What kind of semi-auto long spoon, AR or something else, FAL?
 

If you were going to spend some money on something like a decent semi-auto long-spoon to be a jack of all trades (probably mostly target, but could end up being home security, probably not hunting, what would you get. The AR-15 seems to be the gun of choice for many these days, but I know there are lots of various options out there. You don't need something super powerful, no moose hunting. You don't need super long range. This would be more like an introduction. The missus could even potentially fueling this endeavor.

This seems like an interesting article, but you never know if the goal is to sell you X.
https://www.everydaymarksman.co/equipment/buying-your-first-ar-15/

In the Fun with FAL thread, several things have been discussed.

I've also seen the mini-14 discussed here on the board before in the past, which you can get in wood (which is so much nicer to look at than black plastic covered in rails).

Thoughts for something reliable, accurate, that can be had for a reasonable price (initial and ongoing) (just throwing out a random number, <1500) and will last.

Pros and Cons of various options?

My knowledge of long spoons is pretty (OK, very) limited.

I'm old skool...how about a lever .357?

Hooty hoot :)....

9mm in the AR platform. I had mine at the range over the weekend.. easy to shoot, reliable with quality ammo, 35 round mags, very accurate out to 50+ yards with open sights. Plus the added convenience of the same ammo of the pistol on your hip.

Or a lever action chambered in .357 also the same ammo as the pistol on your hip.

Ruger 10-22 semi-auto rimfire. Even more aftermarket accessories than the AR platform, available in many wood stocked variants, and cheap as hell to shoot. With no real purpose, no need for any kind of "power", the lowly .22 is a fantastic option.

If I was able to buy any rifle it would be the "SIG SG 552 Commando" but I live in Aus so that's just not going to happen.

... For the money you really can't do much better than a AR-15.
If you have money to burn you could build a semi auto only H&K G36 from an American parts kit.
The FN FAL may be another option but they are a lot heavier and ammo is more expensive.

(I was issued the M-16 and the SLR (FN FAL) when I was in the army and the M-16 is the better rifle IMO)

Hypothetically, if I had spoons, they would probably be 9mm. I've also got a hankerin' for a very specific old S&W in 357.
If you were in this position, the missus might be thinking, "home security" or zombie apocalypse. I wouldn't want to be shot by a 22, but I'm not sure that it sounds scary enough for a zombie apocalypse. (but yes, much less expensive to own and shoot). All of my long spoon experience has been with single shot bolt action 22s.

If you have a Glock, then the Ruger PCC equipped to use the Glock magazines might be the right gun for you. I have a longslide Glock G34 that uses the same 17 rd mags in the Ruger. 9mm fired from a rifle/carbine has a significant increase in muzzle velocity and muzzle energy.

I have my Browning BAR in 30.06.

Steve

I thought you had that S&W .357 already....2 fer one...
Marlin & Smif :D

Fair enough. Under those criteria, I have already voted with my wallet - Ruger Mini-14. Not as many aftermarket farkles, but I truly believe it is a better design than the AR-15. Eugene Stoner, who designed the M-16 and later helped Bill Ruger on the Mini-14, agreed. It was his opinion that had he designed the Mini-14 first, the M-16 would either have never been adopted, of maybe even never designed. The design of the Mini-14 is that much better...

Execution, however, has not always been all that great. Early examples are notoriously inaccurate. Newer production has, however, corrected all of the faults that led to that reputation. I got lucky - I have an early first gen ("pre-warning") rifle that is acceptably accurate (2-3 MOA). The newer ones are every bit that accurate.

I really like the notion that they do not have the "black rifle" cloud hanging over them. I also like the fact that they are not "plastic" guns - real wood and steel, if that's the model you choose. Stainless steel even, if you want. And relatively cheap, compared to even cheap AR's.

Of course if you want to up the ante a bit, there is its big brother - the M1A. Mine is the intermediate length "Scout Squad" version. Unquestioned quality, reliability, and a good deal more power, for those really determined zombies... Having now had the opportunity to compare it to three FAL's, I find I much prefer the M1A. My sons, however, like their FAL's, which are outstanding rifles as well.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590986048.jpg

I agree with post #7 by Fred Cook.

The Ruger 9mm PC Carbine is a "Take-down." You can stuff it in a back pack. Glock and Ruger mags.
Peak Case Company makes a Violin case for it.

The later mini-14s are not bad guns. And they don't look as threatening as an AR 15. If a situation ever ended up in court the gun would be viewed as being a fuddy duddy farmers looking gun, not a urban commando's gun.

I'm happy with my M1A scout rifle. One drawback for you might be the price of ammo, since you say you want something primarily for target shooting.

Ruger 10/22 is hard to beat..cost to buy and shoot.

Mini 14 good choice..dont know over AR?

I have Noveske AR.. lots of boutique ar mfgs..top of the heap is Knights sr15. Bcm, Daniel Defense and Noveske.

If you stumble over a knights sr15 used for around 1500 pretty much buy it now.. i think i may start to keep my eyes open for one.

The bad boy is the Knights sr25...in 308..about 5k a pop.they are sub moa at 600 yards. The us military.has used a 20 inch barrel as a designated marksman rifle in the Sandboxes.


Consider Ak 47..7.62 x 39..ammo is plentiful and relativily cheap..200m produced ..a monkey can operate an maintain. Recoil is not bad.

The Serbian Zastava makes a m70 zpap wt 150mm Receiver wt Chrome lined barrel....830.00 msrp..

They came in in May and were out of atockin a coupla weeks. Ak Union raved about them.as the best ak for the money.

Then there are the Bulgarian Arsenals Sam7s milled receiver chrome lined barrel..the cadilliac of Aks..there is the fixed stock R model which they had in stock earlier for 1369.00 and the sf model side folder. a subsidery of Aresnal ..kvar had a few that they put up on gun broker..they were going for 2300.00...it is one he11 of an ak.

I found a nib SF in Ohio in early February for 1505 to the door. I knew they were getting expensive..

Rock Island auctions has a sf coming up soon at auction. They dont come up frequently.

Whatever ya do buy quality..it has better resale value if nothing else.

There is a reason the M-16/M-4 has been the rifle of the US Military for over 50 years. It is an excellent platform. The inline stock and low recoil make the rifle very easy to learn and operate. I hate to disagree with Jeff, but I do...

Lots of good stuff here, folks, thanks.

Damn, now you guys have me thinking I need a Mini 14....:D

Don't we all!

I am most familiar with the AR and the Mini-14...before the tragic boating accident in which all my spoons were lost I used to shoot both quite a bit:D

It really comes down to, at least in my case, ergonomics: I simply prefer the Mini-14 to the AR in terms of how the rifle interfaces with me. I have no issues with the AR at all, the Mini just "feels" better in all phases of employment to me.

My son, on the other hand, has a custom AR that he loves and shoots extremely well. He has no interest in the Mini other than the occasional use on our outdoor range when I am practicing.

Come on up to Maryland and you can shoot both - as soon as they dry out!:cool:

I prefer 2 different spoons. A 10-22 for introduction to firearms and a Rem 870 for home protection. The scattergun provides a lot of short range stopping power with #4 duck load while far less likely to penetrate walls and take out a neighbor if you are spraying bullets in the dark. The 10-22 is a really well engineered .22 that shoots straight and rarely fails. A great way to get comfortable with the sport of shooting without all the kick and bang.

Not a personal fan of hand spoons so I will leave those recommendations to others.

ARs are like Lincoln Logs for men. And they have gotten so cheap, there's just no reason to not have one (or more). You can buy a perfectly reliable, factory made AR for under $500 now. Get a Ruger or S&W M&P AR for $500, spend $350 more on a 1000 rounds of ammo and then hit the range. Figure out if you want to upgrade optics and you'll still be all in for way under your budget.

I bought an AR pistol kit from Palmetto State Armory yesterday for $399. Only thing missing is a stripped lower, and I have a few of those already at $39 each. I'll build it up this week and it will be my car AR during this craziness. Last night, as the rioters got near my area, I dusted off the SIG 556 SWAT Patrol and put a light on its rail. But it's big and heavy when loaded with a coupled two mags of 30 rounds each. Fine for home defense, but I wouldn't want to have to lug it around outdoors in this heat.

Oh, I don't disagree at all. The M-16/M-4 platform has been developed into probably one of the best military firearms of all time. The civilian version, the AR-15 is, I believe, the most popular rifle in America right now. There is a reason for that.

For a centerfire semi auto that will be a cheap plinker as well as double for home defense, you can't go wrong with either the AR-15 or Mini-14. It all comes down to personal preference... blondes or brunettes... both are very "functional"... ;)

Sounds like this is a Ford vs Chevy, Canon vs Nikon, Mustang vs Camaro debate. Basically the two are neck and neck competitors where it comes down to personal preference.

Hmm, blonde vs brunette, but what about redheads. Is that a gun that's really amazing, but could explode in your hands at any time?

What gun would you suggest if someone prefers a red-head? Has to fire .223/5.56 :p

Beat me to it!

You forgot JMB vs Glock heathens

https://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/a...glockv1911.jpg

That cartoon never gets old, and I'm non-denominational. The final pane is what really puts it over the top.

Like Paul, prior to a boating accident I had (have) both an AR, M1A and a SCAR heavy (17S). The SCAR would be my go to just due to comfort of use and how it is set up coupled with the fact it can reach out and hit far.

AR's are so inexpensive that there is no reason no tot have one. The M&P is a great entry level.

i would go (no doubt)

AR-10(?i believe that is the nomeclature) or the M1A. .308.

i want a M1A so bad it is making me not rational. my brother has one, and we thump hogs with it out to 100 with the iron sights. so much fun. heavy has heck tho.

You could always get something in 6.5 Creedmoor. Guaranteed to reach out and touch someone... I keed, I keed.

I have a Savage boltie in 6.5 and it's a hoot to shoot long, My ARs are enjoyable appliances but AKs are more fun and raw. My favorite and what I shoot most is my 10/22 takedown. Dead reliable, accurate, easy to handle, cheap and 1000 rounds is a lot easier to carry around than most any other caliber.

My 10 year old son calls these a mini-mini-14.

I used to have one of those as well in .30-06. :cool:

Can you imagine humping that thing all day, everyday?

But, however, comma, my favorite rifle lost in the tragic boating accident is the M1 Carbine. Not really germane to this discussion but I can't think of a rifle I'd rather plink with.

There are new versions available but they are not giving them away.

Enjoy!

That same 10 year old says he needs a Daniel Defense AR-15. I told him get a really good job.

This. My buddy has a Ruger PC9, very nice piece. Simplifies things with one set of magazines for carbine and handgun. Did I mention the carbine is a take down set up, breaks into two pieces for portability. Fluted barrel, very, very accurate.

In .223/5.56 it is tough to beat an AR, probably more accurate than the Mini 14, but black rifles are scary

What if they are pink?

https://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/11/hello-kitty-1.jpg

Interesting, based on the link that I posted above, a 4150 steel barrel is a huge upgrade (increased longevity) with most coming with a 4140 steel barrel.

Looking at some stuff on the Internet, it seems like most of the inexpensive guns are running 4140 barrels, and to get a 4150 barrel you've got to spend >1k. But then on the websites, the 4150 barrels are more, but not THAT much more than a 4140.

I guess that's one of the places where the mini-14 excels with its cold hammer forged barrel.

I can't imagine that S&W sells junk, and most of their stuff uses 4140 barrels.

Heh heh... to me, the only red-head of the bunch is the old M1 Garand, but it's a .30-'06. It's the only one that will literally bite the hand that feeds it, the only one that will nonchalantly injure its operator - ever hear of "M1 thumb"? It's very real, and it really frickin' hurts. It may even, in severe cases, remove a piece of your thumb.

Excellent advice. I like levers and saa's for sure in .22s. Lots of good 12 ga pumps. I like my Maverick. Watsa hand spoon?

I bought my son a S&W M&P AR for his birthday many years ago...also lost in the tragic...

Great gun...we probably put 1500 round through it. No issues.

I bought a Bushmaster Varminter nearly 20 years ago. Just a great, great rifle I hated. I sold it to a neighbor of mine who is very, very proficient with it. He loves it and rides the Ground Hog Circuit
on his Honda ATV with it.

The AR platform just doesn't fit me...so spend some time with all your options before you choose. It may be right for you.

Here is the Bushmaster, the picture is taken above one of my barns:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1591048544.jpg

Elevated platform:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1591048591.jpg

The view from the platform and, they are really all I shoot now, how I interrupted Ground Hog Day:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1591048683.jpg

Along the same thought process I have a Kel-Tec sub2000 Gen 2 Capable of accepting all Glock Mags. The main difference is the sub remains a single unit as opposed to the Ruger which is a take down.

Lots of AR platfoms out there but personal would get a mini 14 as it doesn't draw as much attention and is equally capable.

sub2000 Gen2 16" when folded, fits in a back pack. About $450.00. In a free state can accpet a 32 round stick mag or a 50 round drum mag.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1591054960.jpg