Having a tough time picking between Mini 14, M&P 15 Sport, or a Blackout 300

[DocHoliday]

Who has them and how much? Is it that hard to find ammo for the blackout? Going to Indy to shoot and buy something on Thursday. Looking for a deal. I might just scratch the entire idea and buy a combination of guns. I just don't want to go over 800.

 

[iamaclone45]

Bradis has/had a M&P 15 300 Black out

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/bradis_guns/221264-weekly_specials_ending_7_3_12_a.html

• S&W M&P-15 .300AAC BLACKOUT upper receiver w/ 16" barrel and free-float quad rail forearm – includes bolt carrier group and charging handle – $779.95 ONE ONLY!

I would stick with .223/5.56 if you are looking to buy and shoot. You might have problems finding 300 Blackout in stores.

My suggestion would be to go somewhere with a Mini 14 and M&P15 Sport for sale. Hold them both and see which you like better since they are two completely different types of rifles.

 

[DocHoliday]

I'm right with you on that thought on the ammo. I'm waiting on Bradis to see I the have a Sport. I think Trading Post had one in the last time I was there. Not sure about the Mini at anywhere else.

Bradis has/had a M&P 15 300 Black out

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/bradis_guns/221264-weekly_specials_ending_7_3_12_a.html


I would stick with .223/5.56 if you are looking to buy and shoot. You might have problems finding 300 Blackout in stores.

My suggestion would be to go somewhere with a Mini 14 and M&P15 Sport for sale. Hold them both and see which you like better since they are two completely different types of rifles.

 

[Spiorad-Fola]

ITP has a mini-14, and several new AR's (Windham, Colt, and an Anderson), but I don't recall seeing anything in .300 for an AR. I could be wrong though, best to go ask them.

 

[Ljungman]

Well....The mini..just no. Stated above...nothing great and the price could buy (close) a M&P 15. the 300 black..ive been doing alot of reading as i am going to suppress my ar and thought about this round. Ammo prices suck worse than 223/556. best i can find local is 75 cents a round...no thank you. 223 isnt that bad and the xm stuff at Bradis has served me well at a price i can live with. The 300 black/whisper is for all intents and purposes..a 7.62 that will straight work with your current .223 bolt and set up. The coefficient is slightly better than 7.62x39. At 300 yards the 300 is running 1694 fps and has 797 foot pounds of energy while having a 37 inch drop. The 7.62x39 is running 1553 fps and has 659 foot pounds of energy, and also drops 37 inches. (info from August 2012 Special Weapons and tactics pg.28) Now..im no genius but at 300 yards...my ak will still kill you just fine. i see no reason to pay 60 cents a round more for something that is marginally better than the already proven 7.62x39...and the ammo is cheaper. The dimensions of the 2 are somewhat similar..ballistics are similar...just buy an LAR47...suppress it and voila..you can shoot it more. Or get your hands on the MGI Mark 4 Hydra. An ar platform (that can change its magazine well to take any round) for all your tactical goodies, proven AK round performance, you get to use ak magazines, and its 10x more reliable than a calibre conversion. Just my 23 cents.

 

[iauffenberg]

i have a mini 14 gb which i love its a sweet shooting gun but i have my ars also i like both but the ars can made more custom

 

[ryknoll3]

You can do a lot more customizing on an AR. Don't like something? You can change almost anything? Want to upgrade the trigger? Lots of good drop-in triggers out there. Mini-14 would need a gunsmith's trigger job. The AR is going to be more accurate, or at least the potential to be more accurate than the Mini-14, without a lot of work (similar to what you have to do to accurize an M-14/M1A). Much easier to mount an optic to, much better accessories, cheaper mags, etc...

With the proliferation of AR's and AR stuff, I don't really see a compelling reason or benefit to the Mini-14, unless you like the look better.

Also, cleaning the barrel on an AR is easier, IMO, because you can easily clean from the chamber end. I don't like cleaning from the muzzle end, but that's just me. Oh, and with the AR, if you got the 5.56 and later decided you wanted the 300 BLK, you could easily buy another upper and swap them back and forth, or just switch out the barrel and convert completely. Same mags, BCG, everything, except the barrel.

 

[IUprof]

You should buy both the mini and the sport! Seriously, they are different rifles. I have a tactical mini with synthetic stock and I love it. I bought it because of the action and the traditional look.

Most of the knocks against the mini do not apply to the new ones. It always amazes me that someone will pay $1,000 for a rifle+optic and then complain about a $40 magazine.

I also would like an AR style rifle. I really like shooting the .223 in general.

 

[ryknoll3]

It's not A $40 magazine. I have 10 or so magazines for my AR's. If I tried this with a Mini-14, I'd be into them for $400, as opposed to the $95 you could spend on the the same amount of magazines for the AR. That $305 buys a lot of ammo to fill those mags.

 

[Robjps]

It's not A $40 magazine. I have 10 or so magazines for my AR's. If I tried this with a Mini-14, I'd be into them for $400, as opposed to the $95 you could spend on the the same amount of magazines for the AR. That $305 buys a lot of ammo to fill those mags.

The milsurp D&H mags everywhere is nice. But i got my Mini 14 mags for $20 new at hoffmans. Hardly deal breaking. Very few guns have $8 mags.

 

[strokin7.3]

My mini is stamped for .223 also and Ruger told me I should only shoot .223 out of it.

.223 Remington or .223 caliber? cause my mini has .223 cal stamped on it with no specifics to the .223 rem. but it is indeed chambered for the 5.56. Minis will eat what ever you feed them anyways (excluding the target models).

the new ones are more accurate than the old ones, and even if you get a used one you can add an accustrut or mo-rod to it and fix the harmonics of the barrel (helps the new ones a little as well) and they also help dissipate heat so you groups dont open up as much as the barrel heats up.

But in all reality if you want a traditional rifle with rock solid reliability that you can beat around in your truck, get dirty, and not have to worry about whether or not its going to go bang when you pull the trigger get a mini. accuracy is good, no its not amazing, but probably more accurate than most the people that shoot them and probably about the same as a bottom of the barrel ar. if you want an assault rifle with a pistol grip that you can throw ten pounds worth of tacticool shtuff on then get something else. a lot of people buy minis and really want the customization of an ar so they arent satisfied. the two types of guns really shouldnt even be compared to one another. your decision should ultimately come down to what you really want. dont be one of those people that buys a mini then talks **** about it because in all reality you wanted an ar and the mini didnt fill that void for you.

Good luck in your decision and happy shooting!
Stay safe

 

[shooter521]

Mini 14;
- Proprietary magazine, that can be quite expensive and sometimes difficult to procure.
- Accessories are sometimes difficult to come by.
- Barrels are made to be shot cool for optimal accuracy ( at least the Older Models I have).
- .223 only, one should not really shoot 5.56 through them.

The current-production Minis have 5.56 chambers (caliber is listed on Ruger's website as "5.56 NATO") and are getting much better accuracy due to having heavier, stiffer barrels. I still wouldn't take one over an AR of any sort ('cept maybe a Hesse/Vulcan or no-name gunshow parts build), but they aren't the same gun they were in the 80s and 90s.

That said from what I understand the only advantage it has over 5.56 is it suppresses better...

And it provides greater energy on target in pretty much all of its loadings...

Not sure about the Mini at anywhere else.

We have several Minis in-stock right now, including the Patrol rifle (18" blued barrel w/ flash hider, synthetic stock, 2x 20rd mags).

 

[9mmfan]

I own a M&P 15 MOE model. I have been nothing but happy with it.

The Sport model is slightly different but I would be confident in its quality.

How about a M&P 15 in 300 Blackout? Or buy a M&P15 Sport and then purchase a 300 Blackout upper.

I concur! I own a M & P 15. Dead on out of the box

 

[jeremy]

The current-production Minis have 5.56 chambers (caliber is listed on Ruger's website as "5.56 NATO") and are getting much better accuracy due to having heavier, stiffer barrels. I still wouldn't take one over an AR of any sort ('cept maybe a Hesse/Vulcan or no-name gunshow parts build), but they aren't the same gun they were in the 80s and 90s.

I haven't had a Mini since the '80's....
It would have to be pretty damn good deal for me to pick up another Mini...

And it provides greater energy on target in pretty much all of its loadings..

Never had any problems with 5.56 doing what it has been asked to do...

I see .300 Blackout, kinda like my take on the Piston Driven ARs. It is a Solution to something that was never a problem to start with...

 

[shooter521]

It is a Solution to something that was never a problem to start with...

I would say that both .300BLK and piston operating systems are solutions to very specific sets of circumstances that most folks don't encounter routinely, but they have nevertheless been marketed with some success in the wider world.

I think .300BLK is a neat cartridge with a lot of potential, but it will never replace 5.56 in general usage, either in my armory or in the shooting community at-large. It is simply another caliber option in the AR's vast spectrum, and it may well float some folks' boat for a variety of reasons.

 

[Iroquois]

Mini 14 has a two piece gas block that has to be disassembled to clean the gun properly. It has 4 small screws and a very lose-able gas bushing[tiny].
This gun is not field strip friendly. The factory mags are double the cost of mil-spec
AR mags. Aftermarket mags are suspect. I've bought 3 different types and had to modify
all to work.
If you want something light look at an m4 clone or a Kel- Tec folder. JMHO

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Mini 14;
- Proprietary magazine, that can be quite expensive and sometimes difficult to procure.
- Accessories are sometimes difficult to come by.
- Barrels are made to be shot cool for optimal accuracy ( at least the Older Models I have).
- .223 only, one should not really shoot 5.56 through them.

S&W MP15;
- Common AR Magazines.
- Accessories are readily available for them.
- 5.56 and .223 compatible.

.300 Blackout is an unknown factor for me as I have yet to make a jump to the caliber.
- That said from what I understand the only advantage it has over 5.56 is it suppresses better...

I can tell you from experience that even older model Mini-14s would shoot 5.56 just fine. I bought a new one in 1984 and used surplus 5.56 exclusively for the 5 years I owned it. Never had a problem.

I like the Mini-14s because they're essentially down-sized M1 Garands. I can't say anything about their accuracy and the magazines are a pain to acquire, but the two I've had shot just fine over the distances I've used them; they're easy to maintain and solidly built. Don't currently own one, but I'd buy another - or even a Mini-30 if I had the money.

 

[ol' poke]

Get 'em all!

Love my mini-14!

ol' poke

 

[DocHoliday]

Get 'em all!

Love my mini-14!

ol' poke

That looks mighty pretty. I went with the M&P 15 at Bradis. I need to start looking at personalizing it. I think the mini14 will also be included in my future.