably won't realize the 5.56's potential while it probably can take advantage of all the benefits of the 7.62x39. I really do want both but I think the Mini-30 is the better choice of the 2.

 

[9x19]

"Hunting" covers a lot of ground, Texas white-tail are (legally) harvested every year with the .223 using 62 - 69 grain soft-point bullets... but I wouldn't try it on Colorado Mule deer.

That said, in .223 semi-autos I prefer the AR15 platform, but in 7.62x39 semis, the Ruger gets my money. Don't have much use for the AK47 variants, as they are just not very optics friendly... and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be for iron sights at any distance.

 

[TheThurmanator]

Still, it sounds like you don't hunt right now....

This is true: I'm one of those unfortunate few who was born with a passion for guns and all things involving them but had no one to teach me anything about them and had to learn it all myself, usually the hard way. Never been hunting because I don't know anyone who does, but I've always wanted to get into it so I'm in the researching phase right now. My goal is to get knowledgeable enough to take some courses in the next six months to a year and hopefully be taking my first trips in the summer or fall of '14.

the thing I would look at is what ammo is easier to get and practice with currently and not worry about the end of the world.... the reality is if that time comes then all the rules as well as plans will be thrown out the window.

My vote is for the mini-14, a newer one.

Yeah, end of the world is by far and away my lowest priority: the realist in me knows it's already a very unlikely scenario, and that either gun would be plenty good enough to use for self defense. And I've been planning from the start to get a 580 series or newer of either gun; there's plenty of them going on the local used market with low round counts for 700-1000 with various amounts of extra goodies attached, so availability of newer guns at acceptable prices isn't a concern.

In a perfect world, I'd take the latest rendition of the "standard" Mini-30 Ranch Rifle, stock up on factory mags, and shoot only USA-made, brass-cased, boxer-primed ammo out of it....both of which (in a perfect world) would be both widely available and affordable......but.....
Here in the real world, I'd opt for the .223/.556 version simply because factory mags, "good" ammo and/or components are more widely available in that caliber.....and cheaper....which translates to more trigger time for guy's like me who are on a budget.

Just in passing;
I've hunted deer/hogs with quite a few guns over the years, but have yet to find a better tool than my old 30-30 for that particular job....and...they are legal to hunt with anywhere that rifles are allowed...and...half the price of a Mini. DGW

Your point is a good one, particularly on mags: while CA only allows me to buy the neutered 10 round mags and may be passing laws soon that'll outlaw what they like to call high capacity mags all together, I still worry about not being able to acquire factory 20 or 30 round mags if I were ever to move out of California (a likely scenario given this state's oppression of us all).

That said, both in self defense and in hunting scenarios, the extra umph of a .30 is appealing to me. I worry that on the low budget I'm on I'd have less time to practice, and that the extra stopping power of the mini-30 might give me the edge on those first few deer or boar I'd be running into in the field. However, I've also been considering a beater 30-30 lever gun just for the hell of it, and like I said end of the world isn't really a major concern to me, just an afterthought.

From a reloading perspective the 7.62x39 is definitely going to cost more. While "cheap" surplus ammo is available I don't use it in my guns.
...
I like both calibers but I like the 5.56 more for accuracy and this platform probably won't realize the 5.56's potential while it probably can take advantage of all the benefits of the 7.62x39. I really do want both but I think the Mini-30 is the better choice of the 2.

The reloading thing is a key component here: I imagine I'll shoot a hell of a lot once I've got into reloading, whereas if I'm not reloading I'm lucky if I can afford to get to the range six times a year. However the accuracy issue is sort of a non-issue for me since this is going to be my first real rifle that I shoot on a regular basis: I don't know how much super precision shooting I'd expect to do, I'm so used to shooting handguns and shotguns, shooting further than 100 yards will be a somewhat new thing for me. I'll work my way up to a super accurate AR eventually, I'm starting with a Mini because I can afford one and because I like the gun's design.

"Hunting" covers a lot of ground, Texas white-tail are (legally) harvested every year with the .223 using 62 - 69 grain soft-point bullets... but I wouldn't try it on Colorado Mule deer.

That said, in .223 semi-autos I prefer the AR15 platform, but in 7.62x39 semis, the Ruger gets my money. Don't have much use for the AK47 variants, as they are just not very optics friendly... and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be for iron sights at any distance.

I expect to hunt white tail and wild boar, primarily. I've read .223 works with a well placed shot on white tail, though I don't know about boar. Given my beginner status with all this it seems to be another argument for the heavier stopping power of the Mini-30.

However I think for now I'm leaning more toward the practicality of the Mini-14 as a rifle to learn rifles on more than anything else. Like I said above, it doesn't have to be a triple purpose gun, I can always learn to hunt with a cheap lever gun.

 

[ninjahippie]

Get the 14 and have fun.

If you later decide to hunt, a good bolt action rifle and decent optic can be easily had for half the cost (or less) of a 30 and will be even better suited to the task.

 

[oregon73]

The 7.62x39 round is really quite good and with a 5-round mag the Mini-30 should be able to do anything a good .30-30 can do. My Mini-30 is a wonderful gun but then so is my Mini-14. Only issue is that my particular Mini-30 does not like the cheap commie ammo. That is okay with me--it runs flawlessly with good brass-cased stuff. Since you're in CA, and you can't have hi-cap mags, my vote is for the Mini-30 with five- and ten-round mags.

Just my two cents. Let us know what you decide. With either gun, you're going to have a wonderful weapon.

Rob