Ruger Mini 14 vs M16 

I have a mini and have had friends turn their nose up at them, I tell them I'm not storming a beach or going house to house in Fallujah, I'm protecting my family, my house and the 100 feet around it if the SHTF. Go ahead and try to kick my door in and lets see how well my mini works, lol. Thanks for the vid.

I have both, I love both. The post 580 series minis really improved accuracy wise..

I want the Mini-14 .....such a fun and nice little rifle. Great home defence option.

Great overview. I would argue that for states like CA, a Ruger Mini 14 loads magazines faster than a CA compliant AR-15.

The 20" AR is underappreciated and often overlooked these days

Mini 14 would be good if you had to go to court for using it in self defense. Don't want a *spooky scary* gun. XD

Did better with the mini. Love the combination of the wood stock and 223/556 Ammo with the mini. Like you said, it looks less evil to those who have no clue.

1)mini 14 does not poop where it eats. AR will blow gas back into your eyes especially when suppressed. 2) mini 14 safety is superior. I have had the safety on the m16 come off safe while carrying it in a 2pt sling while standing in line for chow. the mini safety will not accidentally disengage. you would only be pushing the trigger safety forward when you are going to start shooting and it puts your finger further away from the trigger. I have also had the m16 safety fail to disengage during a training exercise bc the thumb of the nomex glove I was wearing snagged on the safety and got me "kia" 3) rock and lock is stronger and more reliable way of ensuring that the magazine is the proper position to load rounds into the chamber. when the mag clicks, you know it's ready to rock. when loading a mag into the m16 with a closed bolt, you have to slam the full 30 round magazine into the magwell to ensure it is seated properly. Ask any soldier why they put 28 rounds into their 30 round mags. 4) i hate A2 grips on rifles bc you have to maintain same hand position regardless of LOP. With traditional hunting stock you have some flexibility in terms of wrist angle, hand position. 5) clearing the mini is simpler bc it's an open top design. no bolt overrides on a mini14. i have had 2 bolt overrides from shitty aluminum mags in an m16. 6) all ruger steel mags will work on mini 14s and not all 5.56 STANAG mags will run in all 5.56 STANAG rifles. i would be willing to pay the premium for a reliable US made steel magazine. 5 mags would last me a lifetime as long as i keep it clean and change out the springs.

I really wish ruger would modernize the mini a bit like Springfield did with the M1A

I have one of each...love them both!

I have a mini with a factory collapsing stock. I thought about selling it, then saw the value, decided to keep it.

Have always liked the mini. Good comparison of both rifles.

If I could have found one I'd of got one. Put many rounds through a Mini, accurate and very reminiscent of my M14 in the service. The French carry the Mini 14. Just walk around Paris, good taste.

Loved the recoil sound when I was shooting the M16A2 while in the Marines

Just a tip to reduce or in my experience eliminate the buffer twang. Coat the buffer and buffer spring with wheel bearing grease. I’ve done this to both of my rifles with great success. Combined probably have close to 15k rounds through them and neither has ever given me a single malfunction. I also use lithium wheel bearing grease to lube all my guns but that’s just me.

sad that we have to worry about courts considering the aesthetics of a gun.

Great comparison. I really like the fact that you brought up the court defense aspect. I've always said when you use a real tactical gun for self defense be prepared for trial. I also feel having punisher grips and the like on a self defense handgun will leave you explaining your motives.

I love my mini 14 it has the wood stock and its also blued like yours but mine also has the flash suppressor and came with 2 20 round mags... great video by the way👍

It's called the "giggle switch". Amazing video, been on my watch later list for years, so glad I finally got to it. Your channel is amazing and I love the work you and your wife do for the local shelters.

I have both but love the mini. It's just so damn fun to shoot. My 13 year old son prefers it over the AR as well. There's just something about it.

Just the neighbors interrupting the video deserves a like, but overall an awesome video

4 names my friend. Hannibal, Face, Murdoch, and B.A.

I can hear the nutnfancy table top review, telling me the mini 14 is just as capable.

You can get adjustable stocks, pistol grips, muzzle brakes and everything else anyone would like for theMini and they come with a rail and scope rings

Still waiting for the A-Team reference in favor of the Mini-14.

I have a mini 30, and it fits the niche I want. An action I like, it’s reliable, mine is accurate, and it feels more like a rifle to me. I’ve always looked at ARs as combat machines/ competition tools. As far as the manual of arms go, you just have to learn them. Tent the M16 to watch, and the Mini 14 (30) to the woods. Good hunting.

I built a couple of AR's and installed chrome silicon buffer springs. That removes the "sprong" sound and makes the cycling a bit more reliable. I remember in 1984 when I went through basic training, firing the M-16 I always heard that "sprong" noise when I fired the rifle, and it's noticeably gone in both of those rifles now. The regular buffer spring should be replaced every 12,000 rounds, but the chrome silicon buffer spring can last upwards of several hundred thousand rounds. 650,000 to 700,000 are the life expectancy of the 2 I installed. I doubt I'll ever fire that much out of either gun.

"no need for more than 30 rounds in home defense" .............Unless you're John Wick! LOL!!

I'd buy a Mini-14 if it was 200 or 300 bucks cheaper.

It was nice to have an honest comparison between the AR15 and the Mini-14. Thanks.

Always wanted a mini. Finally found one that was in excellent condition and the right price. I show it to a non shooting person and they think it’s cute. Oh what they don’t know about this firearm and it’s history.

Just bought a mini 14 ranch that was a friend's father's. Thanks for the review.

Nice review. The Mini has a lot of adaptions and can use a folding stock without a lot of brouhaha. There are excellent 30 round mags for them for $20. The mini also doesn't need a forward thumb assist and doesn't have the t-handle bolt lever. The rifle stock is easier to use prone and is more "pointable" than a pistol grip, and stows in a smaller case.

Having shot both kinds of rifle I prefer the Mini-14. I just shoot it better. It's the rifle I've had the most time with. Maybe given more time with AR-15's I'll like them more. Edit: Great video by the way

One of the nicest mods to my Mini was an adjustable gas block. Easy to acquire and install.

This is the first non biased video about the Mini 14. Usually everybody just shits on the mini and talks about their great AR

The majority of the felt recoil difference can be attributed to the gas system. Long stroke piston in the Mini 14 leads to more mass coming back into the shoulder as well as pushing the gun around .

I have both and I love both. I thoroughly enjoy shooting my M4 but I really love shooting the Mini. The main complaint I have of the Mini is when using the iron sights after like two or three mags the heat mirage is brutal. Besides that she's a beast.

I love retro M-16/AR-15s!

I want both as usual... Great vid, thank you.

Love the review! I got a Mini last year as well, being in CA and all. It was discounted and so it saved my broke student ass some money, and I didn’t expect much out of it, just wanted a banproof 5.56 rifle. But it performs way better than I thought, just avoid using ProMag mags and buy only Ruger mags. John Masen mags feed fine but need some sanding down to release smoothly. Also bought a ton of 20 rders recently:)

I had a Mini-14 a little over 20 yrs. back that I bought used for $350 with a case, (2) 30 rd. mags and a pile of .223's. It saw 90% of its action East of South Florida in an offshore setting. Crazy the things one finds from time to time drifting up the Gulfstream to use as target practice LOL. A very solid performer that I would not hesitate to stake my existence on- so don't let the A-Team fool you, it had ZERO problems finding the target! Something about stainless and the wood that makes it look nautically cool too IMO...

In the book, Mekong Delta, a biography of John Tyler, a Navy SEAL, said the first thing they did in Vietnam was get rid of their M16's and get an M14. He said the M16's rounds deflected too much. The needed a heavier round in the jungle.

The safety on the mini 14 is a positive for me . I will say mag swaps on my new mini have a learning curve

If memory serves the M-16 A1 and the original had a hole that was drilled into the carry handle and cold head manufactured a base that locked on into that handle and had a integral four power scope they were trying Vietnam but the seals on the scopes could not last long in that kind of humidity you can still find those things for sale there’s still some companies that make those scopes and mounts for the older cars that have a type of system. By the way I love your channel loved watching you getting out there in and giving us the info on the guns along with your wife’s perspectives to that’s helped us with my wife because she doesn’t have some of the hand strength that I do to handle certain weapons love your channel keep up the good work man

I recently built an Air Force M-16 clone and love how light it is, 6.5 lbs empty and how smooth it shoots.

In Massachusetts you have to get a fixed mag AR or a pre ban but you can get any Mini you want

Living in California, the Mini 14 is the answer to our AR (Assault Weapons Ban) issue. At the range, no one gives me a second look as I pull out Dad's hunting rifle

Another great video! I have both ARs and a Mini 14 Love them

I have never had a mini jam. Every M-16 I used ,both A-1 and A-2 jammed on multiple times.

Jury: “That mini 14 looks like the gun my grandpa used to shoot coyotes with… not guilty.”

2:07 That safety is a design taken from the M14 of which this rifle was designed. It would be sacrilege to put a different safety on that. If you did put a different safety it would equate to the cross bolt safety people hate on lever guns. Ruger did that HISTORICALLY CORRECT and it isn't a bad decision to do so. yes, I'm older in my 50s and if this gun had a modern safety it would mess up the vibe.

The branch Davidians needed 30 round mags to defend against a home invaders.

I own both and have for over twenty five years, I cannot see choosing one over the other. They both have their place and function! However as far as magazines, for the Mini I ordered mags from Gander Mountain in the 80's and got two 20 round and two 40 round in stainless to match the rifle...

As a left handed shooter the mini 14 is perfect!

Love the simple safety on Mini 14 , me being a lefty , AR is a knuckle wriggle.

I love how you guys play music with one another. This is romantic. I mean that. Thank you brother for the SOLID revue.and I recycle.

I like the A2 because of the rear sight adjustment. I'm thinking about getting a mini 14 just for truck gun

Yeah, I did the same thing back in my younger days until one came back and got me in the calf. '' guess that broke me from pinging.''

5:07 You can get aftermarket wood furniture for ARs. "I like wood on my guns!" ~R. Lee Ermey

Used M16A2 in the marines plus have a mini 14 since 1991 both are very good

In my opinion, the mini14 has an advantage if you have to go to court.

I have always wanted a Mini-14, but so expensive. The Mini -14 looks less "evil," but an AR is more affordable

I have to respectfully disagree about the safety on the mini 14. I think it has the best safety ever designed for any rifle. You can tell if it is on safe by simply checking in front of the trigger guard with your index finger. If it is on safe, reaching into the trigger guard to take it off safe presents no hazard at all...none. Taking it off safe is done by pushing away from the trigger. This allows the user to keep the firearm on safety until the moment you are ready to fire. It's actually genius. Excellent video.

Nice review. I like the Mini 14, “Ranch rifle”

In the early 80s I opted for the Mini because I didn't want to look like a 'prepper' when I was hunting, and because I was told that it was "just like the M14" (it isn't), but I fell in love with the guns simplicity, and still have it.

Nice Video. Favor my 1985 mini. Prefer the wood/stainless design. IMO I think all rifles should have a garand style safety.

On same day trying out my A R 15 and my 14 ,they both jammed,it was much easier to clear the Mim 14 over the A R 15 , I had to break my 15 completely down. The 14 only took seconds.

That retro look of that AR brings back good memories. To be young and invincible again...LOL

I added a barrel stabilization system to my Ruger. Helps make it more accurate

The mini 30 stainless very nicely made...🇺🇸

I like all the options and ease of access to parts for the AR. Some guns you have to wait and special order, then there is the waiting lists just for parts. Mags and ammo can be hard to come by.

Nice video man. Kudos to your wife and yourself for making these. Very informational!

Great review! I own both and I like both of them. I know. If you are only talking bang for your buck, then the AR will be your thing. AR's can shoot great. Their reputation is well deserved. Mini's aren't cheap. But to me they're worth it. I would like to say the way both guns perform out of the box is not a end all conclusion by any means. The Mini 14 leaves the factory WAY OVERGASSED! Because of this the action is way more violent than it needs to be. Ejecting the empties into the next County is not necessary. For about $25 you can get a gas bushing kit from Accuracy Systems that allows you to change out the bushings for smaller ones that tame the recoil and the violence of the action. Now we're talking about an ejection of 15 ft instead of 15 yards. This improves the accuracy tremendously! Also if you even up the gaps and properly torque the gas block screws, accuracy will improve. A barrel stabilizer will help with the accuracy of the Mini as well. I run a Ultimak Rail with a Holosun circle dot setup on mine. It will ring steel out to 200+ no problem. It shoots like a friggin dream! I have a couple of Buddies who served in the Marines who own AR's and they love my Mini 14! It was matching their modded AR's. One is getting a Mini 14 soon. I like the Mini and the AR, but if I had to choose 1 for SHTF it would be the Mini hands down any day of the week.

I have the Ranch mini 14 with a barrel stablizer and the Colt 6920 Magpul M4. I love both.

Upstate NY living in a village of 800 on a mountain side the Mini-14 is king for an all purpose rifle. Mine have the Hogue stock as well as the ultimak rail however most of my neighbors retained the wood stock. The mini with the Nikon Active Target scope are a great combination. Coyotes and CoyDogs want to eat my cat. Oh, and the temperature today is 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

I have a Stainless 582 series. It was good from the factory, Customized minea little. . Added a bolt buffer lowered the gas pressure for less recoil. I lowered the gas pressure by removing the 0.80 orifice from the gas block and replaced it with a 0.50 orifice. Ditched the plastic guard on top, replaced it with an nice anodized black aluminum one. Took off the front sight and replaced it with a Mo Reaper. I really like my Mini-14,I don't have any complaints about it. I bought it used for less than half the price of a new one. It was in almost new condition. Probably sat in somebody's closet most of the time.

Points not mentioned: _______________________________ #1 Low sight offset. *A. Point of aim = Point of impact.* This is important for close range speed/precision/point shooting. Hostage shots, minimally exposed targets, etc. *B. Minimal Exposure / Silhouette.* Your entire head isn’t sticking up above the gun. That’s bad. Overlooked today, but not historically _- for firing prone/hole/trench/cover/etc_ _(similar to taking a bladed stance)_ Of course you _never_ want to be poking your head over _anything,_ but keep your head down and don’t get your head blown off are sound advice. What would that target size be? _• Eyes to Top of Head_ *+* _• Bore to Sights (eye level)_ ____________________________ _Eyes to top of head target size:_ _US Males Eye Height Stature_ _50th %ile 64.57” 69.09”_ _95th %ile 69.02” 73.62”_ _Ref Gordon, Claire C, et al (2014) 2012 anthropometric survey of US Army personnel_ _Roughly, 4-1/2”_ ____________________________ Sight Offset: _• An M1 Carbine’s sights are 3/4”_ _(Mini might be 7/8”)_ _• AR15 2-1/2”_ _• AR15 + high mount or piggyback 4”_ Target sizes: _• M1: 5-1/4”_ _• AR: 7” +33%_ _• AR+HiMount: 8-1/2” +62%_ Is that significant? In combination with bore offset? Some of us may have seen some footage of a moving target with an M1 pattern rifle slipping shots over cover. _______________________________ _______________________________ #2 The Traditional Stock _Yes, the fudd stock has some advantages._ *A. Retention.* The traditional stock is much easier to execute retention techniques with, fight with, draw close to the body beneath the arm, and fire. We’ve all recently watched the most well documented self defense trial in history. It involved a rifle. In the most dynamic positions possible. All of it was firing from retention up close. *B. Point shooting* Yes. Not firing from the sights. Firing from retention. It exists. Again, in the self-defense case mentioned, not a single shot was fired using the sights. The other incident mentioned, involving an M1 pattern rifle, involved advancing, while crouched, firing. This point shooting position? That’s your high ready. _______________________________ _______________________________ #3 It’s a simple gun. I would argue more intuitive than the AK with its safety/fire selector. Most people can be introduced to the mini and understand it pretty intuitively. The AR15 is a more complex design for someone unfamiliar with firearms.

The garand action is intended to be used with stripper clips. You only need one mag.

Good review of both rifles. I have owned and shot both and yes, they are both good rifles. A couple of points that were not mentioned in the video but worth noting: 1) when you buy magazines for the Mini-14 get Ruger brand magazines. Use factory magazines only, aftermarket magazines are hit and miss (no pun intended). 2) the best feature about the Mini-14 was one you didn't mention, that is the Garand action. This action is supremely reliable and will continue to work even in the worst sub-zero weather. In the Korean War in that first winter, every weapon system the Army had on the ground froze up and became useless...except for the M-1 Garand. That Garand action is simply more robust and more reliable than the M-16 action. A third benefit to the Mini-14 is that is not classified under California law as an "assault rifle" because it lacks a pistol grip. Yes, I know it's a small technical thing, but in California right now I don't want to be under the microscope of the DOJ. Owning a Mini-14 gives you the firepower of an M-16 but without the "assault rifle" classification. You alluded to that point in the "courtroom" example but didn't fully flesh it out. Thanks!

I love your review and honest disclaimer "I am a little biased..." which is okay to me. In the end you showed the potential of each weapon as good for home defense and left the decision to the buyer. I worked overseas in Kuwait as an armed Security Officer for the US Army. At the shooting range I never noticed any true difference between the recoil of both the M16A2 (yes 3 round burst select) vs. the M4 carbine. However, I can vouch after 12 hours of armed duty (with an M9) at active entry gates and inspection lanes in the scorching 120+ Kuwaiti 🇰🇼 heat (90°F on a summer night). We all preferred the M4 to carry vs. the full length infantry M16A2. Combat operations is different. However, Stateside the Mini 14 probably has more utility for overall use vs. the civilian AR-15. I enjoyed your evaluation, not long at all with content and honesty. Love your neighbors driving by...real hometown feel video. As said in Hawai`i, my home State, "Mahalo. "

I bought a Mini-14 just like that, it came with scope rings, and a rail. I am using a Bushnell Banner 3×9×40mm

Nice to see you all are thawing out there.

Excellent and Outstanding Review!!!

Skinner sights makes an easy light mount for the mini now. Mini also ships with scope rings and a bridge pic rail stock. Mini can come with a flash hider, synthetic stock, and in stainless. My 580 minis are about the same accuracy as my 16" ar-15s. Both have served me just fine with 100% reliability. I would take either to "war".

Hannibal Smith used a Mini-14; nobody's perfect.

You are an outstanding shooter. More people should appreciate it.

I live in California, where AR's are nuetered a bit. I have a Mini 14 that I like a lot. The biggest drawback for me is the magazines. The Rifle came with a discount coupon from ruger for a one time purchase of accesorries at a 20% discount. Turns out, quite strangly that though Ruger will happily sell me a gun in California, they won't ship the accessories to California. Seriously Ruger, WTF? The rifle came with 2, 5 round mags. Ca. is limited to maximum 10 round mags, I tried a few Pro-Mag 10 rounders, they look great but none of the 3 would function. ( even though Pro Mag has been making them for decades, WTF Pro Mag? ) So, I had to pay full MSRP for 10 round Ruger mags at $40.00 each. Other than that, I really like the gun.

I have a 581 series Mini 14 that is the tactical with the flash hider and is all black. I bought a wood stock and switch to whatever mood I'm in since it takes less than a minute to change them. Both look great ... would prefer the black synthetic for purposes of being more resilient to damage from actual use in the field. Also I'm in my 50s and so I can sight better use a Red Dot mounted on a picatinny that the newer tactical and I am assuming the non-tactical all come with now with the mounts on the receiver. I also use the iron sights since the standard removable rail is raised enough to see under it and believe Ruger includes the rail as well as scope rings now if one wants a hunting scope on it.

See if the mini 14 had a magpul stock and was black/coyote tan or something ..... then everyone would be terrified of it . Wood stock = okay that’s just a rifle . Black = MY LORD IT IS A KILLING MACHINE

Definitely the mini-14 for me. But I found really interesting from your video was the distinct sound difference from the mini-14 and the AR-15 with the same cartridge. It's kind of interesting they have a different sound. Thank you 👍

I have the mini14 and I like it more! And not everyone has one too! Everyone will be shooting thier AR15 at the range when I go and i bust out the A-Team gun and the comments and smiles are priceless!

Your GF/wife does amazing camera work! Amazing angles and transitions keeping 1/3rd rule in a lot of angles, Im sorry I’m a camera guy, but I live in California been wanting to start my own content but sadly I would need someone to help me, thinking about asking my GF to help me, but of course teaching her the little tricks to get good shots

I have a Ruger Mini-14 that I believe some of the criticisms leveled herein do not apply. I Installed an M-14 style flash suppressor and front sight years ago as well as a target rear sight years ago. Your review got me thinking about getting an aftermarket barrel stabilizer strut and an Accuracy Systems Ultra Match Barrel replacement (only $ 499.00) in a 7"-inch twist so as to use 65 gr bullets for even better accuracy. There are a ton of aftermarket rails I can get for passive sights available for Brownells and other providers. and still not get accused by semi-automatic haters of having a a so-called assault rifle. I do have a Civilian M-14 for those times that something firing .223 just is not enough.

Having the safety in the trigger guard doesn't make it more prone to user error since you shouldn't be placing your finger into the trigger guard until you're ready to fire anyway.

On the advice of my son, I have a mini 14 for a SHTF rifle. It doesn't look as 'scawy' as an AR type which is a good thing in Commiefornia.

The safety on the mini is best just like the Garand fastest to engage and fire

Great job guys great location

Had one back in the early 80's. When it got hot the zero would wander. Got rid of it and got a Colt AR15A2 HBAR and still have it.

3:08 .... I swear you youngsters are strange. The rock in magazine is like the M14 that this gun was designed directly from as a homage to the M14. WE want the magazine to rock in like the M14 did ... that was kind of the point.