options? reliable durable short light high capacity semiauto rifle

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checkmyswag

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Considering ar/ak/mini/saiga/sks...

What options am I missing?

Reliability is job one. Compact/light is 2nd most important.
 
As far as reliability, all of the platforms listed are known for reliability (some will question the AR, search the forum and draw your own conclusions)

Compact lightweight, I would say that rules the SKS out, and possibly the AK, the AR and the Mini I think would win in this category.

I own one of each with the exception of the AR, I own 2. I love all of them, but my go-to gun is the AR. I like the ergos, the accuracy and reliability.

No matter which you buy , you will have a good gun, I think to narrow it down completely, you would need to list ALL of your deciding factors (accuracy, affordability, expandability, durability, parts availability, thats alot of "ity"'s)
 
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I don't mind paying up to $750 or so.

I like the AR15 and am very familiar with it. My only concern is reliability in extreme conditions.

I like the Mini but my only concern is accuracy.

I like the AK, but my only concern is quality with how they are patched together with American and combloc parts.

Other options?
 
Up to $750, reliability takes precedence...

Probably AK, but maybe Mini-14. You won't get a quality AR for $750, at least not one you can be assured will have "to hell and back" reliability. The mix of US/combloc parts in an AK wouldn't bother me, they're simple devices. Almost pure genius in their simplicity, IMO.

It won't have the same accuracy as the AR, and maybe not even quite as good as the Mini-14, so I might suggest looking at a newer ranch rifle (IMO, the stainless/synthetic ones look REALLY nice)... folks say those seem to be shooting to 1.5-2 MOA or so, which is probably as good as the better AKs.
 
Yes you can get a TOP quality AR15 for $769.99 at www.aimsurplus.com .the Spikes tactical middy Ar15 is a fantastic rifle at a bargin price. If it says sold out ,get on the notify me when it is back in stock list ,it is worth the wait .I do not think you could build one of this quality for the price . :)
The Spike's Tactical ST-15 LE Carbine line-up is designed as a fully Mil-spec compliant rifle series for law enforcement. This same level of quality and performance is now available to everyone, all at a price range that is affordable to shooters of any budget. Each component is manufactured to Mil-spec standards and backed by the Spike's Tactical Lifetime Warranty. More information below.
 
Any gun is only good if hits what you are shooting at. While on short range all will do well, as you get out farther and farther, the AR will rule the day.

They are not that expensive today a good one can be had for $650, just not with all the fancy extras on them.

Jim
 
I like the AR15 and am very familiar with it. My only concern is reliability in extreme conditions.
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Do you mean like on the surface of the sun? Or the bottom of the ocean?


:confused:
 
On a quality in spec AR15 relieability is not an issue . Keep it well lubed and use good ammo and it is good to go.
 
Arsenal AK's have zero issues. Their fit and finish is perfect. Everything fits tight, and can be had for right about 750... If you're looking for an AK... I can't recommend it highly enough. SGL21-61 or -71 (61 is warsaw stock, 71 is nato stock)

If you want a compact AR... The Ruger SR-556C is a great option, without being NFA. The barrel is just a hair over 14", but the flash hider is integrated into the barrel. The SR is piston operated. Very reliable, clean running.

Obviously, i own both of these.. but they're great guns.
 
AR is Just Fine if you remember to reach up with a finger and CLOSE THE DANG DUST COVER!! after firing. :D

Camp Rudder taught MANY a soldier what white sand can do to the internals of an M16 when you didn't...lol
If you closed it after firing, you had no issues...leave it open and go running about letting junk get in it, jam city.

All that being said, the perfect semi-auto is a Calico Liberty tactical carbine ;)
calico-tfb.jpg

100-rounds per mag of Bugger Off ;)
 
realibility in extreme condition just shouts AK-47. However, the AR-15 by some makers has become reliable in extreme conditions as well.

tough decision.
 
Time to stir up the pot how about the Kel Tec SU16. Takes AR mags is piston driven dirt cheap 400 bucks and only like 5 pounds!!!:eek: What a combo check it out they look kind of funny but their merits outweigh the strange looks
 
Re: the AR dustcover, good point! We were always taught to keep ours shut and lay that side of the rifle up if you had to lay it down.

The M16's/M4's I've been around ran very well so long as they were clean and lubed.
 
I would consider a Saiga in your categories. I have an SKS but I bought it when they were $100. Now a Saiga is about the same price as a good SKS. My SKS has been incredibly reliable and much more so than my AK ever was. My AK was a piece of junk. You have to watch out for kit built AK's. Mine was built by a friend of mine and he did a terrible job on it. And he seemed to know a lot about AK's. It's just that he thought he could mate a receiver from one country to the action from another country and it flat out didn't work. I told him it wouldn't work but he swore he could have it running perfect in 2 hours. After 6 months he quit taking my calls. He had shot up half a case of ammo (about 600 rounds or more) trying to get it to work and it was obvious it was never going to work. At the time I didn't have the money to spend on a gun that wasn't going to work but he didn't want to take my calls about getting my money back like he promised (he could have sold the thing for what I had in it but he didn't want to do it so I did it myself.

The moral of this long story is watch out for kit built AK's. Lots of people were building them not too long ago and lots of people were really messing them up especially if they bought flats and tried to bend them by themselves with no experience at all. My friend tried that after the mess he created for me. He actually thought I would finance his efforts to built kits from flats. Go figure. He actually got mad because I sold the parts too because he had some parts he owned in the mess. But he never even thought of how much of my ammo he shot up. I was financing his experimentation and he wanted it to go on forever. He never did get a good one built although he tried several times.
 
You won't get a quality AR for $750, at least not one you can be assured will have "to hell and back" reliability.
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That's not true at all. You can get Spikes or PSA ARs for around that price (granted, you will have to do a little easy building of the PSA), and both will have as many milspec parts as you can pack into a legal AR. Both also have a great reputation for quality.
 
If you want a lightweight rifle with a premium on reliability, get an AK and put plastic furnature on it. I've never had a failure of any kind with any magazine or ammo in mine. They're workhorses.
 
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