Mini14 vs XCR.

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ocanuck

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I'm debating between the two...

Which will be more accurate? There's a plethora of versions and I'm not even considering the older Minis... 580 mini-14 Ranch or Target? QuadRail/KeyMod LBAR/HBAR XCR?

I'm assuming the Mini14 will be more reliable? But just how bad are the XCRs?

Which would you choose if appearance wasn't a factor?
 
I don't own either, but here is why I would go with the XCR:

Plentiful AR 15 magazines, varying in form and capacity, and less expensive than Mini 14 magazines
XCR magazines insert and click into place, none of this peg-in-the-hole rock and lock. They also drop free with a push of a button.
Caliber conversion kits. The mini 14 doesn't do this, you'd need to buy a mini 30 if you wanted to fire 7.62x39
Ergonomics/control placement is much more intelligent and conducive to operation
Many, many more sight options with the XCR. With the mini, you'd likely need to purchase and install a sight rail for optics
As far as reliability goes, I would think they are comparably reliable.

Either rifle will be enjoyable to shoot, but the XCR is in my opinion superior in almost every way. It's a lot more expensive too, which is probably why one would choose a Mini lol
 
I would take an XCR. The newer ones with the keymod forend are really nice. A buddy has one in 7.62x39 with heavy barrel as well as a Mini 30. Both nice guns, but I like his XCR a lot, it's not too heavy, has a nice trigger, great ergos, and seemed dead nuts accurate for the plinking we were doing with an Eotech. No issues with reliability after about 600 rounds. I would go for one if I could justify the cost in addition to having my Tavor. Only thing that needs to go is the FAST stock on the XCR. Neither of us like it.
The Mini is lighter and handier, more like a traditional rifle in most ways, where the XCR feels more like a full size AR.
Accuracy wise I can't say, I'm not a bench rest shooter, but I would give an edge to the XCR.
The XCR also is much more accommodating for optics, and you can get 10 round pistol mags.
 
Xcr after watching a guy next to me shooting both 223 and 308 out of 5he new generation. 1-2 moa without trying.
 
i have a tan xcr-l in 7.62x39mm key mod light barrel , the things shoot around 1.5"/2" with cheap corrosive surplus , i dont have any trouble with the fast stock , the only things i have ot do on mine is to decide wich model of QD raiser i buy to be able to remove the scope and use the sight ,
 
They say the two happiest days in the life of a Mini 14 owner are the day of purchase and the day of sale :) Now having said all that, the Mini 14 is super reliable and won't let you down. Of the two it's likely the one I'd pick as I value reliability very high.
 
Dont buy a mini 14. I had a stainless one and it was the most inaccurate firearm i ever had. At 100 yards i would be seriously surprized to hit an elephant.
 
What are your intended purposes? I really like my Mini-14. It's a fantastic varmint ventilator and very fun to shoot. Very easy to clean, ultra reliable. Just had to weigh in against all these haters :)
 
Odd just how unreliable those actions become with dirt or dust. I watched a video of an m14 and the same thing a bit of dust and it was done.
 
7.62xfun said:
Dont buy a mini 14. I had a stainless one and it was the most inaccurate firearm i ever had. At 100 yards i would be seriously surprized to hit an elephant.
Click to expand...

This ^^^

I had a stainless mini-14 ranch and it was the most inaccurate rifle I've ever owned. It was very reliable with quality magazines but 2 out of the 6 magazines I had were junk. Factory ruger mags were the best but they are hard to find and expensive.

I'm not a huge fan of the XCR either but I'd take one of them over a mini-14 any day.
Save your money and buy an ACR, either a used restricted one and convert it to non restricted or buy one already converted. A converted non restricted ACR can be found for under $3000 on the EE if you wait for the right one and haggle well. The HK SL8 is also a great option if you don't mind the weight of it. ACR and SL8 are both capable of consistent 1moa with the right ammo, the other options are good for around 2 moa at best.
There is more to picking a black rifle than just it's accuracy potential so I suggest you take some time and at minimum put your hands on each of them before buying one, of course getting the chance to shoot them would be even better.
 
I have both. The mini 14 is an older stainless ranch (spaghetti barrel). I have heard the new ones are more accurate. The one I have is not, about 4 - 6 MOA. Definitely reliable. I have never had any issues with it. I still carry it in the bush once in a while to get it out of the safe.....

The XCR is a keymod in 223. About 1,000 round thru it and no issues that were not ammo related. It shoots 1.6 MOA with hand loads and about 2 - 3 with Norinco cheap stuff. The 10 round LAR-15 mags are a big bonus for me.
I have another XCR in 7.62x39 that has some feeding issues I have not been able to figure out yet but the 223 runs flawlessly for me.

If cost is not an issue I would go with the XCR. 2x the mag capacity, more accurate (for me), looks cooler (less the A Team factor :)) and runs great.
 
Primary usage would be trying to hit an 8" gong from as far as way as possible followed by some coyote hunting and maybe some service rifle type stuff. A bolt gun would do the job... but a black rifle would be more fun.

For those of you who've had Mini14s that were barely barn door accurate, I assume these were the older 180-series and not the apparently much more accurate 580-series?
 
I have a mini 14 target ranch rifle in an archangel stock, and a tan XCR with the 556 barrel. I like both of these rifles very much, in fact I usually take one along with my handguns when I go to the range. The mini has jammed on me a few times, and one time I missed a big coyote after it jammed trying to get a follow up shot. I find them both fairly accurate with the right ammo. The mini target will not shoot 556. The RA will take A R magazines and the ten round pistol mags are nice.
 
I've had bunch of Mini's over the years, and all have been stone-axe reliable, never a problem of any sort. The newer ones are quite accurate, and the Target models can usually do MOA with little effort. The Mini is lighter and more compact than the XCR, and the comment above about "ergonomics/control placement" seems quite backwards to me, probably because of much greater familiarity with the Mini.

Keep in mind also that you can buy three Mini's for the cost of one XCR with a caliber conversion kit.
 
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