Quote Originally Posted by SteyrAUG View Post
Didn't you read gun rags in the 80s? At least these don't jam like those POS AR-15s that got everyone killed in Nam.
There was much of that back then, and it's fun to rag on that.

But it would also be a mistake to overlay modern AR reliability and availability onto the Colt of the late 70's and early 80's.

I was actively shooting AR's, HK's, Mini's, and similar in that time frame. Several realities:

- The Colt CAR's of the time were not the M4 clones of now. Half moon bolts, different buffers etc. Measured by our modern AR groupthink you'd be hard pressed to say they were better than the bottom feeders we love to hate.

- Availability was a big issue. I lived in the Metro Atlanta area, relatively large and firearms friendly. I could buy (and did) a Mini-14 and factory mags from any number of Ace hardwares and small shops. (Yep, Ace hardware a mile or less from my house). Including factory 20 round mags for $6-7, etc. Mini's were everywhere.

- Contrast that with Colt's, very limited distribution. You'd have to drive downtown or cross town to 1-2 gun stores to find a CAR-15. Factory mags were the same price as HK-91 mags and 30 rounders were non-existent new.

- CAR-15's were ~3x the price of minis, accordingly. I bought Mini's in the 100-150 range. Colt's (and HK's) were in a different class. Though there was a time in the late 70's the HK-91 was cheaper than the CAR-15 (when I got mine). And was 308 to boot! (see mouse gun thing below). I know you posted SGN ads showing Colt's cheaper from mid-80s, but late 70's they were not, at least street price. Exchange rate probably had much to do with that.

- The few 30 round mags you could find were gun-show & surplus store beaters, culls from the military. Which I'm pretty confident contributed to, if not was the main source of the unreliability we saw with the early CAR's. Even 20 rounder's were not cheap/available. I could get factory HK 91 alloy 20 round for the same as Colt 20 round mags.

- Aftermarket for the AR largely did not exist. Not only did we not have the stock, trigger, barrel options, even basic parts were unobtainium. You lived or died with what you could get through surplus or sent it back.

- CAR-15 reliability just was not great. AR-15 (rifle) was a bit better. But relative to competitors, it did not have a compelling advantage, and maybe was a bit of disadvantage. Remember, we did not have near the information we do not on how to make AR's run. Unless it was in a book (it wasn't), gun mags were the only other source. That and local gun shop scuttlebut.

- Bulk 223/5.56 was not a thing. Yet I could buy surplus German 7.62x51 very cheaply. PMC came on the market and changed that some, and that's when I picked up a Mini again (had sold my original one). I used it like a .22, and in fact referred to it as my .22. Kept it in my FJ-55 landcruiser. But until PMC, cheap 223 was unobtanium. Meanwhile, I could buy commodity 308 hunting/plinking at the local hardware store.

Here's the part you can legitimately criticise: 223 was viewed as OK for paper punching, but not a serious round. High Power/CMP shooters dominated the group think. AR's were "Mouse guns", shot by women who could not hold up a M-14/M1A. Real men shot 308. If your primary rifle was 223, you were looked at like someone who said their 30/30 was just as good as an M-4 would be in this forum now. With the same condescending tones used on this forum.

So yeah, A-team and bubbathink did influence mini-14 popularity. Fun/popular to rag on them.

But availability, price, relative reliability, etc also were huge factors. Unless you were actively shooting multiple contemporaries in the late 70's, you probably would not understand.

I did a ton of shooting with mini-14's and they always went bang. I stuck with factory mags, learned aftermarket was no-go. I now know and see the mini's weaknesses relative to modern M4's. But also see why they worked and often the CAR's of the time did not (Mags and lube).

To be very clear: I'm not saying the mini rules, is superior, or even as good as modern alternatives. For the money, they don't make sense now, especially when reliability/functionality is factored in.

I just don't have the hate/derision for the mini that cool guys do now. I'm glad the mini was available back then, as Colt's were not. I'd love to have an old ex State Patrol GB with flash hider in stainless again.