AR-15 vs. Mini 14 for Home Defense?

George: Your inability to properly load and fire AR's is well documented. Have you considered signing up for one of the classes offered by a certain former SEEL??

For those of you considering using 00 Buck for home defense, consider taking some advice from somebody who's actually fired a few zillion rounds through a shotgun.

Unless you have a house the size of Bill Gates' house, #8birdshot will do everything that you'd ever want to do in room-length ranges. Follow-up shots are quicker, and you won't kill as many of your neighbors as with buckshot.

I own a bunch of shotguns. They stay in the safe, until I'm off to the dove fields. When comtemplating the defense of my home, I depend on Pepper, the DemocRAT-Biting Dog, and one of my Glocks.
 
Isn't there a legal limit on barrel length for rifles? I thought it was 16", and I doubt the barrel on your Mini-14 accounts for 16" of the total 16.25".
Click to expand...
You can have a "short barreled rifle" registered as an NFA AOW for a $5 tax, last time I checked.
 
I think it's basically a flip of the coin if you're picking between the Mini-14 or the AR. Since I'm going to assume properly maintained rifles, either should go bang when you pull the trigger. I'm not sure I'd pick either for defense inside the home, but I sure wouldn't feel outgunned if that's what I had to choose from. I normally reach for my Glock 21 in such cases.

kgs,
I have to comment on the statement that a shotgun is easier to hit a BG with than a rifle. At ranges that you'd be encountering a BG in your home, the "pattern" from your shotgun will be perhaps fist-sized. It is a common misconception that "you can't miss" with a shotgun, but it's not true. You need to aim just as carefully at close ranges with a shotgun as with a rifle, or the result will be a miss.
 
Pushing what? I'm sure that George recognized my referral to his AR experiences, when tied to our now-famous SEEL, to be light humor.

As to my recommendations about shotguns, I stand by them. (BTW, if I did use a shotgun for home defense, I'd sure as hell prefer one of my semi-auto's, as opposed to one of those l.e. wannebe specials that everybody JUST MUST have.)

Ever try to fire a pump around a barrier or from a prone position?
 
WalterGAII you don't miss any of these Mini 14 posts do you???????????? I personally think a nice Stainless STEEL Mini 14 would be the best choice. But Ask that Former Navy SEEL for some of those LIQUID BULLETS that melt without any trace.

On a Serious note....
There's a Special That EVERYONE MUST HAVE where you Buy a Mini 14 and 5 PMI mags for $550 and I'll send you some of my 69gr Hollow Points just for Not wasting money on an AR!!
 
I mostly agree about the buckshot.

But Ultimate Tactical Guys use Dragons Breath or Make their own shell that use carpet tacks.
 
I like a shotgun for the intimidation factor. It's true that you can miss with a shotgun,but how many people know that? I've never had to defend myself with a firearm,so my opinion is based on second hand knowledge. However, I think if I'm trying to scare off a burgler in the middle of the night,a loud Ka-Chunk sound will be beneficial.

A 19 year old kid or someone drunk or high might be tempted to rush a person holding a handgun or a rifle. Then I would be forced to try to kill them. I'd sleep a lot better if they just ran away before I had a face to face with them.

It all boils down to choosing the right tool for the job. I have an AR-15,and it certainly has defensive capabilities. I just don't think it's likely that I'll ever have a situation where it is the right tool for home defense. Of course, my opinion is based on my living conditions. Everyone's situation is different. But,when evaluating potential threats,plan A should fit the most likely scenario.

I have a loaded handgun in my nightstand. That is for the unlikely situation that I wake up and someone is on the second floor of my house,where my bedroom is. If I need a weapon,and I have time to get out of bed,a shotgun loaded with no.4 buck is the flavor of the day. That works for where I live.

Just my uneducated opinion. Oh,and get a Bushmaster. They're lots of fun at the range. And who knows,someday it might be the right tool for an unpleasant situation.
 
Shin-Tao,

Is that you or has Pretty Boy assumed your identity? Thanks for the chuckle, I actually miss Pretty Boy, I haven't laughed nearly as much since his posts stopped appearing.
 
You don't know about my Ultimate Tactical Training programme?

Take my course and you will be an Ultimate Tactical Guy just like Pretty Boy.

But I have to say, the Ultimate HD weapon is an Uzi pistol with a fake supressor and and a big, blocky 1980's lazer sight. With this set-up you are Ultimately Tactical, and ready for the most demanding CQB. It is important that you throw on a pair of black BDU pants before you confront your enemy.
 
ReserveCop, I had trouble making the same choice.
I bought the Mini first. Spent 2 years and few hundred $ trying (and returning) mags, looking for good ones.
PMI are some of the best mags, but you can get hi-cap Glock mags for the same price.
I was able to return some USA stainless mags to the factory, and after they repaired them, they worked fine.

After I had found about 8 good mags,(avg. price $35 each, 2 years ago), I decided to sell my Mini.

I had always wanted an AR anyway, and I decided to give in.
My Bushmaster 16" M4 is very reliable, and the accuracy is far superior to the Mini. USGI AR mag prices started going down after the election. Now you can get ugly range mags for around $10, and new in the wrap mags can be had for $25.
There are many more accesories available for the AR.

Bottom line, either will work for home defense.
Depending on where you live, an AR may not be legal.
The Mini looks more "politically correct" if your neighbors see you with it.
By the time you buy a rifle and ten mags, the money will probably be the same for either.
The AR is more accurate, and fun to shoot IMHO.
If you are like me, and have always wanted an AR anyway, just give in!;-)

Jack
 
Tax for a short-barreled rifle is $200, not $5. A short-barreled shotgun, on the other hand, is $5. Neither are AOWs.

A rifle with a short barrel must have a muzzle brake or flash suppressor permanently attached and must be at least 16" in total length in order to be a legal non-NFA weapon. For example, Bushmaster's Shorty AK upper is perfectly legal because the 1.5" brake is welded to the 14.5" barrel, bringing the total length up to the 16" legal limit.
 
If we are truely talking about HD, then you probably don't need more than 2 30 round mags. If the threat is not gone after 60 rounds, your probably dead anyway, IMHO. A Mini with 2 PMI mags is cheaper than an AR and two mags. If you want 9 or 10 good mags, the prices even out. I own both rifles and would take either one for HD. Yes the AR is more accurate, but at HD ranges, what's the difference in 1 moa and 5 moa? The AR is a lot meaner looking. That could be an atvantage in deturring(sp?) an agressor and a disadvantage if you end up in court. They are both reliable when clean, but give me a dirty Mini anyday over a dirty AR.

David
 
mini 14, mags

I've had both AR's and mini-14's

For home defense, I give the edge to the mini-14 for one reason: looks. It doesn't look like a rifle you bought because you were hopin and prayin to get to use it on somebody. If you shoot somebody in self defense, and live in a reasonable state, you will likely be no billed. BUT, you will likely be sued in civil court, by relatives of the intruder. Civil court has much lower standards for guilt. Personally, I don't want to explain an AR when a much "softer" looking mini will do the same job...


As for magazines, you have some other options. Here are the 2 I use: First, buy some cheap mags (tripleK are my current preferred - $15 for a 20 rounder). If the cheapo mag fits in properly (i.e high enough and without wobble), then go to http://www.brownells.com and order some ruger factory followers (less than 3 bucks). Then go to http://www.gunsprings.com, and order new wolf springs for the mag. You now basically have a factory mag for about 20 bucks. Feed lips are the least problem, you can bend 'em if you have to. I have done this to several tripleK's, and they feed reliably and hold the bolt back on the last round 100%.
Also, promag and tripleK make current production 10 round mags. These are really nice - comparable in quality to a factory mag (but painted, not blued). You can also get the lexan Eagle mags in 10 round capacity. The Eagle mags, IMHO, feed even better than ruger factory mags. The 10 rounds are more than sufficient capacity for HD, and have obvious advantages in civil court, should you ever have to use 'em.

To me, mags are just not an issue for the mini-14, if you do a little research. So, the mini will save you significant dinero over an AR.

Now, if you're looking for a weapon for a "Mad Max" type scenario, you might want the AR for it's 30 round mags, and the fact that there won't be any civil courts in that case.
...as for me, I'd take an AK...
 
You know what the answer is......... Buy the Mini 14 for home defense and if you want a gun that has more gadgets and is more accurate buy an AR later.
 
I'll make it easy for you...

"Now I'm looking for a good home defense rifle in .223."

Buy the AR; I like TAP ammo for home defense...high velocity and a bullet that won't travel three counties over after doing its job.

A huge plus with the AR is that you can add uppers in other configurations for different uses. Pull two pins, remove your 16" upper for home defense and slap on a 24" bull-bbl. upper for varmint hunting.

Ruger offers no such option.
 
Go Mini14. The AR-15 is a weapon system and as described above, is very versatile. Push the pivot pin out and you can swap uppers and make the rifle into a carbine. Or add mag well blocks and change the upper and now you have a pistol caliber carbine.

But we're not looking for versatile. We're looking at a reliable, inexpensive system which works and which will be confiscated as evidence in the wake of the shooting. Better to lose use of (for a while) of a $450 Mini14 than a $750 plus AR.
 
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