Alright gun guys....Trying to decide between an AR-15 or a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch. Mostly for hunting hogs and maybe some coyotes and bob cats....but mostly hogs. They are everywhere and tearing up grassland for the cows.

I like the AR-15 look and the 30 round clip. Mini looks nice as well in stainless with sythetic stock but only holds 5. Price diff. of about $300 I think. I need your opinions on both and your first-hand knowledge. Thanks!

Check out this web site for cheaper than dirt they have mini 14 mags in 30, 40 and 90 round capacity the web site is cheaperthandirt.com then item search for mini 14. I tried to post the link for the page but couldnt get it to work. Hope this helps with your decision

AR15's by major manufacturers are great guns, Colt, Bushmaster....only small shop I would touch is Rock River Arms, after that, I'd go back to a mini14.

Parts, accessories and mags are available for both, but much easier and cheaper for the AR's.

Minis are great guns, shoot well like AR's, and are easier to store, conceal and carry.

I run a gun shop and have a law enforcement background, have had both, but vastly prefer Colt AR's to Mini-14's...Accuracy is near identical in production guns.

Mini-14's are good. But I prefer the AR-15. I use to have a FFL and bought, swapped, and traded a LOT of AR-15's over the years. I shot a lot of them too.

Colt is definitely the big name in that business. But Bushmaster has come a long long way. I have heard that the military has bought some Bushmasters.

Anyway I bought a Bushmaster last year and think that it is every bit as good a Colt and would buy another one.

Get the Bushmaster AR.

Buckmark,
I have had both and I would go with the AR-15. I think you will like it more then the ruger. The ruger mini 14 ranch rifle I had was not accurate at all. The blue ones are better but they are still not as good as the AR's. Colt or bushmaster you cant go wrong!

Hey Buckmark, you may need the 90 round clip, I've seen you shoot before. I still think you should get the AK-47

AAAAAH the AK..... Now we're talking

Of the two, I prefer the Colt rifle. That is just a personal preference. For shooting hogs, I prefer a 30 caliber rifle. The AK is the choice of a friend of mine who kills hogs for a living from his helicopter. He kills thousands a year with the AK while flying the machine, doesn't use a shooter.

What do y'all think about the Rock River AR-15? A guy I know that is a cop said that is what most cops are going with. So it must be a good brand if most police agencies are using them. Plus I think they are about 100 bucks cheaper than the colt or bushmaster. I will findout this weekend when I go to the gun show in Denton( I think it is this weekend). Plus how durable is the composite versus the metal reciever? I know the weight difference is huge but what about durability?

MINI 14 CAN'T HOLD A LIGHT TO AR15 DEPENDING WHAT YOU WANT TO SPEND YOU CAN GET AN AR THAT WILL HOLD 1" GROUPS @ A HUNDRED YDS. MINI CAN'T COME CLOSE TO THAT. IMOHO

I have a bunch of Ar's and they are all excellent shooters. Colt, Bushmaster, or Rock River. Mini 14's are reliable but not accurate. I have one that I had rebarreled that will shoot as well as an Ar but I have over a grand invested in it. The best value out there right now is the Keltec SU16 for around $400.00. I bought one a while back and am now using it for my ranch rifle. I put a 1X4 leupold on mine and it is reliable and accurate.

Thanks for everyone's input. Seems the AR-15 is a better shooting gun hands-down. They also look really cool. Hopefully I will be able to check some out this weekend at the gun show in Denton. Got to start saving that money! Thanks again!!

I've got a Bushmaster Varmit in excellent conditon
for sale for $700.00. It has a custom 2 stage trigger
with mounts. Out of the box these shoot 1/4 groups.
But, it is a bull barrell and it's heavy. Look at
the "Gunblast" site for a report.

Keith, I know you have a nice AR, and I was sure hoping to try it out when we went dove hunting, but our guide let us down.

Hey Buck, just so you know DPS is doing away with the Mini 14's and going to the AR 15's. I have shot both and our department issues Colt AR 15's. If guys want to carry there own they can, most go with DPMS or Bushmaster due to price. I must say the Mini 14 I shot was not very impressive, as far as accuracy, The Colts did a heck of a lot better.

HOW ABOUT TURKEYS THIS SPRING???

You just tell me when I need to buy a ticket. I will be the first to line up.

Oh, guess I should add my .02. I had a mini 14. didn't group worth a crap. I had a problem with it jamming as well. I sold it after it jammed on me one night varmit hunting. I had a badly wounded coyote at 30 yards and the stupid thing jammed. Needless to say I was a litle past discouraged at the time. I don't know if I had a lemon or if all of them are like that. I really liked it's size. Was real easy to carry around the ranch.

But we did have a hell of a good time though. That made up for it!

Another vote for the AR.

www.AR15.com

You can build one alot cheaper than buying off the self and you bypass the crappy tax.

Went to the gun show in Denton today. For sure gonna go with the AR-15 now. Talked to some good people that gave me some good info. on the AR-15. You can definitely buy the parts seperate cheaper than buying complete gun. Thinking about going with the Rock River. Thanks for all the input guys. Anyone got $800 I can borrow?

It depends on whether you are buying a gun for looks or for hogs. I shot many hogs, mostly with a .270. I did shot a hog with my AR, however, I never found him. If you are shooting to kill, a Mini 14 or AR for hogs is not the gun to have(good for coyotes). Also, there really is not any need to have a clip with 15 or more rounds unless you want to scare them off and see how many you can wound.
In my opinion, a bolt action .243 or bigger with a 3-9X scope would be much better, and possibly much cheaper (may not look as cool though). But, if you still want to go with a AR or Mini, the AR takes the cake.

My friend here in Texarkana has a Bushmaster "Shorty" with several 30 rd. magazines and a 10 rd'er and a collapsable stock for $750.00. He's a deputy going through a divorce and needs to sell it. I'd buy it but I'm probably the worst shot with a rifle as anybody's ever seen. If anybody's interested just let me know and I can put you in contact with him.
nashflash

Go to Academy. The one in Plano just South of Spring Creek has Bushmasters. Two of the them are the carbon 15s (read VERY LIGHT) which would be nice if you have to walk any distance carrying them. One without the fluted barrel is $6?? and the one just like it but with the flutted barrel is $7?? then they have a couple of others. The Bullet Trap has some new and used ones. Also if you look in the latest Shotgun news Sarco has stripped lower receivers for $89 and you can get a upper kit that has everything but the lower receiver from most other places for cheap. Model1 sales is a good example and they are just a hop skip jump away in Whiteright, TX. Another place I noticed in the Shotgun news was Joe Ken that had cheap lowers. Some forged and some carbon.