Well, I've got my ruger 10-22, my tactical 12 gauge winchester 1300, and an hk usp compact .40. Its time to add a real rifle to my collection!

I'm looking at a Ruger mini-30, however I will keep the Springfield m1a (basically an m14) as an option. But the m1a's are twice as much as the mini-30's, and its a hard choice. Anyone own either or both of these rifles have any advice? What's mainly making me lean towards the m1A is its accuracy at longer ranges. But a NICE mini-30 with some aftermarket accessories can be had for around $800 where as a stripped m1a will be no less than $1300. Opinions? (I mean on the rifles, not on gun control.) Thanks!

 

Id go mini-30

there is so much you can do with the mini 14/mini 30. extremely versatile.

basically a funny configured mini 30 will be around the same or less than the base m1a so the way I see it, more money for ammo

 

I like my rilfes medium sized. Browning BAR 300 Win Mag., Christianson Arms Graphite 300 ultra mag Graphite/Titanium. Hunt all. Well maybe not varmits. Nothing left when you shoot them.

 

i like m1a
but the best rifle is M4!!! i love my gun.

it has good enough range and i can always go 3 round burst.
it is very good accuracy too. i can hit 300 meter target every time.

 

The m1a has a much better feel than the mini 30, but on the other hand, the mini 30 has a boatload of accessories available for it. I've put a few rounds through both, but its a rough decision. I've shopped around a bit and am getting quotes of 1500 for a m1a, vs 700 for a mini 30. Trying to justify the extra 800 is hard.

 

Why not an egyptian ak?

 

How about a Barrett M82A1 / M107?

 

The Barrett is a very nice rifle. Five round mag available. I don't know why they make a semi auto. Confused at that one. You can buy the single round if you know where to go for around $2900. Ooopppss. That is distributor cost but you can get it for that if you try hard enough. Some day I want that one you got pictured. The christensen arms 300 ultra mag rifle I have has a model 700 Titanium receiver, fluted bolt action, 3 round shell capacity, composite barrel, synthetic stock( with a Sims Recoil pad. Had to throw that in. That is where I work.) , and a Leupold vari-X 3 4.5-14X50mm Scope. Gun should run about 2.5k to 3.5k total. Very nice. Well done. Very acurate. I got mine free but if I had a choice I would have paid for it. Good product.

http://www.christensenarms.com/

 

Hmmm, new rifle huh. What do you want to shoot & how far away are they.....I mean it, I mean the target? That would be my first question.

Wilson Combat makes some excellent guns, including a nice M4 version. I like just about any HBAR rifle with a Rem 700 action. I have a Rem 700 tuned by Nor-Cal Precision that I don't think I'll ever get rid of. The thing is spot on every time.

Oh, if you are shopping for a "long" gun, budget at least $1500 for good glass....it's worth it.

 

Special forces units in Iraq are working on a 6.7mm (I think) .270 caliber cartridge that is used in a reworked M16 / M4 upper. It uses a 115 gr. bullet and falls halfway between the .223 and .308 in performance. Remington should be offering it to the civilian market soon.

I strongly prefer the M16/AR15 setup. Accessories are plentiful, all the bugs are worked out, etc.

If you want / need a .308, consider the AR-10. I have one with a match trigger / barrel straight from the factory that will put 5 rounds of Federal Match ammo in a dime-sized hole at 100 yards.