DPMS or Ruger Mini 14

benson821

benson821

New member
Alright I was at Outdoor Bunker today and the guy noticed I was looking at the rifles and said I can go back and look at what I want. I fondeled a Ruger Mini 14 with the Tapco Fusion Stock. Looked pretty sleek and I liked the tactical feeling of the rifle. Moved down the line a bit and ran into a DPMS Oracle with a stainless barrel seemed pretty nice, light and easy to point.

Thought since I'm turning 18 this August I would purchase my own rifle for the first time (instead of tobacco, porn, etc). And yes I know I'm young and you may think my thoughts or comments are garbage but I'm just throwing out what I have read, heard, and experienced.

But back to the question, which would you like, how the accuracy, pros and cons of both rifles and any personal experience.
The rifle would be used for plinking, tactical shooting, possible hunting (maybe), s**t hits the fan, just an all around good rifle to go out and be able to do its intended job.

So Ruger Mini 14 with Tapco Fusion stock, or DPMS Oracle with Stainless barrel?
Also what optic: Scope, red dot, reflex, ect?
 
Most people measure their 'patterns' with the mini14. The DPMS isn't a bad deal. I helped my brother put an AR together with that same upper. It doesn't have the fwd asst or a dust cover, but it sure shoot straight. There are some better options then the ones you mentioned, but you can always upgrade. Maybe talk to some friends and see about building an AR. It usually comes out cheaper in the long run.
 
Go with DPMS, likely will be much more accurate, way more aftermarket goodies/ add ons, and will probably hold its value better. Nothing wrong with the ruger, just the AR platform would be my pick for the aforementioned reasons. Have fun with which ever you pick.
 
Supposedly Ruger has cleaned up the poor accuracy early Mini14's were famous for, but.............Most AR's shoot! AR is the easy choice.

Regards,
hm
 
My brother inlaw bought a Mini 14, and now he wishes he would have bought a AR of any make. He is not pleased with the accuracy of the Ruger.
 
I have a Mini-14 and do not know what a DPMS is but buy it instead of a Mini-14. The Mini is fun to shoot but don't count on hitting anything with it.
 
Having grown up when the M1 Garand and the M-14 were kings of the battle rifles and plentiful at low cost,, I like the feel, and dependability, of the Mini-14 more than that of the AR15....

That being said, the last couple of Mini-14s that I owned, couldn't hold a candle to the AR15s that I now own in the accuracy department...And to get one accurized to shoot anywhere close will cost as much as one of the better grade ARs, on top of the initial cost of the Mini-14 ....

For general "Plinking", or in the case of the SHTF situation, they are fine (if that's all you have), but for Tactical, competition, or Hunting, IMHO, they are second rate...
 
get the oracle and put a set of bus sights on it and shoot till you end up getting another upper (you will trust me, there addictive) then you have a varmint or target upper and a upper to take to the range and burn up ammo through. i started with the sportical and now have two ar's. the other is a 204
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Most people measure their 'patterns' with the mini14. The DPMS isn't a bad deal. I helped my brother put an AR together with that same upper. It doesn't have the fwd asst or a dust cover, but it sure shoot straight. There are some better options then the ones you mentioned, but you can always upgrade. Maybe talk to some friends and see about building an AR. It usually comes out cheaper in the long run.
I have a mini 14 & a DPMS 'Oracle'. The DPMS 'Sportical' doesn't have the dust cover & forward assist.
I like them both but the DPMS is way more accurate. No contest.
Low power scopes &/or red dots are my choice.
 
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If you want to hunt and be succesful, go with the DPMS. If making noise and wasting ammo is all you want to do, go with the Mini.
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Originally Posted By: nastynatesfishget the oracle and put a set of bus sights on it and shoot till you end up getting another upper (you will trust me, there addictive) then you have a varmint or target upper and a upper to take to the range and burn up ammo through. i started with the sportical and now have two ar's. the other is a 204

That's along the lines of what I was thinking get one and get parts to build on it and in the end make another AR. And yes I know they are addictive, my father has a Sweet 16 with a 10x Super Sniper scope on it and it will shoot all day.

I still have aroiund 2 months to wait until I can buy it but I think I'm going the AR15 route. I love the platform but I am not a fan of the 223 round ever since i got a 22-250. But this will be an all around shooting gun used for almost any purpose under the sun (legality of course).

I would like to get 1 in 204 but then that's another round to get reloading parts for so the 223 I can just take the loads for the other rifle and run them through.

Any suggestions on an optic for the weapon? I would like some magnification but not a lot (max of 4-12)
 
I've got 2 Minis and 2 ARs.

The ARs go hunting and the Minis would work well for clearing a city block.

Minis are super reliable, but unless you buy that Target model (which weighs as much as an AR), you'll be at an accuracy disadvantage.

Like 3 inch groups at 100 yards vs. 1 inch out of most ARs.

Hitting a coyote at 250 yards with a Mini would be a stroke of luck. If you go to Perfect Union BBS and look at all the "accuracy upgrade" schemes they have for the Mini, you'll see what I mean.

I do have many hundreds of rounds through my Minis though with zero malfunctions, so they're trustworthy in that respect.
 
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The tack driving Mini-14s that I know of shoot 3" groups at 100. Guys that love them love them and I have to give them credit for being built he11 for stout and reliable as the sunrise. Definitely the DPMS is the way to go, as everyone has already said.

Scoping an AR carbine with a low power scope has always struck me as the way to go. I like EOTech red dots with or without a 3x magnifier. Also low power variables topping out at 4x or 5x are great.
 
Originally Posted By: Evil_LurkerI've got 2 Minis and 2 ARs.

The ARs go hunting and the Minis would work well for clearing a city block.

Minis are super reliable, but unless you buy that Target model (which weighs as much as an AR), you'll be at an accuracy disadvantage.

Like 3 inch groups at 100 yards vs. 1 inch out of most ARs.

Hitting a coyote at 250 yards with a Mini would be a stroke of luck. If you go to Perfect Union BBS and look at all the "accuracy upgrade" schemes they have for the Mini, you'll see what I mean.

I do have many hundreds of rounds through my Minis though with zero malfunctions, so they're trustworthy in that respect.

A huge 1+

I spent big money on getting my mini to shoot. Could of bought a very high end custom AR for what I spent, and eventually did. A 2.5x10 scope is almost perfect for either one.
 
All you need for the mini is a red dot. That seems to be about as accurate as they come. Maybe a shotgun with a really tight choke? Unless DPMS stands for Disassembled pile of metal shavings, you will probably do better with a bad barreled AR than a good barreled mini-14
 
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Mini 14 is uber reliable. If you hate cleaning and don't clean your guns get a stainless mini. It will ALWAYS run no matter what you feed it including crappy russian ammo with whatever they seal the case with. FWIW to you, I personally took a Dept. mini to a carbine class and put 800 rounds of russian through it in 2 days with no cleaing just some oil on the op rod and bolt. The firing pin in that rifle broke about 4 years later in the 9000 round area.

A decent mini will kill coyotes to about 150 yards. If you are serious about hunting get an AR. If you wanna protect you and yours during a Katrina or tornado scenario with gun maintenance being at the bottom of the prioity list. Then yes mini all the way.

Most folks complain about mini accuracy from the bench. In the world you rarely engage threats seated at a table, your feet on the floor and with rested elbows. From a real world stand point, shooting from a standing position and while moving the average shooter will not notice an accuracy difference between the 2 guns.

I don't know this dudes training or experience level but this is a perfect illustration of what I'm talking about and what the mini was really designed as. It is not nor was it intended to be a precision rifle or even an accurate hunting rifle. It was meant for this....
Mini eval
 
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