Firearms Reviews
Well I've had my AR15 and Mini 14 for a while now, so I think it's about time I post what I think about them. While I am at it I might as well post what I think about my 92FS and my P3AT handguns, and the .22 conversion I got for the AR15.
The Mini 14 is a decent gun, but not great. First, it overheats very quickly. As a weapon, it will operate enough to be effective most non-military situations that I can come up with. As a hunting weapon, it's a bit inaccurate to be effective- especially in a bullpup stock. As for recreational shooting, the overheating issue is a show-stopper even though it's a lot of fun until it overheats. Stock, the Mini 14 is too long to use in "close combat" situations such as home defense. With the bullpup modification, it is very usable. There are some downfalls to the bullpup. The overheating can end up melting the gun (I haven't done it, the plastic seems quite robust), but even more of a problem is accuracy. The sight radius is very short, and in order to clean much the gun the firearm assembly must be removed from the bullpup stock where the sights are- so the gun is no longer sighted in. A thorough cleaning cannot be done without the need for sighting-in. Cleaning most of the action and the barrel is still possible though. I have heard that some people have had problems with the bullpup causing jams, but I have not had a single problem. Apparently there is an easy fix for those who have had this problem though. Mini 14 conclusions: overall I would give it a 6 out of 10. In bullpup configuration it's a good short/medium-range weapon, poor for hunting, and so-so for recreational shooting. In stock configuration, it's a good as a medium-range weapon, decent for hunting and decent for recreational shooting.
My AR15 is an M4-style collapsible stock with a 16-inch barrel. Reliable, accurate, TONS of upgrades and accessories, good for just about any use at just about any range .223 is good for. I don't have much more to say about this gun because there is just about nothing more that needs to be said. It works, and it works well. The only thing I would change is the barrel length- I have a 16" and I would like an 11.5" to make it just a bit more usable as a home defense weapon. Unfortunately it's a regulated length, so I can't fault the gun. It's very usable as it is anyway.
My P3AT is GREAT for concealment, but I do kind of think of it as a "it's better than nothing" gun. .380 is a very weak caliber for self-defense, and my P3AT has been very unreliable. Shooting target ammunition from Wal-Mart, I get about one jam per clip. Shooting Gold Dot hollowpoints (the ammo it was designed to shoot, and the ammo I carry for defense) I get about one jam per 50 rounds. Still, it's better than nothing. I am considering sending it in to Kel-Tec to see if they can fix the jamming issue before judging the gun too harshly.
My 92FS has been wonderful. It's fun to shoot, it holds 15+1 rounds, it's the most accurate handgun I have fired, and I have not had a single jam after shooting multiple thousands of rounds (with the exception of a couple of jams from cheap clips- they were the clips' fault, not the gun). It shoots fast too- I have been asked if it's a full auto just because of how fast I can pull the trigger. With a bit of practice, it's even possible to keep it fairly on target while shooting that fast too. Because it's a larger, heavier gun shooting a smaller bullet, the recoil is very reasonable. Downsides- 9mm is good for self-defense, but .40 or .45 would be better. Beretta makes the 96FS- same gun in a .40 caliber which I am considering upgrading to. It's also large and difficult and uncomfortable to conceal. Even so, it is surprisingly possible to conceal it very effectively.
I recently purchased a Ciener conversion for my AR15 that converts the caliber to .22LR. Ciener also makes such a conversion for the Mini 14. Having shot 1650 rounds with it, it has already paid for itself. This is a very well made part, and worth the cost. I have had a few light-strikes, and I think they are from failures to load. The recoil spring is somewhat weak, although this is probably necessary because most of the recoil from the .22 round will most likely be taken up just cocking the hammer. Just a guess... Other than that it's been a blast, and It doesn't happen that often anyway. In fact it might have just needed some breaking-in because it seems to be happening less and less as I shoot it.
The Mini 14 is a decent gun, but not great. First, it overheats very quickly. As a weapon, it will operate enough to be effective most non-military situations that I can come up with. As a hunting weapon, it's a bit inaccurate to be effective- especially in a bullpup stock. As for recreational shooting, the overheating issue is a show-stopper even though it's a lot of fun until it overheats. Stock, the Mini 14 is too long to use in "close combat" situations such as home defense. With the bullpup modification, it is very usable. There are some downfalls to the bullpup. The overheating can end up melting the gun (I haven't done it, the plastic seems quite robust), but even more of a problem is accuracy. The sight radius is very short, and in order to clean much the gun the firearm assembly must be removed from the bullpup stock where the sights are- so the gun is no longer sighted in. A thorough cleaning cannot be done without the need for sighting-in. Cleaning most of the action and the barrel is still possible though. I have heard that some people have had problems with the bullpup causing jams, but I have not had a single problem. Apparently there is an easy fix for those who have had this problem though. Mini 14 conclusions: overall I would give it a 6 out of 10. In bullpup configuration it's a good short/medium-range weapon, poor for hunting, and so-so for recreational shooting. In stock configuration, it's a good as a medium-range weapon, decent for hunting and decent for recreational shooting.
My AR15 is an M4-style collapsible stock with a 16-inch barrel. Reliable, accurate, TONS of upgrades and accessories, good for just about any use at just about any range .223 is good for. I don't have much more to say about this gun because there is just about nothing more that needs to be said. It works, and it works well. The only thing I would change is the barrel length- I have a 16" and I would like an 11.5" to make it just a bit more usable as a home defense weapon. Unfortunately it's a regulated length, so I can't fault the gun. It's very usable as it is anyway.
My P3AT is GREAT for concealment, but I do kind of think of it as a "it's better than nothing" gun. .380 is a very weak caliber for self-defense, and my P3AT has been very unreliable. Shooting target ammunition from Wal-Mart, I get about one jam per clip. Shooting Gold Dot hollowpoints (the ammo it was designed to shoot, and the ammo I carry for defense) I get about one jam per 50 rounds. Still, it's better than nothing. I am considering sending it in to Kel-Tec to see if they can fix the jamming issue before judging the gun too harshly.
My 92FS has been wonderful. It's fun to shoot, it holds 15+1 rounds, it's the most accurate handgun I have fired, and I have not had a single jam after shooting multiple thousands of rounds (with the exception of a couple of jams from cheap clips- they were the clips' fault, not the gun). It shoots fast too- I have been asked if it's a full auto just because of how fast I can pull the trigger. With a bit of practice, it's even possible to keep it fairly on target while shooting that fast too. Because it's a larger, heavier gun shooting a smaller bullet, the recoil is very reasonable. Downsides- 9mm is good for self-defense, but .40 or .45 would be better. Beretta makes the 96FS- same gun in a .40 caliber which I am considering upgrading to. It's also large and difficult and uncomfortable to conceal. Even so, it is surprisingly possible to conceal it very effectively.
I recently purchased a Ciener conversion for my AR15 that converts the caliber to .22LR. Ciener also makes such a conversion for the Mini 14. Having shot 1650 rounds with it, it has already paid for itself. This is a very well made part, and worth the cost. I have had a few light-strikes, and I think they are from failures to load. The recoil spring is somewhat weak, although this is probably necessary because most of the recoil from the .22 round will most likely be taken up just cocking the hammer. Just a guess... Other than that it's been a blast, and It doesn't happen that often anyway. In fact it might have just needed some breaking-in because it seems to be happening less and less as I shoot it.
posted by Calan at 19:57
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